LAX expected to have one of its busiest days since start of the pandemic as well as travel restrictions are lifted, starting with flights on Thursday.
The nation’s busiest commercial airport for passengers and flights said it would close on Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Airlines flying from four of the nation’s busiest airports — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco — have announced additional restrictions on travel beginning Monday and lasting until after Friday’s Thanksgiving holiday.
The decision by the nation’s busiest airport to close after a Friday Thanksgiving holiday is an unprecedented move in the world’s most economically advanced nation. Travelers who depend on the airport are in the dark about the details of the new measures and may face the possibility of being stranded or being detained by federal law enforcement. Even small-degree delays can result in fines and jail time.
The airports are: LAX, Los Angeles International; LGA, Denver International; ORD, Orlando International; and MDW, Boston Logan International.
Federal aviation officials said they were making no changes to the nation’s airports and that additional regulations on passengers from the airports would be in place starting Monday – four days after the first flight is permitted.
“Airlines are taking into consideration the risks involved in flying during the Thanksgiving week travel period, which has implications for the security of U.S. transportation and public health,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said Friday. “We are working with our partner agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, to evaluate which precautions are necessary and how the new restrictions will be implemented for the Thanksgiving travel window.”
The decision by LAX comes one day after American Airlines began operating limited service to the airport in partnership with regional partners including Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Allegiant Air, Virgin America Airlines and more.
While the coronavirus pandemic has impacted more than two-thirds of the U.S. population, the health effects have
