Airports prepare for one of the busiest travel weeks

MIAMI (WSVN) -- The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is upon us, and tens of thousands of travelers are expected to pass through Miami International Airport this week.

AAA said this holiday season, they are expecting more travelers to hit the highways and fewer people to fly than last Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, this is one of the busiest weeks of the year. For this reason, airports across the country are preparing.

Some travelers already arrived to Miami looking for some traditional Miami vacation experiences in addition to visiting family. "We're gonna go see alligators and dolphins," said Macy Park. "Whatever is the tourist thing to do in Florida."

Park flew into MIA for her first visit to Florida to visit her father and stepmom. She is one of 900,000 people the airport expects to pass through between this Sunday and next Sunday.

With the extra travelers comes this message to arrive early. "Two hours before a domestic flight," said Marc Henderson. "Two and a half to maybe three hours for international flight."

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport anticipates half-a-million travelers to fly in and out for the holiday. "It's been wonderful," said a flyer. "No problems whatsoever. I was very surprised."

For many travelers, it's been smooth sailing in part because many have listened to the advice regarding arriving to the airport earlier. The Transportation Security Administration insists they are ready for the crowd. "During the holidays, we staff up," said TSA Spokesperson Sari Koshetz. "We man as many lines as possible, we coordinate with the airport and the airlines to know when the peak times are so that the wait time can be as low as possible."

As many as 43 million Americans will drive home for the holidays and travel 50 miles or more to visit relatives. That is up about one percent from last year.

The busiest travel day this week is expected to be Wednesday. The slowest travel day is Thursday when many people have already arrived at their destination.

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