Officials: Armed travelers set record

Officials: Armed travelers set record

WASHINGTON

Federal officials say a record number of airline passengers were caught last year trying to take guns on planes, and most of the weapons were loaded.

The Transportation Security Administration says 2,653 firearms were found in carry-on bags in 2015, a 20 percent increase over the previous year, which had been a record. More than four out of five were loaded.

Airports with the most gun discoveries were Dallas-Fort Worth, 153; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, 144; Houston George Bush, 100; Denver, 90, and Phoenix, 73.

Weapons of any kind are prohibited in carry-on bags. However, passengers can take guns with them when they fly if they are in checked bags, unloaded, properly packed and declared to the airline.

More US flights arriving on time

U.S. airlines are doing better at staying on schedule than a year ago, but more passengers are filing complaints against the carriers.

Hawaiian Airlines and Delta Air Lines topped the on-time rankings for November, which were released last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Budget airlines Spirit and Frontier had the worst on-time performance and highest complaint rates.

The department said that flights on the 13 largest airlines arrived on time 83.7 percent of the time. That was up from 80.6 percent in November 2014 but down from last October’s 87 percent rate.

Complaints against U.S. airlines rose 56 percent from a year earlier. Still, only 989 people bothered to file a report with the government. Complaints about foreign airlines rose 14 percent.

Passenger increase at Nashville airport

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

More than 11.6 million passengers traveled through the Nashville airport in 2015, a new record in the facility’s nearly 80-year history. The passenger total marked a 6 percent increase over the previous year.

The airport celebrated several improvements in 2015, including the announcement of new nonstop service to San Francisco and Seattle.

The airport is launching a $240 million project to bring more parking and passenger bridges to the facility that will include another cellphone waiting area, a new express valet lot and a new parking garage.

Geography quiz

Q. The island of Bali is part of what country?

A. Indonesia. Though more than 80 percent of Indonesia’s population is Muslim, more than 80 percent of Bali’s population is Hindu.

Combined dispatches