JWA shuts down

Operations at John Wayne Airport came to a halt Monday, delaying flights and stopping security checkpoints, when airport authorities searched for a traveler who was flagged for additional inspection but got away.

About 8:35 a.m., a person passing through security toward boarding flights was flagged for additional screening when Transportation Security Administration lost track of them, airport officials said.

Typically, the “secondary inspection” is when a security screener looks through your bag before allowing you to head toward your gate, said Nico Melendez, a TSA spokesman. People can be marked for a secondary screening randomly, or if security sees something in the X-ray they want to inspect, he said.

This person had something in their bag TSA wanted to inspect, said airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge.

“There’s a challenge because the person who’s behind the computers looking at the monitors isn’t looking at the person putting them there,” Wedge said. “There could’ve been a lapse there.”

Officials said it wasn’t clear whether the person was aware they were supposed to stop for additional screening. When a person who’s supposed to get additional security checks continues on, operations stop, Wedge said. People are not allowed on or off flights, and all security lines stop while workers search for the person. In Monday’s case, after searching for 40 minutes, employees restarted operations. The person wasn’t found, Wedge said.