Via.

​No doubt you've heard by now that a 65-year-old Little Elm woman was arrested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport this morning for taking a .38-caliber pistol aboard an American Airlines flight. The Transportation Security Administration sent out a press release early this morning; a couple of hours later, DFW Airport spokesman Dave Magana followed up with the airport's official what-for that also said 10 flights had been delayed for around 25 minutes.

Long story short, per DFW's account: At 6:19 this morning, TSA called airport security and said they needed help tracking down someone who got through a checkpoint at Terminal D carrying a gun. Took about two hours to find her, and at 8 a.m. a Houston-bound American flight parked at Gate D31 was called back to the gate for a secondary inspection,at which point they found the woman with the gun in her purse. Airport cops took her into custody and charged her with a third-degree felony: Places Weapons Prohibited. She's been released and will face those charges in Dallas County.

Which doesn't answer the question: Why didn't TSA workers spot the gun and take her into custody while she was actually, you know, standing right there? I sent Magana a note a few hours ago and didn't hear back. I also called TSA HQ for an explanation. They resent the press release, which says only that "the owner of the bag left the checkpoint before the screening process was complete and prior to surrendering the firearm." Luis Casanova, TSA spokesperson for the South Central Region, then told me via email: "Any further inquiry beyond this should be directed to the DFW Airport Police." Which, when contacted, said to call Magana.

At last, I reached Magana. His response, on the record: "For specific questions about process inside the checkpoint, those are more appropriately asked of TSA."

Photos by Brantley Hargrove

Your first look at the new-look terminal at Love Field

​Who doesn't love Love Field? Easily negotiated, convenient, it's everything that Dallas-Fort Worth International isn't. But it's always had that dingy, regional-airport feel. Said interim Aviation director Mark Duebner, "Compared to what we've been working with -- our 1950s terminal with few amenities -- this will be worth the wait."

He's talking about that $519-million modernization project, to be completed by the fall of 2014, which will feature a new 20-gate concourse and ticketing hall; an expanded curbside and roadway for passenger pickup and drop-off; triple the number of concourse vendors, all complemented by $3.2 million worth of art installations, including a recycled glass terrazzo.

We took a walking tour through the exposed ribs of the new facilities Thursday afternoon, and it looks like Dallas Love Field is shucking its cramped, regional-backwater duds for an expansive Big City makeover. DFW's about to get a run for its money.

Here's what to expect:

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​A Friend of Unfair Park passes along The Wall Street Journal's latest look-see at how well the big carriers handle passengers and their luggage, and per the annual Middle Seat survey the two locally based airlines don't do so well when it comes to getting your bags to your destination. As in: American Airlines is the worst, followed by Southwest. Matter of fact, American's dead-last when it comes to overall customer service -- so that's the middle finger, says the Middle Seat, which compiles data from myriad sources, including the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Last year, American was worst among major carriers at baggage handling and had the highest percentage of canceled flights. The rate at which American canceled flights was 70% higher than at United, Delta and the industry average for major airlines, which the DOT defines as those with more than $1 billion in operating revenue. ...

Southwest Airlines, the only major airline that doesn't charge fees to check two pieces of luggage, had the second-worst rate of mishandled bags, better than only American. Bags fly free, but they don't always get there. Excluding AirTran Airways, which Southwest acquired in May, Southwest would have been the industry's worst at baggage handling. In addition to added volume, Southwest's baggage operation has struggled with complexity of connecting lots of different flights in lots of different cities.

Still, the article also notes Southwest had the fewest passenger complaints, per the DOT. Read the whole thing here before you book your next trip. Business as usual, indeed.

Photos by Mark Graham

​Over the course of the day a few items have rolled in related to American Airlines and AMR's Chapter 11 filing this morning. Among them: A Q&A from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport about how the bankruptcy might but probably won't affect the airport (it follows in full); and a statement from DFW CEO Jeff Fegan, who says, "We at DFW are confident that our airport's very low cost structure and our excellent operating environment will represent a solid foundation for future American Airlines operations here." Then, moments ago, we got this from Dallas City Hall: a statement from Mayor Mike Rawlings. It reads, in full:

"This is an important day because American Airlines is an important part of our DFW family. It is always tough to make the right decisions but American Airlines leadership did the right thing; I believe they will emerge as a stronger and more competitive company for it. I am confident they will continue to provide the professional service to our region and DFW Airport will be stronger in the long haul. And to the thousands of AMR employees and retirees, we offer our emotional support to each of you."

