Thanksgiving at LAX: the days to avoid, when to leave and when to book

Short answer: the two days to plan around are Wednesday, November 25, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the heaviest departure day of the year at LAX, and Sunday, November 29, the Sunday after and the heaviest return day. On both, leave 45 minutes earlier than you would on an ordinary day, because the roads into the airport back up before the terminals do. Book your car as soon as your flights are set. And if your dates can move, Thanksgiving Day itself is one of the quietest days of the year to fly.

LAX has one loop road serving every terminal, and on the heaviest holiday days the backup starts on the approach roads, well before the curb. The extra time is not mainly for the security line, though that is longer too. It is for the last mile into the airport, which is the part of the trip nobody can speed up.

Thanksgiving week at LAX, day by day

These are the days our LAX departure-time tool adds a holiday allowance to, and how much it adds on top of your usual time.

Working out a ride while you read this? Get your price. Flat rate, gratuity included, locked when you book.

How much earlier to leave

Start from the time you would normally leave and add the holiday allowance. For a domestic flight from Beverly Hills, we normally suggest leaving 90 minutes before departure. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or the Sunday after, that becomes 2 hours 15 minutes. For an international flight from Beverly Hills, it becomes 3 hours 15 minutes.

Our LAX departure-time tool does this for your exact start point and flight, with the holiday allowance built in, and we build the same extra time into your pickup when you book.

Flying home on the Sunday

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the heaviest return day of the year. Arrivals and departures peak together, so the curb is slow in both directions. This is where a pre-booked pickup earns its keep. Your chauffeur tracks your flight, waits in the cell phone lot and comes to the arrivals curb when you text, so you are not standing in a rideshare line with everyone who landed in the same hour.

If you would rather be met inside, add Meet & Greet, and your chauffeur waits for you at baggage claim and walks you to the car.

When to book

As soon as your flights are booked. A reservation is a car and a chauffeur assigned to your time before the day starts. On the heaviest days, waiting until the morning means looking for a car at the same moment as everyone else heading to the airport.

Your fare is quoted for your exact date when you book and is locked from that moment. Rideshare pricing moves with demand, and Thanksgiving week is when demand peaks.

The other airports

Burbank, Long Beach, John Wayne and Ontario follow the same holiday pattern on a smaller scale. For travelers in the Valley, Pasadena or Glendale, Burbank is often the easier airport all year, and especially this week. We serve all five.