Thanksgiving travel at LAX expects to draw up to 2.5 million passengers to the Airport

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is expecting a Thanksgiving travel period with up to 2.5 million passengers using the airport and more than 92,000 vehicles on peak travel days. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and pre-book parking in the newly opened LAX Budget Parking facility, LAX Economy Parking, or other official airport parking lots.

“We are thrilled to welcome a significant increase in travelers during the Thanksgiving travel period, with projections indicating nearly 300,000 more guests than the previous year,” said Bea Hsu, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports. “To ensure a smooth journey, we recommend passengers allow extra time to access the airport and plan ahead by taking advantage of our award-winning services that allow guests to pre-book parking and place food and beverage orders before arriving at the gate.”

Due to ongoing Caltrans work related to the closure of a portion of the I-10 freeway near Downtown, guests are advised to plan alternative routes to the airport and consider transportation including Metro, LAX FlyAway and rideshare services. Additionally, ongoing road closures in the vicinity of the airport may put more pressure on major roadways during peak traffic times. A new, interactive airport map shows real-time traffic updates so guests can plan their trip. Guests should plan to arrive in the terminal at least two hours before the boarding time for domestic flights and three hours before the boarding time for international flights.

Preliminary estimates show that up to 2.5 million passengers will use LAX from Nov. 16-27 this year. Passenger traffic at LAX is about 91.5% compared with 2019, according to TSA data. The airport expects the busiest days during the holiday travel period to be Nov. 17 with about 226,900 passengers, Nov. 19 with about 230,000 passengers, and Nov. 26 with about 225,000 passengers.

Vehicle traffic in the Central Terminal Area (CTA) is expected to be heavy during the travel period with more than 92,000 vehicles expected daily on peak days. Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) Traffic Control Officers will help direct traffic on perimeter roadways and additional Airport Police Traffic Control Officers will assist with vehicles in the CTA.

With increased traffic around the airport and parking garages nearing full capacity, guests are encouraged to reserve a parking space online ahead of time at Parking.FLYLAX.com, which allows guests to book a space in the newly opened Budget Parking facility, as well as LAX Economy Parking and the CTA garages. Guests can use the promo code GIFT23 for 15% off all official airport parking except the Van Nuys FlyAway parking facility.

Two cell phone waiting lots are also open and provide a space for drivers to wait in their vehicles until passengers are ready to be picked-up from the terminal curb. This helps reduce traffic volume around the CTA. The lots are located at 96th Street and Alverstone Avenue, and 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue. A helpful video on how to access the two lots can be found here.