Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has achieved a significant milestone by surpassing its pre-pandemic passenger levels for the first time since 2019. This remarkable achievement was observed during a two-day travel period in October.
On Monday, October 9, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported that they screened 111,017 passengers at LAX. This figure is about 103% of the number of passengers screened on the same day in 2019, which stood at 107,675. The following day, October 10, saw the TSA screening 94,686 passengers, again surpassing the 2019 figure of 94,211 for the same day. Between October 1 and 16, LAX welcomed a whopping 3,317,276 passengers. While this is slightly less than the 3,509,522 passengers during the same period in 2019, it still represents a commendable 94.5% recovery.
Bea Hsu, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles World Airports, expressed her elation at this achievement. She stated, “The remarkable milestone of surpassing pre-pandemic passenger volume is an achievement that Los Angeles World Airports celebrates with our employees, guests, and airport partners. Over the course of the last few years, we have been dedicated to building resiliency and laying the foundation for a full recovery.” Hsu also highlighted the promising start to the fall travel season, with LAX anticipating more record-setting days as the Thanksgiving and winter holidays approach.
LAX’s recovery isn’t limited to domestic flights. The airport has seen a full recovery in flights to regions like Mexico, Central, and South America. Moreover, flights to Europe are projected to reach pre-pandemic levels by this winter. While the available seats on current LAX flights are at 88% of pre-pandemic levels, the airport still achieved a 100% passenger recovery due to the high travel demand and increased load factors.
In terms of destinations, LAX currently offers services to 85 domestic destinations, a slight decrease from the 93 in 2019. For international destinations, the current number stands at 75, compared to 83 in 2019.
