Hundreds Stranded at LAX as Flights to Japan are Canceled

Early Friday afternoon, LAX was filled with people desperate to get on flights to Japan. However, in the wake of Thursday's crippling earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent closure of Tokyo's two major airports, hundreds of flights to Japan were canceled.

Most of those waiting at the airport could only contact their loved ones via e-mail, anxious to find out if they and their families were safe.

At around 9:30 p.m. Friday, Katherine Alvaredo of LAX's PR division told Patch that following the reopening of Tokyo's Narita and Haneda airports, two flights to those airports were scheduled to leave LAX.

Korean Air flight #2, which was scheduled to depart for Narita and Seoul at 2 p.m. Friday, left shortly after 8 p.m. that night. Delta flight #635 to Haneda was scheduled to depart at 12:05 a.m. Saturday.

Both flights were canceled earlier Friday but Korean Air and Delta Airlines said they chose to resume the flights due to high demand from passengers who wanted to return home.

As of 10 p.m. Friday, other airlines at LAX were still waiting to receive assurances that if they operate their Tokyo flights, passengers will be able to leave the airports once they land in Japan. 

All passengers scheduled to fly to Japan are still advised to check with their airlines' websites or reservation numbers on the status of their flights.