Airports Expecting Record Numbers This Holiday Travel Season

Christmas is still a few days away, but airports around America are already predicting record numbers of travelers this holiday season.

The holiday travel season has begun and airports from coast to coast have already predicted that they will see record-breaking numbers of passengers this year.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is expected to be the country’s busiest airport this holiday travel season, which lasts from December 18 through January 4, 2016. Officials there estimate that they will receive 3.5 million travelers and are taking steps to ensure that everyone’s airport experience is as smooth as possible.

Passengers have been reminded to check the status of their flights before making their way to LAX and to leave gifts unwrapped for security screenings.

The airport will also see 1.6 million vehicles passing through the central terminal and motorists picking up or dropping off travelers have been asked to use the airport’s waiting lot, located at 96th Street and Vicksburg.

But LAX isn’t the only airport expecting bumper numbers this year — Kansas City International Airport (MCI), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) are all predicting that they will see record-breaking passenger figures.

Last Friday saw long lines at MCI while officials at MCO predicted that it will handle 2.2 million passengers this holiday season, a 10 percent increase in traffic from 2014.

In Texas, DFW is also predicting that it will see 3.14 million travelers, a 2.9 percent increase from the 2014 holiday season.

“Our goal is to make the passenger experience as smooth and efficient as possible, which is certainly a priority during holiday travel times,” explained airport executive vice president of revenue management Ken Buchanan in a statement to Fort Worth’s Star-Telegram.

Along these lines, DFW is offering perks such as free parking and complimentary luggage porters at terminal garages.

In a light-hearted move, it’s also continuing its #dfwfindjoy social media initiative, whereby passengers who use this hashtag to tweet photos of themselves at DFW are randomly gifted by staff.

Trade organization Airlines for America believes 38.1 million passengers will fly this season, a 3 percent uptake from 2014. Airline fares hit record lows this year, a factor which they believe is behind the current increase in traveler figures.

[Photo: Getty]