Thanksgiving rebound traffic expected to keep things busy at LAX and on Southern California highways
There will be the usual holiday rebound traffic but the worst is over, travel experts said, as Thanksgiving Day’s long-distance commuters began their journeys home this weekend.
LAX expected an estimated 206,000 passengers through its gates Sunday, down from a peak of 222,000 travelers the Sunday before the holiday, the airport said in a written statement. Passenger data posted by the airport show the post-Thanksgiving return trips are at, or slightly below, daily averages experienced in September and October.
Commercial flight tracking sites showed only moderate flight delays in Los Angeles, unlike airports such as Newark, Palm Beach and Tampa, where the FAA reported the sheer volume of flights on Sunday grounded planes from 30 to more than 45 minutes. Travelers to and from the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y., grappled with average flight delays of nearly three hours.
The Automobile Club of Southern California projected 6.58 million Southern California residents to be on the road, or in the air, over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, a travel window that extends into Monday morning’s work commute.
Travel data firm Inrix, which provides analytics used by AAA in creating its forecasts, estimated roads will be least congested before 8 a.m. Monday, and after 7 p.m. Though traffic was still peaking in some parts of the country, including Houston, Inrix calculated Los Angeles area drivers saw the worst motoring conditions on Wednesday, before the holiday.
“We have seen holiday travel forecasts surpass pre-pandemic levels all year long, including this Thanksgiving. If this is any indication of what’s to come, we will have a very busy year-end holiday travel season as well,” David Shupe, corporate communications manager for the Los Angeles-based AAA office, said Sunday. “The Auto Club recommends travelers work with a travel advisor and get their plans in place early.”
A small drop in gasoline prices helped fuel the traffic surge. AAA reported the average price in California for a gallon of regular grade fuel as of Sunday was $4.21, down a few pennies from earlier in the week and well below the 2023 average of $4.83.
It is, of course, quite a bit higher than the $3.05 national average.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
