July 4th holiday travel: LAX expects nearly 3 million passengers
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Los Angeles International Airport is expecting its busiest travel period of the summer during the Fourth of July weekend.
The airport, also known as LAX, is projecting nearly 3 million passengers over the holiday travel period starting this past Wednesday and extending through Monday, July 10.
The busiest days of the Independence Day travel period share expected to be June 29, June 30 and July 10, with approximately 241,000, 245,000 and 250,000 passengers, respectively.
The peak days represent about 90% of the passenger volume compared to March 2019, and are projected to be the busiest travel days the airport has seen since early 2020.
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The airport is always filled with hello and goodbye hugs like this one as a traveler leaves for the 4th of July holiday at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Photo by Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The busy summer travel season is upon us at LAX and we expect passenger volumes to reach the highest levels we have seen so far this year with an average of 228,000 daily passengers in the days before and after the Independence Day holiday," Justin Erbacci, the CEO of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), said in a statement. LAWA is the City of Los Angeles department that owns and operates the hub as well as Van Nuys (VNY) general aviation airports.
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Airport traffic requires patience as travelers leave for the 4th of July holiday at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Photo by Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Our parking structures are nearing capacity or filling up on a daily basis, so we encourage guests to take advantage of our award-winning smart parking system to pre-book a parking space in any Central Area Terminal (CTA) structure or the LAX Economy Parking facility. Passengers can also make the travel journey more enjoyable by arriving early and ordering food and beverage ahead of time for pickup or delivery to the gate," he added.
Travelers make their way to their departure gates as they leave for the 4th of July holiday, at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Photo by Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Vehicle traffic in the CTA also is expected to continue to increase, with more than 90,000 vehicles expected daily on peak days including June 29-30 and July 9.
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Pre-booking parking at Parking.FLYLAX.com is the only way travelers will have a guaranteed space at the airport. Travelers are also asked to consider using alternative transportation.
July is set to be the busiest month of the summer travel season for the airport, drawing around 7 million guests during the month.