Holiday Travel Looks to Break Out of a Slump

Holiday travel in most of the country is shaping up to be the busiest since before the recession as Americans respond to improving economic conditions, but the Southern California market remains sluggish.

Airports and train stations were filled with holiday travelers on Christmas Eve, and the industry was bracing for an even bigger crush of passengers--people trying to get home on the Sunday after New Year’s.

Many would-be travelers spent the last two Christmases at home: in 1990 because of the brewing recession and the Persian Gulf War, and last year because of economic woes that had many people worried about their jobs.

“There is more optimism out there,” said Neil Cohen, spokesman for Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels, which has seen reservations during the first half of December run 25% ahead of last year, thanks to a winter-weekend discount. “People are not holding quite as tight a grip on their dollars.”

Holiday travel in Southern California is also above last year’s level but appears to be lagging the rest of the country. Hilton room reservations, for instance, were up 43% for hotels in Chicago and 39% in San Francisco. But bookings increased only 9% for Los Angeles.

The holidays are a busy time for area theme parks. Universal Studios, for instance, is counting on out-of-town Rose Bowl spectators to boost business. In fact, the park has been running ads in Washington and Michigan--whose teams will play in Pasadena--all this month.

The AAA estimates 33.7 million people will travel at least 100 miles from home this Christmas and New Year’s, up 5% from 1991 and just short of the 34.4 million who took a trip during the 1989 holidays.

More Americans are spending the holidays in non-traditional places, said Paul R. Verkuil, AAA president.

“More travelers are planning festivities around a stay at a hotel or resort, or on a cruise ship,” he said.

Nationwide, holiday travelers can expect busier train stations and airports. Airlines will carry an estimated 23 million people between Dec. 19 and Jan. 4--a 3% to 4% increase above last year’s levels, according to the Airline Transport Assn.

Los Angeles International Airport expects 1.8 million passengers--about the same as last year--during the two-week holiday period.

Last-minute fliers were greeted Thursday with a proposed increase in one-way unrestricted air fares of between $10 and $80, depending on how far they fly.

On the nation’s highways, auto travel is expected to rise by 5.5% from last year to 27 million people, according to AAA.

In Southern California, holiday auto traffic should be about the same as last year, California Highway Patrol spokesman Glen Dominguez said. The patrol will work at maximum strength, with 700 to 800 officers through Sunday night.