Travelers face LAX nightmare as both roads and airlines remain backed up
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hundreds of flight cancellations at LAX over the past week has left behind many passengers -- and luggage -- stranded. All while traffic picks up for travelers headed to the busy airport this upcoming Independence Day weekend, when many people will be traveling on L.A.'s roadways.
People have been coming in and out of the airport trying to grab their luggage after thousands of flights were canceled and delayed this week. The airport is filled with seas of luggage, especially at the United Airlines baggage claim.
United has had the majority of cancelled flights at LAX over the past week. The airline blames shortage of air traffic controllers, especially in the New York City area. But Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg disagrees, saying United has a lot of internal struggles with its pilots and flight attendants.
Passengers impacted by the delays were not shy in expressing their criticism.
"The excuse that there had been weather disruptions somewhere within the system, and so they didn't have to pay for lodging and for the next flight out is completely unacceptable. They were unwilling to put me on another airline and it had to come out of pocket to go another airline," said Damien Goodmon, who is from Crenshaw.
Friday is expected to be one of the busiest travel days at LAX with 245,000 passengers expected to come through the airport.
And, the roads around L.A. will be busier than normal as well.
It took one traveler an hour and 40 minutes to get to LAX from Oxnard.
"It took forever, yeah. It took a minute to get an Uber first of all, and then traffic was terrible," said Paul Woods, who was traveling to Alabama.
AAA has some advice for drivers before they head out the door.
"You want to make sure that you inspect your vehicle check the tires the tread and inflation check the fluid levels make sure you battery has a good charge," said Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for AAA Southern California.
Making traffic even worse: Great weather for beachgoers. Although the beach is a great benefit of living in Southern California, it can get in your way on the road.
if you're flying and can avoid checking a bag, it'll be cheaper and safer that way. Whether you're flying or driving Don't forget to check for delays before you leave the house so you can save some time.
