HOLIDAY TRAVEL BIG HASSLE; SICK FLIGHT ATTENDANTS GROUND SOME SOUTHWEST FLIGHTS; ROADS JAMMED.

Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer

An already hectic travel day got a lot more crazed Wednesday when an unusual number of Southwest Airlines flight attendants called in sick the day before Christmas, leading to delays and cancellations.

Blaming the no-shows mainly on a high incidence of flu and bronchitis during this winter season, both the airline and the flight attendants union denied that the employees were staging a sickout.

While many airline travelers had to brave longer lines and face the possibility of delayed or canceled flights, motorists had their own troubles. Freeways were clogged in much of the Los Angeles area Thursday afternoon as commuters tried to get home after work.

Motorists heading for the mountains were being warned to take tire chains, since they might be necessary over the long weekend.

Starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol put more officers on the road to help motorists in need and crack down on drunk drivers in a beefed-up enforcement effort that will last through Sunday, a CHP representative said.

Back at Burbank Airport, rumors spread that some flight attendants had stayed home to protest a new labor contract signed last week, but both management and union officials denied the story.

Across the nation, about 90 Southwest flight attendants called in sick, up from the typical 20 to 25, said airline spokesman Ed Stewart. He said 41 of 2,300 flights nationwide were either delayed or canceled because of the shortage of attendants.

Stewart said airline doctors had examined many of the employees and that they were found to be sick, ruling out the possibility that the no-shows were the result of a planned labor action.

``We have checked that (possibility) out and it is a bunch of a baloney,'' said Stewart, who is based in Dallas. ``The flight attendants last week just signed a five-year contract making them the highest-paid flight attendants flying on 737s.''

Rebekka Kelly, a spokeswoman for Transport Workers Union Local 556 in Dallas, which represents some 4,300 Southwest Airlines flight attendants, also denied any organized labor involvement.

At Burbank Airport, airline representatives scrambled to get frustrated passengers onto other flights headed for their destinations.

A plane flying out of Ontario Airport was set to make an unscheduled stop at Burbank to pick up travelers stranded by the cancellations. Shuttle buses were ferrying other passengers to Los Angeles International Airport, where Southwest reported only delays.

Bound for San Antonio, Rich and Ana Garcia lost hope that they would make it home in time for Christmas when they learned Wednesday that their flight to Phoenix - the first leg of their journey - had been canceled.

But a quick-thinking reservation agent rushed them onto a plane headed to Las Vegas, where the agent said they could catch a connecting flight to Phoenix and end up making the plane to Texas.

``At least we're getting somewhere,'' Rich Garcia said. ``Let's hope we don't get canceled from Phoenix to San Antonio. If so, it's Christmas in the desert.''

Airline troubles weren't limited to Southwest. Honolulu-bound travelers on a United Airlines DC-10 quickly found themselves back in Los Angeles after a cockpit light indicated an engine fire after a noon takeoff. No fire was found.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

PHOTO (1) Passengers at Burbank Airport find their Southwest Airlines flights canceled Wednesday after flight attendants called in sick.

(2) Holiday travelers lined up at a Southwest departure gate get the bad news about Flight 1488.

(3--4) Many of those arriving at the airport, above, are about to find their flights canceled. But some people get lucky, left, and are able to catch a flight out.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News