Despite COVID Warnings, Crowds Descend on LAX for Holiday Travel Crowds at LAX on December 22 | Mario Tama/Getty Images Despite COVID Warnings, Crowds Descend on LAX for Holiday Travel This year passenger traffic is a fraction of what it normally is, but health officials are still concerned about a bump in cases With southern California’s ICU capacity plunging to zero percent due at least in part to a COVID surge brought on by a massive Thanksgiving travel spike, scores of people are still crowding Los Angeles International Airport, hell-bent on seeing family and spreading cheer (etc.) this holiday season.