LAX Closes Runway For Safety Upgrades; Causes Major Flight Delays
EL SEGUNDO (CBSLA.com) — Travelers, be advised: The Los Angeles International Airport has closed one of its four runways for safety repairs.
It will be closed through the summer and has already caused major flight delays.
The Federal Aviation Administration reports the average flight delay nationwide Tuesday night was 15 minutes at airports in cities not affected by weather issues. The average delay at LAX was 56 minutes, due to the closed runway.
Lance Manker and his wife landed at LAX from Oakland nearly two hours late Tuesday night because of the construction. Other Oakland travelers arrived up to three hours late.
"I got an email early in the morning that said due to runway repairs in L.A. our flight would be delayed," Manker said. "Our original flight was delayed about an hour and then it turned out to be an hour and 45 minutes."
People traveling through LAX are advised to check their departure terminal online for possible changes. They should also check airport screens upon arrival.
"LAX is an older airport so they're just trying to make improvements, so it's just the price of progress," another LAX traveler said.
Additional LAX runways will be repaired through June 2017.
An LAX spokesperson was not available for comment Tuesday night.