O.C. Airport, Freeways Feature Holiday Jams : Congestion: Parking spots disappear by 6 p.m. at John Wayne as travelers descend on the facility. Worse crowding is expected Sunday and Monday.

Holiday travelers jammed John Wayne Airport and traffic inched along on local freeways Wednesday, in a preview of that and more to come Sunday and Monday, authorities said.

Parking spaces were hard to find at the airport by 6 p.m., as an endless ribbon of vehicles streamed into the underground garages. Marilee Holcombe sat nervously inside her subcompact, keeping an eye on her watch while scanning for someone pulling out.

“I’m picking up my sister and brother-in-law from Nebraska. Their flight lands in 20 minutes and I’m still trying to park. Unbelievable! My other sister warned me to leave early but I didn’t believe her,” Holcombe said.

Earlier Wednesday, Julie and Pat Anderson had taken no chances. The Laguna Niguel couple arrived at John Wayne Airport an hour and a half before their flight to Boise, Idaho.

“This is a Thanksgiving trip to grandmother’s house for us. We both grew up in Boise, and we look forward to going home every year,” said Julie Anderson, 34, while her 2-year-old daughter, Emily, played on the floor.

Like the Andersons, most air travelers planned ahead to beat long ticket lines and crowded terminals.

“People are definitely getting here early, worried about missing their fights,” said Louie Nava at the Alaska Airlines ticket counter.

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Fearing a traffic jam, David Sutton budgeted so much extra time for his morning drive to the airport from Long Beach that he had a few hours to kill before his flight to San Francisco to spend Thanksgiving with his girlfriend.

He chose to while away the time by sipping on a Bloody Mary at the airport bar.

“I guess you could say I want to calm my nerves about flying. Especially with that crash we just had in Fullerton,” he said. “I mean, you never know.”

Amy and Clark Duboce also gave themselves a tad too much time. Waiting to board a flight to the Bay Area to see Amy’s grandmother, the couple said they had arrived three hours early, fearing that security checks would make them miss their flight. Instead of stringent security inspections, the Duboces were surprised that the security alert had been lifted.

Airport spokeswoman Pat Ware said about 23,000 passengers were expected to pass through Wednesday. But more than that, about 24,000, are expected to go through the airport Monday, she said.

But huge crowds don’t mean huge tips for people such as skycaps, said Felix Simpson, who has worked as a skycap at John Wayne for two years.

“Holidays are bad for tips, because arriving passengers are met by family members who help them with their luggage,” he said. “Thanksgiving Day is worse. Last year, I only helped three people on Thanksgiving. I have to work [today], and I’m not looking forward to it.”

Bumper-to-bumper traffic and choked freeways are also holiday traditions in Orange County and Southern California. Wednesday was no exception.

Most freeways had slowed to a crawl by noon, California Highway Patrol officials said. Enforcement was stepped up Wednesday afternoon and will continue through the four-day weekend, said CHP Sgt. Jim Fieck. Up to 80% of available CHP officers will be on the road through Sunday, he said.

“The idea is to create a law enforcement presence on the freeways to deter flagrant violators. We want people to know that we’ll be full force out here to encourage safe driving,” Fieck said.

The holiday freeway traffic rush is expected to begin again Sunday, when people start returning home en masse.