Tom Bradley International Terminal

Re "Rehab Set for LAX Terminal," Dec. 8: Los Angeles International Airport is expected to have more 555-seat Airbus A380 arrivals and departures than any other international airport when the world's largest passenger jet begins flying in 2006. The law of supply and demand suggests that if the airlines want and need to fly that plane here, they should foot the bill to upgrade the Tom Bradley International Terminal to handle the increased number of passengers coming off such a large jet. It should not be the taxpayers' burden.

The city's board of airport commissioners on Monday authorized the sale of $950 million in bonds to help finance Los Angeles International Airport modernization projects, including renovation of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Airport officials say it is the largest bond issue undertaken at LAX. They said the last major bond issue was for $200 million. Even after the bonds are sold, airport officials said LAX would have far less debt than other major airports across the country, including Miami and San Francisco international airports.

In a move supported by organized labor, airport commissioners on Monday extended measures to protect wages and working conditions to $1.8 billion in improvement projects planned for Los Angeles International Airport. The Board of Airport Commissioners decided that the project labor agreement adopted by Los Angeles World Airports in November 1999 would apply to a new cross-field taxiway and renovations to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, including new gates on the west side to accommodate large airliners such as the Airbus A380.

Authorities were searching the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday night for someone who hacked into multiple flight status boards to write: "Emergency Leave the Terminal," law enforcement authorities told The Times. [Updated, 2:04 a.m. PDT April 23: LAX officials declared the display of an emergency evacuation message on flight status screens Monday night an accident. An airline contract worker with authorized access to the display system accidentally caused the override of screens that normally display flight statuses, according to LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles.

Authorities at Los Angeles International Airport believe that the spirits of its global travelers need a lift. The Los Angeles Airport Commission recently approved plans to jazz up the Tom Bradley International Terminal with a thundering waterfall, interactive videos and a gourmet food court. Oh, let's not forget a sweeping grand staircase leading to a street-scene shopping arcade.

Plans to modernize Los Angeles International Airport advanced Tuesday when airport commissioners approved another $68 million in spending for architectural design and construction-related services. The largest allocation went to Fentress Architects of Denver, which received more than $51 million to design various major projects, including the modernization of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The award increases the company's current contract to almost $93 million and extends the agreement from three to seven years.

Los Angeles International Airport officials early Tuesday said a message on multiple flight status displays warning passengers to evacuate because of an emergency was an accident. At 9:47 p.m. on Monday, passengers at the Tom Bradley International Terminal alerted police to the message on monitors behind ticketing counters, which read, "An emergency has been declared in the terminal. Please evacuate. " Operations personnel at LAX initially believed the display could be the work of a hacker and moved quickly to review their computer systems to investigate the breach, authorities told The Times.

Travelers arriving in the United States can now use automated kiosks at Los Angeles International Airport to go through immigration and customs without standing in line. Officials on Thursday unveiled the kiosks at four LAX terminals where federal officers process passengers from arriving international flights. Three are in the Tom Bradley International Terminal while Terminals 2, 4, 5, and 7 have one each. Cristina Gamez, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the devices scan passports, immigration documents, photos and fingerprints of passengers who have qualified for the agency's new Global Entry Program.

Shortages of customs and immigration agents at Los Angeles International Airport have been causing significant delays for thousands of travelers, forcing them to wait on their planes or stand in line for up to three hours before being processed, airport officials say. The problem is a long-standing one for the nation's third-busiest airport, but it became so acute this summer that LAX officials formally complained to the head of the federal customs...