Audio indicates kid directed planes at JFK airport

A child apparently directed pilots last month from the air traffic control center at John F. Kennedy Airport, one of the nation’s busiest airports, according to audio clips. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was investigating. “Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic,” [...]

Major runway closing at JFK airport

One runway, a whole lot of problems. The main runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy International will be closed for four months starting March 1. Millions of travelers will experience delays — including some not flying anywhere near the Big Apple. With about one-third of JFK’s traffic and half of its departures being diverted [...]

Detroit tops airport satisfaction study

Many air travelers know: Getting through the airport can make flying look easy. Whether it’s hunting for a parking space, waiting in line to check bags, making it through security, finding your gate and scrounging for a decent meal — the mad scramble to finally buckle in can be as exhausting as spending your flight [...]

New full-body scanners set for installation

Government officials say the first of 150 new full-body scanners will be installed in airports in Boston and Chicago over the next two weeks. A Homeland Security Department official said Tuesday all of the 150 new machines will be installed by the end of June. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement [...]

Paris airport starts using full-body scanner

France has started using a full-body security scanner for U.S.-bound passengers at Paris‘ Charles de Gaulle airport. The decision to try out the scanner for three months was prompted by security concerns after a man allegedly tried to ignite explosives hidden in his underwear on a Detroit-bound flight Dec. 25. The scanner helps detect forbidden [...]

TSA to swab airline passengers’ hands in search for explosives

To the list of instructions you hear at airport checkpoints, add this: “Put your palms forward, please.” The Transportation Security Administration soon will begin randomly swabbing passengers’ hands at checkpoints and airport gates to test them for traces of explosives. Previously, screeners swabbed some carry-on luggage and other objects as they searched for the needle [...]

Airlines cancel flights as winter storm hits South

Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Friday as snow pounded parts of the South and threatened to dump several inches of white on Atlanta, home to the world’s busiest airport. Delta Air Lines and its feeder partners canceled 1,100 flights in anticipation of 2 to 4 inches of snow in the metro Atlanta area. American Airlines [...]