A record number of travelers are expected to hit the roads or skies this Thanksgiving – and they’re leaving even earlier than usual.
Officials at Los Angeles International Airport said the holiday travel rush began Thursday, a full week before Thanksgiving.
“It seems as though folks are taking advantage of, you know, perhaps kids who are in school getting the entire Thanksgiving week off, so we're seeing a lot of people leave earlier than usual,” Lauren Alba told KNX News’ Jon Baird.
The Auto Club projects that more than 6.5 million Southern California residents will travel this Thanksgiving, up 3.5% from 2019. Mike Terry with United Airlines said the surge in travel post-pandemic is “really about experiences.”
“There's a 30% surge in our travel to Europe that folks are visiting the holiday markets,” he said. “We're up 6% from last year and we're going to see close to 25 million customers.”
LAX officials estimate that 2 million travelers will pass through the airport this holiday period, so if you’re flying, be sure to plan ahead. Some say they’ll do everything possible to avoid the crowds…even if it means staying home.
“I'm situated such that I don't have to travel,” one man told Baird. “In fact, my brothers come to visit me in Chicago the week after Thanksgiving.”
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This Sunday is expected to be the busiest travel day of the travel period, and Thanksgiving will be the slowest day.
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