Traffic heads toward Interstate 95 near Jacksonville International Airport. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on December 20, 2023 at 12:57 pm
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AAA projects a record 6.6 million Floridians will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday travel period, now through New Year’s Day.
That’s almost 3.4% more than last year, which was the previous record high. And that doesn’t include snowbirds flocking to Florida from out of state, AAA said.
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Breaking it down: 6 million will travel by car, 356,790 by plane and 266,303 by other means like rail, bus or cruise line.
At the airport
Busy days are certain at Jacksonville International Airport, spokesman Greg Willis said .
“I think we will see sustained traffic, probably starting Thursday through the New Year,” Willis said. “In particular, this Friday and the following Friday, Dec. 29, will most likely be our two busiest days.”
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Many offices will be closed Friday, Willis said. “A lot of people, instead of taking a vacation day on Thursday, will use Friday as a vacation day. … It will be a little bit more than last year, but based on what I am seeing, it’s not a ton here. But it’s still busy.”
Parking garages and surface lots at Jacksonville’s airport all had space earlier this week, but Willis said they will begin filling up through the week. Check the airport’s parking information website to find out what’s open in the next few days. And don’t forget that there is some construction at Economy Lot 3 and their future employee lot.
“We have bulldozers out there now to open those full time in 2024,” Willis said. “Certain days, certain times of day we will see openings and closings.”
If existing parking gets filled, Economy Lot 3 will be opened with several hundred more spaces, available for a flat fee of $40 for up to two weeks, he said.
Once inside the airport, there is construction on some upcoming terminal restaurants like Chili’s, Vino Volo and Angie’s Subs, but that will not affect travelers accessing or exiting the airport or its concourses, Willis said.
The airport finished work recently on new TSA checkpoint and security upgrades to help ease congestion. There are now nine checkpoints with new technology called computed tomography, which takes 3D images of what’s inside luggage. That means faster screening, Willis said.
The bottom line, Willis said, is check the flight schedule on the airport’s website to make sure your flight is arriving or departing on time. Then pack your patience and give yourself plenty of time, he said.
“We recommend you get here two hours prior to your departure time,” he said. “That gives you plenty of time to find parking, check your bags if you need to and navigate through security. And worst case scenario — if you are here a bit early, we have live music every single day.”
On the road
Nationally, 15.2 million people are expected to travel by air, sea, rail and vehicle in the next two weeks, 2.5 million more than last year. The good news for the estimated 103.6 million holiday drivers is that gas prices have plummeted to two-year lows, AAA said.
Sunday’s nationwide average was $3.08 per gallon, six cents less than a year ago. Florida’s average was $2.92 per gallon earlier this week, the same as Duval County’s average. Nassau and St. Johns County averaged about $2.96 per gallon, with Clay County at $2.91 per gallon. Georgia’s average was $2.98 per gallon, with Camden County at $3.01 per gallon, AAA said.
Florida’s gas prices have declined 31 cents in the past 17 days, with 88% of Florida stations showing pump prices below $3 a gallon for regular gas, AAA said.
“Pump prices are falling at the perfect time, as more than 6 million Floridians prepare to take a road trip for the year-end holidays,” said Mark Jenkins, a AAA spokesman.
Strong domestic gasoline supplies and low oil prices have contributed to the lower prices, Jenkins said. Oil prices regained some strength last week, so a modest increase is possible at the pump, but AAA expects gas prices to remain low through the holidays.
Lead image: Vehicles pack Interstate 295 heading toward Interstate 95 near Jacksonville International Airport. | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
