Thousands scramble at LAX on busy travel day this holiday season

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- More than 100 million people are traveling during the holiday period between Christmas and New Year's, and Sunday was expected to be one of the busiest.

Thousands of travelers were flying in and out of one of the nation's busiest airports - Los Angeles International Airport.

Inside the terminals, lines were long and people were happy to see many flights were on schedule, but the major delay for travelers at LAX was on the ground as traffic jams grew through the night.

"I'm fortunate that I'm not traveling far tonight but it's been a trek to get into the airport tonight...pretty crowded...a lot of people traveling," said traveler Emily Delk.

A winter storm was causing problems in the middle of the country, where tornadoes touched down. Tornado watches were in effect in parts of Texas, and the same system dumped snow and heavy rainfall in several areas.

The severe weather resulted in flight cancellations.

Noanie Rofoli's two kids were heading to Alabama to visit their father, but plans soon changed.

"They had a flight this morning that got canceled because of snow I guess in Texas... so now they go and fly till midnight instead of till 6 p.m.," said Rofoli.

For those heading to LAX to pick someone up, officials strongly suggest to use the LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot at 96th Street near Parking Lot C for quicker access.