(Los Angeles, CA) The winter holiday travel season is off to a strong start at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) where up to 3.5 million travellers are expected to use the airport from Dec. 16, 2021 – Jan. 3, 2022, making this the busiest travel period the airport has seen this year.
“As 2021 comes to a close, we are excited to wish our millions of guests, partners and employees a very healthy and happy holiday season,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). “We are committed to providing clean, safe and healthy facilities at LAX and we will be deploying additional help during the holiday season to ensure our guests have a smooth and enjoyable travel experience.”
Preliminary estimates show that passenger traffic during the holidays may reach nearly 3.5 million passengers, which is about 77% compared with the nearly 4.5 million travellers during the same time in 2019. Last year, 1.85 million passengers went through LAX during this time, making this year almost twice as busy.
The airport expects peak travel days this month to be Dec. 17, 19, 26 and Jan. 2, with more than 200,000 passengers during each of those days. LAX continues to rank as one of the busiest airports in the country this year for domestic travel with the number of international flights expected to increase into next year.
Guests are strongly encouraged to plan ahead and pre-book parking using Parking.FlyLAX.com for the best rates and guaranteed spots. During the Thanksgiving holiday, LAX parking was nearly full during peak days. Pre-booking parking online is the best way for travellers to guarantee a spot in their desired parking structure. For the ultimate convenience, valet parking is now available in Parking Structure 1 and also can be reserved through the parking website. Passengers are encouraged to pre-book parking as soon as possible for a greater discount on rates. LAX Economy Parking offers a 24-hour, frequent and free shuttle service from the facility to the terminals, and uses a dedicated lane within the Central Terminal Area (CTA) to provide the fastest service possible. To help reduce traffic near the terminals, passengers may also be dropped off at the economy parking facility and ride the free shuttle to the terminals instead of being dropped off at the curb.
International travellers arriving at LAX should be aware of new federal rules regarding COVID-19 testing before departure. These passengers are encouraged to check local rules and airline procedures prior to heading to the airport. Masks continue to be required inside all LAX facilities and shuttle buses.
To help make the travel experience as smooth as possible for our guests during the holidays, LAX will deploy additional resources in and around the terminals. That includes additional traffic control officers from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), paramedic bike teams from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), and the Team of LAXceptional Courtesy (TLC) volunteers, who will be in the terminals on Dec. 21-22 to provide guest assistance and pass out giveaways. LAX’s volunteer Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP) teams also will be making the rounds, along with our Volunteer Information Professionals (VIPs) and Guest Experience Members (GEMs).
Departing guests are advised to allow additional time to reach the airport, clear security and get to their gates. Travellers should plan to arrive at the terminal at least two hours before the boarding time for domestic flights and three hours before the boarding time for international flights.
