LAX FORECASTS 811,000 TRAVELERS DURING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND; SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON TO BREAK RECORD WITH 24.6 MILLION PASSENGERS
Officials at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) estimate nearly 811,000 travelers are expected to pass through the airport this Memorial Day weekend – an increase of 6.7 percent over the 759,776 passengers of the 2014 holiday period. Airport officials also forecast 24.6 million passengers this summer travel season, also an increase of 6.7 percent over last summer’s record 23,066,723 travelers.
Memorial Day weekend begins Friday, May 22, and ends Monday, May 26. Friday is expected to be the busiest day with an anticipated 218,000 passengers. The summer travel season begins May 22 and ends Labor Day, September 7. Almost all of June, July, and August will experience higher passenger levels compared to last summer. The busiest day of the summer is expected to be Monday, July 27, with a projected 245,000 passengers — a single-day record for LAX. With the July 4 Independence Day holiday to be celebrated on Friday, July 3 this year, the first two weeks of July are expected to be extremely busy.
Travel experts attribute this year’s increase at LAX to several factors: more available seats as airlines at LAX continue transitioning to larger aircraft with extra seats on most existing flights; the addition of several new international destinations by airlines new to LAX, as well as added flights on existing routes; increased tourism in Los Angeles from growing markets in the Asia-Pacific Region; and favorable exchange rates making overseas travel far more affordable for Americans going to destinations in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Canada – all popular with Southern Californians.
Hawaii Travel Up
More travelers from the West are heading to Hawaii, many from LAX. Total visitor arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands in March 2015 rose seven percent to 780,056 visitors, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. Despite lower average daily spending (-2.9% to $183 per person), total visitor expenditures grew three percent to $1.3 billion1 due to a 6.2 percent increase in total visitor days2 compared to March 2014.
For the U.S. West, arrivals by air climbed 13.3 percent to 303,827 visitors. Combined with increased daily spending (+1.3% to $161 per person), U.S. West visitor expenditures jumped 12.1 percent to $434.2 million. U.S. East arrivals grew 2.6 percent to 170,013 visitors, but daily spending was down (-2.7% to $186 per person) compared to March 2014. This resulted in a 1.8 percent drop in visitor expenditures to $299.7 million.
On-Going Construction Impacts to Roadways, Sidewalks, and Terminals
The public is reminded that LAX’s multi-billion-dollar modernization program is still on-going, and travelers should allow extra time to arrive at their airline terminals. While construction work on roadways, parking structures, and sidewalks will be scheduled during late-evening and early-morning hours, motorists and passengers should be prepared to encounter delays. When coming to LAX, passengers should look for and follow the comprehensive way-finding signage near all construction sites to ensure their safety and to enhance mobility.