LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — It’s a full-on holiday getaway blitz as families across Southern California fill highways and airports in anticipation of Christmas.
Travel at local airports is up more than five percent from this time last year, and as many as 2.2 million people are expected to move through Los Angeles International airport alone.
Experts say travel is up nationwide as the economy has shown signs of improvement and gas prices are at their lowest for the year.
“It is so crazy right now, never seen anything like this,” traveller Janece Bell told KTLA.
Bell, who is heading out of town to visit her family for the holidays, gave herself an hour ahead of time for her flight.
“I’m thinking an hour is plenty of time — I was wrong! I was wrong!”
Officials say domestic flights are at least 90 percent booked and that this could well be the busiest holiday travel weekend they’ve ever seen.
The 13-day holiday travel season begins Friday and continues through January 2, 2013. Officials say some 2.2 million passengers will use LAX during that time — a 5.4 percent increase over last year.
