ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando International Airport officials said they expect air travel to be near pre-pandemic levels this Memorial Day weekend.
For example, this Sunday, MCO expects almost 2,000 more passengers to depart than at the same time in 2019.
Inside the airport, at Natalie’s Candy Jar, the business just got a new shipment of merchandise to prepare for the holiday weekend crowd.
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“It’s actually really good right now. We are having a lot more people than ever because of this vaccine,” employee Jhules Sayad said.
Passenger Katie Laughner said she was arriving from Washington D.C. and said the airport seemed almost as busy as previous years.
“It seems crowded but not more crowded than any times I’ve been here, but I hadn’t been back for several years now. It feels how it used to be,” Laughner said.
Nicole Edwards was walking with her children on International Drive, and said she was surprised how busy restaurants were.
“You have to reserve everything. I did not know that I had to reserve and make a reservation for everywhere we go before I came,” Edwards said.
At the StarFlyer, marketing director John Stine said business has picked up and the company is looking to hire more staff.
“It’s a little slow on the backside of people coming back to the workforce, but that’s going to change toward the end of June plus we also see an infusion with college and high school kids,” Stine said.
According to Priceline, Orlando is the number two destination in the county for airline travel.