Passenger volume at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) remains unchanged this holiday travel period with 2.9 million passengers compared to the same volume in 2010, according to airport officials. The 18-day holiday travel period began Saturday, Dec. 17, and continues through Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.
The busiest days at the airport are expected to be Thursday, Dec. 22; Friday, Dec. 23; Thursday, Dec. 29; and Friday, Dec. 30. While airlines at LAX report average passenger load factors of 80 percent on most flights, many flights are expected to be fully booked
Once again, volunteer Los Angeles World Airports employees wearing red vests will roam the Upper/Departures Level in all terminals to assist passengers on Thursday, Dec. 22, and Friday, Dec. 23. This is in addition to Volunteer Information Professionals (VIPs) and Airport Guides regularly assigned to assist passengers in the terminals. To ensure motorists do not park or wait at terminal curbside, Airport Police Traffic Officers will distribute handouts containing helpful information on alternative parking/waiting options for drivers. On-airport parking options include eight structures in the Central Terminal Area; Cell Phone Waiting Lot at 96th Street and Vicksburg Ave.; and Economy Parking Lot C on 96th Street and Sepulveda Blvd.
Airport officials suggest passengers departing LAX during daily peak travel periods – from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. – arrive in their airline’s ticketing lobbies two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.
Most domestic air travelers can avoid ticketing counter lines by checking in through the airlines’ Internet websites before coming to the airport. Also, passengers should ensure any carry-on baggage complies with the airline’s size and weight limitations and that they do not contain items prohibited by federal law.
LAX AiRadio 530 AM is the only broadcast source of information on ground transportation, parking, airline terminal locations and security. Broadcasts are streamed onto the airport’s Internet website at www.lawa.org/lax, where comprehensive information about LAX’s passenger services and amenities is available.
Timely information on flight status, traffic and smart travel tips is also available on LAX’s social media sites at www.facebook.com/LAInternation
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s website at www.cbp.gov advises travelers on what items can be brought into the U.S. from overseas. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website at www.tsa.gov lists items that are permitted onboard with passengers, items which must be packed in checked luggage, and items prohibited on flights.
LAX offers daily, convenient and economical FlyAway® nonstop bus service to the airport from Union Station, Van Nuys, Westwood and Irvine Station. Children age 5 and under ride free. For more information, visit www.lawa.org/flyaway.
LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 565 daily flights to 81 domestic cities and over 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 65 international destinations on over 75 carriers. In 2010, LAX served over 59 million passengers, processed over 1.9 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $84 billion, and handled 575,835 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and 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.
