Rain, traffic congestion impacts 'super peak' travel day at LAX
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The journey home for the holidays continued with frustrating bumper-to-bumper traffic near Los Angeles International Airport terminals on Monday.
Sunday and Monday are what officials call a "super peak" travel day.
Officials urged travelers beforehand to be prepared for congested parking lots, heavy traffic and plenty of foot traffic. They're also highly recommending public transportation as an alternative to driving to the airport. The airport's recently launched LAX-it shuttles, which travelers must take to a specific lot to call rideshare services, will be available for those trying to catch a ride.
LAX ride-share pickup changes: What you need to know
LAX experienced some problems on Saturday night, chiefly a massive fire that engulfed three unoccupied passenger buses. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Travelers catching flights on Monday say they allowed themselves extra time to get to the airport, but for some, even that extra time wasn't enough.
"It probably took us about 20 to 30 minutes from my Lyft to even get into LAX," said traveler Michelle Cella, who was worried she would miss her flight.
For others, arriving early made the difference.
"We planned ahead. We left 2 1/2 hours early, and it wasn't as bad as advertised," Todd Pruzek said.
The check-in terminals at LAX were busy, but there appeared to only be a few flights delays.
The airport has been busier than usual for weeks, with December possibly seeing between 20,000 to 180,000 more passengers compared to an average month.
Nearly six million people are expected to pass through LAX during the Christmas and New Year's holiday travel period.
