ORLANDO, Fla. – Halfway through the Thanksgiving travel season, the Orlando International Airport is facing challenges with record-high passenger traffic, according to airport officials.
On the day before Thanksgiving, the travel officials said that nearly all parking at the airport was full and rental car companies have been struggling to meet growing demand at the airport’s Terminal C.
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Due to the shortages, airport officials urged passengers to seek alternative methods of transport to the airport, including being dropped off by ride shares, family, friends, carpools and taxis.
To meet demand at Terminal C, rental car companies have installed counters on level 6 near the baggage claims, allowing passengers to claim their luggage, walk a short distance for rental car processing and then take a shuttle bus to pick up their vehicle in terminals A and B, the airport said in a release.
The release shows that all rental car companies will accept rental car returns at Terminal C for those catching flights from the terminal.
Despite the already high levels of passenger traffic, officials said the busiest travel day for the Thanksgiving season is likely to hit Saturday, Nov. 26, with more than 165,100 expected passengers.
Following that, officials said Sunday, Nov. 27 is set to be the third busiest day — with more than 158,500 expected passengers — and Monday, Nov. 28 will possibly be the fourth busiest, with an estimated 151,000 travelers expected to come through the airport.
With passenger volume remaining high, the airport urged passengers to arrive at least three hours prior to their flight to get through their terminal in time.
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