A Day of Dashing Through the Malls and Airports

On the day before the day before Christmas, holiday revelers rushed all over Los Angeles, snapping up last-minute gifts and preparing for mad dashes to airports or freeways while bundling up against chilly winds.

Travelers trying to get out of town for Christmas and New Year’s can expect to have lots of company on the road.

According to the Automobile Club of Southern California, 9.2 million people in 13 Western states will drive at least 100 miles each during the holiday season, up from 5 million such travelers during Thanksgiving weekend.

Air passengers can expect delays at Los Angeles International Airport, where the number of people passing through the terminals is projected to swell from the usual 165,000 per day to 186,000 during the holiday period, airport officials said.

To cope with the crush, officials said, passengers should call airlines to make sure flights are on time, arrive three hours before international flights leave and two hours before domestic flights depart, park in remote lots and ride shuttle buses to the terminals.

Passengers also should put wrapped gifts in their checked luggage, officials said, to avoid the possibility of being asked to open the packages by security officers.

“We want to remind people . . . not to make jokes about bombs or guns in the airport,” said Scott Read, an LAX spokesman. “Also, do not attempt to carry on guns, knives or anything that could be a weapon or appear to be weapon, such as a [toy] gun or a cigarette lighter that is a firearm replica.”

The frantic seasonal race was also being experienced Wednesday at Burbank Airport, where officials asked travelers to anticipate rubbing elbows with their fellow passengers.

“We are in a 68-year-old building that was built for about one-third of the passengers we have now and is way too small,” said airport spokesman Shawn McCarthy.

And Van Nuys Airport officials reported that the parking lot for the FlyAway shuttle bus service to LAX was already filled by Tuesday. Passengers also can be dropped off at the terminal to catch the shuttle, said Pat Freudenberg, an airport spokeswoman. The shuttle makes 98 round trips to LAX daily, with fares of $6 for adults and $3.50 for children 2 through 12.

For those heading for freeway onramps, the California Highway Patrol will begin stepped up patrols at 6 p.m. today and continue through midnight Sunday to look out for drunk drivers.

“Apprehending the driver who is under the influence is our foremost priority during the holiday weekend,” said Chief Ed Gomez, commander of the CHP’s Southern Division.

For many Wednesday, buying presents was the foremost priority, and downtown Los Angeles’ Broadway district bustled with last-minute shoppers.

Genoveva Rebilla, 18, of South Los Angeles trudged down the sidewalk, plastic bags hanging from her arms, pushing her infant daughter in a baby carriage. The restaurant cook planned to spend her day off buying 15 presents for relatives and friends.

“Next year,” she said, “I’m starting earlier.”

Lincoln Heights resident Martha Diaz, 33, and her cousin, Edgar Molina, 43, rested their heavy shopping bags on the ground while they waited for the bus home.

“We tried Glendale Galleria yesterday, and it was absurd,” Molina said. “There was no parking, and we had to wait 45 minutes in line to pay.”

Still in search of last-minute gifts for relatives Wednesday, Molina and Diaz decided to take the bus downtown, hoping to find some bargains.

Diaz struck gold: a Teletubby children’s backpack for $25, which was $5 cheaper than at the mall.

Shoppers jammed the nation’s only two-story Wal-Mart discount store, at the Panorama City Mall, hunting for popular Furby plush toys and yo-yos.

“People are aggressively shopping,” said store co-manager Aaron Rios. “It usually looks pretty rough by the end of the night.”

Times staff writers Matea Gold, Seema Mehta and Nancy Trejos contributed to this story.