Crime & Safety
LAX Evacuation Update: Flight Delays Remain After Scare Over Suspicious Bags
Flight delays are being reported for American, Alaska, Delta and Virgin America, airport officials said. (BREAKING)
LOS ANGELES, CA — LAX was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning after suspicious bags were discovered at three terminals, snarling traffic and causing flight delays.
Flight delays were reported because of the evacuations, particularly in Terminal 6, LAX spokeswoman Mary Grady said.
"People should definitely check with their airlines especially if they are on an airline that is flying out of Terminal 6," she said.
The airlines that reported delays were American, Alaska, Delta and Virgin America, she said.
Airport officials briefly evacuated the ticketing areas in Terminal 6 and Terminal 7 following the discovery of two suspicious bags.
In Terminal 6, a TSA dog discovered the suspicious bag, and in Terminal 7, a bag was left unattended, LAX officials said. The suspicious bag alerted by the TSA dog was in a non-public area, officials said.
The suspicious bags at these terminals have been cleared, Grady said.
As operations were getting back to normal, however, an unattended bag was found in a men's restroom in Terminal 5.
The bag in Terminal 5 has been deemed safe and operations were returning to normal, Grady said.
The scare comes as the busy holiday travel season picks up. Wednesday and Friday are expected to be the busiest days at LAX, with about 239,000 people expected to pass through the airport on those days.
The traffic at the airport was already busy with holiday travelers early Wednesday morning, Airport Police said.
LAX is expected to be the third-busiest airport in the country over the holiday season, behind Atlanta and Chicago, but the busiest origin-and-destination airport, meaning more passengers will start or end their travel at LAX than any other airfield.
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