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Daily nonstop flights between Qatar and LAX to start in January -- Qatar Airways plans to begin new daily service between Qatar and three U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, next year. Nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Doha International Airport (DOH) in Qatar will begin Jan. 1, according to the carrier's announcement on Monday. The airline plans to operate Boeing 777s with 42 lie-flat business-class seats on the new route. Mary Forgione/Los Angeles Times
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Step aside, Mike Trout: John Wayne Airport is the hot new trading card -- Move over, Mike Trout. There's a new trading card in town. John Wayne Airport recently rolled out its first baseball-style airport card. No disrespect to the Angels center fielder, of course. This card is part of the North American Airport Collectors Series, which features cards for 35 airports.Like sports trading cards, the front has the airport's call letters (in this case, SNA, for the airport's location near Santa Ana) and a photo. Mary Forgione/Los Angeles Times
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Wings of Freedom vintage aircraft show flies into John Wayne Airport -- On Wings of Freedom they arrived Wednesday at John Wayne Airport. The World War II era aircraft - including a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - are in town for the Wings of Freedom Tour, which will continue through Sunday. The nonprofit Collings Foundation, which promotes history education, organized the event. The aircraft show is celebrating its 26th year and visits an average of 110 cities in over 35 states annually, organizers said. Orange County Register
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LA contends ONT sale in court of appeal response -- Ontario basically sold its airport to Los Angeles 48 years ago, and there was no turning back, L.A.'s lawyers argued in court documents filed Wednesday. In the latest twist in Ontario's legal battle to wrest control of ONT from L.A.'s ownership, L.A. argued that a 1967 joint-powers agreement effectively turned over control of the struggling airport to L.A. complied with the government's procedures to sell a municipal airport. Liset Marquez/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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Denver Airport beats peers as its city ranks near top for growth -- Denver International Airport posted lower borrowing costs than most of its peers last year while generating higher returns, although it operates in a state with the 22nd-largest population. A new 519-room hotel and rail line connecting it to the rehabilitated downtown Union Station put the finishing touches on a facility once derided as an expensive boondoggle, as Denver recorded the sixth-highest economic growth of any U.S. metropolitan area last year. Jennifer Oldham/Bloomberg Business
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Rideshare companies idling on invitation from San Diego Airport -- Since Thursday, 27,000 San Diegans have responded to an email from mobile rideshare company Uber asking them to sign a petition telling local regulators they want Uber at the airport. But Uber has been allowed to pick up passengers at Lindbergh Field for a month now. Robert Callahan, who heads the California office of The Internet Association, a lobbying group for internet-based companies including airbnb and Amazon, said Uber is holding out for better arrangements. Megan Burks/KPBS
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New procedure coming soon for using Uber or Lyft at D/FW International Airport -- Download this, write it down, or print-clip-and-save, because the system for using one of the "transportation network companies" at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in the near future might seem complicated: 1. Book your ride. 2. Take your ride. That's it. The same as a taxi or a limo. D/FW Airport CEO Sean Donohue spelled out the process Wednesday in a briefing for the editorial board of The Dallas Morning News. Randy Lee Loftis/Dallas Morning News
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Rome airport fire strands thousands of fliers -- More than 175 flights have been canceled and dozens more delayed at Rome's busy Fiumicino airport Thursday after an overnight fire disrupted operations there. The incident has stranded "thousands" of passengers, according to media reports. The fire broke out inside the international terminal -- Terminal 3 -- just after midnight local time (6 p.m. ET). It took about five hours to bring under control, according to The Associated Press. The fire, thought to be sparked by an electrical short circuit in a restaurant, spread through about 4,000 square feet of retail space beyond the airport's security checkpoints. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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The power grab at airports has a new headache -- Anyone who has ever been desperate to charge a mobile device at an airport knows the feeling of frustration that can arise from trying to find something that's been around for more than 100 years: an electric outlet. So it is not especially funny to spot one in the terminal and get down on hands and knees to plug in your charger, only to find that it is a trick, and that you are poking futilely at a real-looking sticker of an outlet pasted on a baseboard. Joe Sharkey/New York Times
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U.S. airports are better, but not best -- As major airports around the world scramble to brand themselves as luxury entities rather than mere transportation centers, some have adopted a star-ranking system, like hotels. It was inevitable. Munich Airport, calling itself "Bavaria's gateway to the world," boasts that it has become "Europe's first five-star airport." Surveys of global travelers always show that most top-rated airports are in Asia. Of the top five on the Skytrax 2015 list of the world's best 100 airports, Singapore Changi is No. 1, followed by Seoul Incheon, Munich, Hong Kong International and Tokyo Haneda International. Airports in the United States do not appear in the top 25, though the Cincinnati, Denver and San Francisco airports are in the top 40. Joe Sharkey/New York Times
