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FAA calls out 'systemic' hazard at United -- Federal aviation inspectors stepped up oversight of United Continental Holdings Inc. two months ago, citing risks from repeated violations of mandatory pilot qualification and scheduling requirements. The Federal Aviation Administration's decision was spelled out in a Feb. 6 letter from a high-ranking agency official to United's top safety officer. The letter, which called for a thorough overhaul of parts of United's process for qualifying crew members, represents the most detailed indication yet of FAA worries about United's internal safety oversight. Andy Pasztor & Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal MarketWatch
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AP investigation details perimeter breaches at US airports -- Several hundred times over the last decade, intruders have hopped fences, slipped past guardhouses, crashed their cars through gates or otherwise breached perimeter security at the nation's busiest airports - sometimes even managing to climb aboard jets. One man tossed his bike over a fence and pedaled across a runway at Chicago O'Hare, stopping to knock on a terminal door. Martha Mendoza & Justin Pritchard/AP
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'Disturbing': Mayor reacts to LAX ranking third on list of airport security breaches -- Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged Thursday to boost efforts to secure Los Angeles International Airport in response to a report that ranked LAX near the top of a list of U.S. airfields plagued by perimeter breaches. Speaking on KNX 1070's "Ask The Mayor" segment, Garcetti said he wasn't surprised by an Associated Press investigation that found LAX had the third highest number of cases of intruders hopping perimeter fences or even crashing cars through gates at U.S. airports since 2004. AP/CBS LA Veronica Rocha/Los Angeles Times City News Service
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LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal wins LEED gold certification -- The new Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport may have been behind schedule and over budget, but at least it is environmentally friendly. We learned Thursday that the new nearly $2 billion building, which opened in late 2013, received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. According to the architects, Denver-based Fentress, the building, at 1.25 million square feet, is the largest LEED certified airport terminal the country. BrianSumers.com
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Op-Ed How to simplify the LAX experience: Grant ride-share services access -- Flying into Los Angeles International Airport is annoying and stressful. The terminals are outdated, the signage is confusing and, after fighting the hordes to pick up your luggage, it's difficult to leave because ground transportation is in such a sorry state. The Flyaway shuttle service, despite recent improvements, is erratic. A much-anticipated regional rail connection for the airport is years away. And it seems to take forever to pick up taxis, which of course aren't cheap. Neal Ungerleider/Los Angeles Times
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Airport may choose new concessionaire -- Bob Hope Airport officials have been looking to breathe new life into the news and gift concessions in the terminal, and the airfield's longtime concession operator Paradies Shops Inc. may be on the departure list. Paradies has been a tenant at the airport since early 1994, but airport staff said in December that its revenues had lagged in recent years and officials began seeking proposals for firms to operate the airport's five retail news, gift and specialty shops - four in Terminal A and one in Terminal B - when Paradies' lease expires this month. Chad Garland/Burbank Leader
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Orlando International Airport will offer flights to Cuba starting July 8 -- Direct weekly flights to Cuba from Orlando International Airport will start July 8, marking the first time in decades that people can leave from Central Florida to the island nation 90 miles south of Key West. Island Travel & Tours, based in Tampa, will fly each Wednesday from Orlando International to Havana, Cuba, said company owner Bill Hauf. A roundtrip coach ticket will cost $429 for the hour and 15 minute flight, he said. Dan Tracy/Orlando Sentinel
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Oil discovery near Gatwick airport 'significant' -- Last year, the firm drilled a well at Horse Hill, near Gatwick airport, and analysis of that well suggests the local area could hold 158 million barrels of oil per square mile. But only a fraction of the 100 billion total would be recovered, UKOG admits. The North Sea has produced about 45 billion barrels in 40 years. "We think we've found a very significant discovery here, probably the largest [onshore in the UK] in the last 30 years, and we think it has national significance," Stephen Sanderson, UKOG's chief executive told the BBC. John Moylan/BBC News
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Paris airport shoe-shine absence lends new twist to jobs debate -- Paris airports are among the world's busiest and boast only the finest French fashion boutiques, but something's missing that can be found in lounges across the globe -- a shoe-shine stand. The absence illustrates the challenge of expanding customer services in the country, the head of the French capital's main airport operator said. Tim Hepher/Reuters
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Surf Air, the members-only airline, is poised for a growth spurt -- Pay $1,750 a month. Fly as much as you want. Arrive a few minutes before takeoff. Park for free. Forget TSA security; you don't even need an ID to board. And then get comfortable - on this fast-rising California airline, every seat is both a window and an aisle. Since its inaugural flight two years ago, Surf Air has grown to 1,400 members, with plenty more eager to sign up: The waiting list numbers 600. Andre Chang/Los Angeles Times
