AIRLINES

LAX Fees Ruled ‘Not Unreasonable’: In a decision that could have a far-reaching impact on U.S. carriers, federal officials said increased landing fees at Los Angeles International Airport are “for the most part not unreasonable.” However, the Transportation Department, which made the ruling, did order the airport to refund about $20 million to airlines, about a quarter of the increase collected over the past two years. The ruling affirms a May 24 decision by the department’s chief administrative law judge, John Mathias, who said that while most of the fee increase was not unreasonable, Los Angeles had overvalued the land under the airfield and was planning on imposing excessive fees on carriers for services such as fire and police protection.