State's airports must raise fees because of 9-11

The result has been tighter budgets that have prompted airports to raise fees on those who continue to fly. The number of passengers in June was down about 15% at many California airports from the same time last year.

At Los Angeles International Airport, for example, officials raised rates for the parking structure earlier this year to $30 a day, making it one of the most expensive in the country. Fees for longterm parking in outlying lots at most airports across the state also have gone up. At the Burbank airport, remote parking now costs $9 a day.

Higher security costs also are reflected in ticket prices. While base prices are down compared to last year, additional taxes can add up to 45% to the cost of a domestic flight, according to the Air Transport Association, which represents the nation's major airlines.

Joann Offill, 67, said she's not happy about the increased costs, but for now is willing to pay more if it means better extra security.

"You want to feel safe. You want to feel that it won't happen to you," she said.

The money is going to new security measures that reach into every aspect of air travel.

Guards are stationed at the entrance of some parking lots, while at some airports they search the trunk of every entering vehicle.

Planned terminal renovations include designs for the best surveillance of lobbies. More police roam the halls, and at most commercial airports bomb-detection machines scan randomly selected checked luggage.

The new measures reassure many travelers.

"I think it's better than it was before Sept. 11. It takes a lot of time, but it makes you feel safer," said Shelton Tryon, 44, a part-time track coach and maintenance worker at the Burbank-GlendalePasadena Airport who recently flew out of Burbank.

Airports are counting on federal reimbursement for most of their security expenses.

Oakland International has tripled its security budget from $3 million to $9 million. After the terrorist attacks, San Francisco International Airport diverted $20 million in federal expansion grants to pay for security upgrades and put several projects on hold.

It also cut rent for vendors hurt by the drop in passengers.

In January, Los Angeles International Airport officials projected a $127 million deficit for the fiscal year ending in June because of the drop in air travel and increases in security spending. That number dropped to $10 million through hiring freezes, construction deferments and federal grants, but officials are still looking at ways to trim the budget for next year.

Nowhere in California have security measures increased as much as at LAX.

Officials recently hired 60 extra police officers and announced plans for a high-tech perimeter fence and more than 1,200 security cameras. The price: $30 million.

Airport officials say they will raise airline landing fees to pay for the fence. They also might raise lease fees for newsstands and restaurants to pay for extra guards at ticket counters.

Among the other revenue-generating ideas: selling Lotto tickets and charging for wireless Internet services in terminals.

"We're basically going to spend our money and try where we can to get some reimbursement," Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn said.

The greatest security costs will be for buying and operating the van-sized machines to screen check-through luggage at airports nationwide by Dec. 31.

Many airport managers have asked Congress to extend the deadline, citing cost concerns and disruptions to terminals.

The federal Transportation Security Administration is supposed to pay for the equipment and installation, but airport managers fear they won't receive the equipment or will be forced to spend their own money to meet the deadline.

At a small airport such as Burbank, there is no room for the machines, spokesman Victor Gill said.

"We will have to expand the ticket lobby so you can still fit in the check-in line," he said. "It's going to have a big impact."

Despite the expense and inconvenience, many of the changes were long overdue, said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, a national passenger advocacy group.

"We're now having to play catch-up to get where we should have been all along," he said. "In the rush to fix it, we have to spend a lot of money."

Uploaded September 8, 2002