Airports

An immense plume of volcanic ash cast a silent pall over the skies of Northern Europe on Thursday, grounding air traffic across Britain, Scandinavia and elsewhere, halting flights to and from North America, stranding travelers and isolating much of the continent to an extent that was without precedent in recent memory. The culprit: an Icelandic volcano that could continue spewing grit into the atmosphere for months or years to come, experts said, although presumably without a continuing effect on air traffic.

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.

Internet communications company Skype is offering an hour of free Wi-Fi for travelers at New York's JFK and La Guardia airports and Chicago O'Hare. Los Angeles and John Wayne airports are not available for free Wi-Fi from Skype (prices start at $6 for the first hour), but Bob Hope Airport in Burbank as well as San Francisco and Sacramento airports will be eligible this holiday season. The deal: If you aren't Skype savvy, here's a quick tutorial that explains how you can talk over the Internet to anyone for free or at a low cost.

Seven of the country’s largest airports could take a cue from Thursday’s nationwide smoke-out and just quit –- instead of letting cigarette smokers light up inside their facilities and exposing travelers to secondhand smoke. That’s the tack taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a new study about airports and smoking policies released Friday. The study warns of the health dangers of secondhand smoke, which has been found to increase the risk of heart attacks, lung cancer, asthma attacks and other diseases.

A guide to parking and locating airlines at the region's five commercial hubs.

For those who may not realize the importance of general aviation airports and the vital services they offer the local community and the entire country, recent events give good examples: Earlier this month, local newspapers wrote about officials inspecting freeze-damaged crops. One story read in part, "Following the three-hour tour, officials boarded a twin-engine plane at Camarillo Airport for the return flight to Sacramento." From Sacramento to Ventura County, do a job and return--all in a normal workday.

As if baggage, security and traffic aren't enough of a hassle for the thousands expected to fly in and out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport this holiday weekend, here's one more thing to worry about: coyotes on the runway. Airport officials have noted a marked increase in recent months in the number of coyotes crossing the paths of taxiing airplanes. The critters can wreak havoc, causing delays in takeoffs and landings. In September, an American Eagle jet struck a coyote on a runway.

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.