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From a video dispatched by AMR this morning from its Fort Worth HQ, where there's a new man in charge

​Wait -- who's Tom Horton (no, not a Canadian coffee shop), and what has he done with Gerard Arpey? Oh, Arpey's out -- decided to "retire," per the statement from Fort Worth-based AMR that follows in the wake of its Chapter 11 filing in NYC court this morning. (Though some say the board asked him to stay.) Horton's the new HMIC, and he says that filing for bankruptcy was right ... and inevitable:

"As we have made clear with increasing urgency in recent weeks, we must address our cost structure, including labor costs, to enable us to capitalize on these foundational strengths and secure our future. Our very substantial cost disadvantage compared to our larger competitors, all of which restructured their costs and debt through Chapter 11, has become increasingly untenable given the accelerating impact of global economic uncertainty and resulting revenue instability, volatile and rising fuel prices, and intensifying competitive challenges."

But fret not: The airline will use some of the $4.1 billion in unrestricted cash and short-term investments it has on hand to keep the Admirals Clubs open and "fully maintain our AAdvantage frequent-flyer and other customer service programs."

Now's a good time, unless you work for AMR, to dig into this new AP Q&A with former American senior veep David Cush, now in charge of Virgin. For our purposes this morning, begin here:

In Dallas, you're telling fliers to "dump your older airline for a younger, hotter one." American responded by slashing fares to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Can you survive this fare war?

We'll survive. At current fares, it will not be a profitable route but it wouldn't be such a loss-making one where we would consider any type of reduction. You have to be in Dallas-Fort Worth if you're going to be a business airline.

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​Back in June, you may recall, KXAS-Channel 5 ran an interview with one Sammy Ladymon of Garland, who was busted for shining a green laser into the cockpit of a Southwest plane bound for Love Field -- right before he did the same thing to an FBI pilot on his way to investigate the first complaint, brilliant. Said Ladymon, the first local man arrested for using a laser pointer to interfere with an aircraft, he was just "tired of circling helicopters." So he whipped out the laser pointer, originally purchased, he said, to point out stars in the night sky. As Scott Gordon reported:

Ladymon is charged with illumination of an aircraft by intense light, a misdemeanor. He said he cannot pay his $1,000 bail because he has no family or friends willing to help him.

Turns out, though, the 45-year-old was arrested again earlier this month: According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sammy Don Ladymon was hauled in again on October 21 -- for the same June incident -- after having been charged in a federal indictment with one count of interference with an aircraft. Released on bond shortly thereafter, Ladymon now faces a December 19 trial in front of U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for that particular crime is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Says the U.S. Attorney's Office via press release: "He is the first person to be charged in a federal indictment in the Northern District of Texas with that offense."

Tom Orr's Intersected Passage, which visitors to Love Field will walk under beginning some time in 2013.

​We're still waiting to see with which concessionaires the city will fill a Distinctively Dallas Love Field, which is in the process of being modernized from now till 2014ish. But this afternoon, the council's newly resurrected Arts, Culture & Libraries Committee will get a sneak peek at the $3.284 million worth of pubic art set to decorate 11 sites scattered throughout the airport upon the occasion of its construction completion.

First, fret not: The original 1958 world map terrazzo floor and Waldine Tauch's The Texas Ranger of 1960 statue, currently keeping watch at the Frontiers of Flight, will remain. But most everything else will be brand-new -- beginning with artist Dixie Friend Gay's North Texas Sunrise, a wall of ceramic tiles that'll be part of the new ticket hall-lobby set to formally open November 1, 2012. Also first on the to-do list: local artist Sherry Owens's nine-foot-tall bronze trees that'll be planted in the courtyard garden off the main lobby, otherwise known as the secret smoking porch.

Not all the pieces have yet been approved by the Office of Cultural Affairs. A few have the potential to impress, like those suspended sculptural installations made of brass beads and steel chains; one or two look a little grade-Z Gallerie in their conceptual forms. One could-be highlight is Dallas native Tom Orr's Intersected Passage, seen above and again in the briefing, which is "inspired by the 1950s era entrance sign on Mockingbird." Also: Look at the fine print in some of the terminal layouts, and you'll also see a heretofore overlooked (by us, anyway) addition to the modernization plans: "potential performance area," and not just one.

Leisha Hailey

​If you didn't know who Leisha Hailey was this morning, you probably will by the end of the day. She's the latest celebrity taking to Twitter to call out Love Field-based Southwest Airlines, which removed her from a plane today -- not because she's considered a heavy-duty "safety risk" like Kevin Smith, for instance, but because she was kissing her girlfriend. At least, that's Hailey's side of the story.

