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Report gives US airlines lower marks across the board -- Think flying is getting worse? A pair of university researchers who track the airline business say it's a fact. More flights are late, more bags are getting lost, and customers are lodging more complaints about U.S. airlines, government data shows. Dean Headley, a marketing professor at Wichita State and one of the co-authors of the annual report being released Monday, said passengers already know that air travel is getting worse. "We just got the numbers to prove it." David Koenig/AP
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United Airlines offers fixes to FAA concerns -- Chicago-based United Airlines has outlined a plan for aviation regulators on how it will deal with concerns involving pilot training and scheduling, and is implementing those changes. The airline in a March 25 letter responded to Federal Aviation Administration concerns by outlining its corrective actions, according to United, which would not detail what the issues were or release the letter. Gregory Karp/Chicago Tribune
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American Airlines sees bigger foreign exchange impact -- American Airlines Group Inc. said Friday that its passenger traffic edged down 0.6% in March, as the carrier also said it incurred higher-than-expected foreign-exchange losses in its first quarter. As a result of a strengthening dollar, American Airlines lowered the top end of its pretax margin forecast by one percentage point, now calling for a margin of 12% to 13%. Meanwhile, the carrier lowered its fuel-cost guidance for the quarter by a penny and forecast a smaller-than-anticipated decline in a key revenue metric. Chelsey Dulaney & Tess Stynes/Wall Street Journal
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American Airlines traffic dips compared with a year earlier -- American Airlines' parent says March traffic declined from last year and a key revenue figure for the first quarter will be lower than it was last year, partly because of the stronger U.S. dollar. American's revenue forecast, however, was less pessimistic than a month ago. American Airlines Group Inc., which also owns US Airways and the American Eagle regional airline, said Friday that first-quarter revenue for every seat flown one mile will decline by between 1 percent and 3 percent compared with the same quarter in 2014. AP
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U.S. airline tarmac delays spike in February -- A winter storm in North Texas is to blame for most of the jump in long tarmac delays by U.S. airlines in February. Sixteen U.S. flights sat on the ground for more than three hours that month and eight international flights were stuck on the tarmac for more than four hours, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The airlines could face fines since federal rules bar them from keeping planes on the tarmac that long. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
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U.S. to investigate Gulf airlines for alleged subsidies --Three federal departments agreed Friday to investigate allegations by the three biggest U.S. airlines that three state-owned Persian Gulf carriers get unfair subsidies from their governments. The Transportation, Commerce and State departments said the allegations of $42 billion in subsidies deserve a public hearing, so arguments from both sides will be collected in a public forum, on a regulatory website. USA Today
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U.S. airlines accused of hypocrisy in subsidy debate -- The war of words between three state-owned Persian Gulf airlines and three major U.S. carriers has turned into a war of numbers. American, Delta and United airlines have complained that Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways have an unfair advantage when competing against U.S. airlines because they have received as much as $42 billion in subsidies over the last decade from their owners, the oil-rich United Arab Emirates and the Qatar government. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Firms push high-tech solutions to fortify airport perimeters -- Technology firms increasingly pitch new sensors and software to U.S. airports as a way to bolster exterior security and keep intruders out, but such digital barriers come with a hefty price tag and don't always work. Technology firms increasingly pitch new sensors and software to U.S. airports as a way to bolster exterior security and keep intruders out, but such digital barriers come with a hefty price tag and don't always work. Martha Mendoza & Justin Pritchard/AP
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Review: Qantas First Lounge at LAX -- Recently, Qantas opened a new lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. The Qantas First Lounge serves first class passengers from Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines, along with oneworld Emerald and Qantas' own top-tier elites. As such, it is a good-sized lounge. I had a long layover in Los Angeles as part of my trip to Santiago with LAN Airlines to check out business class on their 787-8 Dreamliner, so we were able to arrange with Qantas to visit their new lounge and experience what it had to offer. Blaine Nickeson/Airline Reporter
