Hoosiers planning to travel to Florida from Indianapolis over spring break should know about TSA wait times, Real ID rules and the busiest travel days.
Here’s what Hoosiers can expect at Florida airports during their spring break travel.
Spring breaks for many Indianapolis area schools are scheduled to take place in late March and early April.
The Indianapolis International Airport reports that 257,041 passengers departed out of the Indy airport between March 10 and March 23 – with March 13 having been the busiest travel day in that time period.
In total, the airport anticipates approximately 623,000 passengers will be departing out of the Indy airport between during the duration of the “Spring Break 2026” period (March 10 – April 13).
Over the remaining Spring Break 2026 period, the busiest days for passenger travel are anticipated to be:
The airport says 4-8 a.m. will be the busiest time of day during these dates.
According to the Indianapolis International Airport, the most-traveled destinations out of Indy include: Phoenix, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Fort Myers, Las Vegas and Miami.
Wait times at most Florida airports haven’t been as long as the three- four-hour delays at other locations in the United States, Florida Today reported on Wednesday, March 25.
More than 400 Transportation Security Administration workers have quit as they work without pay for the third time in six months during the current partial government shutdown.
In an effort to help them out and to lower wait times, agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement were placed in more than a dozen airports across the U.S., including one in Florida, on March 23.
“At this point in time, the Indy airport is not among those where ICE agents will be assigned to assist TSA,” the Indianapolis International Airport said in their spring break press release. “While TSA has reported some call-offs, staffing impacts at IND remain below the national average.”
The airport said TSA call-offs at IND are at 4 – 8% on average, compared to the 10% national average.
Real ID is a driver’s license or state ID card marked with a star or other symbol depending on the state. If you already have a valid Indiana ID, check the upper-right corner for a star.
Real ID is one of a handful of documents that allows people to board commercial flights. It is also necessary to access certain federal facilities like military bases as well as nuclear power plants.
If you already have a valid passport or passport card, you do not need Real ID card to board a commercial flight. International flights still require a valid passport or acceptable alternative; a Real ID card alone will not suffice. You can learn more about the different forms of acceptable identification for air travel on the TSA’s website.
The airport has another option for those who are unable to provide the required acceptable identification, such as a passport or Real ID, but there is some level of risk involved.
Flyers without acceptable identification can now pay a $45 fee to use TSA ConfirmID, which is an optional service that allows TSA to try and verify the flyer’s identity, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to confirm your identity.
If they can’t, you’ll be missing your flight, so you should make sure you have the documents needed before you head to the airport.
Cheryl McCloud contributed to this report.
Katie Wiseman covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Contact her at klwiseman@indystar.com. Follow her on Bluesky, Twitter and Instagram.
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