Lapses in Security Force Flight Delays

Security breaches at airports in Boston and Washington state caused dozens of flight delays. At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, two meat cleavers were found in a chef’s carry-on bag.

Officials closed part of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington after a food-service worker set off a metal detector alarm. Security workers found no illegal items, but a Federal Aviation Administration rule required the rescreening of hundreds of passengers.

At Boston’s Logan International Airport, Massachusetts police forced hundreds of Delta Air Lines passengers from a gate area when they learned that a security guard had left her checkpoint unattended for up to four minutes.

The guard and her supervisor were suspended, said Argenbright Security Inc.

At O’Hare, 76-year-old chef Sung Mok, who was headed home to Hong Kong, was charged with misdemeanor unlawful possession of a weapon after the cleavers were found, police said.

There was no indication he meant any harm, police said.