The L Word star and Uh Huh Her member says on the Twitter that a flight attendant booted her because "it was a 'family' airline and kissing was not ok." Which was just the beginning. Hailey has since followed up by saying, among other things, that "Hate is not a family value" and "Since when is showing affection towards someone you love illegal?" and "I want to know what Southwest Airlines considers as 'family.'" She's calling for a boycott of Southwest, and sounds like she got the whole thing on video.

Since media accounts don't have Southwest's side of the story, I went looking for a response from the carrier and found this on its press-release home page. It doesn't mention Hailey by name, only a flight number and the insistence that this had nothing to do with, ya know, gender:

Initial reports indicate that we received several passenger complaints characterizing the behavior as excessive. Our crew, responsible for the comfort of all Customers on board, approached the passengers based solely on behavior and not gender. The conversation escalated to a level that was better resolved on the ground, as opposed to in flight. We regret any circumstance where a passenger does not have a positive experience on Southwest and we are ready to work directly with the passengers involved to offer our heartfelt apologies for falling short of their expectation.

Via.

​Perhaps you recall: On the night of December 22, 2009, American Airlines Flight 331 crash-landed in Kingston, Jamaica. The Boeing 737-800, inbound from Miami during a storm, overshot the runaway and came within feet of sinking in the Caribbean. The feds told Channel 8 that "the plane may have been landing with the wind behind it -- a tricky maneuver even for an experienced pilot."

The next morning, the headlines read: "154 Lucky to Be Alive After American Airlines Jet Crashes at Jamaica Airport." And: "'Panic' as jet overshoots runway in Jamaica." Initial reports said 40 passengers were taken to the hospital; later accounts put that figure closer to 90. Some had broken bones; others were badly banged up. An initial investigation into the crash said the crew "chose a more difficult approach for landing and then overshot its runway," according to The Dallas Morning News's account in January 2010; at year's end, the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority said the brakes appeared to be just fine, and that "the rate of deceleration appears normal for a wet runway." A final report is said to be finished and in the hands of U.S. officials, but it has not yet been released.

In the meantime, there is an American Airlines 331 crash victim and support group on Facebook, the reason being: "This is a group of people which include the victims of this horrendous crash and their families and friends...Many of the victims are still traumatized, but are grateful for their lives being saved." Now, there is this: Yesterday in Dallas federal court, 20 passengers and spouses sued American Airlines, insisting the Fort Worth-based carrier's "negligence, disregard for passenger safety, and failure to oversee that its agents safely transport passengers proximately caused the accident and Plaintiffs' injuries." Similar suits have been filed in Miami, including one in July.

The latest follows in full.More >>

​Remember, way back in January, when then-Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were in a huff -- a downright tizzy! -- over Rick's Cabaret's plans to take off its top but a hop, skip and lap dance away from American Airlines' HQ on the south side of DFW? Come on, sure you do. No? Then let me refresh your memory. Just stuff your ones in the waistband. No, thank you.

Long story short: Moncrief and the airport board were positively appalled at the prospect of having a gentleman's joint so close to the airport. In a letter of protest sent to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Administrator Alan Steen, the mayor cited myriad reasons, among them the "threat of inebriated patrons" and "increased criminal activity," including "drugs, gambling, prostitution, firearms and engaging in organized criminal activity."

His letter, along with protests filed by the airport board and other Airport Freeway neighbors, kept the club from getting its liquor license -- and right before the Super Bowl too. Which was just fine with Rick's president Eric Langan, who opened the joint as BYOB -- which meant the entertainers had the option of going topless or taking it all off, which is how it's been ever since. (So I was told by the nice woman who just answered the phone. What?) Meanwhile, the protests also sparked a hearing before the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

That process began in earnest in April, according to the SOAH docket, with American Airlines leading the charge to deny Rick's its permitting paperwork. But, long story short, last week Administrative Law Judge Monica Garza handed down her lengthy ruling, which TABC received yesterday, in which she declares Rick's the winner. Writes Garza:

As grounds, the Protestants alleged that the place or manner in which Applicant may conduct its business warrants the refusal of the permits based on the general welfare, health, peace, morals, and safety of the people. Having reviewed the evidence and arguments presented by the parties, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) finds there is not a sufficient legal basis for denial of the permits. Therefore, the ALJ recommends that TABC issue the requested permits.

The judge's so-called proposal for decision, which lays out how this whole thing played out, follows. Dee Kelly Jr., American Airlines' attorney, tells Unfair Park we should ask corporate for comment; they're working on getting us a statement. Messages have been left for Langan. (Update: No comment.) Because this is far from over:More >>