For Immediate Release
Dec. 2, 2019
Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260
Travelers are Advised to Plan for Extra Time at the Airport
(Los Angeles, CA) The Thanksgiving travel season for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which ends on Tuesday, is officially one of the busiest on record. LAWA officials continue to urge travelers to plan for extra time at the airport today given the high volume of travelers. Today’s passenger volume is expected to be on par with yesterday’s, with nearly 250,000 travelers forecasted. Peak travel times today will also rival those of yesterday, when more than 90,000 people, the capacity of the Rose Bowl, came through LAX in just a five-hour period. Today’s “super peak” is expected between 5-9 p.m.
In the months and weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving travel season, LAWA officials invested significant time and resources in preparing to ensure the guest experience was as smooth as possible. Officials are pleased that guests accessed the enhanced mass transit options provided throughout the holiday, including the new LAX Holiday Shuttle, free Metro Rail and public bus passes, as well as the increased FlyAway service. As high travel volumes on Sunday continued well into the late evening and early morning, given flight delays resulting from bad weather in the Midwest and on the East Coast, these additional services were a welcome alternative for travelers.
So far, over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday, LAX has seen increased ridership across the public transportation options. For instance, yesterday, Sunday, Dec. 1, saw 2,010 passengers on the Union Station FlyAway, 3,242 on the Van Nuys FlyAway, 418 on the Hollywood FlyAway and 152 on the Long Beach FlyAway. This is an increase of 12%, 7%, 18% and 25%, respectively, compared to the previous week. To date, the LAX Holiday Shuttle has served 265 total passengers, 112 to and from the Century City location and 153 to and from the Santa Monica location. Metro Green Line and municipal bus service are also seeing increased ridership. Yesterday, LAX’s supplemental holiday LAX Green Line bus and LAX City Bus Center shuttles transported 1,205 passengers, on top of the shuttles that are typically on that route.
The new LAX-it lot, where travelers connect with ride app or taxi drivers, also worked smoothly but was consistently busy. For most of the day Sunday, wait times for all modes of transit at LAX-it were 20 minutes or less. During peak travel hours, when wait times exceeded 20 minutes, officials worked swiftly to resolve traffic congestion and get guests on their way.
However, today will be another extremely busy day at LAX with more potential impacts due to weather throughout the country in addition to normal traffic in the Los Angeles Area. Travelers are reminded to:
- Arrive Early: Departing guests are advised to allow additional time to reach the airport, clear security and reach their gates. Typically, LAX officials encourage guests to arrive in the terminal at least two hours before the boarding time for domestic flights and three hours before the boarding time for international flights. Today, guests are encouraged to add at least one hour to that time to account for traffic and lines at the airport.
- Skip the Drive: Guests are encouraged to consider alternate means of traveling to and from LAX, including FlyAway bus and public transportation. Learn more at www.FlyLAX.com/HolidayTransit. The LAX Holiday Shuttle and free rides on multiple municipal buses and the Metro Green Line continue through the end of the day today.
- Be Informed in Real Time: The @FlyLAXStats Twitter account provides regular updates on traffic conditions and parking availability at terminal parking structures and Economy Lot E. This real-time data can also be found at www.FlyLAX.com, which also has predictions for traffic congestion throughout the day in addition to the real-time information.
LAWA remains the No. 1 origin and destination airport in the world, and is committed to transformation and modernization so that Los Angeles has the world-class airport it deserves. Learn more about our modernization program at www.flylax.com/connectingLAX.
LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.
LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
