LAX False Alarm Was Result Of Simple Mistake

An LAX false alarm on Tuesday sent passengers into a panic. Just one week after the Boston bombings, an accidental message at Los Angeles’ busiest airport ordered an emergency evacuation of the facility.

The message first appeared behind ticket counters at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Passengers called local law enforcement after the message was displayed.

The emergency system posted the following alert:

“An emergency has been declared in the terminal. Please evacuate.”

Workers believe a hacker may have infiltrated the system, which set off the LAX false alarm. Authorities investigated the platform but found no proof of a hacked system.

After the investigation, airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles revealed that a contracted airline worker was attempting to program check-in information when they accidentally triggered the false alarm.

Airports officials are now working on a new system that will ensure false reports are not sent out to customers. What the new system will entail has not yet been revealed.

The LAX false alarm first aired at 9:47 pm and was turned off eight minutes later. Passengers had not been evacuated thanks to the quick turn around time to sort out the issue.

It was a hectic day for airports in the area. A terminal at John F. Kennedy airpot was evacuated after a suspicious package was reported inside a terminal. The JFK issue led to a 90-minute evacuation for hundreds of passengers. Investigators eventually discovered the package was a tube of toothpaste wrapped in duct tape.

Do you think better precautions should be put in place to avoid these type of future false alarms at LAX and other airports?

[Image via monkeytime | brachiator]