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Proud Bird to sign new 20 year LAX lease; aviation themed restaurant to be remodeled - - The Proud Bird Restaurant, a LAX icon since it first opened in 1967, will ceremoniously sign a new 20-year lease in the restaurant's Tuskegee Room at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 18. Special guests are expected to include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and members of the City Council, the Board of Airport Commissioners and the management of Los Angeles World Airways. Nissen David/Proud Bird Press Release
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Challenge to LA's ownership of ONT goes to appellate court -- The lawsuit between the city of Ontario and Los Angeles over ownership of Ontario International Airport is months from its Aug. 17 trial date, but for the second time in this year, a piece of the case has gone to state appellate court. Ontario on Tuesday, April 7, filed a petition with the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Riverside seeking an order that would put back into play two of the key allegations in its June 2013 lawsuit to regain ONT - agreements in 1967 and 1985 that gave Los Angeles control of the Inland airport. Richard K. De Atley/Riverside Press-Enterprise
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On the wings of love! Pilot couple tie the knot at airport in La Verne -- A bride and groom who got married Saturday have had their heads in the clouds long before this special day. Both pilots, the new husband and wife, decided what better place to marry than the place they met. KCAL9's Bobby Kaple reported it was only natural the bride would walk down the aisle...of an airport. The wedding - complete with "I now pronounce you husband and wife" - looked on the outside like any other outdoor April wedding. CBS LA
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Ready for the bridge from San Diego to Tijuana International Airport? -- Would you pay $15 to walk from Southern California into Mexico to save big money on airfare? As I wrote last week for Aviation Week, a group of private investors is hoping that you will. The group is spending $120 million to build a bridge from San Diego to Tijuana International Airport. The bridge, called the Cross Border Xpress, will be staffed by U.S. and Mexican customs and immigration officers. The bridge is not particularly long, and the average person will be able to walk it in five minutes. BrianSumers.com
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Airlines, airports at loggerheads over raising federal facility tax -- Thrown into legislation likely to tackle the role of drones in aviation and NextGen air traffic control funding, the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), a tax that funds airport improvements, is not likely to garner many national headlines. But within the industry, two sides are engaged in a heated exchange over whether it should be raised. The PFC, a federally regulated tax, is currently capped by Congress at $4.50 per passenger per flight. Whether to raise that cap will be decided as part of reauthorizing the FAA budget, which expires in September. Johanna Jainchill/Travel Weekly
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A sneak peek at Wichita's new Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (VIDEOS) -- Wichita last opened a new terminal in 1954 when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Now - 61 years later - Wichita will have a new airport named after the man fondly called "Ike." "It will be a point of pride for our city to create a first and last impression that stays with our visitors long after their journey is complete," said Victor White, the city's director of airports. To say the new Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is a bit different than Mid-Continent Airport is an understatement. Kelsey Ryan/The Wichita Eagle
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Lovely airport, where are the planes? China's white elephants emerge -- When officials reopened the airport on the sparsely populated Dachangshan island off China's north-east coast after a $6 million refurbishment in 2008, they planned to welcome 42,000 passengers in 2010 and another 78,000 in 2015. However, fewer than 4,000 passengers - or just a 10 a day - passed through its gates in 2013, data from China's civil aviation authority showed. Since February last year, China has approved at least 1.8 trillion yuan ($290 billion) in new infrastructure projects to counter a slowing economy. Reuters
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Narita Airport's Terminal 3 is connected with color-coded running tracks -- Completed well in advance of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Narita International Airport's new terminal has been designed around an indoor running track. the color-coded circuit, which links the entirety of the scheme, not only helps with wayfinding, but also provides a comfortable walking experience throughout the terminal's interior. Kenta Hasegawa/Design Boom
