Tampa Bay braces for Thanksgiving travel headaches

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is preparing for the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record, expecting to screen 18.3 million people from Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2.

Zoom in: AAA projects Tampa Bay's road congestion will peak the day after Thanksgiving around 10:30am, when a trip from Fort Myers on Interstate 75 could take two hours and 41 minutes — 69% longer than usual.

• Tampa International Airport expects nearly 80,000 passengers a day between Nov. 21 and Dec. 2.

Between the lines: Those traveling by car and plane — and potentially even by ship — can expect traffic, long lines and delays with millions more people heading elsewhere for the holiday.

By the numbers: 71.7 million people are expected to travel by car between Tuesday, Nov. 26 and Monday, Dec. 2, per AAA.

• That's an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared to last year.
• The worst times to travel by car are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, according to INRIX, which provides transportation data and insights. The best time is Thanksgiving Day itself.