78,000 Travelers: LAX Sets New Record For Passenger Traffic

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles International Airport already set a new 2021 passenger traffic record ahead of Memorial Day weekend, airport officials said. More than 78,000 people passed through airport security on Friday alone.

More than 37 million people in the U.S. were expected to travel from May 27 through May 31 — a 60 percent increase from last year's plummeting record-low of 23 million travelers, according to data from the American Automobile Association.

"We are seeing passenger numbers rise quickly as the demand for air travel surges across the U.S., so we want to make sure our guests know they will be returning to an airport that is bustling with travelers and at times experiencing heavy traffic," Justin Erbacci, chief executive officer, Los Angeles World Airports, said in a statement.

May is now the busiest month to date for LAX since early 2020, before the pandemic severely upended life in California. This month, there has been an average of about 61,400 passengers per day passing through the Transportation Security Administration's checkpoints — and this number was calculated before Memorial Day weekend.

On May 23, LAX recorded a previous record-breaking number, 74,881 passengers, nearly 70 percent compared to the same day in 2019, officials said in a statement.

More than likely, long-delayed travel plans due to the coronavirus pandemic are to blame.

LAX is the third-busiest airport in the world and the second busiest in the United States, airport officials said.

The Southland airport did not release passenger projections for the Memorial Day weekend. But this month, the Automobile Club of Southern California predicted that more than 2.8 million Southern California residents would be traveling over the holiday weekend — up 64 percent from last year.

Nearly 90 percent of Southern California travelers were expected to drive to their destinations, but about 9 percent — roughly 269,000 people — will fly.

"These holiday getaway numbers are very encouraging, and we expect travel to continue to strengthen once cruising and other options reopen," said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club's vice president for travel. "Because COVID-19 restrictions can vary widely from place to place and can change quickly, the Auto Club strongly recommends getting travel insurance and working with a AAA travel adviser."

The top destinations for Southern California travelers are expected to be Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in Utah, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon National Park, San Diego and Yosemite National Park, According to the Auto Club.

The City News Service contributed to this report.