Thanksgiving travel period projected to be busiest at MIA since pandemic

More than 621,000 passengers are expected at Miami International Airport during the 12-day Thanksgiving travel period from Friday, November 20 to Tuesday, December 1, which would make it the busiest 12-day period at the airport since the pandemic began.

While traffic is expected to be down 59 percent over the same period in 2019, the projected average of 52,000 passengers per day is a 25-percent increase from the daily average of nearly 40,000 passengers in October. Since Friday, passenger traffic at MIA is already exceeding projections, with more than 62,000 daily passengers so far.

The busiest day is expected to be November 29, the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day, with more than 69,000 passengers projected that day.

Below are some tips to make traveling through MIA easier:

• Departing passengers should arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight to allow enough time for recent adjustments to the airline check-in and security checkpoint screening process.

• Passengers are encouraged to check-in online before arriving at MIA.

• To expedite screening at the TSA checkpoints, wear easily removable shoes, follow the 3-1-1 rule for liquids or gels in their carry-on, and avoid accessories that resemble weapons. More TSA tips are available on the TSA website.  

• Ordering food and beverages is now as safe and easy as click, grab and go with MIA2GO, the airport’s new contactless mobile platform that puts customers in the fly-through lane to quickly browse menus, order and pay before making their pick-up at restaurants throughout the airport.

• International passengers arriving at MIA will now be screened via Simplified Arrival – CBP’s enhanced process that uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks already required for admission into the U.S. Among the leading U.S. airports for international passengers, MIA is the latest to fully deploy Simplified Arrival.

• MIA passengers now have a personal travel assistant available around the clock, ready to tell them the fastest checkpoint for their flight and how to get there. Meet the MIA QueueAnalyzer - the latest in passenger flow management technology – available online now for real-time updates on security checkpoint wait times via the airport’s mobile app and website.