Airport Check-in: Northwest orders anti-nuke ad removed

— -- MINNEAPOLIS

In Minneapolis Northwest Airlines, the official airline of the Republican National Convention, has ordered an airport advertising firm to pull down an anti-nuclear weapons billboard ad at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport that was placed in time for the upcoming convention.

The ad, placed by advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists, depicts a photo of an aerial cross-target locked onto downtown Minneapolis, the site of the convention that starts on Sept. 1. It urges Sen. John McCain that "it's time to get serious about reducing the nuclear threat. When only one bomb could destroy a city like Minneapolis, we don't need 6,000."

The group also bought a similar ad in Denver — addressing Sen. Barrack Obama — for the Democratic National Convention this week. "It's not an anti-McCain or anti-Obama ad," says Elliott Negin, spokesman for Union of Concerned Scientists.

Northwest says it asked Clear Channel Communications, which runs the advertising operation at Minneapolis-St. Paul, to remove the ad after receiving "several complaints from customers and employees on the content of this ad."

"The airport is a place where people of all political persuasions come for business and pleasure, and we wanted to avoid any issues related to what was perceived as a political message," says Northwest spokeswoman Tammy Lee in a statement.

Clear Channel says it complied because it's "under a contractual obligation to remove advertising copy … at the Minneapolis-St. Paul if (it) is objectionable to Northwest."

Clear Channel also voluntarily removed the ad in Denver last week "after being informed of the reasons for Northwest Airlines' objections to the advertising copy in question."

DENVER

Solar panels added

Denver International has installed 9,200 solar panels that will generate more than 3 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity per year, or about half of the power needed to operate the airport's people-mover trains. Located on 7.5 acres of land, they're expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 6.3 million pounds each year, DIA says. The project cost $13.5 million.