Police beefed up security Wednesday at LAX as an expected record number of passengers are set to fly through during the July Fourth holiday and as a precaution after a suicide bombing at least 42 people dead at an airport in Istanbul, Turkey.
Extra patrols walked the ticketing area, outside in the loading zone and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Officers planned to conduct random checkpoints while undercover agents were deployed throughout the airport, officials said.
A record number of people are expected to travel through LAX the five-day weekend that starts Friday. It exceeds the 4.3 million passengers who flew through LAX the same period last year, said Nancy Suey Castles, an LAX spokeswoman.
LAX has received no credible threats since the suicide attack in Turkey on Tuesday, officials said. But officials are taking no chances, they say.
"Our approach to safety and security is always being adjusted," said LAX Police Officer Rob Pedregon. "We're constantly monitoring what goes on around the world. And we have intelligence that is being fed to us at a moment's notice."
Travelers were concerned, but those who spoke to NBC4 said they would not change their plans.
"It's a whole new world ballgame," said LAX traveler Bob Potchka. "We can't be intimidated. We gotta get on with our lives.
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Katelyn Thompson echoed the sentiments.
"We have Prague, Germany, Italy," she said. "We can't change it and can't worry. If it happens, it happens."
