Knives at airport restaurants raise security concerns

Knives at airport restaurants raise security concerns

As part of a $1.9 billion upgrade last year, Los Angeles International Airport added a slate of high-end shops and classy restaurants at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, including the 6,000-square-foot steakhouse III Forks.

Airport officials and fliers welcomed the upscale eatery as a departure from the more typical grab-and-go offerings. There was just one hitch: The restaurant handed out serrated steel knives to passengers who had already passed screening checkpoints before boarding a plane.

A similar problem came to a head recently at John F. Kennedy Airport, where reporters for Newsday and News 12 Long Island showed how easy it was to walk off with 5-inch steak knives from two JFK steakhouses.

Unions representing TSA officers and flight attendants lashed out at airport officials and others after learning how easy it was to pilfer the knives from restaurants.

“I’m appalled at this flagrant violation of airport security,” said David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA workers.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, agreed: “After Sept. 11, knives were banned for a reason.”

Study: Airline food gets more healthful

When you are traveling 550 mph at 35,000 feet in the air, your food choices are pretty limited.

The good news is that the overall trend in airline food is improving, with one of the world’s largest carriers making huge strides toward more healthful food over the past year.

That was the assessment of Charles Platkin, an expert at City University of New York School of Public Health who has been analyzing airline food for nearly 15 years. He released an annual ranking of airline food.

“You are starting to see a major push forward,” he said.

Tribune News Service