LAX Ranked Among Busiest Airports for Thanksgiving

Los Angeles International Airport is about to get a bit more hectic this holiday season.

Along with Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, LAX will be among the nation’s busiest airports this Thanksgiving weekend, according to a report released Monday by Orbitz. The study analyzed the top 50 U.S. airports based on flight bookings between Nov. 23-27.

Last year’s Thanksgiving weekend tallied about 1.53 million passengers flying in and out of LAX, a number that is expected to increase this year.

“It makes sense since there are a lot of colleges in L.A. and a lot of people live in L.A. who are not originally from here,” said Sarah Peterson, a USC senior majoring in Business Administration.

Peterson plans to stay local this Thanksgiving to avoid the rush, but she still anticipates traffic on the way to her aunt’s house in Sonoma County.

Other airports that made the Orbitz list included San Francisco International, Boston Logan International and New York LaGuardia.

USC alumna Kristen Hanafee graduated last year and moved back to New York. She plans to fly to Puerto Vallarta from John F. Kennedy International Airport to visit a friend for Thanksgiving. JFK is expected to rank eighth in ticket sales this year.

"I tried to fly on days that weren't the worst ­– leaving Tuesday [and] coming back Monday," Hanafee said. “So I had to miss a few more days of work, but it was less expensive.”

For those Californians looking for alternatives to avoid the holiday jam, three airports, including Mineta San Jose International, John Wayne Airport and Sacramento International, ranked among the least busy Thanksgiving airports.

Jenay Ross, a sophomore majoring in print and digital journalism, flew out of LAX to Oakland International last year on Thanksgiving Day, and then flew back the next day.

“Traveling went smoothly,” said Ross, who avoided long lines by not checking in any bags. “It was just kind of crazy only being home for a day.”