Miami, Fort Lauderdale Airports See Spike in Holiday Travel

South Florida’s two main travel gateways are bracing for a surge in passengers this weekend, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to bring more than 200,000 new individual cases a day.

Both Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport report seeing their highest volumes since March, at some 70,000 travelers a day. The facilities expect a combined total of about 2 million passengers through the first week of January — though this is about half what it saw during last year’s holiday season.

MIA expects more than 1,157,000 travelers between Dec. 21 and Jan. 7 — 54% of where it was last season — with Christmas weekend and Jan. 5, the day before Three Kings Day, as its busiest days.

Most travelers are coming from the U.S., with the biggest flows from top traditional markets like Atlanta, New York and Chicago. The busiest international travel market is Cuba; traffic from the Caribbean generally remains strong, said MIA Director Lester Sola.

FLL is expecting 940,000 passengers between Dec. 21, 2020 and Jan. 3, 2021 — 48% lower than the same period in 2019. Its busiest travel days are expected to be Dec. 26-27 and Jan. 2- 3. Top markets include New York, Newark, and Chicago.

Source: The Miami Herald