Traffic congestion outside LAX caused extreme delays for drivers trying to reach the airport on Sunday morning. The delays were so long that they impacted flight times, causing some delays that extended to other flights throughout the US.
Officials issued a warning on Friday that work on the airport’s automated people mover would necessitate the closure of all eastbound lanes of Century Boulevard between Sepulveda and Airport Boulevard and the westbound lanes between Airport Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue. The closure would last until 7 a.m. on Sunday. They did add that dates and times were subject to change.
However, KTLA5 reported that the closures still appeared to be in place throughout Sunday morning, and the airport announced via X (formerly Twitter) shortly before 1 p.m. that “LA Airport police, LADOT, and flaggers are on site to aid with airport access. There may be impacts to some flight times.” Reportedly, people were seen exiting vehicles and walking down the roads to reach their terminals. Flight delays appeared to be caused when crew members did not arrive at flights on time.
Users on X posted about the disorder in real-time. One user said, “It took more than an hour to go half a mile. People were walking with bags for miles. Flights were missed. Disgraceful.” Another user responded with a video showing a procession of people hurrying toward the airport on foot, taking their bags with them.
Shortly before noon on Sunday, the LAX Daily Traffic Guide, which offers live estimates of travel time to the airport, reported travel times between 40 minutes and an hour to reach Terminal 1 along the most common routes. For instance, the route from Lincoln-Manchester to the Upper Level posted a 61-minute travel time. According to KTLA5, most travel times were around 40 minutes longer than in regular traffic.
The airport did not announce the resumption of regular traffic until after 3 p.m. on Sunday, saying, “Normal traffic and lane configurations near LAX have resumed. Some flight times may be impacted due to previous traffic congestion.”
Now is a hectic time for travel in and out of LAX, thanks to Spring Breakers going to and from beach destinations. LAX expects to move more than 12 million passengers between March and April, making this the busiest spring break season since the pre-COVID era in 2019. According to the airport, this works out to 195 thousand passengers daily in March and 204 thousand in April.
This means heavier traffic at all times and parking garages at capacity. The airport has issued a blanket recommendation for passengers to plan their travel well ahead to avoid delays and interruptions and gave a reminder before the shutdowns on Sunday night. However, this reminder proved insufficient for the severity of the delays and the incredible number of people impacted, including flight crews. While this event may serve as a lesson for LAX passengers not to underestimate the severity of possible delays, it may also serve as a lesson to officials in charge of deciding closures and managing delays.
