LAX FORECASTS 706,000 TRAVELERS OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, 20 MILLION PASSENGERS DURING SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON
(Los Angeles, California – May 23, 2013) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials estimate more than 706,600 travelers are expected to pass through the airport this Memorial Day weekend – a projected 4.55 percent increase over the actual 675,852 passengers of the 2012 holiday period. Airport officials also expect more than 20 million passengers this summer travel season -- a projected 5.3 percent increase over last summer’s actual 19,019,800 passengers.
While travel-industry forecasts for the upcoming holiday weekend and summer call for minimal growth across the aggregate of all small, mid-sized, and large airports across the United States, many large international airports like LAX are expected to experience higher passenger volumes compared to last year. This is due to several factors: airfares are relatively low due to fuel prices remaining stable in the past year; operating efficiencies continue to improve through airline mergers, acquisitions, and route consolidations to streamline the markets served; flights operating closer to full capacity; and increased interest in Los Angeles as a destination from growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
Memorial Day weekend begins Friday, May 24, and ends Monday, May 27. Friday and Monday are expected to be the busiest travel days. The summer travel season begins May 24 through Labor Day, Sept. 2. Both for Memorial Day 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 at least two hours prior to departure for domestic flights and three hours prior to departure for 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.
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 from Expo Line/La Brea for $6 one way (Expo/LA Brea planned opening is July 2013). The FlyAway® fare at Van Nuys will increase to $8 one way, effective July 1, 2013. For more information, visit www.flylax.com/flyaway.
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 per day, and $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 $30 per day, or $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 can find parking inside the Central Terminal Area parking structures at $3 for the first hour. This is 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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s web site at www.cbp.gov advises travelers on what items can be brought into the U.S. from overseas. The Transportation Security Administration web rel="noopener noreferrer" site at www.tsa.gov lists items that are permitted onboard with passengers, items which must be packed in checked luggage, and items totally prohibited on flights.
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.
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 680 daily flights to 96 domestic cities and more than 930 weekly nonstop flights to 59 cities in 30 countries on nearly 63 commercial air carriers. It ranks 14th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed. In 2012, LAX served more than 63.7 million passengers processed over 1.9 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $86.9 billion, and handled 605,480 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). An economic impact study in 2011 reported that operations at LAX generated 294,400 jobs in Los Angeles County with labor income of $13.6 billion and economic output of more than $39.7 billion. This activity added $2.5 billion to local and state revenues. 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.
