suntimes

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Kanye West, Kim Kardashian bypass security at JFK

FILE - In this Dec. 6 2012 file phosinger Kanye West left talks his girlfriend Kim Kardashian before an NBA

FILE - In this Dec. 6, 2012 file photo singer Kanye West, left, talks to his girlfriend Kim Kardashian before an NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks in Miami. Authorities say an airline employee is being investigated for allowing West and Kardashian to bypass a security checkpoint at New York's Kennedy Airport. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

storyidforme: 44641921
tmspicid: 16536234
fileheaderid: 7434779

Updated: February 18, 2013 9:20AM



NEW YORK — Authorities say Kanye West and Kim Kardashian had to be privately screened after an airline employee allowed them to bypass a security checkpoint at New York’s Kennedy International Airport.

Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein says the celebrity couple had arrived at the airport on an international flight on Tuesday.

She says after clearing customs and baggage, they were escorted by an airline employee “through a non-public area in order to provide expedited access to their domestic flight.”

Farbstein says this violated security protocols by bypassing the TSA checkpoint. She says that prompted TSA officials to conduct the private screening.

The rapper and reality TV star were eventually cleared to board their flight, which departed after about a 50-minute delay.





© 2011 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.