MEDIA STATEMENTS ISSUED AUGUST 11-12, 2007 BY LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS DURING THE U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL COMPUTER OUTAGE
Media Statement at 8 a.m. August 12
LAX operations were normal with the exception of a handful of international flights experiencing departure delays because of late arrivals Saturday. So far, only five of 165 scheduled international flights at LAX today are planned to be late departing and no flights are canceled through the remainder of the day. An estimated 35,000 passengers are booked on today's departing international flights. The CBP computer system is functioning normally and reported stable. LAWA airfield operations is focused on ensuring adequate busing coverage for the duration of the day and believes it can meet airline demand.
Media Statement Update at 12:30 a.m. Sunday:
Federal officials reported that the U.S. Customs & Border Protection computer system at LAX was restored to full capabilities at 11:45 p.m. PST Saturday. The backlog of international arriving passengers is expected to be cleared by approximately 2 a.m. Sunday. The computer outage began at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday. About 60 international arriving flights and 11,500 passengers were affected. Passengers were delayed two to seven hours in clearing the Federal Inspection Stations. Aircraft were parked at locations on the airport where they were accessible for lavatory servicing and provisioning of water, food and other passenger necessities.
Departing international passengers are advised to check with their airlines before coming to LAX for flights through Sunday evening as aircraft and crews may be affected by the CBP processing delays.
Updated Media Statement from LAWA at 11 p.m. PDT Saturday, August 11:
U.S. Customs & Border Protection reported that its Federal Inspection Stations at LAX Terminals 2, 4 & 5 are fully operational while the facility at the Tom Bradley International Terminal is operating on a backup system at reduced capability. It could not be immediately determined how long it will take to clear the backlog of arriving international passengers. Passengers aboard more than 40 aircraft were delayed up to six hours awaiting clearance into the U.S. because of the federal computer system outage that began at approximately 2 p.m. Saturday. Seven international flights were diverted to LA/Ontario International Airport where CBP operations were reported normal. Aircraft were held at locations on the airport where they were accessible for lavatory serving and provisioning of water, food and other passenger necessities. Departing international passengers are advised to check with their airlines before coming to LAX for flights through Sunday evening as aircraft and crews may be affected by the CBP processing delays.
Media Statement Update at 9:15 p.m. August 11:
U.S. Customs & Border Protection officials have resumed clearing arriving passengers at LAX as computers are brought back on line. It was not immediately known how long it will take to clear the backlog of arriving international passengers.
Media Statement from Los Angeles World Airports at 9 p.m. PDT
The U.S. Customs & Border Protection experienced a computer system outage at LAX at approximately 2 p.m. At 9 p.m., federal officials were holding approximately 6,000 passengers on about two dozen international arriving aircraft until they can be cleared through the five Federal Inspection Stations at LAX. All aircraft are parked at locations where they are connected to ground power are accessible for lavatory servicing and provisioning of water, food and other passenger amenities. Departing international passengers are urged to check with their airlines before coming to LAX for flights through Sunday as aircraft and crews may be impacted by the CBP processing disruption.
8/12/07