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USDOT records spike in consumer complaints against Frontier Airlines -- Consumers are quite unhappy with Frontier Airlines. February complaints against the Denver-based carrier were registered at the rate of 14.38 per 100,000 boardings - an increase of 311 percent over the same time last year, according to U.S. Transportation Department statistics released Thursday. Frontier's rate was almost 30 times higher than Alaska Airlines', the industry's best performer at 0.50. Spirit Airlines followed Frontier at 8.53. Laura Keeney/Denver Post
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Southwest Airlines carries more passengers in March than a year ago, traffic falls on United -- Southwest Airlines carried more passengers for more miles in March than a year ago, while United Airlines reported lighter traffic but offered a more upbeat forecast of first-quarter revenue. Southwest said Thursday that it carried 10.4 million passengers last month, up 5.7 percent from March 2014, and they flew 10.24 billion miles, a 6.7 percent increase. Traffic rose 7.1 percent in the first quarter. AP
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Southwest Airlines knows how to make your flight even more fun: Book readings at 35,000 feet! -- Where many American airlines are shrinking your legroom to squeeze out a few extra pennies, Southwest is hosting concerts in the skies. Over the past several years, the quirky carrier has surprised passengers with unannounced in-flight musical sets by middle-of-the-road rock bands, an unannounced in-flight fashion show, and even an unannounced in-flight wedding. Jonathan L. Fischer/Slate
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Southwest tops Airfarewatchdog survey as favorite frequent-flier program -- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards has landed at the top of a recent Airfarewatchdog reader survey ranking domestic airline loyalty programs. The airline posted an impressive margin over the next best program, garnering 32% of the vote againstDelta's second-place 17%. Nick Vivion/Road Warrior Voices
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United now flying its Dreamliners to six continents -- United Airlines is now flying Boeing 787 Dreamliners to every continent except Antarctica. United added Dreamliner service to its sixth continent earlier this week, putting the 787-8 model of the aircraft onto its route between Houston Bush Intercontinental and Sao Paulo. With that, United is now flying the 787 to all six of the world's permanently inhabited continents. United was the first U.S. carrier to take delivery of a Dreamliner in 2012. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Alaska Airlines defends decision to remove woman with cancer, family from plane as safety precaution -- Alaska Airlines supports an employee's decision to boot a woman with cancer and her family off a flight from Hawaii to California for not having a note from her doctor clearing her to fly. "These kinds of decisions are never easy," Alaska Airlines Director of Customer Advocacy Ray Prentice said in a statement Wednesday. CBS SF Bay Area
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Union joins protest over foreign airline subsidies -- The AFL-CIO's Transport Workers Union (TWU) is joining the partnership that has been formed by U.S. airline groups to oppose subsidies for international carriers. The coalition of U.S. aviation groups, which is known as the Partnership For Open and Fair Skies, is arguing that Middle Eastern airlines like Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines have received more than $42 billion in subsidies since 2004. Keith Laing/The Hill
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Day 2: French air traffic strike disrupts tens of thousands -- More chaos awaited travelers Thursday in France, where a strike by the nation's air traffic controllers extended into a second day. At the request of aviation authorities, airlines canceled about half of the day's flights that had been scheduled to fly over French airspace. Those disruptions were rippling across Europe, too. Thursday's problems are expected to be slightly worse than Wednesday, when about 40% of French flights were canceled during the first day of the labor action. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Well Traveled: Why ClipperJet president Matt Morchower always flies in coach -- Contrary to what you may think, Matt Morchower, president of the private jet company ClipperJet, doesn't stick solely to business class when he flies. Read on for more of his travel rituals, including why he always wears a Bruce Springsteen T-shirt. Katie Kiefner/Conde Nast Traveler
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No more free ride: TSA limiting PreCheck to paying members -- Like any maturing start-up, the TSA is moving away from giving free samples of its PreCheck program to frequent flyers or other lucky travelers who just happened to get picked out of a security line. From here on out, you'll probably have to be a paid member to have that luxury of not removing your belt or shoes. The TSA said as much in a recent blog post. Greg Keraghosian/Yahoo Travel
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Australia to order 2 Long Beach-assembled Boeing C-17s -- Two Long Beach-assembled military cargo planes will soon make Australia their new home. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced Thursday that his government plans to buy two more Boeing Co. Globemaster III C-17s, augmenting its Royal Australian Air Force fleet of C-17s by eight. Karen Robes Meeks/Long Beach Press-Telegram
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Garcetti pushes L.A. to conserve more water with 'Save the Drop' -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday announced what he called an "unprecedented outreach campaign" in the city's continuing effort to get residents to use less water amid California's drought. The campaign -- titled "Save the Drop" -- will coordinate existing outreach programs from across the city "through the full breadth of city resources," according to a news release from Garcetti's office. Matt Stevens/Los Angeles Times
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