As Christmas and New Year’s approach, San Diego’s airport will be more crowded than ever, but the vast majority of Southern Californians heading out of town — a record 8.7 million — will be navigating congested freeways over a 12-day holiday period.

The good news, says the Automobile Club of Southern California, is that because the holidays fall midweek and they cover an extended time frame, traffic tie-ups shouldn’t be as severe as those of other holidays.

“Luckily this is a holiday where the travel period is more spread out so you’re not having as much of a risk of traffic jams that you would have on a three-day holiday,” said the Auto Club’s Marie Montgomery. “But of course anytime you’re heading to Vegas, you can expect to get caught up in a big backup so the earlier you leave for your trip the better off you’ll be.”

According to the Auto Club, nearly 10 million Southern California residents will travel 50 miles or more from home between Saturday and Jan. 1. That’s a 3.5% increase compared to last year and 6.8% higher than the pre-pandemic holiday season in 2019. Of those Southern California residents leaving home, 899,000 will be flying, the Auto Club said.

Working in motorists’ favor, Montgomery said, is that work commute times during the holiday period tend to be lighter, and of those expected to be driving, some will be headed out of town for New Year’s but not for Christmas, so the traffic volumes will be more dispersed.

Still, traffic delays will be inevitable, especially so on the weekends before Christmas Day and New Year’s. And the single worst day to travel? It’s this Sunday, according to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights that works with AAA on its forecasts.

“Our advice is to avoid traveling during peak commuting hours during the week. If schedules allow, leave bright and early or after the evening commute.” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.

For the San Diego metro area, INRIX identified the single most congested route over the holiday period. It applies specifically to those heading to Palm Springs via Interstate 15 early Friday evening. Motorists can expect a driving time of 3 hours and 7 minutes, which is 35% longer than on a typical day, INRIX says.

The second worst traffic jam over the holidays is expected to be the return trip to San Diego from Palm Springs on the evening of Jan. 1, Montgomery said.

And best times to hit the road? AAA says traffic congestion should be minimal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

That also applies to those heading to the San Diego International Airport for their holiday getaways, said airport spokesperson Nicole Hall. Record numbers are expected as well for the airport, which calculates passenger counts over a slightly longer period — 18 days, starting Thursday and ending Jan. 5.

In all, airport officials are forecasting that as many as 1.3 million people will fly in and out of the airport over the 18 days. The busiest times at the airport are expected to be Friday through Monday; Dec. 26-29; and Jan. 2-5. During those specific travel periods, the airport anticipates as many as 80,000 people arriving and departing daily, Hall said.

The forecast easily eclipses passenger volumes during the same period in 2019 and represents a roughly 5% increase over the number of travelers a year ago.

Given the expected traffic delays and continued construction on Terminal 1, airport officials are offering the following tips:

• Make parking reservations in advance. Nearly 5,000 covered parking spaces are available at the airport’s Terminal 1 and 2 Parking Plazas. Parking and curbside valet reservations can be made on the airport’s website. Book now and save 20% with the promo code HOLIDAYS. The promotion is available for a limited time.
• Be prepared for potential delays on west and eastbound N. Harbor Drive due to potential slow-moving construction vehicles.
• Arrive early because of expected traffic congestion due to construction. Busiest times curbside are 4 a.m. to 6:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
•  The airport operates a free electric shuttle known as the San Diego Flyer, which runs between the Old Town Transit Station and the airport. The buses operate seven days a week, with an average arrival time of every 20 to 30 minutes. The first pickup is at 4:45 a.m. and the last pickup/drop off is at 12:30 a.m.

In addition to holiday-related delays, there’s always the possibility flights could be delayed to unforeseen weather conditions. On Wednesday, close to 200 flights were delayed and 56 others were canceled, mostly due to heavy fog that arrived late afternoon.

Originally Published: December 19, 2024 at 5:25 PM PST