Officials at Miami International Airport are projecting holiday travel to be cut in half when compared to previous years, as millions of passengers are still expected to fly home for the holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic.
MIA says it is expecting a 54% decrease in travel during its two busiest weeks of the year - December 21st to January 6th - when compared to previous years.
The culprit for the drop-off in traveling would be the current pandemic, which has forced many to think twice about booking flights.
However, those taking the risk to see their loved ones for the holidays say their decision to travel does not mean they are going to be careless.
Charmaine Thomas was on her way to see family in Jamaica on Saturday. She said, in the end, the love for her family outweighed the risks of COVID-19.
"I'm taking all the precautions necessary," Thomas said. "I have bags of hand sanitizer. I have little ones, big ones, wipes - everything."
Matt Nahanee was confident about seeing his decision to fly to Dayton, Ohio for the holidays. But, he admits he did not want to get on a full flight.
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"I changed flights cause ours was overbooked," Nahanee said. "I took a flight that was not as booked and we're all good."
Authorities at Miami International Airport say they are still projecting a total of 1,157,353 passengers during their busies weeks - an average of 60,000 to 70,000 passengers every day.
