LOS ANGELES (KABC) — If you’re one of the 120 million Americans expected to travel this week, you’ll want to keep close tabs on the incoming storm. It’s just one more thing that could throw a wrench into your holiday travel plans.
The holiday rush is in full effect, and with millions taking trips this year, the roads and airports will be busy.
Air travel is expected to peak on Dec. 27, while Saturday, Dec. 20, was expected to be the busiest day on the road.
A record 10.2 million Southern Californians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home.
The most popular destinations for Southern Californians are expected to be San Diego, Las Vegas, Anaheim, the Central Coast and national parks in California and Arizona, according to the Auto Club of Southern California.
According to AAA, that’s nearly a 3% jump from last year.
Nationally, 122.4 million Americans are expected to travel for the holidays, also a record. The figure is 2.7 million higher than last year’s number.
“I travel a lot, never that stressed. You just gotta be prepared,” said Tim Fox, who was at LAX for a flight to Virginia.
A terminal worker told Eyewitness News that Fox lucked out and missed their peak crowds on Saturday. His United flight home to Virginia was on time.
“We got here two hours early, but that turned out to be a little unnecessary because it’s smooth. Smooth right now. Can’t complain,” Fox said.
That was not the case for the Peterson Family from Camarillo, who arrived late to the airport and missed their flight to Hawaii on Saturday after getting stuck on the 405 Freeway for hours.
The 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass will be a nightmare for holiday travelers as an ongoing repaving project will reduce lanes between Van Nuys and Westwood.
“It was a bummer. I’d never missed a flight until today,” Shane Peterson said.
The Peterson Family was rebooked on two separate flights that take off on Sunday.
This weekend is anticipated to be among the busiest travel days before Christmas.
Southern California is expecting a rainstorm next week, so if you are traveling, you’re encouraged to leave early.
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