More SoCal residents headed out for Labor Day weekend

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Labor Day weekend is here and Southern Californians are marking the unofficial end of summer by hitting the road and taking to the skies.

The Automobile Club of Southern California says Labor Day travel is up from last year, both domestically and internationally.

AAA said bookings for domestic travel - flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises - are running 4% higher than Labor Day last year. The auto club and insurance seller said international bookings are up a staggering 44% now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, with the top destinations being Vancouver, Rome, London, Dublin, and Paris.

The top five destinations for Southern California residents are Las Vegas, San Diego, the Central Coast, the Grand Canyon and Mexico, according to AAA.

At Los Angeles International Airport, more than 1 million passengers are expected to pass through there Thursday through Monday, officials said. The busiest day at LAX is projected to be on Friday, with about 229,000 passengers set to arrive.

"The passenger volumes for the upcoming Labor Day weekend signify a successful summer and encourage us that this momentum will carry into the fall and winter months," said a statement from Justin Erbacci, the chief executive officer of Los Angeles World Airports.

The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 14 million passengers from Friday through Wednesday, up nearly 11% over the same weekend last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.