FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Monday is a peak travel day during the busy year-end season, and travelers’ wait times for ride-share pickups at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were longer than usual.

Drivers with ride-sharing services struggled with traffic. James Ermitus said an Uber driver was meeting him at FLL in 27 minutes. Everton Allen expected a 20-minute wait. Abbigail Baumstark said last she checked it was 35 minutes.

“It says like 22, then it says 18, then it goes back to 30,” Baumstark said. “I feel like normally it is a pretty good system, but this year it is not.”

Diamond Santos said he didn’t even have a wait time yet, since he had been struggling to get matched with an Uber or Lift driver. A spokesperson for FLL attributed the high traffic ahead of the terminals to more travelers choosing to use the on-site parking.

Ruben Ortiz, an Uber driver, said travelers needed to be proactive about contacting drivers and be ready to wait patiently.

“As soon as they call, text the driver, ‘Hey, I’m here, and I am going to be waiting for you,’ and that’s it,” Ortiz said. “There is nothing they can do. There is no way around it.”

A representative for FLL suggested on X that travelers choose to connect with ride-share service drivers at either the arrivals, the first floor, or departure, the second floor, depending on which one is less congested.

FLL opened an off-site “overflow” parking lot and set up orange signs to guide drivers. The airport’s spokesperson warned on X that travelers who park there or who are at FLL to connect with cruises at Port Everglades will need more time to avoid delays.

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