SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – As Memorial Day Weekend approaches, travelers are preparing for a busy holiday. Many, like Gary Matthews, are hitting the road early to beat the rush.
"Get on the road early. That's all you can do." said Matthews.
"I think this Terminal 2 isn't so bad. But Terminal 1 as you know is a mess already. And it's all the domestic flights so it's packed!" Mindy Matthews said.
The Matthews are arriving early for their international flight at San Diego International Airport.
"We love San Diego! We actually come here a lot, but it's pretty busy,” said Meesh Ostrom, whose family is visiting From Seattle. "Traveling with three kids and two dogs is always pretty rough, but our service was really great."
An airport spokesperson told ABC 10News that they expect between 420,000 to 440,000 travelers from Thursday to Tuesday. This marks a 5% increase from last year’s Memorial Day weekend.
"I'm one of those what they call 'Airport Dads', right? I'm the guy that likes to come super early and stay here super early. But, this is his first time flying so I'm going to try to get him a little tired before he goes in his crate,” said Michael Kurth, who is flying with his dog.
The airport is advising patience and allowing extra time due to ongoing construction.
AAA Southern California estimates that 3.5 million people will travel in the region, setting a new record for holiday travel. This is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels from 2019 for the second consecutive year.
The top destinations for Southern Californians this Memorial Day Weekend are Las Vegas and San Diego.
"We came from Temecula, and we thought everybody would be heading to San Diego. But it didn't look like that. It looks like they're going to Vegas on the 15,” Mindy Matthews said.
For those arriving in the America's Finest City, they’re hoping for good weather.
"It's a wedding, so a little sunshine would be nice,” Marci Barner, who is visiting from Denver.
"We were hoping for some sunshine but it's okay. We're used to it. We're from Seattle,” Ostrom said.
