Terrorism tensions amid the crush of holiday travelers at Los Angeles International Airport caused some flight delays and ground vehicle traffic woes Wednesday as authorities responded to suspicious luggage reports at three separate terminals.
The incidents were apparently not connected. After hours of dealing with the three separate suspicious bag reports, officials gave the “all-clear” sign.
The discovery of three suspicious bags also prompted brief evacuations at Los Angeles International Airport.
“What people have to remember is this is the busiest day of the Christmas holiday travel period,” said Mary Grady, an LAX spokeswoman. “Before coming to LAX, please, please check to see if your flight is delayed.”
According to Grady, a Transportation Security Administration canine “alerted” on a bag in a luggage transfer room at Terminal 6 at about 8:50 a.m., prompting an evacuation of employees from the area, and some passengers from the ticketing area. A bomb squad cleared the bag at 9:21 a.m.
At about 8:41 a.m., an unattended bag was reported in Terminal 7, prompting a partial evacuation that continued until about 10 a.m., when passengers were permitted back into the terminal. That bag was officially cleared at 10:32 a.m.
At about 9:36 a.m., a suspicious bag was spotted on the floor just outside the men’s restroom near Gate 52 in Terminal 5, Grady said. Airport officials were able to locate the owner of the bag, but the bomb squad was brought in to check the item, which was cleared at 11 a.m.
Once all three bags were cleared, airport operations began returning to normal — on one of the busiest days of the holiday travel season, Grady said. About 239,000 people were expected to pass through LAX Wednesday.
“What people have to remember is this is the busiest day of the Christmas holiday travel period,” said Mary Grady, an LAX spokeswoman. “Before coming to LAX, please, please check to see if your flight is delayed.”
She said there were some reports of flight delays, and Grady encouraged passengers to sign up for text alerts from airlines to ensure they get up-to- date information.
Grady reported “some very significant congestion in the central terminal area” due to lane closures resulting from the security scares. She noted that the website www.laxishappening.com includes real-time traffic and parking information for the terminal area.
—City News Service