If you plan to fly out of Los Angeles International Airport this weekend, you may help set an airport record.

LAX is expected to serve an all-time high of 849,000 travelers during the Memorial Day weekend, an 8.2% increase over the previous record of 785,000 passengers, set last year.

The increase in travelers comes amid predictions of long airport security lines resulting from a reduction in Transportation Security Administration screeners and an increase in travelers.

LAX officials predict a record 24.5 million passengers will pass through the airport this summer, up more than 7% from last summer’s record of 22.8 million fliers.


Several factors are responsible for the surge in travelers, including lower fares, cheap fuel costs and an improved consumer confidence, according to travel experts.

According to data from the travel site Orbitz.com, airfares to the nation’s hottest destinations for Memorial Day are down 10% and hotel rates are down 5% compared with the summer of 2015.

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“Memorial Day is the kickoff to the summer travel season, so those travelers heading to airports should adjust arrival times to prepare for longer security lines and busy terminals,” said Jeanenne Tornatore, senior editor of Orbitz.com.


Based on booking information on Orbitz.com, the busiest airport during the holiday weekend will be LAX, followed by Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

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hugo.martin@latimes.com

For more travel news, follow Hugo Martin on Twitter: @hugomartin