Airport, Malls Brace for ‘Awesome’ Beginning of the Holiday Season : Flying or Buying, Crunch Will Be On

What’s the best way to work up an appetite for Thanksgiving? Arrive at a John Wayne Airport parking lot today less than 15 minutes before your plane is scheduled to leave.

And what’s the best way to work off Thursday’s turkey and trimmings feast? Try to get from one end of South Coast Plaza to the other Friday.

George A. Rebella, manager at John Wayne, advises travelers to arrive at least an hour before takeoff today and Thursday especially, and to use curbside baggage check-in to avoid the expected crush. But Sunday, traditionally the busiest day of the year at the airport, will be worse.

“I recommend travelers use the remote lot and then use the shuttle to the airport instead of parking at the short- and long-term lots” which are located at the airport, Rebella said. The remote lot is at 1512 W. Main St., Irvine. The fee is $5 a day, and the free shuttles run to and from the airport every 20 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Airline seats during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays still can be found, but they will cost up to three times more than the regular discount fare, Orange County travel agents warned.

Travel to popular destinations, such as Hawaii, Phoenix and San Francisco, is especially heavy this year, they said.

For the discount traveler, “nothing’s available because everyone’s traveling somewhere,” said Dorinda Van Orman, a travel consultant with A to Z Travel in Huntington Beach. “All the low fares are gone,” she said.

But for those willing to pay, passage to almost any destination can be found.

“It’s never impossible,” said Cheryl Walters, the manager of Westhaven Travel in Westminster. “The airlines will give you a seat; it’ll just cost you triple what it should.”

Lower fares might be available the first two weeks of December, however, because relatively few people tend to travel then, travel agents said.

Retailers, meanwhile, are bracing for Friday, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, when hordes of shoppers clutching Christmas lists are expected to descend like Visigoths on stores and malls.

“Friday it just breaks loose,” said Lori Davis, assistant manager of Toys International in Costa Mesa.

Temporary employees hired for the Christmas crush are warned, Davis said, but nothing can “really prepare them for it,” she said. “It’s an experience.”

Employees at malls throughout the county Tuesday were furiously preparing for Friday and the four weeks that follow. At South Coast Plaza, workers were finishing the Santa’s village, while at Bullock’s, an animated, three-story Christmas wishing well was rising between the escalators.

Retail experts estimate that up to 40% of the entire year’s business is done in November and December. And despite last month’s stock market plunge, retailers say they expect this year’s holiday season--especially the day after Thanksgiving--to be at least as big as ever.

“Our indications are that customers seem to be shopping early this year,” said Kathleen Flood, marketing director at Newport Center/Fashion Island. Flood said that since mid-October, the center has seen a 5 to 8% increase in customers compared to last year. With some new stores and a big promotional push, “we’re not seeing . . . customer ambivalence,” she said.

Feeling Impact

Specialty stores, especially those targeting young parents, are feeling the impact of that generation’s “mini-boom” of youngsters.

Kelly Raab, assistant manager of Eddie Bauer’s at South Coast Plaza, said the outdoor wear store was steadily expanding its section for children and young people, having trouble keeping its stuffed Teddy Bauer and Unbelievable Bubble kit in stock.

Other retailers at South Coast Plaza are equally optimistic, especially about Friday.

“It should be awesome,” said Sue Graham, general manager of Bullock’s, which has just finished a major remodeling and added 120 salespeople. To help shoppers, Bullock’s will start serving free coffee at 7:30 a.m. Friday to those waiting for the store to open at 8 a.m.

Many old shopping hands suggest arriving first thing in the morning, just before opening, and heading straight for items you want. A vocal minority, however, say not to begin until 4:30 p.m., when people go home for dinner. Everyone cautions to avoid the freeways whenever possible.

One reason traffic is expected to be so heavy Friday is that many of Orange County’s largest employers will give workers a paid holiday.

Employees at the county’s major aerospace firms--Hughes Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas, Rockwell International and Ford Aerospace & Communications--won’t have to report to work Friday. High-tech employers such as Western Digital and Odetics also are keeping with their tradition of giving employees the day off.

“We’re very adamant about that holiday,” said Charles Hester, a spokesman for Irvine-based Western Digital, which employs about 1,800 people in Orange County.

Bank employees will be at their stations, however, as the holiday shopping season officially begins.

Mainplace/Santa Ana, the county’s newest mall, expects crowds to rival the grand opening weekend in September, when as many as 200,000 people arrived, said David Longbine, general manager. “The public has accepted Mainplace, so we should meet or exceed those numbers (on Thanksgiving) weekend,” said Longbine.

Crowds also are expected at Westminster Mall, which for the first time will use mounted, uniformed police for security in the parking lots.

Police in Orange County predicted a relatively quiet holiday weekend overall but issued the familiar warnings about drinking and driving. The California Highway Patrol will set up sobriety checkpoints during the Thanksgiving Day weekend, but the sites have yet to be decided, said Officer Paul Caldwell.

Times staff writers Mary Ann Galante, Jess Bravin and David Olmos contributed to this roundup.

AVOIDING HOLIDAY TRAFFIC CRUSH

The arrival of the holiday season inevitably means increasing traffic tie-ups around John Wayne Airport and shopping malls throughout Orange County. The following are a few tips for avoiding some of the worst congestion:

TIMES

Leave early, arriving at the stores when they open if possible, and know what you’re looking for. Another good shopping time is about 4:30 p.m., when many people are at home for dinner.

ROUTES

Try surface streets rather than the freeways, especially at rush hours. Avoid major freeway entrances to malls, if possible, and seek side-street entrances.

1. JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT

AVOID: MacArthur Blvd. to I-405

USE: Campus Dr. to State-73

2. WESTMINISTER MALL

AVOID: Beach Blvd. and Bolsa Ave. exits from I-405

USE: Use Springdale Dr. exit from I-405 to Bolsa Ave.

3. ONE MAIN PLACE

AVOID: Main St. at State 22 and I-5

USE: Chapman Ave. to Main St. or Glassell St. to La Veta Ave.

4. SOUTH COAST PLAZA

AVOID: Bristol St. exit off I-405

USE: Fairview Rd. off I-405 or Bear St. off State 73

5. FASHION ISLAND

AVOID: Coast Hwy

USE: MacArthur Blvd. to San Miguel Dr. or Jamboree Rd. to Santa Barbara Dr.