LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A record 1.4 million travelers are expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport between today and Tuesday as people hit the roads and airways for Memorial Day weekend.
Airport officials said Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest travel days, so they advised people to give themselves plenty of extra time.
The airport also unveiled a new social-media tool to help people navigate their way through LAX. The Twitter page flyLAXstats provides travelers with real-time updates on the availability of parking at airport structures, traffic delays on the loop road through LAX and wait times at security lines at all of the terminals.
Travelers can also get updates on conditions and possible impacts of construction work at the airport at www.flyLAX.com.
According to the Automobile Club of Southern California, 3.35 million Southern California residents will travel at least 50 miles to mark Memorial Day -- a 4.3 percent increase over last year and the eighth consecutive year the number has risen.
Among Southern California travelers, 2.78 million -- or 83 percent of all travelers -- are expected to travel by car, a 4.1 percent increase from last year, according to the Auto Club. Another 340,000 residents are expected to go by plane, which is a 5.3 percent increase over the 2018 holiday. About 227,000 local travelers will take a cruise, bus, train or other mode of trip -- a 6 percent increase from last year.
Statewide, about 4.5 million travelers are expected to go by car, a 4.1 percent increase from 2018. About 550,000 statewide are projected to fly, a 5.3 percent increase from last year, and 368,000 will go by other means, a 6 percent increase from 2018.
The Auto Club defines a holiday trip as one at least 50 miles away from home, and the Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, May 23 to Monday, May 27.
In partnership with the traffic forecasting firm INRIX, AAA is projecting that the worst time to leave for the long weekend in the Los Angeles metropolitan area will be during the afternoon and evening hours Thursday and Friday. The most impacted freeway segment is expected to be southbound Interstate 5 between Burbank and just past Interstate 605, where travel times are expected to nearly double during the pre-holiday rush. Other outbound freeway routes are also expected to see increased traffic.
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