LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Already into the busy holiday travel period that began Friday, Dec. 17, airlines serving Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are forecasting 2.8 million travelers will pass through the airport through Sunday, Jan. 2.
This 17-day holiday period's passenger volume is expected to be about seven percent higher than last year's 2.6 million passengers -- but still below the record-breaking level of 2000 when more than three million travelers flew in and out of LAX during a comparable December period.
The busiest travel days are expected to include Thursday and Friday, Dec. 23 and 24, and the weekend concluding Jan. 2, with flights on those peak days operating at capacity.
"The year-end holiday travel period is already underway at LAX," said Kim Day, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. "The airlines, airport staff and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are expecting high passenger volumes and are ready to provide a safe, and pleasant travel experience for all travelers."
To help reduce vehicle traffic congestion in the Central Terminal Area, airport officials today announced the opening of a new 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 Boulevard, north of the intersection of Airport Boulevard and Arbor Vitae/Westchester Parkway. The lot is located five minutes from the Central Terminal Area and easily accessible from the north and east by motorists using La Tijera, Sepulveda, Manchester and Century Boulevards to access LAX.
Vehicles in the LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot must be attended at all times. No parking will be allowed in or around this new facility.
The new Cell Phone Waiting Lot is the first of three scheduled to open near LAX by Summer 2005. The additional sites will be located so motorists will be able to use a convenient lot no matter from which direction they are approaching the airport.
"A number of motorists have asked for convenient waiting areas in close proximity to the airport where they can await a call on their cell phones," said Day. "We think these Cell Phone Waiting Lots are a good way to be responsive to L.A.-area residents, while reducing traffic congestion in the Central Terminal Area."
Staffing for Holiday Travel
With many additional travelers this holiday season, TSA officials at LAX have committed to ensuring its passenger and checked-luggage security screening stations will be properly staffed, especially during peak travel periods. This year LAX has constructed and TSA has installed 12 more passenger screening lanes, with seven more scheduled to open in 2005.
All available airport police and traffic officers also will be on duty for crowd control, traffic management, crime prevention and parking enforcement.
Travel Tips
By following some proven "Smart Traveler" tips, passengers can lessen the stress of holiday travel and help speed everyone through security checkpoints:
Before arriving at LAX, passengers should remember:
-- Call your airline or check their Internet website to ensure
flights are on time. Winter weather in other parts of the U.S.
may cause flight delays.
-- Do not pack or bring prohibited items to LAX, especially those
that resemble any type of weapon. Replicas of guns, lighters
shaped like guns, belt-buckles shaped like grenades, and other
similar items can delay passenger or checked-luggage screening
while officials determine whether or not these items are real.
-- Leave gifts or large boxes unwrapped for inspection.
-- Save time at check-in by obtaining boarding passes electronically
from airlines' Internet websites, especially if traveling with
carry-on bags only.
-- Airlines limit carry-on items to one baggage and one personal
item, such as a purse, briefcase, backpack, camera bag or diaper
bag.
-- For travelers with early-morning flights, consider getting to the
airport the night before. Many LAX-area hotels offer guests
additional days of free parking if the guest has paid for one
night's lodging.
-- Reduce the hassles of getting to the airport by taking shared-ride
transportation, such as door-to-door shuttle vans, the Van Nuys
FlyAway, Metro Rail Green Line trains, airport and public buses,
taxis and limos.
-- Arrive in your airline's check-in lobby two hours before a
departure flight or three hours before an international flight.
While at the airport, travelers should remember:
-- Passenger drop-off and pick-up is allowed at terminal curbside
only. Drivers should not drop-off or pick-up passengers in the
middle of traffic or along prohibited curbs. No parking or
waiting curbside will be allowed. Meet arriving passengers in the
baggage claim areas on the Lower/Arrivals Level.
-- All metals should be placed inside carry-on bags. This includes
jewelry, loose change, keys, mobile phones, pagers and personal
digital assistants. Many Smart Travelers bring clear plastic
zipped bags to place metallic items inside, so they can drop in
and zip through passenger screening checkpoints.
-- Do not agree to watch strangers' luggage or personal belongings.
-- Do not make comments or joke about terrorism or explosives.
For up-to-date information on airport, traffic and parking conditions:
-- Visit the LAX Internet website at www.lawa.org -- Tune car radios to AiRadio 530 AM.