Travelers are bracing for heavy traffic and flight delays ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
“I'm coming from Sunrise, Florida, and I'm heading to the Keys,” driver Frankelly Camacho said. “The traffic is awful.”
“You know you're going to be waiting a long time, so you prepare by dressing comfortably,” said Blake Daveler, a passenger on the airline.
According to AAA, a record 2.5 million Floridians are expected to travel this weekend alone, with more than 200,000 of them traveling by air.
“I'm coming down here to visit my mom's apartment,” said Ross McKee, a passenger on a flight from Atlanta. “It's kind of a bold plan. I don't usually make the journey out here, but this year I'm going to.”
Friday is expected to be Palm Beach International Airport's busiest travel day of the weekend, with the TSA anticipating more than 44,600 total passengers this weekend, including an estimated 17,000 departing today.
“I think most people are done by now, but I'm going to be a little busy tomorrow. […] “People should plan to arrive two hours early to ensure they have parking and can get through the TSA checkpoint,” said Nicole Hughes, PBIA's director of marketing and communications.
Hughes added that travellers should be patient as this weekend marks the start of what is expected to be a very busy summer period.
“We've seen an increase in passenger numbers throughout the year, so I suspect we'll see a slight increase over last year,” she said.
Airports will be busy this weekend, but roads will be even busier: AAA says 2.3 million Floridians will travel by car.
“You know, prices are really high and jobs don't pay very well these days, so I have no choice but to stay in the state,” Camacho said.
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