Persistent Fog Forces Long Delays in Airport Flights

For the second day in a row, thick fog over the San Fernando Valley forced Burbank airport to turn away incoming jetliners Friday, delaying some commuters by up to four hours.

Planes began landing again at the airport just after 10 a.m., spokeswoman Angela Cranon said.

With visibility sometimes zero from the fog, air traffic controllers rerouted some flights to land at other airports, subsequently delaying departures which would have used those planes, she said.

“You just wait it out,” she said, as the fog “just creeps up, gets higher and higher,” until it vanishes.

Andrae Moore wasn’t enjoying the wait Friday--three hours just for the plane that was to take him to Oakland to be allowed to land. “I just hope I get there,” he said glumly.

Curtis Brack, a meteorologist for WeatherData, which supplies data to The Times, said the fog will remain over the Valley in mornings to come. He said it is caused by a high pressure zone over the Southwest holding a layer of cool, wet marine air close to the ground.