Holiday travel nightmare: LAX lines reach epic lengths

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Lines at Los Angeles International Airport reached epic lengths on Friday as travelers dealt with delayed and canceled flights.

According to airport officials, nearly 200 flights in and out of LAX -- mostly arrivals -- were impacted. As of Friday morning, the cancellations included 119 arrivals, 54 departures, four arrivals and two departures.

"As the day goes on, things tend to get a little more crowded here in the airport and on the airfield," said LAX spokesperson Mary Grady.

Sarah Lichter was stuck in line to check her bags for nearly 45 minutes, and she still had yet to go through the security check.

"Pretty much, we're going to miss our flight," Lichter said.

Travelers have been facing frustrations all week. On Wednesday and Thursday, there were more than 200 flights impacted by rain, runway construction and an increase in passengers and number of flights.

The airport has seen a nearly 10 percent jump in the number of travelers from this time last year.

MORE: Record 4.3M travelers expected at LAX during holiday season

This created a nightmare scenario for travelers, with some sleeping at the airport, while others were stuck on the tarmac for hours as their plane waited for a gate to free up.

Nearly 239,000 travelers will pass through LAX on Friday, which was billed to be one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season. Saturday, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve should be slower.

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