Time to travel for turkey: TPA expects record crowds over Thanksgiving holiday

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — America is on the move as people are traveling for their turkey. Tampa International Airport expects Wednesday to be their second busiest day of the year.

“We do expect this to be a record Thanksgiving. We are expecting more than 80,000 passengers to through the airport today. This is our second busiest Thanksgiving period. Our busiest will be the Sunday after Thanksgiving,” said Emily Nipps with Tampa International.

Nipps says many travelers this week may not be experienced with current travel conditions and policies.

“Do your research before you come to the airport. This is a time of year that we see people traveling that don’t travel all year, some people who haven’t traveled in years and that can be very frustrating to people who are frequent travelers through the airport,” said Nipps.

One thing people may want to research is their parking. Tampa International is strongly encouraging people to reserve a parking spot on line before they arrive at the airport.

“It’s actually cheaper if you book on line and that’s what we’ve been pushing for the last couple of years. Booking on line is always the only way you can expect to have a parking space when you get to the airport,’ said Nipps.

For some, the traveling experience can be difficult. Clare O’Conner’s problems began on Wednesday when she arrived at the airport in a rainstorm.

“Getting here was a nightmare. Weather on top of everything else was just absurd. So, I was nervous about that, but luckily I got here pretty early,” said O’Conner.

For her, getting to her final destination in Chicago, on time, is very important.

“I’m going home to see my parents for Thanksgiving and if my flight gets delayed, I miss my Aunt’s casserole,” said O’Conner.

Of course, no one wants her to miss that.