LOS ANGELES AIRPORT : Airlines’ Suit to Overturn Landing Fees Is Dismissed

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a suit by more than 70 airlines to overturn landing fees for Los Angeles International Airport that were tripled by the city last year.

U.S. District Judge A. Wallace Tashima ruled that the airlines that object to the higher fees should appeal to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena or the Federal Aviation Administration, not the federal courts.

Members of the Air Transport Assn. said it is more likely that they will turn to Congress to get legislation that makes it easier for them to challenge fees in court or some other forum.

City officials praised the ruling and said it will help them recover the cost of operating LAX. They said the charges--which jumped to about $900 for an average-weight Boeing 747--represent only a tiny fraction of expenses for airlines.

But industry officials said the higher fees will force them to raise ticket prices and will hamper their already unhealthy companies. An appeal is unlikely, particularly because the U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to throw out airport fees in a similar case from Michigan, the airline officials said.

Airlines for the past three months have been paying the higher landing fees under protest.