The Orlando International Airport is gearing up for a potentially record-breaking holiday travel season with Central Florida expected to be the nation’s hottest year-end destination.
Airport officials anticipate they will handle nearly 3.1 million passengers from Dec. 19 through Jan. 5.
The airport will be fully staffed for the holiday rush, and travelers are encouraged to arrive at least three hours before their flight, said Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
“When you have passengers at this volume, it is also a good idea to make sure everyone practices patience and keeps that holiday cheer,” he said.
More than 7.5 million Floridians are projected to travel during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, about 244,000 more than the previous year, according to AAA.
“That means more people out on the roads and longer lines at the airports,” said Mark Jenkins, a AAA spokesman.
Many Americans are looking to trade a white Christmas for Florida sunshine. Orlando is the nation’s top year-end travel destination, followed by Fort Lauderdale and Miami, AAA reports.
Orlando airport officials anticipate the busiest travel day will be Saturday, Jan. 3, with 196,212 travelers. Sunday, Jan. 4, comes in second with 195,960 travelers.
Ahead of Christmas, Sunday, Dec. 21, will see the most travelers with 181,301 arriving and departing passengers, according to estimates.
Construction work could complicate holiday travel for some Southwest and Avelo passengers. The airport is replacing one of the two trams that connect terminals A and B with Gates 100-129.
During normal operations, most passengers will experience delays of less than 15 minutes, airport officials advise. From time to time, travelers may need to take a shuttle bus instead of a tram, particularly if their flight arrives between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Travelers using rental-car or ground-transportation services should allow an additional 30 minutes in their pickup planning, airport officials added.
For those skipping the airport and traveling by car, AAA advises getting an early start in the morning and driving on the holiday itself if possible.
Interstates will be more congested the weekend before Christmas. Friday, Dec. 26, is also expected to be a busy travel day.
Hertz projects that Saturday, Dec. 20, will be the busiest day for rental-car pickups, and Orlando is among the top five busiest markets.
Domestic flights are 7% more expensive this year, but gasoline prices are lower, with the national average dipping below $3 per gallon for the first time in four years, according to AAA.
Visit Orlando expects holiday hotel booking could be slightly down from this past year, but travel data suggests the first quarter of 2026 will be slightly up with March looking particularly strong.
“The holiday week is coming in just under last year’s pace, with hotel bookings about 4% behind the prior year, which marked Orlando’s strongest holiday season since the pandemic,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.
Christmas is expected to be warm, sunny and dry in Orlando.
The forecast calls for a high near 77 and low rain chances.