Los Angeles Internatonal computer glitch causes four hour backup

August 12, 2007 A computer glitch in the Los Angeles International Airport computer systems caused passengers in four different terminals to be forced to wait for their flights, causing a massive backlog of over 20,000 international passengers.

Los Angeles International Airport, often referred to by its airport code LAX, is the primary airport serving Los Angeles, California, United States. LAX is the busiest airport in California, and the third-busiest airport by passenger traffic in the United States.

According to airport staff, a system containing Customs and law enforcement information about international passengers failed at about 2:00 p.m. PDT (UTC-8).

Airport officials diverted flights arriving from Ontario, Canada to another airport until the system was back up.

Stranded planes were connected to ground power, and incoming passengers that had already landed had access to food, water and restrooms.