Heavy Delays, Congested Traffic at LAX Adding Woes to Holiday Fliers

LOS ANGELES, CA -- If you are flying out of Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, you'd better pack your patience.

Snow storms in the East Coast are causing flights arriving at LAX to be delayed, which, in turn, causes flight going out of LAX to be delayed, airport spokeswoman Mary Grady said.

More than 130 flights are expected to be delayed or canceled by noon Friday, she said. About 91 arrival delays, 47 departure delays, four arrival cancellations and one departure cancellation are expected, she said.

"Things have significantly improved," Grady said. "But it will still be a very busy day today, with about 238,000 passengers anticipated."

The number of flights canceled, however, have already exceeded estimates. Thirteen flights at LAX have been reported as canceled as of 9 a.m., according to FlightAware.com.

Friday is expected to be one of the heaviest travel days of the holiday season. Traffic heading to the airport was already congested by 7 a.m. Friday, Airport Police said. With the rainstorm expected Friday afternoon, things will get more congested as the day goes on.

Grady urged people to check with their airlines for the latest flight information because of the potential for more delays or cancellations.

"With the storm coming in later, it will impact traffic, so people should allow plenty of time to get to their terminals," Grady said.

About 4.3 million passengers are expected to pass through LAX during the period that began a week ago Friday and will continue through Jan. 3, airport officials said. The estimated number of travelers is 9.5 percent higher than last year's record-setting 3.9 million passengers, according to Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that manages LAX.

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