Tuscon Internatonional Airport

Alligators, skulls, and questionable payments

There’s way too much intriguing, puzzling and just plain bizarre stuff happening at airports this week. So as we head into the weekend, here are some items I’ve filed under “find out more….”

According to this article in the Los Angeles Times, the FAA may make the agency that manages Los Angeles International Airport and several other area airports give back millions of dollars – maybe $40 million – that it may have improperly given to the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau to help promote tourism in the area. Other airports have also undergone this scrutiny.

Airports ARE a city’s front door, so it makes sense that an airport would want to be included in the overall promotion for a city. The federal government gets that and, according to the article, allows airport funds to be used for “advertising, marketing and promotions designed to increase air travel at an airport…” But only “as long as the efforts specifically relate to an airport’s amenities, airlines and advantages for travelers.”

I’m going to find out more.

Meanwhile… where does an alligator wait for its flight?

In Naples, Florida – anywhere it wants to…

Earlier this week, the Naples Municipal Airport was shut down for a while because an alligator wandered onto the runway, interfering with landings.

According to news reports, two Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies, with no trapping experience, assisted in capturing the gator. One used the skid of a helicopter to pin the gator down by its tail. The other tied the gator to the helicopter with a rope until a professional trapper arrived.

And in Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday morning, security officers at Tucson International Airport discovered a human skull in a checked piece of luggage. The woman transporting the skull told the TSA that her boyfriend had given her the skull and that she was taking it to Philadelphia for Halloween.

On second thought, I’m not sure I need to find out more…


Have a great weekend.