The estimates are in.
The Transportation Security Administration expects more than 40 million people to fly to their holiday destinations between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2 — a 6.2 percent increase from last year, according to the agency.
Train, bus, car
AAA predicts that 107 million Americans will drive to their destinations this holiday season — an increase of 2.5 million from last year.
It is estimated that 4.47 million people will travel by bus, train or cruise – an increase of 10 percent from last year.
RELAX
We save the most important estimates for last — for obvious reasons.
At LAX, they estimate that about 3 million people will fly in and out of the airport between now and Jan. 2, according to Justin Upshaw, a public information officer at LAX.
Holiday air travel this year is expected to surpass pre-COVID peak levels. And that’s not all, Upshaw said. “The travel period is actually getting longer. We saw that with Thanksgiving, where people don’t wait until Friday afternoon to fly there, they leave in the middle of the week and come back on a Monday or Tuesday.”
Upshaw said LAX has devoted more resources to bubble traffic — both for cars and flyers.
“That means seeing DOT traffic officers help keep the intersections moving at Century and Sepulveda, and additional staff in the terminals,” Upshaw said.
Still, he said the usual reminders apply to those flying during the holidays, specifically:
- Give yourself plenty of time to get to and from the airport
- Check in online and check the status of your flight before you get to the airport
- Pre-book parking by going to flylax.com and click on the relevant tab, as Upshaw said the airport’s parking garage reaches capacity this time of year.
We have a full guide on how to navigate the peak intensity at LAX during busy seasons. That’s right here.
