SoCal Drivers Hit The Road Christmas Week

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Are you traveling for the Christmas holiday in 2018? According to a report from AAA, over 88 percent will be driving rather than flying to their destinations this year. Expect those freeways to be packed Friday, Saturday and Sunday getting out of Southern California, the Automobile Club of Southern California warned.

For the 10th year in a row, holiday travel has increased and 8.7 million Southern Californians planned trips of 50 miles or more this holiday season. That's up 4.8 percent from last year and the highest number since AAA began tracking holiday travel estimates, according to AAA.

The Automobile Club of Southern California predicts that 8.7 million people across Southern California will be taking trips of 50 miles or more between Saturday and Jan. 1. That's up 4.8 percent from last year and the highest number since the club began tracking travel estimates. The vast majority of those people -- about 7.7 million -- are expected to travel by car, according to the Auto Club.

In addition to Southern California's contingent of 8.7 million travelers, the AAA expects 14 million Californians -- 4.8 percent more than last year -- to take trips of at least 50 miles and 112 million -- 4.4 percent more than 2017 -- from around the nation. Auto Club holiday travel projections cover 11 days -- from Dec. 22 to Jan. 1.

"Lower unemployment, higher wages and continued consumer confidence are the major reasons we are booking more trips for our members during this holiday and throughout the past year," said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club's vice president for travel products and services.

Are you flying? About 5.8 million people are expected to pass through Los Angeles International Airport during the 25-day holiday travel period that began last Friday, airport officials said, urging people to plan ahead and pack a lot of patience.

In Orange County, John Wayne Airport saw more than 500,000 passengers travel through their gates in 2017. This year, that number was expected to increase by at least 6 percent.

The official 25-day travel period began Friday Dec. 19, and will continue through Jan. 7, according to John Wayne Airport officials.

"TSA estimates that between December 19 and January 5, more than 41 million passengers will travel through airports nationwide, a 6% increase over 2017," JWA spokesperson said.

Andre recommends that air travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights, particularly if their departure is on the three most congested days for flights -- Saturday, Dec. 22, Sunday, Dec. 23 and Wednesday, Dec. 26.

The busiest travel days are anticipated to be Dec. 26, when more than 255,000 travelers are expected at the airport; Friday Dec. 21, when 249,000 are expected; and Sunday Dec. 23, when 250,000 are anticipated.

The lightest travel days are expected to be Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, with between 212,000 and 214,000 travelers anticipated to pass through LAX.

Photo: patch staffer Ashley Ludwig