Airports

Long Beach Airport (LGB) this week will open a new parking structure, bringing all airport parking on-site and within walking distance of the main terminal building. But it will also shut down its cheapest lot. The new Lot B parking garage, under construction for more than a year near the terminal, holds about 2,000 cars. Airport spokeswoman Kim McMahon said the lot will open at 12:01 a.m. Friday. On the same day, remote parking Lot D at Lakewood Boulevard and Conant Street will be closed, although of course cars already parked there can remain until they exit, McMahon said.

It was a tough week for the Transportation Security Administration, but on at least one issue the federal agency may have scored a small victory. The TSA was on the defensive during congressional hearings last week over charges that it has wasted money by storing hundreds of pieces of screening equipment, including full-body scanners, in warehouses in Texas. The TSA's top financial officer, David Nicholson, defended the agency, saying it has cut its warehouse costs from $7.6 million in 2009 to $3.5 million in 2011.

Two Southwest Airlines flights with ties to Orange County and Phoenix were stopped Tuesday night after threats were made to the planes. The first incident began about 7:30 p.m. after Flight 1184 arrived at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix from John Wayne Airport, an FBI spokesman told The Times. The plane was taken to an isolated area of the airport after authorities received an unspecified threat, said Special Agent Manuel Johnson of the FBI's Phoenix division.

The fatal collision on Friday evening between a large airliner and a small plane on the ground at Los Angeles International Airport, one of the nation's busiest, comes as no surprise to aviation experts who have been issuing warnings about dangerously congested runway conditions nationwide. "We know that the two planes did collide on the (ground)," said Elly Brekke, a regional spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

For travel into Paris, consider the Paris Shuttle. It's similar to SuperShuttle here and offers shared rides from either Orly or Charles de Gaulle airports to your hotel. Currently, the one-way price for two is $27 each. Depending on the location of your hotel, you may not be dropped off first, but it is a chance to see other parts of the city (even if you're bone-tired). We book online in advance and have used them several times with no problems. Paris Shuttle, http://www.parishuttle.com Jeannine Christensen Orange

With the economy in a tailspin, aircraft "boneyards" across the country are filling up with Boeing 747s and other jetliners no longer needed to ferry passengers. Call it airline limbo. Air carriers are grounding planes at a rate not seen since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and industry experts say this year is likely to set a record for planes sitting on the ground.

Korean Air's ambition to be one of the world's top 10 airlines is closely linked to an airport that is ranked among the world's best but little known outside Asia. Incheon International Airport, just outside Seoul, serves as the main hub for Korean Air and its archrival Asiana Airlines. Both carriers are hoping to use the airport as an "air bridge" in which travelers from North America would make the connection at Incheon to fly to other cities in Asia.

Ricky Yngsdal flies at least twice a month, but lately he has been spending more time in airports than on planes because of the soaring pace of flight delays, cancellations and missed connections. So how does he cope? "I eat and shop at the airport," said the Glendale resident and shipping manager for General Mills Inc. Other passengers are getting manicures, pedicures, massages, haircuts and even "revitalizing" aromatherapy, a way of relaxing by breathing in botanical oil scents.

The Transportation Security Administration rolled out PreCheck, the expedited security program for pre-screened fliers, this week at Los Angeles International Airport, the sixth airport in the nation to participate in the pilot program since it started last year. In an announcement Wednesday, the TSA said the program at LAX so far is available only to American Airlines frequent fliers at two checkpoints in Terminal 4. Here's how it works: Fliers who are U.S. citizens provide personal information and undergo background checks to qualify for traveler programs approved by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, such as Global Entry, SENTRI and NEXUS.

The Transportation Security Administration reached what seems like a lofty milestone last week when it announced it had screened 1 million passengers through a new accelerated security program at airports across the country. But the TSA acknowledges that the new security program, dubbed PreCheck, has served only a small fraction of the nation's air travelers. The TSA screens an estimated 1.8 million passengers a day at 450 commercial airports. That means that in the same time that the PreCheck program screened 1 million passengers since it launched in October, the TSA has processed nearly 335 million passengers.

