LAX passengers facing delays, cancellations in pre-holiday rush

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The pre-holiday rush at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday has turned into a travel nightmare for passengers as more than 100 flights were delayed or canceled.

The airport was filled with air travelers facing delays and in some cases cancellations. Despite the frustration, some seemed to try awfully hard to stay in the holiday spirit.

Storms were delaying some 170 flights in and out of LAX between midnight and noon and 55 flights were canceled.

LAX officials said weather was only part of the problem.

Mary Grady, a spokesperson for the airport, said the airlines had to roll out more planes this holiday to accommodate the roughly 400,000 more air travelers this season versus last year at this time.

Grady said the last thing they needed were storms to delay and cancel flights.

To ease your nerves, Grady had advice for those flying this holiday.

"So what people are going to have to do if they're flying out of LAX this afternoon today, they've got to check with their airlines to see if there's any delays or cancellations," she explained.

Traffic on the road around LAX was also congested, so travelers were encouraged to arrive with time.

Traveler Eli Moore was chipper despite concerns about whether he'll even get home to Philadelphia this holiday.

"I'm on, like, standby for any flights, so I'm hoping I can even get back home," he said. "I haven't heard anything yet but just from Googling the experiences of other people, it's been hectic."

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