Airplanes

Ten years of the Airbus A380, but demand remains soft -- Airbus Group NV on Monday celebrates the 10th anniversary of the A380 superjumbo's first flight. The European plane maker so far has had little to cheer about, as it has struggled to win sales for its flagship plane. Development and production delays, a deep financial crisis and changes in airline preferences have stymied Airbus's efforts to sell the world's biggest airliner. Almost as many buyers have decided not to introduce into their fleets some or all of the A380s they ordered, as those sticking to their commitments. Robert Wall/Wall Street Journal Andrea Rothman/Bloomberg Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today

The Four Seasons jet: A luxury hotel in the sky -- Each Four Seasons flight comes with its own executive chef, sous chef, guest services manager, and an in-flight concierge to cater to the 52 passengers onboard. The next journey in January 2016 will take these lucky jet-setters on a 24-day world tour, a Los Angeles-Kona-Bora Bora-Sydney-Bali-Chiang Mai-Mumbai-Prague-London itinerary that also includes stays at Four Seasons properties, meals and drinks, and private excursions. Laura Dannen Redman/ Condé Nast Traveler

Aviation Security

Los Angeles airport security boosted amid possible ISIS threat -- Security is being stepped up in Los Angeles, its area airports and other parts of Southern California amid new ISIS-related threats calling for attacks on uniformed personnel, several U.S. officials told NBC News on Friday. ISIS, which controls swathes of Syria and Iraq, has long called on its sympathizers to attack Western interests around the world. Los Angeles had already started using two-man patrols as a precaution. Jonathan Dienst, Andrew Blankenstein & Richard Esposito/NBC News City News Service CBS LA Kalyan Kumar/International Business Times Mary Beth McDade/KTLA-TV

Joke tweet sparks debate over airline computer security -- When it comes to security, airlines have never been known for their sense of humor. That became particularly apparent this month to a cybersecurity expert who joked during a flight about hacking into a commercial airplane's avionics computers through its wireless Internet system. It prompted a quick response from airlines, plane manufacturers and onboard Wi-Fi makers who insist that it cannot be done. Security experts say nothing is impossible. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times

Airlines

The airline industry posts a giddy first quarter --There was an unmistakable shift in tone in the airline industry this week as the nation's top carriers all reported record earnings because of lower fuel prices and strong demand for domestic air travel. The airlines kept their planes full as they reaped the benefits of their yearslong drive to consolidate the industry into fewer, bigger carriers. The performance was particularly striking because the first quarter is traditionally the weakest of the year. Jad Mouawad/New York Times

Lower fuel prices aren't why US airlines are earning big profits -- The pull back in global crude prices that began in the middle of 2014 is not the biggest reason why airlines finally are making what, by their industry's pitiful standards, are great profits these days. Rather, the airlines' new-found profitability stems from other significant changes that are less-well-reported and recognized: the elimination of about 150,000 jobs across the industry since 2001, and the financial restructuring of the industry, largely through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy and merger processes. Dan Reed/Forbes

How American rebanked its Chicago and Dallas operations and why it's a good thing -- You may remember that late in 2013, the new management team at American decided the time had come to rebank its big connecting hubs in Chicago, Dallas, and Miami. Miami went first and things went pretty well. But the big test was at the end of March when the more complex changes in Chicago and Dallas went into effect. I spoke with both Ilhan Ince, Managing Director of Operations Planning and Performance, and Kerry Philipovitch, SVP of Customer Experience, about how the change was executed. Then I looked at the data to see that sure enough, the operation is running better than before. Brett Snyder/The Cranky Flier

American CEO's pay gesture shows Wall Street runs the airline industry -- Judging from the April earnings calls by the three major U.S. airlines, Wall Street has its hand firmly on the controls of the U.S. airline industry. During their conference calls last week, American, Delta  and United seemed determined to kowtow to Wall Street's every wish. One after another, they talked about reduced capacity, share buybacks, and various other metrics that showed how all they do is geared to shareholder return. Ted Reed/The Street 

