LAX Expecting Hike in Thanksgiving Traffic
According to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 1.78 million people will travel through LAX this Thanksgiving, a 16 percent increase over last year. The busiest day is expected to fall on the Monday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, with nearly 167,000 travelers going through LAX.
In previous years, most people have traveled on the day before Thanksgiving to get to their holiday destination. However, a new trend of traveling on Thanksgiving day will make it one of the busisest travel days of the season.
What's driving the change in traveling habits? Local travel-industry experts say the change is due to people choosing to travel on the holiday itself, when airfaire traditionally cost less than on days leading up to a major holiday. People are also making their trips longer, which explains a heavy travel day the Monday after Thanksgiving.
For those departing LAX at peak travel times, officials say to arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours for international flights. Volunteers will be at LAX Nov. 22 and Nov. 23 to help passengers get to their planes on time.
LAX is the sixth busiest airline in the world and third busiest in the U.S. If you're flying home for Thanksgiving, follow these tips to ensure you make it to your flight on time:
-Arrive to the airport a couple hours before your flight.
-Check in using your airline's website to avoid long lines.
-Make sure your carry-on luggage fits the proper size and weight requirements.
-Check luggage to ensure it does not include items prohibited by federal law.
