Airline Travel on the Upswing

The number of flights to and from LAX and other California airports rose Sunday as officials braced for a hectic day today when more travelers are expected to take to the skies.

Los Angeles International Airport operated at about 55% of normal levels Sunday, five days after the terrorist hijacking of four planes forced a halt in air traffic across America. The airport has been gradually increasing the number of flights since it reopened Thursday, and officials expected by today to be at 60% of normal, or roughly 1,000 fights. LAX should reach normal air traffic levels by the end of the week, said LAX spokesman Harold Johnson.

But getting through the airport will be anything but routine, with parking lots next to the terminals closed and increased security measures in place.

To ease delays, officials are urging travelers to use public transportation and to check in all bags. They also advised people not to leave baggage unattended, even for a few minutes. Unattended bags forced numerous evacuations from LAX terminals over the weekend as police investigated what the bags contained.

“Before Tuesday we didn’t pay much attention to bags left by themselves,” said Johnson. “Now, if a bag is left by itself we are going to respond immediately.”

Lines at domestic terminals were noticeably shorter Sunday at LAX, compared with the last few days when people waited for hours. But long delays were the norm on international flights as weary travelers struggled to get on overbooked flights.

Over the weekend, many international flights out of LAX were overbooked by as much as 50%. Some foreign carriers are banned from landing in the U.S. until they meet stringent new FAA security requirements.

At Orange County’s John Wayne Airport on Sunday, flights were running just under 50% of normal, and officials did not expect a big surge in business travelers today.

“There has been a wide no-show count because a lot of people don’t want to take air transportation or are just waiting,” said Alaska Airlines supervisor Holly Turner.