U.S. Reviews Threat of LAX Shutdown

WASHINGTON — Officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation reviewed an airline industry request Wednesday to bar Los Angeles from virtually closing down Los Angeles International Airport in 10 days in a dispute over increased landing fees.

But airline officials were not expecting action on the complaint over the Thanksgiving holiday and suggested that the Clinton Administration would prefer that the two sides work out a negotiated settlement without federal intervention.

With a group of city officials due to arrive in Washington next week to hear arguments in a related Supreme Court case, some observers say those circumstances would be ripe for face-to-face talks to avert a showdown.

But Jack Driscoll, the executive director of the city’s Department of Airports, said no city officials had been contacted about such a gathering.

The standoff began in June when the city tripled landing fees at LAX and the industry subsequently filed suit to block them. On Tuesday, the city warned 75 air carriers that they would be banned from the airport starting Dec. 4 if they do not pay the higher fees.

The new LAX charges are $1.56 per 1,000 pounds of weight, still less than airports in Seattle ($2.01), Chicago ($1.89) and Denver ($1.76), but more than is charged in San Francisco (77 cents) and Atlanta (64 cents).