LAX sees 3.5% increase

Los Angeles International Airport was the nation's fourth-busiest airport in 2007, logging 680,954 landings and takeoffs, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration. Art Marroquin in the Daily News.

The figure represents a 31/2 percent uptick in flights at LAX compared with 2006, mostly due to new routes that were established last year by existing carriers, along with the arrival of new players in the airline industry.

"We would attribute this increase to the fact that new service was introduced by low-cost carriers, particularly with the arrival of Virgin America," said Nancy Castles, an LAX spokeswoman.