LAX Says It Could Take 2 Days To Clear Backlog Of Canceled Flights
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — For travelers flying out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the Bay area, airline officials say it could take up to two days to catch up on the backlog of canceled flights.
An airport spokesperson says flights between LAX and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are heavily booked due to the busy holiday weekend along with peak summer travel.
"[Sunday's] flights between LAX and SFO are heavily booked due to the combination of holiday weekend and peak summer travel, so it is expected the airlines will require one to two days to catch up on the backlog of cancelled flights," the LAX Airport Operations Center indicated in a statement released Saturday night.
Five international flights bound for SFO were diverted to LAX on Saturday. Two of those flights eventually flew back to the Bay area while passengers on the remaining three flights were deplaned and bussed to Northern California.
The flight diversions and cancellations followed the 11:30 a.m. crash landing of a Boeing 777 operated by Asiana Airlines on Saturday. A total of 43 arriving and departing flights at LAX were canceled as a result of the jetliner crash.
Flight 214 was carrying 291 passengers and 16 crew members. At last word, two people were killed and 182 others were hospitalized, according to CBS SF.
Airline officials advised passengers to check the status of their flights online or by calling their airline prior to arriving at LAX.
