Scores of travelers are flocking to South Florida's airports to jet off for the Christmas break, with Miami International Airport gearing up for a bustling holiday period. The airport is bracing for over 2.7 million passengers until January 6, 2024, an uptick from last year that marks a 6.1 percent swell in holiday wanderers, as CBS News Miami reports.
Today, along with tomorrow and the days immediately following Christmas are expected to be the peak for travel, with a projection of more than 165,000 individuals hustling through Miami International each day. Over at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, they're prepping for over 2 million flyers in the same seventeen-day stretch, a 14% jump in traffic in comparison with the last festive season,
For some folk like Friez Arnault, the journey is about reuniting with loved ones. "We are all very happy to go home to our families and have a great Christmas," Arnault, facing initial delays at customs managed to breeze through security during his second attempt, he mentioned in a statement obtained by CBS News Miami. Meanwhile, Jordan Trucker told the news outlet that he's shipping gifts in advance to avoid the frenzy: "I shipped them to my sister's house," he said.
As passengers scramble to get airborne, the Transportation Security Administration advises arriving at airports early for smooth processing. Travelers should be primed with identification and boarding passes, and should adhere to the 3-1-1 rule concerning liquids in carry-ons. Meanwhile, firearms are strictly regulated: they must be unloaded, cased, and declared—strictly in checked baggage. The most common delay at checkpoints is due to prohibited items squirreled away in carry-on luggage, airline officials caution.
And it's not just the airports experiencing the holiday buzz. With nearly 104 million anticipated road travelers, according to NBC Miami, the roads are also set to be packed with folks driving home or to holiday detinations in droves.
