Orlando International Airport sees busiest weekend of holiday season

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando International Airport officials say this weekend was expected to be its busiest weekend of the holiday season. 

Orlando International Airport officials expect more than 120,000 people to depart from its airport this weekend, making it the busiest weekend of the holiday season. According to the latest TSA numbers, close to two million people went through its checkpoints across the nation on Friday and Saturday. 

One passenger coming into Orlando from Denver says the airport there and her Southwest flight was packed, which was something she didn't expect during a pandemic. 

"I’ve never ever, ever seen the airport like that, which is weird because, during a pandemic, you’re like, 'Well, there’s no social distancing going on here.' It was insane," said traveler Jaci Stackhouse.

The CDC warned people that it's risky to travel during the holidays, especially with the new strain COVID-19 found in several states so far, including Florida. 

Passengers tell FOX 35 Orlando they felt comfortable flying because of the safety measures in place. The Schutte family says they were especially happy that their Delta flight kept the middle seat open and enforced mask requirements. 

"We thought the plane was clean, the airport clean, everyone we saw was following the rules about wearing masks so I think we traveled with confidence today," said traveler Joann Schutte.