TAMPA – Holiday travel is officially underway in Tampa Bay, and both major airports are preparing for busy crowds as Thanksgiving approaches.
What we know:
Tampa International Airport officials expect roughly 80,000 daily travelers will move through the airport’s security checkpoints during this holiday period, which runs from November 20 to December 1.
That’s similar to what TPA saw during last year’s Thanksgiving travel period, TPA VP of operations Benjamin Robins said.
Sunday, November 30 – the Sunday after Thanksgiving – is expected to be the busiest day when officials anticipate the airport will see over 86,000 travelers.
What they’re saying:
Thursday, November 20 marked the first day of the holiday travel period. It also marked the first day that paychecks hit the banks for some TSA employees.
“As I understand it, we started getting paychecks today,” Kirk Skinner, TSA federal security director for the greater Tampa Bay area, said. “So I think everybody’s happy about that.”
Airport officials told FOX 13 that TPA is back to “normal operations” post-government shutdown.
“For TSA, I can say that throughout the shutdown, our entire team came to work. We experienced none of the slowdowns, none of the issues with callouts that other organizations and other airports have seen. And my hat’s off to the officers here in Tampa and at St. Pete-Clearwater. They just did a great job, and the public helped with some of that. We got over $10,000 in donations with gift cards that helped put gas in their cars and food on the table, as well as retail establishments here at the airport including the Marriott that provided food,” Skinner said. “The holiday period for us is always a challenge. But in terms of staffing, as long as we’ve got the officers to keep the lanes open, the traveling public’s not going to have any issues.”
Dig deeper:
Click here to see what Thanksgiving-related items can be brought through TSA security.
“Check your bags carefully before you pack. Make sure it’s entirely empty,” Skinner said. “We’ve had over 200 firearms come through this year, which is not good for the airport or for the passenger. The caution that you take when you’re packing your bag will ensure that you know where your weapon is, and it’s not in your bags when you show up at the airport.”
By the numbers:
PIE is in the middle of a historic growth streak, breaking monthly passenger records since February and projecting its biggest year ever in 2025.
Officials are expecting the upcoming holidays to be no different.
“We are over 15% year-to-date from last year. And month over month, we’ve been breaking records,” PIE interim director Mark Sprague said of passenger traffic at PIE.
What You Need To Know:
Parking is limited at PIE, and spots fill up quickly.
“We are not going to have parking spots for every single passenger,” Sprague added.
Parking is first-come, first-serve: There is no reservation system at PIE.
The airport has short term, long term, and economy parking lots. Officials encourage travelers to make sure they plan ahead for the shuttle, too.
For more information on parking at PIE, click here.
What’s next:
In December, airport officials will speak to county commissioners about a 2,000-space parking garage to replace the 76-spot “Strawberry PIE” lot. This project is working through the formal approval process but is expected to open in summer 2027.
The Source: The information in this article came from interviews conducted by Fox 13 staff at the Tampa International Airport (TPA) and the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE).