THANKSGIVING TRAVEL TO REACH 1.85 MILLION PASSENGERS AT LAX; LA/ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY PASSENGERS TO TOTAL 210,000

11/15/2007 12:00 AM

THANKSGIVING TRAVEL TO REACH 1.85 MILLION PASSENGERS AT LAX; LA/ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY PASSENGERS TO TOTAL 210,000

 

Encounter Restaurant Reopens at Landmark Theme Building in Heart of Airport

 

       (Los Angeles, California – November 15, 2006)  Travelers this Thanksgiving holiday using Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will find a reopened Encounter Restaurant, expanded LAX FlyAway service, and new services such as wireless Internet service (Wi-Fi) and electric charging stations in each terminal.

       Air travel at Los AngelesInternationalAirport (LAX) and LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT) is expected to increase slightly this holiday travel season due to additional seats becoming available this year when new airlines began service at the two airports and existing airlines added new destinations.

       Airport officials predict passenger volumes for the 10-day Thanksgiving travel period that begins Friday, Nov. 16 and continues through Sunday, Nov. 25 will be 1.85 million passengers at  LAX and 210,000 at ONT.  LAX travel will be up three percent over 2006, while ONT will be up five percent.

       Wednesday, Nov. 21; Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 22; and Sunday, Nov. 25 are expected to be the busiest days with airlines forecasting passenger load factors approaching 95 percent on most flights and some flights fully booked. 

       Airport officials recommend passengers departing LAX during daily peak travel periods from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., be in their airlines' ticketing lobbies two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.  Travelers at ONT are urged to arrive at the airport 1-1/2 hours before domestic flights and two hours before international flights serving Mexico.

       Since last Thanksgiving, LAX has seen added service to the busy Californiacorridor to San Francisco by Virgin America and Southwest Airlines.  Virgin America also inaugurated non-stop service to Washington, D.C., and New York City.  United Airlines began non–stop service to Hong Kong Oct. 28, and will add Frankfurt,Germany on Dec. 15.  Delta Airlines also expanded international service this year by adding 19 new destinations in Mexico, three Central American countries and Canada.

       ONT is enjoying increased service with ExpressJet, which started service last April, adding its 15th non-stop flight from LA/Ontario to Reno/Tahoe on Nov.  11.

       LA/Palmdale Regional Airport offers AntelopeValley travelers two daily roundtrip flights to San FranciscoInternationalAirport by United Express.  Nearly 10,000 passengers have used the service since its start last June to reach San Franciscoand connect to other destinations in United’s worldwide system.

       The Encounter Restaurant in the heart of LAX is now open after its closure in March due to repair work underway to the exterior of the landmark ThemeBuilding. Operator Delaware North Travel and Hospitality Services has refurbished the restaurant’s interior with new carpeting, repaired its iconic lava lamps and updated other fixtures.  It is open for lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and dinner on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 9:30 p.m.

       New services at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) airports this year include:

  • LAX FlyAway bus service expanded to include a third location in Westwood onKinross Avenue west of Gayley, adjacent to UCLA Parking Structure 32.  This new route is expected to become as popular as the service from Van Nuys’ terminal at 7610 Woodley Avenue (intersection of Woodley and Saticoy), and from the Union Station East Portal at Berth 9 in PatsaourasTransitPlaza . FlyAway fares are $4 each way for adults; children 2 to 12 years old are $2 each way and infants under 2 years are free.  Covered parking is available at $4 per day at VNY and $6 per day at GatewayCenterPlaza.  Limited weekend parking is available at Westwood.  For information about service hours, departure times and information, visit www.lawa.org/flyaway .

 

 

  • Remote Airline and Baggage Check-in allows passengers to eliminate waiting in airport lines and is available for passengers departing LAX on domestic flights to all 50 U.S. states. The service is at the LAX FlyAway locations at Van Nuys, Union Station and Westwood.  For a separate $5 fee, passengers can receive airline boarding passes and check two pieces of luggage before arriving at LAX. Upon arrival at their airline terminal, passengers can proceed directly to passenger security screening.

 

  • Electric Charging Stations located in all the LAX terminalsallow travelers free electrical re-charging of their mobile phones, laptops and other personal electronics while waiting to board flights.  The stations are designed with a small shelf to hold electronic equipment.

 

  • Wireless Internet service is available in all terminals at LAX and ONT.  Travelers now have the convenience of checking business and personal email, surfing the Web and staying connected through a fast, secure and reliable wireless connection.  Users pay a fee to utilize this service.

 

  • LAX AiRadio 530 AM is the only source of up-to-the-minute information on airport conditions, traffic on the freeways and roadways near and in the airport, parking, airline terminal locations and security.  During the upcoming holidays, the radio station will broadcast live from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, through Monday, Nov. 26. Conditions at ONT are now broadcast over ONT AiRadio 770 AM.  Both radio stations operate everyday, 24 hours a day.

 

  • LAX Cell Phone Lot at 9011 Airport Blvd. offers a free waiting alternative 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Motorists can wait in the well-lit parking lot for arriving passengers to call them on their cell phones and then drive to the curbside to pickup their passengers.

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