Beach Cities Residents Braving Holiday Travel Hassles

With the holidays fast upon us, many residents are preparing to travel near and far. But how will they get where they need to go? Heightened airline security measures have ratcheted up debate over what is and isn't necessary—and which hassles are worth the aggravation. 

Should airline passengers submit to full-body scans or intimate pat-down searches? Is it better to drive and risk road rage? As pundits debate where security ends and harassment begins, Beach Cities residents are making their own decisions about travel.

Andrea Zenewitz, 28, who lives in Hermosa Beach and works at Mediterraneo, plans to fly to New York this weekend.

"I feel like they need to do what they need to do to keep me safe," she said. "That's fine."

Zenewitz said she's gone through a full-body scanner and it was surreal. "It was futuristic, but if it's going to keep the bad stuff off the plane, I'm kind of OK with that."

Tommy Hide of Redondo Beach, a Coast Guard aviation survival technician,  plans to travel to Belize during the holiday season. "Either way doesn't bother me, whether they pat me down or throw me in the 'Radiation Box,' whatever is safe," said Hide matter-of-factly. He went on to say that safety should be the first priority of the airlines, but he wished that the process were more expedient.

"I flew at least 45 times this year, and I just want it to be quick and easy."

According to the Automobile Assn. of America, Thanksgiving weekend travel is expected to increase 11.2% this year. A greater percentage of Southern California travelers than usual—91.5 percent—plan to drive rather than fly to their Thanksgiving destinations.

The Auto Club estimates that Thanksgiving travel by car will increase 12.1% compared with last year. Even with the added security measures at airports, plane travel is expected to rise 3.6% compared with last year, with other forms of travel showing no change.

Thanksgiving travelers may be able to avoid the skies with other modes of transportation, but for some people there's no avoiding it. 

"I don't like the idea of being patted down," Suzy Miller of Redondo Beach said while Christmas window shopping in downtown Manhattan Beach on Sunday afternoon. Miller flies for business every week. "But you have to think of the alternative too. It's like, 'Do I want to be X-rayed every week?' That can't be good for you medically."

As the debate over Transportation Security Administration procedures rages, one thing's for certain: Beach Cities residents will find a way to get to their holiday destinations.