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Ground delay at Orlando International Airport due to air traffic controller staffing
OOrlando

Nearly 82 million expected to travel for Thanksgiving; Florida top destination

  • November 25, 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. – Thanksgiving travel is in full swing, with nearly 82 million people expected to hit the road or take to the skies, according to AAA.

This surge comes as airports resume regular operations following the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

About 6 million people are expected to fly in and out of airports nationwide during the holiday period.

Daniel Liberti, a frequent Thanksgiving traveler, shared his strategy for avoiding crowds.

“Usually, I always try to leave a day early. That’s the trick. Don’t leave Wednesday, leave Tuesday,” he said.

Florida remains the most popular domestic destination, thanks to its warm weather, theme parks, and cruise ports, which means busy days ahead at MCO.

[WATCH: Tram replacement at MCO to cause delays]

“We actually came in yesterday, so it made it a little bit easier by coming in yesterday,” Kaitlyn Delott, who is going on a Disney cruise, said.

Kathy Albury, headed to Delaware for Thanksgiving, revealed she hasn’t flown during the holidays in 20 years.

“I am just praying for the best,” she said about potential delays.

To speed through security, Albury used MCO’s reserve option, booking online to go through the security checkpoints smoothly. 

“I did find out about that at MCO. You can book online if you don’t have TSA Pre-Check. So, I have an appointment, and I can just go straight through,” she explained.

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