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Dubious doctor letters turn airlines into petting zoos -- Friends, are you troubled by anxiety or depression? Are you afraid of flying? Do you hate those fees that airlines charge for transporting your pet? Well, my friends, let me tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna solve those problems and you're gonna be able to take your dog, your cat, your miniature horse, even your pot-bellied pig onto any commercial flight in the United States of America. Susan Shelley/Los Angeles Daily News
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Airbus official urges major pilot training changes -- A senior Airbus Group NV safety official has urged revamping pilot training world-wide, in one of the most forceful industry warnings to date about the dangers of undue reliance on aircraft automation. Addressing an international conference of pilot-union leaders here Saturday, Harry Nelson, a high-level company safety expert and former vice president of the European jet maker's flight test department, called for fundamental changes to improve manual-flying proficiency and other cockpit skills that have been de-emphasized over the years. Andy Pasztor/Wall Street Journal
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Boeing receives $6.6 billion order from Panama's Copa Airlines -- Boeing Co. has received a $6.6 billion order from Panama's Copa Holdings S.A., the largest deal ever between a Panamanian and U.S-based company. The order is for 61 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 airplanes, which Copa Airlines will use to replace some of its existing airplanes. The news came Friday at a signing ceremony during the Summit of the Americas attended by President Barack Obama and Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez. Angela Chen/Wall Street Journal
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Airbus needs more time to decide on A380 changes -- Airbus will not abandon its A380 jumbo jet program despite slow sales, its chief executive told Les Echos newspaper, and needs more time to decide whether to redesign its engines as major customer Emirates Airline has requested. Emirates, the leading buyer of the existing A380 jet with 140 orders, has been pushing Airbus to revamp the plane with newer engines, a move that could lower the number of seats airlines must sell to break even. Reuters
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Emirates fits A380 with 615 seats for high-density danish trips -- Emirates will start its highest-capacity Airbus A380 service this year, fitting the world's biggest passenger model with 615 seats for flights to Copenhagen. By reducing the number of classes to two from three, Emirates will beat its previous maximum of 517 seats on A380s plying medium-haul routes. The first superjumbos it deployed featured only 489 seats on longer-distance flights. Denna Kamel/Bloomberg
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| Aviators Remember Stan Freberg |
Stan Freberg on flying: Sweaty stuff -- The literally legendary Stan Freberg died April 7 at the age of 88. The New York Times has reviewed his astounding career and his friend Mark Evanier offered up a contemporary appreciation. But it's also okay if business travelers remember Freberg for just one of his great advertising coups, the amazing, shocking, hilarious and unforgettable Sweaty Palms campaign in 1967 for the otherwise totally forgotten Pacific Air Lines. Chris Barnett/biztravelife.com
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RTD's Phil Washington, bound for big L.A. job, talks about Denver's next big challenge -- Phil Washington, the RTD general manager who's credited with ensuring the sprawling FasTracks rail-construction project kept moving, said Friday that he's not much for ribbon cuttings. Washington, 57, who has led Denver's Regional Transportation District since June 2009, leaves next Wednesday to be the new head of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the regional transit agency known as Metro. Cathy Proctor/Denver Business Journal
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Los Angeles city workers authorize strike -- Los Angeles garbage truck drivers, traffic officers, tree trimmers, engineers and typists are among 10,000 city workers who gave authorization Friday night to walk off the job to protest a proposed contract that offers no raises and requires them to chip in for healthcare premiums. Workers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 721 voted 86% in favor of striking, said Coral Itzcalli, a union spokeswoman. The vote means that 10,000 workers could walk off the job at any time, she said, though no such action has yet been called. Catherine Saillant/Los Angeles Times Related:
City strike threat looms over Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti�€™s upcoming address
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L.A.'s chief technology officer resigns -- Steve Reneker, chief technology officer and general manager of L.A.'s Information Technology Agency said he would resign May 1, leaving to take a similar job in Riverside County, where he lives. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Chief Innovation Officer Peter Marx will replace Reneker. Marx, who assumed the CIO role 13 months ago, is spearheading special technology projects such as a city services request app, opening the city's data to the public and a new Bluetooth-enabled parking sign experiment. Garrett Reim/Los Angeles Business Journal
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