OIA and other airports brace for holiday travelers

ORLANDO, Fla. - The two weeks of Thanksgiving holiday travel will see around 1.75 million people moving through the Orlando International Airport --  a six percent increase from last year. 

“Looking at the early TSA numbers we project to be the busiest single checkpoint,” said Marquez Griffin, Director of Airport Operations. 

That means passengers need to follow the rules when it comes to packing before going through security.  Only liquids under 3.4 ounces and no firearms in your carry-on.  TSA has already located 83 firearms so far this year. They say they always see an uptick around the holidays. 

“If you bring a firearms to a federal checkpoint, you face possible arrest and in addition to that even if you are not arrested, you face a civil fine from the TSA that can reach more than $13,000,” said Sari Koshetz, TSA spokesperson. 

TSA says if you plan to travel with your firearm, it must be declared to the airline, unloaded, and locked up in your checked bag. When it comes to electronics, be prepared to take anything bigger than a phone out of your bag for screening.  Yes, the shoes still come off unless you have TSA precheck, are a small or child or over the age of 75. 

Officials say knowing these travel rules can make the lines move more smoothly without incident so that everyone can get to their final destination. 

Hundreds of thousands of people will be traveling through OIA starting this Friday just in time for the holiday season since they plan to put up that 40-foot iconic Christmas tree right here.  The airport will see more than 100, 000 passengers per day, the busiest day with nearly 170,000 travelers will be the Saturday right after Thanksgiving.