Wednesday expected to be 2nd busiest travel day at LAX this holiday season

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Wednesday is expected to be the second busiest travel day at Los Angeles International Airport this holiday season. About 226,000 people are expected to travel through LAX on Wednesday alone.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be fully staffed to accommodate travelers and keep the lines moving as quickly as possible.

LAX officials said the busiest day will be next week on Dec. 30, with a record number of 232,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport. Christmas Day will be the slowest day, with 179,000 passengers, while 180,000 are expected on New Year's Eve and 186,000 on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

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

LAX is expecting 3.5 million travelers this holiday season, making it the busiest airport in the country this time of year. The number of travelers is a 7.9 percent increase from just last year, and airport officials say it's only going to keep growing.

"We've had a number of airlines that have added routes here at LAX, a number of new airlines," LAX spokeswoman Mary Grady said. "We actually have more coming next year so those numbers are actually going to continue to increase, and the airlines are adding more capacity to their systems and to their planes so when people get on their planes, there's not going to be a lot of empty seats this holiday travel season."

Airport officials are recommending travelers arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three hours if they're traveling internationally.

Meantime, TSA said travelers who previously chose a pat-down to avoid body scanners may no longer have the option. A new policy just went into effect that allows TSA agents to make screening mandatory for travelers who look suspicious.

City News Service contributed to this report.