LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Because of the economic recession, fewer Americans will be traveling during the Christmas holiday season, the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) said on Friday.

    Much smaller crowds are expected at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and other regional airports, LAWA said in a statement.

    Between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2, about 2.35 million people are expected to travel through LAX, about 14 percent less than in the same period last year, said LAWA, the city agency that oversees the airport.

    The LAWA attributed the decline to less demand for flights because of the economic recession.

    At Los Angeles/Ontario International Airport, 225,000 people are expected to travel during the holidays, a 29-percent drop compared with last year, LAWA said.

    With fewer travelers, some airlines such as ExpressJet and JetBlue's have decided to stop service at some regional airports, according to LAWA.