US: LAX had a nightmarish holiday season of delays and gridlock. It's likely a preview of the airport's growing pains

It was Christmastime at Los Angeles International. Security lines were long, passengers crowded the terminals and restaurants ran short of food. Airlines delayed and canceled several hundred departures and arrivals because of bad weather. Outside, traffic was so heavy it often took an hour or more to drive the 2 miles between the 405 Freeway and the terminals. The 19-day holiday season for LAX and its unprecedented surge in travellers will end Tuesday. But the experience of several million passengers passing through its gates might be an indicator of what lies ahead if the nation’s third-busiest airport continues to expand at a record pace. An estimated 80m passengers will travel through LAX this year — an increase of about 8% over 2015 and about 30% since 2010. <br/>