ORLANDO, FL. – Thanksgiving holiday travelers at Orlando International Airport (MCO) can expect a few changes this year. Listed below are some travel facts and tips that can help enhance the holiday travel experience at MCO.

Thanksgiving travel stats:

• The Thanksgiving travel season is 12 days: November 20th – December 1st
• The three busiest travel days are Sunday November 29th with 95,552 passengers, Saturday, November 28th with 90,552 passengers and Saturday, November 21st with 88,666 passengers.
• Overall traffic at MCO is predicted to be down four percent from last year which equals 17,993 fewer passengers. The Automobile Association of America (AAA) predicts air travel to be down 6.7 percent nationwide.
• Nearly one million passengers will travel through MCO during the Thanksgiving holiday season: 959,008.

Customer service enhancements:

• More rental car companies located onsite. The addition of Enterprise and Thrifty brings to 96% the total number of local rental car companies available on MCO property.
• American travelers returning from abroad have access to the new Global Entry program to expedite processing into the United States through Customs and Border Protection.
• Newly renovated restrooms feature antimicrobial treated surfaces that reduce the spreading of germs and viruses.
• Complimentary wi-fi access.

New shopping opportunities before and after security:

• Taxco Sterling (Silver Jewelry) – Main terminal
• Hudson Bookstore – Main terminal Hyatt hotel Atrium
• Kids Works (Educational toys) – Gates 1-29
• Life Is Good (Apparel) – Gates 1-29
• Sunglass Hut (Sunglass accessories) – Gates 1-29
• Tech On-The-Go (electronic accessories) – Gates 1-29
• Calvin Klein (Apparel) – Gates 30-59
• Cubavera (Clothing and accessories) – Gates 30-59
• Penguin (Clothing and accessories) – Gates 30-59
• Tommy Bahama (Casual clothing) – Gates 30-59
• Tumi (Luxury travel accessories)– Gates 30-59

New dining opportunities after security:

• Ruby Tuesday – Gates 30-59
• Brioche Dorree – Gates 1-29
• Famous Famiglia – Gates 1-29
• Cold Stone Creamery – Gates 1-29

Travel Tips:

Observe the Transportation Security Administrations (TSA) 3-1-1 rule. THREE ounce bottles or less of liquids and gels, ONE clear plastic zip top bag to comfortably hold the three ounce containers and ONE bag per passenger allowed through security.

Arrive at least two hours early for domestic travel and three hours in advance for international flights.

TAKE SECURITY SERIOUSLY! DO NOT MAKE JOKES OR LIGHT HEARTED COMMENTS WHILE BEING PROCESSED FOR A FLIGHT.

Orlando International recently received two prestigious awards. The readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine, as part of the annual “America’s Favorite Cities” issue, ranked MCO as the second best airport in the nation for food and drink, shopping, design and functionality, staff efficiency and entertainment / wi-fi access. Also Condé Nast Traveler ranked MCO fourth in the nation for business travelers in areas of food and dining, security and baggage
handling.

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For more information, contact Carolyn Fennell at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority at (407) 825-2055.

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