LAX FORECASTS 750,000 TRAVELERS OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, 19.9 MILLION PASSENGERS DURING SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON
(Los Angeles, California – May 23, 2012) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials estimate more than 750,000 travelers are expected to pass through the airport Memorial Day weekend – a decrease of 7.4 percent compared to the four-day holiday period in 2011. This is consistent with industry expectations of fewer air travelers this weekend compared to last year due to higher fares resulting from higher fuel prices. However, airport officials expect more than 19.9 million passengers this summer travel season, four percent higher than last summer’s actual passenger level of more than 19.1 million. The summer increase is due to higher demand resulting from the continuing recovery of the nation’s economy and the introduction since last summer of air service to several overseas destinations by new and existing international air carriers at LAX.
Memorial Day weekend begins Friday, May 25, through Monday, May 28. Friday and Monday are expected to be the busiest travel days. The summer travel season begins May 25 through Labor Day.
Both for this weekend and throughout the summer, air travelers can expect busy passenger terminals and mostly full flights.
Airport officials recommend passengers departing during LAX’s daily peak travel periods – 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. – arrive in their airlines’ ticketing lobbies two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Most domestic air travelers can avoid ticketing counter lines by checking in through their airlines’ Internet web sites before coming to the airport.
Convenient and competitively priced parking is readily available at LAX Economy Lot C, located at the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and 96th Street. Parking is $12 for 24 hours or $4 for each hour or fraction thereof until the $12 maximum is reached. Frequent, free shuttle transport is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week between Lot C and the Central Terminal Area, stopping conveniently in front of each terminal.
The most convenient parking is available in parking structures located directly across the roadway from each terminal. The cost is $3 for the first hour and $2 for each additional 30 minutes or fraction thereof, for a maximum $30 for 24 hours.
If meeting arriving passengers, motorists find parking inside the structures at $3 for the first hour the most convenient way to park and wait inside the terminals.
Motorists can also wait for up to two hours in the free 24-hour LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot, located at the intersection of 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue in Westchester, adjacent to the southwest corner of LAX Economy Parking Lot C. Motorists must remain in their vehicles at all times in the Cell Phone Waiting Lot until their arriving passengers call to say they are ready to be picked up terminal curbside.
Los Angeles Airport Police reminds passengers to ensure their baggage and personal belongings are attended at all times; to lock parked vehicles and not leave valuables in plain sight; and to report suspicious behavior to any law enforcement or security personnel or call the Airport Police hotline at (310) 646-7911.
LAX offers daily, convenient and economical FlyAway® nonstop bus service to the airport from Union Station and Van Nuys for $7 one way, from Westwood for $10 one way, and Irvine Station for $25 one way. Children age five and under ride free except at Irvine Station, which offers free rides to children 14 and under (proof of age required for youths aged five to 14 years old. For more information,
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 600 daily flights to 91 domestic cities and more than 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 58 cities in 32 countries on nearly 75 air carriers. It ranks 13th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed. In 2011, LAX served more than 61 million passengers, processed over 1.8 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $84.6 billion, and handled 603,912 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and 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.
