Airports calm as fliers move about the country

Expecting a last-minute crush of holiday travelers, Valencia resident Zack Robertson figured he had better get to Los Angeles International Airport early Wednesday for his 11:45 a.m. flight to Houston.

When he arrived at 4 a.m., there were already about 400 people waiting in line outside the Southwest Airlines terminal. But Robertson, 18, considered himself lucky.

“I thought it would be a lot worse than it actually is right now,” he said. “If I had known you can’t check in your bags four hours ahead of time, I probably would have stayed home longer.”

Local airports were expecting a record number of passengers this Thanksgiving season, but there were no major problems Wednesday with crowds, traffic or flight delays, according to LAX officials and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Even the fog that had grounded some flights at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and disrupted operations at LAX earlier this week did not prove as troublesome as some had feared.

“Since this is a peak holiday travel season, of course you’re going to see more people than usual at the airport,” said LAX spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado. “But, by and large, things are running smoothly, and there are no real delays.”

Alvarado said that for the 10-day Thanksgiving travel period between Nov. 16 and 25, LAX expects 1.85 million travelers to pass through the airport, about 3% more than during the same period last year.

L.A. resident Ramon Lopez, 28, who returned Wednesday from a business trip to Oakland, said his trip was easier than he had expected it to be. He went to the airport in Oakland two hours before his flight in anticipation of delays and other problems that did not materialize.

“It was just normal,” Lopez said at LAX, where he was waiting to be picked up. “Easy transition, no problems, no wait.”

Others, like Long Beach resident Kenya Walker, 27, were simply excited about seeing family for the holidays. Walker said she was headed home to Cincinnati for an old-fashioned get-together.

“It’s the one time that we all get to see each other, and my mom makes a great turkey,” she said. “So I want to get home.”

At Bob Hope Airport, spokesman Victor Gill said that at least 22,000 travelers were expected to pass through the airport Wednesday. He said it was a “fairly orderly scene” even as travelers clogged the baggage area.

“There’s no major delays, though we’re expecting a pretty full load,” he said.

Southern California freeways and roads were flowing smoothly for the most part. However, high winds posed problems for drivers in the northern and eastern parts of the region.

The California Highway Patrol warned truckers and drivers of other high-profile vehicles that gusty winds were blowing along California 14 in the Antelope Valley and Interstate 15 through the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County. Driving such vehicles along those roads was not recommended, but the roadways remained open, officials said.

Motorists on northbound Interstate 5 were advised to be prepared for congestion north of Castaic, where ongoing slope repair will leave only three lanes open near Templin Highway, Caltrans said.

Meanwhile, as strengthening Santa Ana winds clear away the fog and low clouds that have blanketed much of the region in recent days, the risk of fire danger is increasing over the holiday weekend, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service posted a high-wind advisory for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as gusts of up to 55 mph were expected in some mountain canyons and passes. The winds not only pose a hazard to motorists, but, combined with low humidity, could create conditions conducive to brush fires. Though temperatures will remain relatively cool, humidity levels could drop into the single digits by Saturday in some areas. “A fire weather watch will likely be posted,” the weather service said in its advisory.

This week’s offshore winds are not expected to be as strong or as hot as the winds that fanned last month’s deadly fires. In fact, the weather service issued a freeze warning for the Antelope Valley, where temperatures are expected to dip into the mid- to high 20s tonight.

High winds and freezing temperatures aren’t the only weather hazards facing Southern California this holiday. The weather service issued a coastal flood advisory for low-lying beach areas in Orange and San Diego counties as a high tide is expected to generate surf of 6 feet or higher early Friday and into Saturday.

jason.song@latimes.com

ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com

Times staff writers Mitchell Landsberg and Jesus Sanchez contributed to this report.