Holiday Travel: Travelers Brace For Expected Record Traffic Levels At LAX

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) —LAX anticipates another record-breaking Thanksgiving holiday and reminds guests to plan for extra time at the airport. The busiest days for vehicle traffic in the airport area are expected to be Sunday and Monday.

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is forecasting another record-setting Thanksgiving holiday travel period this year, with an estimated 3.21 million passengers during the 14 days surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday. That is roughly equivalent to 80% of the entire population of Los Angeles projected to travel through LAX this Thanksgiving holiday.

"Thanksgiving is always busy at LAX, with lines and traffic congestion, but when you couple record crowds with our $14 billion construction program, you know that there will be times this holiday season that will be exceptionally challenging," said Michael Christensen, Deputy Executive Director for Operations and Maintenance, LAWA. "We encourage travelers to prepare by finding our real-time traffic and parking conditions online, and allow plenty of time to navigate to, from and through the airport this Thanksgiving season. You can negotiate a lot of things, but you can't negotiate yourself onto a plane that's already taken off."

Last year saw long lines and backed up traffic during peak days, and with more people expected and the addition of construction, this year is expected to be no different.

"Traditionally, Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday of the year and the Airport Police are prepared," said Cecil W. Rhambo Jr., Chief, Los Angeles Airport Police. "We have added resources to address both security concerns and traffic congestion. Our goal is to provide every guest with a safe and secure exceptional guest experience."