United Continental boss paid $12.8 million in 2014 -- United Continental Holdings, parent of United Airlines, disclosed Friday that chairman, president and CEO Jeff Smisek was paid $12,762,226 in 2014, up from $8,138,305 in 2013. Smisek received a salary of $975,000, stock awards of $7,725,728, incentive plan payouts of $2,340,000, $1,419,221 from change in the value of his pension and $302,277 in other compensation. The numbers come from United's proxy, filed Friday afternoon. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News

Secret savings: Multicity flights a clever option -- Yes, you can fly from A to B. But it's a lot more fun to fly a round robin. Or open jaw. Or a "surface." All are types of multicity flights, which travel agents and business travelers know well but which are misty and mysterious for the general public. "The airlines don't make it more transparent," says Pam Nikitas, owner of Joan Anderson Travel in Detroit. "It's to their advantage if you book all one-ways. And that can be very expensive." Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press

American Airlines slows Boeing 787 deliveries -- American Airlines is deferring delivery of five Boeing 787 jets that were supposed to be delivered next year. American Airlines Group chief financial officer Derek Kerr told analysts and reporters Friday that four of the deliveries will be rescheduled for 2017 delivery and one will arrive in 2018. "We expect this revision to reduce our 2016 wide-body capacity by approximately 2.5 percent and our system capacity by approximately 0.6 percent," Kerr said, "and it will also reduce our estimated 2016 gross aircraft cap-ex." Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News

American CEO: Airline is off to a great start for 2015 -- American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker said the company is off to a "great start for 2015." In a letter to employees on Friday morning, Parker noted the carrier's record first quarter profits and several milestones American has achieved this year including getting its single operating certificate from the FAA and the rebanking of its schedules at Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago O'Hare airports. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Airports

Sea-Tac Airport sees huge increase in traffic during first quarter -- When the passenger numbers for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were compiled for this year's first quarter this week, the result surprised even the airport officials who had seen the airport growth last year outdistance every other major U.S. airport. Those figures show Sea-Tac's overall passenger traffic grew by some 13 percent in 2015's first three months, a rate three times what airport officials had predicted. John Gillie/The News Tribune

Minneapolis-St. Paul airport shooting tied to car-theft inquiry -- A rental car theft investigation at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport turned violent when police shot a man who tried to run officers down in a vehicle, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said Sunday. The suspect, Abdulkadir Sheikh Mahmoud, 36, is in custody on suspicion of aggravated assaulted. He was released from a hospital Sunday. An officer was also taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Marino Eccher/St. Paul Pioneer Press
Passengers stuck in customs for hours at Bush Intercontinental Airport -- Thousands of furious international passengers tried to catch flights home following a massive baggage blunder at Terminal E at Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday. Traveler Gayle Wilhelm waited in line for two and a half hours and missed her flight home to Charlo, Montana. As for an explanation from the airlines, passengers were told the chaos was the result of too many international flights arriving at the same time. KPRC-TV Houston
Aviation Data & Analysis

US Carriers On Time Flights 72.8% in February
Courtesy Oliver Wyman PlaneStats
City Government

Public, private sector wage gap heavily favors many L.A. city workers -- Among the city workers who are currently threatening to strike amid contract negotiations that have stalled over pay and other issues, many collect salaries higher than those who do similar jobs in both the public and private sectors, a Los Angeles Times analysis has found. The analysis, which compared 2014 city and federal wage data, shows that three of the five largest job categories represented by Service Employees International Union Local 721 - the biggest and most prominent of the unions now in contract talks with the city - pay more than double the median salary of similar full-time, private-sector jobs in Los Angeles County. Peter Jamison & Catherine Saillant/Los Angeles Times

L.A. prosecutors to use Nextdoor app to strengthen ties with residents -- Los Angeles city prosecutors will use a highly valued social media app to post about their efforts to combat polluters, school violence and illegal medical dispensaries and to field grievances.  But it's not Snapchat or Facebook that they'll be using. Instead, City Atty. Mike Feuer announced Friday that his crew of 22 neighborhood prosecutors would become regulars on Nextdoor, a social networking app that last month announced that it had raised $110 million in funding. Parish Dave/Los Angeles Times

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