232K travelers expected at LAX on busiest day of season

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Wednesday marks the busiest day of the holiday season at Los Angeles International Airport as travelers arrive back home from vacation or head off to celebrate the New Year.

LAX officials said a record number of 232,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport on Wednesday. Approximately 180,000 are expected on New Year's Eve and 186,000 on New Year's Day.

The average daily passenger volume at LAX is 193,000.

To make matters worse, severe weather in other parts of the country may affect some flights at LAX.

"We're coming through Houston, but there was another delay. So from Houston, we missed our flight to go to Calgary," said one traveler.

Storms were delaying flights out of Atlanta, which could have a domino effect on many flights passing through the busy hub.

"Because Atlanta is the busiest airport in the United States, there are a lot of connections that are made through Atlanta. So the system could start to get backed up if the thunderstorms continue in Atlanta," said Mary Grady, LA World Airports public relations.

Monday, more than 100 departures and arrivals were delayed and over 20 flights were canceled, according to an airport spokesperson.

Passengers are advised to check with airlines before leaving home and get to the airport two hours in advance for domestic flights and three hours for overseas flights.

City News Service contributed to this report.