Nov 25, 2009 1:19 pm US/Pacific
Southlanders Take Off For Thanksgiving Holiday
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Travelers pass through L.A./ Ontario International Airport where holiday travel is expected to plummet 30 percent from last year, on the eve of Thanksgiving November 26, 2008 in Ontario, Calif.
David McNew/Getty Images
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Hundreds of thousands of Southlanders were taking off Wednesday by car and plane amid a partial rebound from the sharp drop recorded in Thanksgiving holiday travel last year.
Some 2.19 million Southern Californians were expected to travel over the holiday, according to Automobile Club of Southern California spokesman Jeffrey Spring. That number represents an 8 percent increase over last year but remains 32 percent below the 3.19 million Southlanders who took trips in 2007, Spring said.
About 1.87 million people were traveling by car and 166,000 were expected to fly, Spring said.
An estimated 1.49 million passengers were expected to have passed through LAX between last Friday and Nov. 29, according to airport officials.
The L.A./Ontario International Airport expected 123,500 passengers to pass through, airport officials said, adding that Wednesday and Sunday would be particularly busy at both LAX and Ontario.
Airlines said most of their flights were expected to be about 80 percent full and some would be booked to capacity.
Passengers were urged to arrive at LAX two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights, especially during peak travel periods, between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Travelers at L.A./Ontario International Airport were urged to arrive 90 minutes before domestic flights and two hours before international flights, including to Mexico.
The top five destinations for Southern California travelers were Las Vegas, San Francisco, Arizona, San Diego and a stretch of the California Central Coast from Santa Barbara to Monterey, according to the Auto Club.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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