O.C. Travelers All Had Same Idea: Early Start : Some Freeways Jammed in Mid-Afternoon but Were Clear Later; John Wayne Airport Jammed

Orange County holiday travelers trying to avoid Labor Day weekend getaway traffic instead found themselves stuck in congestion along with other drivers who had the same idea Friday afternoon.

Stretches of Orange County freeways were clogged as early as 3 p.m. as drivers began their three-day Labor Day weekend at a snail’s pace, according to the California Highway Patrol. Freeway traffic creeped along at barely 10 m.p.h. through late afternoon, and there were no major accidents, just “people trying to get away,” CHP Officer Angel Johnson said.

But the early birds proved a boon for later commuters. By 5 p.m., most of the county’s freeways were virtually congestion-free, a rarity on a summer Friday evening, CHP officials said.

However, traffic was at a veritable standstill at John Wayne Airport by 6 p.m. The airport’s main entrance at the intersection of Michelson Drive and MacArthur Boulevard was jammed with cars on their way to pick up or drop off passengers.

Amid beeping horns, some drivers who gave up waiting for a parking space instead double-parked in front of the terminal, prompting even more honking.

About 15,000 people were expected to file through the airport Friday. On an average day, 12,300 passengers arrive and depart through the terminal.

Although the airport has increased the number of parking spaces near the existing passenger terminal as part of a $310-million expansion program, construction of the airport’s new $50-million terminal and adjacent roadways has added to congestion, airport officials said.

Until the evening crush, sheriff’s deputies on patrol at John Wayne had reported only occasional tie-ups outside the terminal through much of the day.

“It was business as usual,” one deputy said.

Travelers heeded warnings that John Wayne would get crowded, said Bill Pemberton, the airport’s assistant chief of operations.

“They took advantage of long-term parking and shuttles,” he added.

Craig Gordon of Irvine was one of those who decided to play it safe. He left Orange County on Friday morning to visit relatives in St. Louis over the long Labor Day weekend.

‘Great Excuse’

“That way, I had a great excuse to get the day off,” said Gordon, a consultant for an Irvine computer firm, as he stood in line at the American Airlines counter. “Who wants to leave after work when everyone else is?”

By early afternoon, those who came to the airport faced some lines at check-in counters and long walks from the new parking garage to the terminal. But for the most part, they, too, appeared to be getting away before the crunch began.

Kathy Marois stepped out of a friend’s car in front of the terminal, surprised to find the curb nearly empty.

“I guess I made it just before hell broke loose,” the Irvine receptionist said.

But Elaine Liu of Atlanta had to camp out with her suitcase while a friend tried to make her way out of the parking-meter lot next to the terminal through a crush of cars.

“She’s got to come all the way around again,” Liu said, gazing at the traffic from her perch near John Wayne’s bronze likeness in front of the terminal.

Pemberton said that travelers leaving this morning were expected to have an easier time than those who flew out on Friday night.

Not Record Crowds

Still, the crowds were far below Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally the airport’s busiest holiday, he said.

One crowded area, however, was the airport observation deck.

Amy Caughlin of Riverside watched as her boyfriend stepped off an America West Airlines jet from Phoenix.

“He wanted to leave before everyone,” she said. “We wanted to be together when others are on the freeway trying to get out.”

Inside the terminal, Al Rosenthal, returning to Houston after a two-week vacation, wore his neon-orange collection.

“I wanted to show them a bit of California,” he said. “But I’ll leave the traffic here.”

Labor Day weekend traditionally has been a traffic mess because more people travel to take advantage of waning summer days, authorities said.

It is also a deadly time.

“People tend to lose control more during this holiday,” the CHP’s Johnson said.

To reduce accidents, the CHP is adding nightly patrols to spot drunk drivers, she said. Last year, CHP officers arrested 2,350 people statewide on suspicion of drunk driving during the long weekend.

But that wouldn’t solve the early-evening freeway snarl.

“This is just getting home,” one weary driver said Friday while waiting in traffic on a San Diego Freeway on-ramp. “Wait till my family leaves on the long trip tomorrow.”

Times staff writers Catherine Gewertz and Michele Ray contributed to this article.

LABOR DAY RUSH

The Labor Day weekend traditionally rates up with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as the busiest passenger-traffic periods at John Wayne Airport. The average daily passenger traffic for non-holiday periods is 12,500 people, airport spokeswoman Kathie Rutherford said. The number of passengers can increase by more than 20% during the holiday periods mentioned above. According to Rutherford, 70% of the passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport is business travelers, and Monday through Friday are the busiest days at the airport during non-holiday periods.

Passenger traffic for Labor Day weekend, 1988-- Friday, Sept. 2 15,300 Saturday, Sept. 3 7,600 Sunday, Sept. 4 6,700 Monday, Sept. 5 12,600 (Labor Day) Tuesday, Sept. 6 13,600 Source: John Wayne Airport Compiled by Kathie Bozanich