What LAX forecast in 2025 and 2024
2025. In a release dated November 21, 2025, LAX said it was preparing to welcome nearly 2.5 million guests from Thursday, November 20 through Monday, December 1, and expected Sunday, November 30 to be the single busiest day of the holiday period, with over 230,000 guests passing through the terminals. It also warned that parking would reach capacity on the busiest travel days.
2024. In its release of November 21, 2024, LAX projected over 2.2 million passengers between Thursday, November 21 and Monday, December 2, with the busiest day expected to be Sunday, November 24. The same parking warning appeared.
The two years disagree on which Sunday is busier, so treat both Sundays around the holiday as heavy.
Reading the 2026 calendar
In both years LAX's holiday period ran from the Thursday a week before Thanksgiving to the Monday after it. If 2026 follows the same pattern, which LAX has not yet confirmed, that would be Thursday, November 19 to Monday, November 30, with Sunday, November 22 and Sunday, November 29 the days to plan around. We will update this page with LAX's 2026 figures once the airport publishes them.
Getting there: LAX drop-off and pickup rules
Departures. LAX says curbside pickup and drop-off are permitted on the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels. Your chauffeur drops you on the upper, departures level at your airline's terminal, so tell us the airline when you book. LAX asks travellers to arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international one; we plan the pickup time back from your flight.
Arrivals. The airport's LAX-it FAQ says pick-up locations for limousines and town cars are at the outermost curb on the first level outside baggage claim, and that LAX-it, the separate lot for taxis and app rides, does not affect limousine or executive car pickup. Your chauffeur meets you at that curb once you have your bags.
- Being dropped off rather than parking avoids the problem LAX itself flagged: garages reaching capacity on the busiest days.
- Flying from Burbank instead? See Hollywood Burbank Airport car service.
Curbside pickup or meet and greet
Curbside is the standard pickup and carries no meet and greet charge. Meet and greet, at $60 per booking, has the chauffeur waiting inside the terminal with a name sign; it is the easier choice with small children, a lot of luggage, a late arrival or a first visit to LAX. Either way, add the flight number at booking so the pickup follows the actual landing time rather than the schedule.
Families: car seats and the right vehicle
Add child seats and boosters at checkout: $25 each, per ride, and a round trip counts as two rides. Tell us each child's age and weight so the right seat is fitted before the pickup; the LAX car service with car seats page explains the options. The booking form lists the passengers and bags each vehicle takes. A family with a week of luggage usually books a Luxury SUV or an Escalade Elite, and a larger group stays together in a Sprinter.
What a ride from LAX cost
Every fare is per vehicle, priced by distance, includes taxes and fees and is shown before you pay. These are one-way fares from LAX on the booking form on October 10, 2026, in Comfort Sedan / Luxury SUV / Escalade Elite / Executive Sedan / Sprinter order. Child seats, meet and greet and the optional gratuity (20% preselected) are added on top, and booking the return in the same reservation makes both legs 5% less.
- Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills: $110 / $137 / $180 / $187 / $481
- Santa Monica Pier: $111 / $138 / $182 / $188 / $483
- The Biltmore, Downtown LA: $122 / $152 / $198 / $202 / $522 (LAX to Downtown LA)
- Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim: $165 / $207 / $265 / $257 / $677 (LAX to Disneyland)
Christmas and New Year at LAX
Christmas Day is Friday, December 25, 2026, and New Year's Day is Friday, January 1, 2027. The most recent LAX winter forecast is from 2024-25: in a release dated December 20, 2024, the airport expected more than 3.2 million passengers between December 19, 2024 and January 2, 2025, with peaks on December 21, 27 and 30 and January 2. Book those airport legs early: our Christmas at LAX guide has the terminal changes and dates, and for the night itself see the New Year's Eve guide.
While family is in town
Thanksgiving week has more on than the airport. The Clippers host New Orleans at Intuit Dome at 6:30 PM on Friday, November 27, the day after the holiday (Lakers and Clippers home games). L.A. Zoo Lights opens November 20 but is closed on Thanksgiving Day and on November 30, and the LA Auto Show guide covers the show at the Convention Center.
Pickups run from homes and hotels across the region: Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Calabasas, Long Beach and Orange County. For a long drive to or from LAX, a one-way transfer is almost always the right booking.