LOS ANGELES, May 26, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Led by record international travel, approximately 18.5 million passengers are expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this summer. That is an increase of about one million passengers or six percent over the same period last year.
The summer travel season starts this Friday and continues through Labor Day. LAX expects to serve nearly 800,000 passengers during the upcoming four-day Memorial Day weekend, an increase of six percent over the same period last year.
"Passenger terminals are sure to be crowded and flights running full throughout the summer," said Kim Day, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. "Low airfares and a weak U.S. dollar, which encourages more foreign travelers to visit the U.S., are combining to make the summer of 2005 extremely busy for the nearly 80 passenger airlines serving LAX."
She added that the airlines, airport and federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration and Customs & Border Protection, have been working on summer operations plans for months and are prepared to meet the challenges posed by high passenger volumes.
The record for summer travel at LAX was set in 2001 when 19 million passengers arrived and departed between June 1 and August 31.
The record pace of international passenger traffic at LAX set in the first quarter of 2005 is expected to continue through the summer travel season. Airport officials expect international passenger traffic to reach 5.1 million, up about 10 percent this summer compared with last summer and above the previous summer record of 4.9 million passengers set in 2001. Domestic traffic is forecast to increase at a lower rate due to several airlines reducing capacity in response to record fuel prices.
The Los Angeles economy greatly depends on international tourism and trade. Last year, foreign visitors contributed $3.4 billion to the local economy, according to LA Inc./The Convention and Visitors Bureau.
International flights this summer will increase 13.2 percent to a record 1,069 weekly departures from 944 at the same time last year. The previous record was 1,051 weekly international departures scheduled in July 2001. A total of 52 air carriers operate international flights at LAX to 62 nonstop destinations around the world.
Among the international destinations seeing significantly increased service from LAX this summer compared with last summer are the Mexican cities of Aguascalientes (8 weekly departures vs. 3 last year), Guadalajara (62 vs. 53), Leon-Guanajuato (24 vs. 7), Mexico City (89 vs. 67), Morelia (13 vs. 3) and Queretaro (7 vs. 0); the Canadian cities of Calgary (25 vs. 14), Toronto (55 vs. 49) and Vancouver (91 vs. 84); San Jose, Costa Rica (14 vs. 7); San Salvador, El Salvador (39 vs. 32); Tokyo-Narita (64 vs. 57); Seoul-Incheon (32 vs. 29); and Frankfurt (21 vs. 17).
For all of 2005, LAX expects to serve approximately 64 million passengers. Full recovery to pre-9/11 passenger traffic levels is expected in 2006. LAX's record passenger traffic year was 2000, when it served 67.3 million. The LAX share of regional aviation demand has been declining for decades and is expected to be about 70 percent this year.
Passenger traffic at LAX's sister airport, Ontario International Airport (ONT), is forecast to set another record this summer with nearly two million travelers expected to depart and arrive through the Inland Empire airport, up four percent over last year's 1.9 million passengers. More than 90,000 travelers are expected to pass through ONT during the upcoming four-day holiday weekend, up from 87,000 last year.
ONT, named one of the nation's five best alternate airports by Forbes, will have 106 daily departures this summer to 19 nonstop destinations in the U.S. and Mexico. It is projected to surpass the 7-million-passenger mark in 2005 for the first time in its 80-year history.
Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) will provide commercial air service this summer for the first time since 1997. Scenic Airlines offers 20 weekly flights between PMD and North Las Vegas Airport.
With the prospect of 2005 becoming LAX's busiest summer travel season in four years, travelers are reminded to arrive at the airport well before their flight and to use several convenient services recently inaugurated at LAX. These include:
-- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Internet
website www.tsa.gov provides passenger security screening wait
times to assist travelers in planning when to arrive at their
airports. The wait times are historical, so actual wait times
may vary depending on factors such as weather delays and holiday
peak travel periods. It also does not include wait times for TSA
screening of checked luggage. When calculating arrival time,
passengers need to also build in time for non-security related
activities, such as parking and airline check-in. A good rule-of-
thumb is to arrive at LAX two hours before a domestic flight and
three hours before an international flight.
-- To help reduce vehicle traffic congestion in the Central Terminal
Area, LAX now has a 24-hour LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot, where
motorists meeting arriving passengers can wait for free until
passengers call to say they are ready to be picked up terminal
curbside. The 79-space lot is located at 9011 Airport Blvd., north
of the intersection of Airport Blvd. and Arbor Vitae/Westchester
Parkway. It is fully lit at night.
-- Tune to AiRadio 530 AM as the only source of official information
on LAX airing seven days a LAX and ONT Travel Forecast week,
24 hours a day solely for airport travelers. The radio station
broadcasts information about vehicular traffic and parking
conditions, airline locations and security precautions affecting
passengers and motorists. During holidays and daily peak travel
periods, live announcers broadcast real-time updates on traffic
and parking conditions at the airport. Internet users can also
listen to AiRadio 530 AM by visiting www.lawa.org and clicking on
"Airport Conditions."
-- Hawaiian Airlines, located in Terminal 2, has launched a "mobile
skycap" service that is expected to become the newest trend in
airline passenger service. As part of a TSA pilot program
operating at LAX, Honolulu and Maui, passengers can call
BaggageDirect (the only company currently certified by TSA) to
come to their home, office or hotel; issue passengers their
airline boarding passes; and check their luggage. With their
boarding passes in hand and no luggage to check, passengers by-
pass airline ticketing lobbies and go straight to passenger
screening to their boarding gates. The new service costs $30 for
the first passenger, which includes two pieces of luggage
delivered to the destination airport. Each accompanying passenger
flying to the same destination costs $15. Groups of six or more
passengers are eligible for discounts.
Other helpful Smart Traveler Tips include:
-- Before packing, check the TSA's Internet website at www.tsa.gov
for a comprehensive list of what can be packed in luggage to be
checked and what can be carried onboard.
-- Reduce time in passenger security screening lines by wearing as
little metal as possible. While in line, travelers should prepare
themselves for security screening by removing belts with metal
buckles, coins, cellular phones, pagers, cameras, keys and other
metal objects from clothing. Airport officials suggest bringing a
transparent, sealable plastic bag to place all metallic items in
before reaching the metal detectors and x-ray machines. TSA now
require removal of suit, sport and athletic warm-up jackets and
other outerwear. Lighters, including absorbed-fuel (Zippo-type),
electric/battery-powered and novelty lighters, are now prohibited
at passenger screening.
-- Save time and by-pass ticket counter lines by printing boarding
passes from a home or office computer. Almost all domestic
airlines now dispense boarding passes for domestic flights on
their Internet websites, especially for passengers without luggage
to check in. Many domestic airlines also have electronic kiosks in
their ticketing lobbies to issue boarding passes and check
luggage. Many passengers find the ticketing kiosks are as easy to
use as bank automated teller machines.
-- If traveling overseas, check the Customs & Border Protection's
Internet website at www.cbp.gov to learn what items can be brought
into the U.S.