A major labor protest outside Los Angeles International Airport brought Thanksgiving travel to a crawl, forcing frustrated travelers to abandon their vehicles and walk to their terminals as traffic ground to a complete stop.
The demonstration, organized by airline catering workers involved in a wage and labor dispute, blocked key access points along Century Boulevard and disrupted the airport’s main pickup and drop-off zones. The standstill left cars frozen in place for long stretches, with some passengers hauling luggage on foot to avoid missing their flights.
Police in riot gear eventually moved in to clear the road, restoring traffic after significant delays. By that time, however, the disruption had rippled through the surrounding neighborhood, intensifying congestion during one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
Union organizers defended the timing of the protest, arguing that the high-visibility demonstration was necessary to highlight concerns over pay and working conditions at a major airline catering supplier. The hours-long gridlock left travelers frustrated and scrambling — a chaotic start to the holiday rush.