LONE AMERICAN ON HIJACKED FLIGHT AVOIDS MEDIA.

Byline: Donna Huffaker Staff Writer

The lone American aboard the hijacked Indian airliner ducked the media and her family Tuesday when she landed at LAX and airport officials whisked her through an alternate exit.

Waiting with flowers, homemade cookies and fudge, Jeanne Moore's family members did not see the former Burbank resident, who, exasperated from the eight-day ordeal and the 14-hour flight from Germany, asked to be led away from the airport to avoid the throng of reporters.

``I can't wait to see her,'' said Moore's sister, Ruth Welch, who hoped to reunite with Moore at the airport with their parents, Harold and Marie Redding of Burbank.

The three left the Lufthansa terminal with plans to welcome home the 53-year-old Moore at an undisclosed location. ``We just want our private time with her,'' Welch said, choking back tears.

Moore, who lives in Bakersfield where she works with special education children, was bound for New Dehli from Nepal on Indian Airlines Flight 814 when the plane was hijacked Dec. 24. Moore and the 154 other passengers were freed Friday after India agreed to release the three terrorists, two Kashmiri militants and a Pakistani fundamentalist cleric.

At the airport, Harold Redding, 85, said he and his wife were looking forward to hugging their daughter because the hijacking has ``taken quite a toll'' on her. The Reddings spoke by phone to Moore five days ago when she was in India.

When the hijacking occurred, Moore, an avid traveler, was en route to meet a tour group in New Dehli and travel to Turkey, Redding said. His daughter had traveled to India before but missed seeing the Taj Mahal, he said, noting that was one of the things she was looking forward to this time around. Moore has still not seen it, he said.

Also awaiting Moore's arrival at the airport was her daughter, Lisa Salas, and Salas' 5-year-old son, Zachary. Salas cradled an armful of flowers while Welch clutched a bag of chocolate chip cookies and fudge she made late Monday night - a holiday tradition for the family, she said. Because Moore lives in Bakersfield, the family typically celebrates the holidays together after the first of the year.

Moore's flight landed just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. She passed through customs but did not come through the terminal with the rest of Flight 456.

``She's very exhausted and requested to exit through another door,'' said David Spencer, a special services administrator for Argenbright, which handles security for Lufthansa and United Airlines.

Spencer said Moore was in ``good spirits'' despite the long flight, but did not want to ``deal with'' the media. Although her exit was different than the rest of the passengers, no laws were circumvented, he said, noting she passed successfully through customs.

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Photo: (color) Released hostage Jeanne Moore's family waits for her arrival at LAX on Tuesday. Per Moore's request, the reunion was held privately.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer