American Airlines

BURBANK — American Airlines flights were beginning to come and go again Friday after the carrier had canceled its entire schedule of flights in and out of Bob Hope Airport on Wednesday and Thursday. The limited service at Bob Hope on Friday came after a string of nationwide cancellations as the carrier works to correct problems related to wiring in its MD-80 planes. Eight trips, originally scheduled to and from the airline’s hub in Fort Worth, Texas — four each on Wednesday and Thursday — stranded more than 800 customers in Burbank as American continued its federally mandated investigation into the wrapping and securing of wire bundles in the wheel wells of all American’s 300 MD-80 jets, officials said.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- Jacque Wray had already fastened her seat belt, received her serving of juice and settled in for a smooth ride Tuesday morning when she and other passengers were ordered off of an Alaska Airlines flight headed for Portland, Ore., from Burbank Airport. "At first I couldn't figure out what was going on," said Wray, 58, whose flight was to stop in Oregon before flying to her home in Boise, Idaho. "But then we sat in the airport watching TV with tears rolling down our cheeks."

Despite a precipitous drop in parking revenues and the loss of American Airlines, Bob Hope Airport managed to squeak ahead of budget projections for fiscal year 2012, according to a report released this week. According to the year-end fiscal numbers released to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday, Bob Hope Airport took in $4,677 more than what was anticipated, and was hampered mostly by a major drop in parking revenues, officials reported. Parking revenues, which traditionally made up about 40% of the airport's total operating revenues, came in $732,196 under budget - a 3.8% decrease from what was projected.

Ryan Carter A year after he died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the influence a Burbank physician had on his friends continues to motivate them to fulfill his dream. Yeneneh Betru, 35, died aboard American Airlines Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon. Since then, his family and friends have worked to make sure Betru's goal of opening a hemodialysis clinic in his native Ethiopia comes to fruition. Today in Ethiopia, Betru's family will participate in a dedication ceremony of the clinic that will bear the doctor's name at the 400-bed Tikur Anbessa (Black Lion)

Ryan Carter BURBANK -- Six months after his death, Yeneneh Betru's dream is still a dream. Betru, 35, was on board American Airlines Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11. At the time of his death, Betru, an Ethiopian native, was living in Burbank and working as a doctor. He was salvaging dialysis machines in the hopes that someday they would be transported to a town in his native land, where people with kidney problems could receive treatment.

Laura Sturza AIRPORT DISTRICT -- The number of passengers flying from the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport dropped dramatically in September, officials said. When compared to September 2000, the number of travelers recorded for the month of September 2001 showed airlines suffered a 21% to 50% decrease in passengers, according to an Airport Authority report released Monday. "A carrier like Southwest was off by 34% and United by 50%, and that's obviously a significant one-month trend," Airport Authority spokesman Victor Gill said.

We all now know what it's like to have our hearts ripped from our chests, our legs kicked out from under us, our sobs pulled from our throats. But our spirits shall never be broken. As each one of us sat on our comfortable couches in our cozy living rooms this week, holding the hands and wiping the tears of the loved ones sitting next to us, we couldn't help but stare at our television sets in disbelief as the towering twins that once stood watch over all in New York Harbor fell in a crumbled heap.

Ryan Carter MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- "I don't know what's going to happen to our family now, but we'll never forget what was inside a great man," Sirak Betru said. Betru was remembering his older brother, Yeneneh Betru, who died Sept. 11 in one of the four hijacked commercial airplanes during the terrorist attacks on the East Coast. About 10 family members, including Yeneneh Betru's mother, brothers, sister, uncle and several cousins, wept quietly during the memorial service held Friday in the auditorium of Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, where Betru, a physician and Burbank resident, had worked.

Bob Hope Airport officials are hoping for a November completion date for a third security check lane at one of the airport's terminals. The third lane would offer a swifter security process during peak periods of travel. "We are aware there can be long lines during the early morning hours with the first wave of flights out," airport spokesman Victor Gill said. The Burbank-GlendalePasadena Airport Authority on Sept. 26 authorized that up to $250,000 be spent to prepare the space to be used by the Transportation Security Agency.

The Burbank Leader's recent editorial and news coverage of Bob Hope Airport has been disappointing, to say the least. The Leader ran a correction of its Jan. 14 editorial that said the exit of American Airlines would mean a loss of 3.9 million annual passengers at Bob Hope Airport, a figure that overshot the mark by a whopping 3.6 million. Correction appreciated, but the original error was not. Then followed a feeble attempt to analyze and critique the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority's ongoing evaluation of the financial feasibility of building the Regional Intermodal Transportation Center, implying that the cities of Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena were somehow at risk, and calling for a “serious and thorough evaluation” of that financial risk - as if no such evaluation were taking place.