Austin Turner and Jennifer McGraw
12 minutes ago
The promise of scorching heat, beautiful beaches and delicious food was too enticing for people across the country to pass up the Fourth of July weekend, as travel to Southern California in recent days has been as busy as it has ever been.
In late May, AAA predicted that nearly 71 million Americans would travel more than 50 miles during the week of Independence Day. That figure was on display at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, as a long line formed to check bags for travelers heading home.
“We expect this July 4th week to be our busiest ever with 5.7 million more people traveling than in 2019,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel.
Car travel was also busy, with the average price of gasoline lower than the same time last year, according to AAA. Those heading home from a Sunday road trip should avoid the roads between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., as that’s when traffic peaks.
Back at LAX, KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw spoke to two young brothers who were about to return home to New York after spending a “pleasant” week visiting their aunt in the Southland.
“We had a great Fourth of July,” one of the unidentified boys said.
Going back to the 1990s, McGraw of course had to touch on the West Coast-East Coast rivalry, and even two young New Yorkers knew what to say to Very Own viewers in Los Angeles.
“Who is nicer, Californians or New Yorkers?” McGraw asked.
“I’m thinking of the Californians,” the boy replied.
California: 1, New York: 0.
