A few things not to be thankful for

Deepa Bharath

Among the few things people don’t normally give thanks for during

this time of the year are heavy holiday traffic that chokes freeways

and winding lines that leave people waiting for hours at the airport.

This year will be no exception, experts say.

John Wayne Airport is expecting a crowd of travelers comparable to

last year, with today and Sunday being the busiest days, spokeswoman

Ann McCarley said. Last year, 96,000 people passed through the

airport’s terminals.

“I haven’t seen the long lines yet,” McCarley said Wednesday

afternoon. “But we do expect to see them later [Wednesday].”

Three out of four of the airport’s parking lots are open, with one

lot closed for construction, McCarley said.

Travelers should arrive at least 2 1/2 hours before their flight’s

departure today and Sunday and at least two hours before departure

Friday and Saturday, she said. Travelers and their baggage will go

through federal screeners, who have replaced those from private

companies as of Oct. 16.

“People should allow for time to park and go through the screening

process,” McCarley said. “We haven’t found any delays because of the

new screening. Lines have been moving quickly.”

A couple of things for travelers to remember? Don’t wrap your

gifts until you get to your destination, because you will have to

open them up if you’re asked to. And always put undeveloped film in

your carry-on baggage, because the new screening machines damage

them, McCarley said.

The number of people traveling by air has increased by 4.5% this

year compared to the same time last year, said Jeff Spring, spokesman

for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

“Out of the 4.4-million people traveling this weekend, 3.6 million

will hit the road,” he said.

That number is up by 2% compared to last year, Spring said.

And people are shelling out a lot more for gas this year, he said.

The average price of a gallon of gasoline in Orange County was $1.59

on Wednesday. It was only $1.19 last year.

Costa Mesa Police will add a few officers in the South Coast Plaza

area on Friday, Lt. Dale Birney said.

“We’ll have additional officers to help out with the shopping

crowd,” he said.

DUI teams will also be active in both cities during the holidays,

officials said.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].