Thanksgiving travel is set to build again at Orlando International Airport, with new projections pointing to a busier holiday period than last year. From November 21 through December 2, MCO expects 1,889,451 passengers, a year-over-year increase from 2024's total of 1,876,000 during the same stretch.
The forecast shows growth on both departures and arrivals, with the airport projecting 942,638 departures and 946,813 arrivals during the period.
Busiest Days in the Forecast
The busiest travel days arrive near the end of Thanksgiving week:
- Saturday, November 29, 2025: 175,855 projected passengers
- Sunday, November 30, 2025: 177,400 projected passengers
- Monday, December 1, 2025: 173,384 projected passengers
These three days represent the peak of the post-holiday return travel window and exceed the highest days recorded in 2024.
Pre-Holiday Travel Also Trending Up
Leading into Thanksgiving, several days show noticeable increases compared to last year:
- Sunday, November 23: 169,728 projected passengers
- Monday, November 24: 159,043 projected passengers
- Wednesday, November 26: 153,985 projected passengers
Thanksgiving Day Itself Remains Lighter
As usual, Thanksgiving Day is expected to be the least busy travel day of the period, with a projected 112,430 passengers on Thursday, November 27, 2025. This remains consistent with 2024, when Thanksgiving Day traffic dropped sharply compared to surrounding dates.
Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox