Families reunite at LAX for Thanksgiving

Tucked among the travelers at LAX are the people who are braving the Thanksgiving traffic to welcome someone home. 

It's been two months since Erik Benitez dropped off his daughter Erika at college in Portland. 

"I'm waiting for my daughter, my only daughter," he said. "My beautiful daughter."

With a flight tracker counting down the minutes until she lands, Benitez is excited to reunite with Erika.

After what felt like an eternity, the pair finally got to see each other.

"I haven't seen my dad in a minute," Erika said. "I haven't seen him in a while. Happy to be home and in California."

He wasn't the only dad waiting for a special arrival.  

"We just love it when the kids come home,"  Eric Imley said. "Everybody's in town. The family is going to be together. It's just wonderful."

Just a few feet away from Benitez, the Imley's have their own mini reunion. 

"It's really nice to have a dad that is so excited to see me," Abigail Imley said. 

Over at baggage claim, another father and daughter shared another heartfelt moment. 

"I've been so busy," Kenzie Singiser said. "It's good to have a little bit of time with my family, especially with being at college so much now."

Her father, Steve Singiser, is grateful to spend some quality time with his children before they grow older. 

"When you get to a certain age, I'm not going to say what it is, you get more thankful for these moments where we are all together," he said. "As these kids age out, both are in their 20s, we are not going to get anymore chances."

With the holiday bringing families back together, Benitez can't wait to make more memories with his daughter.

"I am hopeful that everybody has a great Thanksgiving and gets to spend time, like me with my family," Erika said.