LAX Jammed, but Memorial Day Travelers Are Adjusting

The rush to escape Los Angeles for the Memorial Day weekend began Friday, as holiday travelers jammed airports, freeways and campsites.

A slow crawl of traffic began snaking through Los Angeles International Airport at midday and continued well into the evening. Officials say that travel is up this year, and they estimate that as many as 1.3 million passengers--along with friends and family greeting and seeing them off--could pass through the airport complex over the long weekend.

Sporadic flight delays were reported because of unusually heavy air traffic, as well as a heavy low cloud cover in San Francisco, a major destination.

Travelers said they didn’t mind the crowds as long as they ended up where they were planning to go.

Vera and Nina Daikovich sat, arms folded, waiting for their turn to board a delayed plane to Las Vegas, where nine friends awaited their arrival.

Despite the delay, both women said they were not experiencing any major problems.

“It’s a little bit crowded, but the baggage check was quick,” Vera, 22, said. “It was surprising.”

Connie Leos and her fiance, Edgar De Leon, were standing in a long line to check in for their flight to Tucson. The Los Angeles couple bought one-way tickets to Arizona and were relying on luck to get a ticket back home. “We’ll be back on Monday if we can get a flight back,” De Leon said.

Ted Kastaneda, his wife, Charleette, and their 4-year-old daughter, Chelsea, decided to take their vacation a week early to avoid the holiday traveling chaos. They were heading back to their home in Phoenix on Friday after a weeklong stay at Disneyland.

“We wanted to beat everyone,” Ted said.

“We avoided some of it, but not all of it,” Charleette added.

The couple said they were looking forward to staying home and doing very little on Memorial Day. “We’ll have a day to wind down,” Ted said.

Officials have noticed similar adjustments by increasingly savvy holiday travelers, which has helped airlines manage passenger loads.

Southwest Airlines saw an unexpected increase in travel as early as Wednesday. And more passengers are booking return flights on Saturday and Sunday, said Kristine Shattuck, the airline’s area marketing manager.

“They’re starting to spread out,” she said. “They realize they can get some great fares if they are flexible with departures and arrival times. So they adjust vacations accordingly.”

Higher gas prices were not expected to deter highway travelers. “More Californians will travel long distances this weekend despite the fact that the average gallon of gas is 31 cents higher than last year,” said Jeffrey Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Caltrans was predicting traffic snarls around airports and on roads leading to popular destinations, but said construction crews won’t add to the gridlock.

“We have suspended road construction over the weekend to make the commutes easier,” said Joe Brazile, an agency spokesman. “In Los Angeles, we expect things to move exceptionally well unless there is an emergency.”

The California Highway Patrol stepped up freeway patrols beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and will maintain their higher presence until midnight Monday. Officers will be looking for impaired drivers and those not wearing seat belts.

Despite relatively cool weather, large crowds are expected at area lakes and campsites, officials said.

U.S. Forest Service officials said campsites in the Angeles National Forest may be filled by noon today. Forecasters predict early morning low clouds and fog followed by partial clearing in the afternoon today through Monday, said Guy Ryan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 75 degrees in downtown Los Angeles today, Ryan said. On Sunday and Monday, highs are expected to range from the mid- to upper-60s across the Los Angeles Basin.

Times staff writer Rich Connell contributed to this story.