BROWARD COUNTY, FL - The Thanksgiving Day holiday is the perfect opportunity to share our gratitude, count our blessings, celebrate with family and friends, and indulge in traditional meals. This year, thanks to greater access to COVID-19 vaccines and improving vaccination rates, our holiday celebrations may feel closer to normal than a year ago.

At Broward County's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), with passenger activity this year nearing pre-pandemic 2019 levels, airport officials are preparing for a busy holiday season as more people yearn for a return to normalcy.

For the seven-day Thanksgiving holiday period running Tuesday, November 23 through Monday, November 29, FLL officials are forecasting approximately 604,000 travelers will pass through the facility. Comparatively, that is a 26 percent increase in passengers over the same seven-day period in 2020 and overall about 25 percent less than projected in 2019. The airport's busiest travel days for Thanksgiving 2021 are shaping up to be Wednesday, November 24, Saturday, November 27, and Sunday, November 28, with between 91,000 to 98,000 travelers daily.

"Even though 2021 has had its challenges amid the ongoing pandemic, we are thankful for the strides taken to return more normalcy to our lives," said Mark E. Gale, FLL CEO/Director of Aviation. "At FLL, we're equally grateful for the continued support of the traveling public and wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday."

As the holiday travel ramps up, we encourage FLL travelers and visitors to follow the recommended guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to curb the spread of COVID-19. These include practicing good hand washing hygiene and social distancing, when possible. Additionally, the U.S. federal mandate requiring everyone to wear face coverings inside the airport's terminals and the Rental Car Center (RCC) remains in effect until early 2022. Meanwhile, enhanced sanitization efforts continue to provide FLL guests and employees with a clean, safe, and healthy environment.

Consider these holiday travel tips to help you "FLLy Safer, FLLy Smarter, FLLy Better":

PARKING
Download the free FLL Airport App for information on parking, flights, restaurants, and shops before arriving at the airport. If you plan to park at FLL, allocate extra time to get here and secure a spot among the parking garage's 11,000-plus spaces, which could fill up during the holidays. Tap into the garages' smart parking technology to find the closest open spot. Then, in the garage driving lanes, look at the monitors mounted to the ceiling for the number of available spaces in each aisle.

Travelers can use SunPass Plus as a convenient way to pay for parking using a SunPass transponder in the Airport's three parking garages. The traveler must use a SunPass Plus lane to enter and exit for the account to be charged. No ticket is required with SunPass Plus entry. FLL offers travelers a variety of parking options in its garages: Long Term Parking is $15 a day, and Short Term Parking, intended for dropping off or picking up passengers, is available for $3 an hour with a maximum daily rate of $36.

FLL's Overflow Parking Lot has more than 1,000 spaces and will only open if the onsite garages are at full capacity. It is located west of the airport at 1661 SW 40th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. Take Griffin Road just west of I-95 to Anglers Avenue, turn right (north). Then turn right (east) on Southwest 42nd Street and follow the orange wayfinding signs. A flat rate of $10 per day applies, and only credit card payments are accepted. View the attached parking map at the bottom of the page.

Note: Curbside Valet Parking service remains suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PICKUP/DROP OFF
The Cell Phone Waiting Area is located under the main entrance roadway to the airport. As you approach FLL's entrance, stay in the left lanes, follow the sign to All Parking, and bear left. Then follow the signs to the Cell Phone Waiting Area. This road will bring you around the RCC to the Cell Phone Waiting Area. If the free Cell Phone Waiting Area is full, please proceed to our Short Term Parking in the garages, which is available for $3 per hour with a grace period under 20 minutes at no charge. Please remember that the curbside areas are for immediate pickup and drop-off only. Unattended vehicles will be ticketed and towed.

REMINDERS
FLL participates in several expedited security and Customs processing programs, including TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry, Mobile Passport, and CLEAR, available in select locations and security checkpoints. Please visit their respective websites to learn more about the programs, how they work, and any associated costs.

If you are a traveler with a disability or have a medical condition, you can plan ahead with TSA Cares or call their toll-free helpline at 1-855-787-2227 to enhance your airport experience.

About Broward's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Airport generated $37.5 billion in economic activity annually and nearly 18,000 direct, local jobs. Despite the impact of COVID-19 on the aviation industry in 2020, FLL ranked 6th in total passenger traffic recovery and 4th in international traffic recovery amongst U.S. airports. Currently, FLL is one of the fastest-recovering U.S. airports, with passenger traffic approaching 2019 levels. In 2020, the Airport served 16.5 million passengers. FLL is located in Greater Fort Lauderdale in the heart of Florida's Gold Coast. The Aviation Department, FLL's operator, is a self-supporting agency of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners that does not rely on local tax dollars for operations and capital improvements. The department also operates North Perry Airport, a general aviation facility for private and charter aircraft operators. Call 954-359-6100 for more information. For updates on airport programs and services, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or visit fll.net.

November 22, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Arlene Satchell, Assistant Public Information Officer
Broward County Aviation Department
954-359-6201
asatchell@broward.org