Some arriving international passengers see it as a sign of status when an attendant is waiting to greet and guide, even if it's a wheelchair attendant.
The large digital sign -- showing when and where flights were arriving to and departing -- collapsed around 2:30 p.m. inside Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, airport spokeswoman Toni Herrera-Bast said.
Benitez refused to be drawn on the possibility of Dutch pair Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rafael van der Vaart arriving from Real Madrid, only saying it would be "very, very difficult" to sign players this month.