Airport Security

Southwest Airlines Co., AMR Corp.'s American Airlines and 20 other U.S. carriers will see the fees they pay the government for screening passengers reduced after an appeals court ruled that a regulator overstepped its authority. The court in Washington found Tuesday that although the fees were proper, the Transportation Security Administration erred when it included the cost of screening nonpassengers in implementing the Aviation and Transportation Security Act.

When the women of my family dine out together, we often wonder whether the waiter will ask us, "Would you like this to go or to wear?" because our lack of hand-mouth coordination is so painful -- and apparent. On a cruise, for which you've packed lightly and allocated your daily spending to everything but the dry cleaner, this can lead to significant sartorial distress. We sacrificed a pair of khaki slacks (60% cotton, 40% polyester) to test four spot lifters.

That could mean a big penalty box NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has touted the league's financial strength since the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season, yet it appears that at least one player might be strapped for cash. Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Ryan O'Byrne was charged with felony grand theft for stealing a woman's purse in Tampa on Sunday.

Israel's top airport security official will make periodic reviews of anti-terrorist measures at Los Angeles International Airport under an agreement signed Friday during a visit here by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The pact, formalizing an arrangement begun nearly two years ago, will send the Israeli official, Nahum Liss, and two colleagues to Los Angeles for regular inspections as $1,000-per-day consultants. The officials work for the authority that operates Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Later this month, Delta Air Lines customers will be able to avoid long security lines at Los Angeles International Airport by enrolling in a national program that provides priority lanes in passenger terminals. In the first operation of its type at LAX, the Clear fast-pass system -- using fingerprint and eye scanners -- is designed to identify travelers and get them through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints in a matter of minutes.

The Transportation Security Administration suspended Verified Identity Pass Inc. from enrolling travelers in its pre-screening program after a laptop containing the records of 33,000 people went missing. The company, based in New York, lost possession of the laptop July 26 at San Francisco International Airport. The laptop contained unencrypted pre-enrollment records of individuals interested in joining the program, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday in a statement.

There's a new option for people annoyed at having to take their laptops out of their bags at airport security. The Transportation Security Administration will now allow travelers to leave their computers inside "checkpoint friendly" cases. The new rules, announced Tuesday and set to take effect Aug. 16, are intended to help streamline the X-ray inspection lines.

The company that runs an airport security pre-screening program said Tuesday that it had found a laptop containing the personal information of 33,000 people more than a week after it apparently went missing. The Transportation Security Administration suspended new enrollments to the program, known as Clear, after the unencrypted computer was reported stolen. Officials with Verified Identity Pass Inc.

Computer systems and telecommunications equipment used by federal agencies for security operations at Los Angeles International Airport are vulnerable to theft, tampering and failure, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Thousands of harried passengers were evacuated Friday from both terminals at Oakland International Airport after an unidentified man bolted past security without being screened. Outbound flights were held and air travelers herded into the parking lot while officials searched for the man, who was not found. Airport Drive, which leads to the terminals, was also closed to traffic. "Our parking lot was completely full of passengers," said Joanne Holloway, an airport spokeswoman.