Roberts Hawaii, the state's largest tour and transportation company, has added Roberts Hawaii Express Shuttle service from Kona International Airport on the Big Island to and from select hotels and resorts along the Kailua-Kona, Keauhou and Kohala coastline.  A Roberts rep will greet guests and help with luggage. Roberts Hawaii Express Shuttle guarantees no more than five stops during any trip. The reservation-based shuttle service is available 24 hours a day.  Prices on Kona vary according to distance and the number of passengers in a party.

Bankruptcy is bringing income down at American Airlines Inc. parent AMR Corp., as restructuring costs pushed the company into a $1.7-billion loss for the first quarter. Without the $1.4-billion bankruptcy burden, AMR said its loss would have been $248 million. At least that's not quite as bad as its $405-million loss during last year's first quarter. Still, the company suffered a net loss of $4.95 a share, compared with the net $436 million, or $1.31 a share, lost last year.

If you're getting ready to take your kids on college visits or you're planning summer vacations with your  preteen, here's something you need to know about airport security checkpoints: Age matters. Children younger than 18 don't need to show ID to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints ; they just need to show a valid boarding pass. (Airlines, however, have their own set of rules about children and IDs, so check beforehand. And passports are always required on international flights.)

American Airlines will cut 1,200 airport baggage and cargo jobs and close an Arizona reservations center under a bankruptcy restructuring plan to trim annual labor spending by $1.25 billion. All the carrier's jobs at airports in Ontario, six other U.S. cities and two cities in Canada will be outsourced. AMR Corp.'s American detailed changes for nonunion workers 11 weeks after telling other workers it would do away with 13,000 of their jobs, freeze pensions and make work-rule and benefit changes.

Businessman John E. Brennan said he is so sick of being harassed by the TSA when he travels that he stripped down to his birthday suit at Portland International Airport on Tuesday night in protest. And he wants you to do the same. Reactions varied to Brennan's decision to remove all his clothes to prove that he was not carrying an explosive device -- or anything dangerous, for that matter -- beneath his clothing. Parents reportedly shielded their children's eyes and looked away themselves.

I am proud of you for writing about airports in positive terms. Having just returned from Heathrow, I totally agree with author Colman Andrews ("London's Once-Dreaded Heathrow Isn't Perfect, But Much Improved," Nov. 29). Terminal 4 is a delight. Sparkling floors, clean restrooms, attractive shops and a super seafood bar. And let's not forget the easy access to London via the Tube. When will LAX stop looking like somebody's stepchild? MONICA BOLLMEYER Malibu

A test group of frequent fliers began using lower-hassle security lines Tuesday in exchange for sharing more personal info. If all goes well, the program will eventually be expanded beyond the four test airports at Atlanta, Miami, Detroit and Dallas-Fort Worth . . . .  Another big winter on tap? Storm clouds and possible snow were on the horizon late Tuesday in Lake Tahoe . . . . The annual Carson City Nevada Day  events will observe the 147th year since Nevada joined the union, with beard contests and carnival rides, Oct. 27-30.

A business dispute between two aviation companies at Van Nuys Airport is threatening emergency helicopter flights for injured and severely ill children from around Southern California to Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The disagreement could result in flight delays or even cancellations, according to executives at Helinet Aviation, which owns and operates 15 helicopters at the airport. Flights carrying donated organs for transplantation could also be affected, Helinet executives said.

Some days, the terminals at L.A./Ontario International Airport can be as quiet as a ghost town. The number of passengers using the airport - about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles - dropped to about 4.4 million in 2011 from 6.8 million passengers in 2007, according to federal statistics. In January, passenger traffic again dropped 7.4%, compared with the same month in 2011. Passenger numbers also dropped, although less dramatically, at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. In contrast, Long Beach Airport, about 20 miles south of L.A., continued to boom, serving more than 3 million passengers last year, a 7% increase over 2007, with growth continuing in 2012.