Authorities expect heightened security at PSP after LAX shooting

“It was pretty scary, I mean if i had been there a few hours earlier,” said Jason Wexler, who was supposed to fly into Los Angeles International Airport on a Virgin America flight from Newark, New Jersey.

Passengers diverted from LAX to Palm Springs International tried to make sense of Friday’s horrific shooting.

“It’s hard to wrap your head around,” said Levi Holloway, who was stranded at PSP when his Virgin flight from Chicago O’Hare airport was diverted from LAX.

Many are still delayed and trying to figure out how to get to their final destination.

“We’re trying to get out of here to get to our niece’s wedding,” said Nolan Spencer, who was supposed to fly out of PSP to LAX as a connection to his final destination, Austin, Texas.

If you plan to travel by air in the next few days, you’re likely to experience not only delays but heightened security.

Authorities want to make sure passengers are safe even before they make it to the X-ray machines and body scanners.

“When you get to the airport there really aren’t a lot of security measures until you get up to the security checkpoint.”

But that won’t be the case, at least for now.

“There’s going to be a high security presence, different protocols, different procedures and I think eventually it will drop back down again, until another incidence occurs,” said Charles Bennett Jr., a security and public safety consultant.

Some authorities believe this tragedy could have been prevented, but it would come at the cost of privacy.

Bennett supports controversial procedures conducted by Israeli airport security that profile travelers.

“They’ll just watch people and go up to random people and ask to see passports, tickets, find out information,” Bennett said.

But many argue increasing security by such extreme measures would mean travelers forfeiting some of their rights.

“That’s not the case. It won’t be convenient, but we either cater to people who get upset and want to complain or we secure properly and have to deal with it,” Bennett said.