TV gets its boarding pass for the growing airline fad

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2004

Not since Peter Graves issued those immortal words "Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?" in the 1980 classic Airplane! have airports and airliners been flying so high on the small and big screen.

Along with Steven Spielberg's The Terminal , the hermetically sealed worlds we love to hate are playing starring roles in these television series:

* Airline. Dissed by one critic as "random homely people milling aimlessly around a place no one wants to be," this reality show about the trials and tribulations of Southwest Airlines passengers and crew at Los Angeles International and Chicago Midway airports has become a hit for A&E. A new season of 18 half-hour episodes launches July 5.

* LAX. "Security breaches, tearful reunions, illegal immigrants, missing...