London-to-L.A. Passengers Maintain Stiff Upper Lips

Passengers on the first flight to leave London for Los Angeles after the terrorism arrests in England understandably departed with some trepidation.

But by the time they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday afternoon to a throng of TV cameras and reporters, most passengers aboard British Airways Flight 279 had generally positive things to say about their journey.

“It was intense, but it wasn’t that traumatic,” said Stacey Navarro, 17, a senior at Cathedral City High School.

The intense part came at the beginning.

Jordan Rief, 20, returning from doing humanitarian work in Ghana, said things at London’s Heathrow Airport were “chaotic,” especially after they heard news reports that some of the alleged conspirators might still be at large.

“I was only scared just before I got on the plane, because that’s when I saw the news and saw what happened,” Rief said.

The 10 1/2 -hour flight was delayed in London for three hours. The few things they were allowed to carry on the plane with them had to fit in a sandwich bag: passports, wallets, medication (which had to be inspected). Books and candy had to be tossed.

“At first I was mad because I couldn’t take a book. I couldn’t take anything,” said Mercedes Lizcano, 38, a Spaniard making the move with 3-year old daughter Carlotta to Manhattan Beach. “We were not even allowed to take cellphones or BlackBerrys.”

Once in the air, it began to feel more like a normal trans-Atlantic flight.

Until they got to Los Angeles.

Back on the ground, passengers passed through immigration as agents scanned their fingerprints and took photos, and their luggage was searched again. Groups began emerging from immigration about 6:40 p.m.