LAX PREPARES FOR LONG FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND TRAVEL

07/02/2002 12:00 AM

LAX PREPARES FOR LONG FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND TRAVEL

 

Passengers Cautioned Not to Carry Fireworks Due to Explosive Danger

(Los Angeles, California - July 2, 2002) More than 900,000 passengers are expected to move through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend, airport officials said today. Between Wednesday and Sunday, an estimated 935,000 passengers will depart and arrive at LAX for the mid-summer holiday. Overall, summer passenger traffic at LAX is down about 15 percent from last year. A comparison with July 4, 2001, is not meaningful because last year the holiday occurred on Wednesday.

The busiest days, according to airport officials, are expected to be Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, when airlines are predicting their passenger load factors will be in the range of 85 to 90 percent. Passenger load factors on other days are expected in the 70 to 80 percent range.

This Fourth of July airport officials are emphasizing that passengers should obey a long-standing ban on bringing fireworks of any kind on board an aircraft -- either in checked luggage or as carry-on items. Because fireworks are fire or explosive hazards, these items could cause flight delays while authorities search through baggage to ensure passenger safety.

Passengers also should be aware that the Transportation Security Administration no longer allows passengers to carry open beverage containers through airport security checkpoints. The new rule, intended to prevent spills during the screening process, covers beverages in paper and styrofoam cups or travel mugs. Re-sealable beverage containers, baby bottles and thermos bottles are still allowed to go through passenger screening.

Airport officials encourage passengers to follow some of these tips that will ease their way through LAX:

  • Call the airline to confirm your flight before arriving at the airport and allow sufficient time for check-in and passenger screening.

     

  • Take alternative transportation to the airport such as shared ride vans, taxis, the Van Nuys FlyAway bus, the Metro Rail Green Line and other public transportation. For those driving to the airport, parking is available in all of the Central Terminal Area parking facilities.

     

  • Bring government-issued photo identification that will be needed to obtain tickets and boarding passes. Also, place identification on the outside and inside of all checked and carry-on baggage.

     

  • Watch your bags at all times and remember to retrieve personal belongings -- such as cellular telephones, laptop computers, jewelry, keys and wallets -- from passenger screening checkpoints.

     

  • Pack in checked luggage any item that may be used to harm a person. This includes home and garden tools, cooking utensils, fishing and hunting equipment, and toys that look like weapons. Containers of hazardous materials and aerosol sprays that may burst in flight are prohibited in checked luggage.

     

  • All types of fireworks are illegal. Federal passenger and baggage screening agents will confiscate fireworks.

     

  • Travel light. Passengers are limited to one carry-on baggage and one personal item, such as a purse, briefcase or diaper bag. Additional travel tips are available on the airport's website at www.lawa.org.

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