**LAS VEGAS (AP) - Paula Abdul was allowed to ****board a plane at the Las Vegas airport without passing through a security checkpoint, prompting all passengers and luggage to be screened when they landed in California, officials said Friday. **
A worker led the ``American Idol’’ judge and a companion around the mandatory screening process before they boarded a Southwest Airlines flight headed to Burbank, Calif., Thursday afternoon, said Elaine Sanchez, a spokeswoman for McCarran International Airport.
She said she could not confirm reports that the employee was trying to help the pop star avoid a swarm of fans.