Airports United States

After losing in the U.S. Senate, city officials worked feverishly Friday in an 11th-hour bid to block legislation that would strip John Wayne Airport of its tough aircraft noise limits. Tucked away as an amendment to the federal budget bill, the legislation would impose a less stringent national airport noise policy that would preempt local noise standards.

If you're flying from Milwaukee to Appleton, Nashville, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Louisville, Madison, Moline or Wausau, chances are you'll be at General Mitchell International Airport by the time a cold dawn breaks over this city of beer and bratwurst. And thinking there's not a prayer of catching your flight.

The nation's aviation system, straining to keep pace with increasing passenger and cargo loads, would get a record investment under a long-delayed bill that won Senate approval on a bipartisan vote Wednesday.

On Sept. 11, federal officials did something they'd never done before. They took away the nation's airports. They've since given them back, but under new rules that will cost billions of dollars, boost air fares and change the way airports are built. Security has trumped convenience and commerce, the two principles that have long dominated design of the nation's air travel gateways.

Federal Aviation Administration officials are confident the U.S. aviation system will withstand the Year 2000 computer glitch after successfully completing a live test of their software fixes early Sunday. As clocks on test systems at Denver International Airport clicked toward the pretend witching hour of midnight on Dec. 31, an air traffic controller and the pilot of an FAA plane on its final approach to the airport held a conversation that bridged the gap of the new century.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it will crack down on airport security after undercover federal agents boarded aircraft unchallenged and roamed tarmac areas and airplanes in recent tests. The FAA said it will work with the nation's 78 largest airports over the next six weeks to check the state of access security. The FAA "will run aggressive tests at the conclusion of that period," the agency announced.

The airport security legislation that President Bush plans to sign Monday has the potential to plug holes in today's porous air transportation system, but many of its deadlines and other provisions are grossly unrealistic, security experts say. And while the hastily drafted legislation, which received final congressional action Friday, provides a blueprint for reform, it leaves some decisions on how reform will be carried out in the hands of a federal agency that does not yet exist.

The Federal Aviation Administration, attempting to reduce near collisions on the nation's runways, announced Monday that Burbank, John Wayne and 23 other medium-size airports have been chosen for installation of a new ground radar system. The announcement by FAA Administrator Jane Garvey came at the opening of a three-day national meeting on improving runway safety.

More than 300 new inspection personnel are being hired at the nation's international airports to step up continuing efforts to keep foot-and-mouth disease out of the United States, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman said Monday. The move will pump more than $32 million into actions this country has taken to block a disease that has wreaked havoc on farmers in Britain. It also represents a new infusion of cash to the fight against foot-and-mouth disease.

U.S. transport officials walked out of talks aimed at forging an "open skies" agreement that would allow an unlimited number of carriers to serve any U.S. or British airport. The talks had resumed Monday in London after a break of nearly two years. It was not immediately clear when the two sides might meet again. British Transport Minister John Reid said he regretted the American walkout but added that it was "no surprise that our first formal negotiations in 1 1/2 years have not been easy."

The airport security legislation that President Bush plans to sign Monday has the potential to plug holes in today's porous air transportation system, but many of its deadlines and other provisions are grossly unrealistic, security experts say. And while the hastily drafted legislation, which received final congressional action Friday, provides a blueprint for reform, it leaves some decisions on how reform will be carried out in the hands of a federal agency that does not yet exist.

Despite a visible tightening of aviation security since Sept. 11, the federal government has preserved a policy that experts say makes domestic flights vulnerable to bombs in the luggage compartment. Two years ago, the Federal Aviation Administration rejected recommendations by a 1996 White House commission that checked luggage be barred from domestic flights unless it is matched with a passenger actually aboard the plane.

Don Mauras sidled up to the U.S. Army's Homeland Defense table at the Orange County Convention Center and pocketed two complimentary guidebooks on the medical response to biological and chemical casualties. Mauras is not a doctor, nor even an emergency preparedness buff. He's an airport architect for the New Orleans Aviation Board. "I'm going to give it to my safety guy," Mauras said. "You never talked about biological and chemical stuff.

Increased security at local airports after the allied bombing of Afghanistan coincided Monday with the return of near-normal levels of travel--leading to the longest lines at airline ticketing counters since the air transportation crisis began a month ago. Lines stretched for blocks at Los Angeles International Airport and other regional facilities, and delays rivaled those experienced in the days immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

Flying didn't seem to get much easier for most U.S. travelers Saturday, with bomb scares, packed terminals, new security rules and spotty flight schedules plaguing efforts to return a sense of normality to air travel. Airport security announcements about not leaving baggage unattended in terminals--an all but ignored staple of airport routine before Tuesday--produced hosts of sightings by passengers and ground crew members on the lookout for every stray suitcase and package.

Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport waited up to three hours to reach their departure gates Friday, as the nation's commercial aviation system lurched back into operation. Even after reaching their gates, travelers had no assurance that they would be taking off. Many airlines weren't flying yet, and the big five that were--American, United, Delta, Northwest and Southwest--offered limited schedules.

The cuisine at Los Angeles International Airport is better than you think. For the second time in a row, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ranked the airport's food No. 1 among 25 airports surveyed in North America. The committee said that passengers have an opportunity to buy fare such as low-fat vegetarian food, salads, Chinese mixed vegetables and vegetarian tostadas. "We've got a diverse menu here.

Los Angeles International Airport is listed in a study of airport smoking policies as one of the nation's five healthiest commercial airfields for travelers, it was announced Thursday. The other four airports are Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Miami and Seattle-Tacoma. The airport where travelers are most likely to be exposed to tobacco smoke is Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, according to the survey of the nation's 25 busiest airports.

Aviation industry leaders and lawmakers urged construction of additional runways to increase capacity at the nation's airports Thursday, sounding a call for aggressive airport development that may resonate with supporters of a plan to expand Los Angeles International Airport. Industry and government officials brainstormed ways to address the "capacity crisis" at a summit organized by the air traffic controllers' union and an alliance of domestic air carriers.

Although many of the nation's bigger airports, including LAX, have received attention over an increase in near collisions on runways, busy smaller airports are not getting the help they need from the FAA to solve the growing problem, federal officials said Tuesday.