Travelers keying up for a Fourth of July trip should be prepared for a busy travel period, with the Sunday and Monday before and after the holiday expected to be busiest.
According to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the nine-day holiday travel window will see 85,000 people arriving and departing from San Diego International Airport on its busiest days.
"Summer travel season has definitely started at SAN," said Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of the airport authority. "So far, our passenger volumes for this year are similar to 2024, which was a record-breaking year. We typically see an increase in the number of travelers during the July 4th travel period, and this year we anticipate an average of 80,000 people at the airport each day."
The single busiest travel day is expected to be Sunday, July 6.
For those heading to San Diego International to pick up or drop off, expect delays on westbound and eastbound North Harbor Drive due to the possibility of slow construction vehicles.
The busiest times curbside will likely be 4 to 6:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. to midnight.
To help avoid holiday travel woes, the airport authority offered some tips:
- arrive at least two hours early to avoid the busiest times;
- make parking reservations online;
- take the free San Diego Flyer shuttle service between the Old Town Transit Station and SAN. The electric shuttle buses operate seven days a week, with an average arrival time of every 20 to 30 minutes. The first pickup is at 4:45 a.m. with the last pickup/drop off at 12:30 a.m., and
- have family or friends drop you off or use ride-hailing services.
