Airport Check-in: South Bend asks fliers to choose between Fox, CNN
— -- Five professors from the University of Notre Dame have complained about the airing of Fox News Channel at South Bend Regional Airport, prompting airport officials to conduct a survey on passengers' TV preference.
The airport's 15 monitors broadcast either CNN or Fox News, airport director John Schalliol says. But the professors, led by ethics professor Darcia Narvaez, wrote to Schalliol last month to urge him to switch fully to more "politically neutral" content, such as the Weather Channel or CSPAN, Narvaez says.
Narvaez says the professors would not object if all sets were tuned to CNN, which she considers to be more objective than Fox News. "Fox tends to be the right-wing Republican voice," she says. "So when I go to the airport, I'm not interested in having that blasted at me. The airport is a public space."
Schalliol says the survey, which aims to collect responses from 1,000 passengers, will help the airport board determine the next course of action, but added that the results so far give him no reason to seek a change.
Of about 400 responses so far, about 300 expressed preference for news over other programming categories such as weather, sports or children's shows, he says. Of those favoring news, 132 respondents preferred CNN, 113 were for Fox, 58 for MSNBC and four for CSPAN.
RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C.: First phase of terminal ready
With the first phase completed, the new Terminal 2 of Raleigh-Durham International will be opening to the public for a sneak preview Saturday.
The $570 million construction project will formally open on Oct. 26, and become home to several airlines, including American, Delta, United and Air Canada.
The second phase will be completed in 2011. When completed, Terminal 2 will be the airport's largest terminal and house 32 gates.
DALLAS: Southwest plans priority security lanes
Southwest Airlines will introduce later this month new priority security lanes for its top customers. Its Business Select customers — the most expensive fare category — and frequent-flier members who fly at least 16 trips a year will be eligible to use the lanes.
Branded "Fly By," the new lanes will open at seven airports, including Dallas Love Field (Southwest's home airport), Baltimore/Washington International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Orange County (Calif.) John Wayne, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
LAS VEGAS: Final wings open in D Concourse
Las Vegas McCarran has just opened the last of the four wings at the D Concourse, which serves 16 airlines. The new 128,000-square-foot wing adds nine gates and eight restaurants and stores to the concourse.
As part of the $179 million project, the airport also reshuffled its security lanes. Customers of Southwest, which flies from the C Concourse, now get 14 dedicated lanes. The D Concourse gets 17 dedicated lanes.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: Southwest adds service to Chicago
Southwest plans to start flying in March to and from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Chicago Midway, its first new domestic route in more than a year. "(Minneapolis) is an overpriced market, which can use a low-cost carrier like this," spokeswoman Brandy King says.
Minneapolis-St. Paul is dominated by Northwest, which is headquartered in the region. Most U.S. carriers have been cutting back on capacity this year, and Southwest last introduced new service in San Francisco in August 2007.