Power Outages Delay Flights in O.C.

Hundreds of travelers got late starts early Monday after back-to-back power outages shut down security screenings at John Wayne Airport.

The first came at 5:48 a.m., just as the day's first passengers were arriving, said Jenny Wedge, a spokeswoman for the airport.

A generator kicked in, and the airport was operating on the generator when main power was lost again 15 minutes later, said a spokesman for Southern California Edison.

The problem was blamed on a power pole east of the Costa Mesa Freeway, he said.

The power instability prompted Transportation Security Administration officials to shut down security screenings and boardings until the electricity supply was again reliable.

Power returned by 6:40 a.m., and officers resumed screenings about 20 minutes later.

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