12:51 PM CST on Friday, February 24, 2006

Bill Capo / WWL-TV News Reporter

New Orleans is bracing for the big Mardi Gras weekend, as excitement builds towards Fat Tuesday. It’s a time when thousands of visitors pour into the city, while lots of locals head out of town on vacation.

Armstrong International Airport was certainly busy before dawn. The first wave of travelers were New Orleans area residents following the tradition of spending Mardi Gras vacation somewhere else.

“Just get away from here and enjoy a little time away from the city. Just, you know, getting something that is not bleak and destroyed, and just have a good time for a while,” said firefighter Joe Favaza, whose family was taking a long awaited trip top Disney World.

Armstrong International spokesmen said the best advice they have for departing residents is to arrive early. Two hours is what they suggest. In fact, an airline employee said some people have already missed their flights because they did not get here in time to clear security.

Airport officials said there were 10,000 seats on the planes arriving Friday and almost all were filled, meaning a lot of welcome work for airport employees.

“Right now we're running pretty rough, back and forth, we have a lot of loads here and there...I've been running in and out,” said Eric Jones, a skycap at Armstrong International.

Tourism leaders see Mardi Gras as a crucial test of the city's ability to welcome back tourists after Hurricane Katrina.

“Maybe it marks a new start; everybody will sort of be putting the rebuilding phase behind them and looking forward,” said John Moore, a Vero Beach, Florida resident who’s riding in Bacchus this year. “That's what happened with us, and I'm excited, hopefully that's what it will be here.”