Busy holiday travel rush about to get underway
MIAMI - The busy holiday travel period is about to get underway.
Miami International Airport expects 2.5 million passengers between December 21st and January 6th.
That is a 1.5% increase from 2021.
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International airport is expecting 1.6 million travelers in that time, which is a 13% jump from this time last year.
However, a predicted winter storm could complicate travel.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm alerts from the Plains to the Eastern Seaboard.
"That's terrible news for all air traffic, and it's going to impact Miami as well," explained Clint Henderson. He is Managing Editor at The Points Guy, a site that shares tips on air travel.
"If you can, change your flight to leave earlier. Leave in the next couple of days," he said. "There are already weather waivers in effect from United Airlines and from American Airlines."
Staying on top of updates can help prevent you from being caught off guard.
"Make sure you're looking at a site like FlightAware or Flightradar24, or even just googling the flight number, so you can keep an eye on where that flight is," Henderson said. "A lot of times the airline apps will have where your flight is coming in from, so you can keep an eye on it that way."
Keep in mind, if your flight is canceled due to weather, you are entitled to a full cash refund of your fare.
"Go ahead and spring for the main cabin fare, not the most discounted fare bucket," he advised. "Because, if things go sideways, the lowest priority folks are those who booked the cheapest ticket.
So sometimes it pays to book the regular coach price, instead of that really discounted bargain basement fare."
He also noted even though the airline does not have to pay for a hotel or accommodations after a canceled flight, sometimes a credit card that offers travel protection will cover those things.
Miami International Airport held a press conference Monday to share some tips to make travel as smooth as possible.
Greg Chin, airport spokesperson, talked about "MIA Reserve."
"People should really take advantage of that," he said. "You can reserve your place in line at the TSA checkpoint and bypass the other lines, so, at peak times, you can go online at our website and reserve your time in the TSA checkpoint line, and there's a dedicated lane for you."
To prevent filled parking lots, he recommended rideshare services or their newer economy lot.
"We now have an economy park and ride lot which is a remote location just 10 minutes south of the airport. It's 12 dollars a day, instead of 25 dollars. That's a way you can save some money for your winter travel plans."
Nationwide, air travel will see a 14% increase over last year. Nearly 7.2 million Americans are expected to fly, which is close to matching 2019 when 7.3 million Americans traveled by air, according to AAA. The travel group said demand for flights has surged despite higher airline ticket prices.
