For Immediate Release
Dec. 15, 2022
Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260
(Los Angeles) ‘Twas a week before Christmas and all through the airport, LAX staff prepare to help and support. With 200,000 passengers per day, the team will help travelers have fun on their way. Carolers will roam the terminal halls, while police officers help stop the worst traffic stalls. Drivers should plan their parking right now, for garages will be quite full – this we will vow. So, arrive early this holiday season and be nice, and keep reading below for some other advice.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is forecasting a busy winter holiday travel period that is expected to draw an average of 200,000 passengers per day, from Dec. 16, 2022 through Jan. 3, 2023. Traffic around the Central Terminal Area is expected to surge with as many as 89,000 vehicles in a single day from Dec. 19-21 – a 12% increase compared to the current daily average.
"LAX wishes our guests, employees and partners a very happy holiday season as we create a smooth and enjoyable travel experience," said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports. "We ask that you come to the airport prepared by planning your parking ahead of time and arriving early, especially if you are traveling with us on one of our peak travel days."
The airport expects peak travel days to be Dec. 16, 18, 19, 23 and Jan. 2, with as many as 215,000 passenger using the airport during each of those days. LAX ranks as one of the busiest airports in the country and has seen passenger levels rising for the holiday season.
Peak travel days include:
- Dec. 16 – 213,808
- Dec. 18 – 214,505
- Dec. 19 – 201,208
- Dec. 23 – 211,511
- Jan. 2 – 209,326
With heavy traffic around the airport and parking garages expected to fill up, guests are highly encouraged to reserve a space online ahead of time at Parking.FLYLAX.com, which allows guests to book a space in the LAX Economy Parking facility, as well as the Central Terminal Area garages. Pre-booking is the only way travelers will have a guaranteed space at the airport.
Travelers also are asked to consider using alternative transportation including the LAX FlyAway, or get dropped off at the LAX Economy Parking Facility and use the free terminal shuttle there. 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 to provide the fastest service possible.
Passengers traveling with United Airlines or Southwest Airlines may also participate in the LAX Fast Lane program, which allows travelers using participating terminals (Terminals 1, 7 and 8) to reserve a 15-minute window at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening areas for the fastest service using a dedicated lane, at no cost. This pilot program was extended to include Terminal 1 and Southwest Airlines for the holiday travel season.
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 select days 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).
LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.
LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with 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.
For more information about LAX, please visit www.flyLAX.com or follow on Twitter @flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
