4th of July rush kicks off: 5 million SoCal travelers to head out of town for holiday weekend

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's getaway day for millions of people heading out of town for the 4th of July holiday weekend, and Southern California's roads and airports are expected to be jammed.

Nearly 5.5 million people across the region are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday weekend, according to AAA. The majority of them plan to drive, despite the prices at the pump.

The worst times to travel are Thursday from 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and between noon and 7 p.m. on Friday.

The average price for a gallon of gas in Los Angeles County is $5.41, with drivers in Orange County paying about 13 cents less.

Gas prices have dropped 60 cents compared to last month, but drivers are still paying about 80 cents higher than last 4th of July.

"Americans today are still going to be spending $250 million more on gasoline than they did a year ago," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "It's going to be the second most expensive July 4th we've ever recorded at GasBuddy. Still under 2022's peak when prices were well above $4, but indeed, still a perilous record of the second most expensive July 4th."

Even so, filling up at the pump for a road trip is still less expensive than flying for many families.

On average, domestic flights are going for about $830 a ticket.

LAX expects to handle more than 2 million passengers during the Independence Day travel period, which runs through July 8. Thursday is expected to be one of the busiest days, when roughly 220,000 passengers are projected to arrive and depart, according to Los Angeles World Airports.

Officials said passenger traffic is expected to remain heavy throughout the summer as Los Angeles hosts major events, including FIFA World Cup matches, drawing visitors from around the world.

City News Service contributed to this report.