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These airports make arriving a pleasure -- Sometimes, the best part of going away is coming back home. Or feeling at home in a brand new place. For many travelers that sensation begins at the airport, often before they land. Sound designer Peter Comley relishes his return visits to Vermont's Burlington International Airport, which is "simple, clean, functional and uncluttered," and where he's welcomed by a view of the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain and the Burlington Air National Guard Base, which is "a sight just across the runway - with their F-16s." Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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Jim Wright of the Wright amendment has died -- Jim Wright has died at age 92. You know the name, don't you? Wright was a Democratic congressman who represented his Fort Worth district for 34 years. But what do we know of him today? For most, it was that Wright pushed through a federal law that limited airline service at Dallas Love Field for nearly 35 years. Wright championed legislation that said that airlines flying out of Love Field could fly only to airports inside Texas or four adjoining states - New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Southwest Airlines hasn't decided whether or not to oppose Texas high-speed rail -- As the privately funded Texas high-speed rail plan to connect Houston and Dallas attracts its share of opponents, one of the looming questions is whether or not Southwest Airlines will join the fray. It wouldn't be the first time. As Aman Batheja of the Texas Tribune recounted last year, Texas made a failed go at high-speed rail back in 1989. Officials formed a state rail authority and developed plans with the French high-speed rail provider TGV. Eric Jaffe/The Atlantic Monthly
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Avianca firms up order for 100 Airbus narrow bodies -- Colombian carrier Avianca has firmed up a deal for 100 jets from Airbus' A320neo family of aircraft. The two sides had signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal in February, but made the order firm on Tuesday. Airbus described the order as "the largest single order ever made in Latin America's aviation history." The order will include Airbus' 319neo, A320neo and A321neo models. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Amazon will let Prime subscribers flying JetBlue stream movies for free -- Amazon is trying to make long flights a little more bearable by letting its Prime subscribers stream movies and TV shows for free on JetBlue. Starting later this year, Amazon Prime subscribers will have access to all the movies and TV shows in the online retailer's Amazon Prime Instant Video library and will be able to stream them for free on Jet Blue's Wi-Fi service. Victor Luckerson/Time
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American Airlines launches Dreamliner service, Beijing route -- American Airlines will launch its 787 Dreamliner service Thursday and then commence its Dallas-to-Beijing route in an aviation doubleheader at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Dreamliner flight from American's D/FW Airport base to Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the 787's first revenue flight for American, airline spokesman Matt Miller said. Bill Hethcock/Dallas Business Journal
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NJ woman sues United over disclosure -- A West Orange woman paid United Airlines $7.99 earlier this year to watch in-flight DirectTV on a four-hour flight from Puerto Rico to Newark. However, the system worked for only about 10 minutes toward the end of the Feb. 21 flight, while approaching Newark, according to a $5 million class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Newark by Cary M. David of West Orange. Richard Newman/North Jersey Media Group
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Airline trade group wants more uniform rules on child seats -- So you're headed off to a foreign destination with your family, hauling a car seat or similar device for your infant to occupy for the hours-long flight. But once abroad, the corresponding airline says the device isn't authorized in that country and must be checked, making for a frustrating connection. The airline industry's main trade and lobbying group wants more uniform rules on the issue. AP
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JetBlue expands again in Caribbean, plans to fly to Antigua -- JetBlue continues to expand its footprint in the Caribbean, filing for the authority to begin service to the island of Antigua. Antigua is one of the two main islands that make up the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. If approved, JetBlue would fly to Antigua three times a week from its main hub at New York JFK starting Nov. 5. JetBlue expects ticket sales for the new flights to begin in May, when the airline publishes its winter schedule. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Air freight volume growth in March slows after February surge -- Air freight volume growth in March slowed to 1.6% year-on-year, compared to a 12.2% surge in February, as the situation at U.S. West Coast ports normalized, the International Air Transport Association said. Air freight, measured in freight ton kilometers, or FTKs, soared in February after a labor dispute caused a backlog at U.S. ports. Japanese car manufacturers and other companies turned to air transport for parts shipments across the Pacific, according to the airline industry group. Loretta Chao/Wall Street Journal
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The best ways to find vacation tours online -- You book your air, hotel and car rental reservations online. Now there are finally better digital tools to book things to do once you get there, too. The world of tours and activities is increasingly moving online with sites like Viator that vet local guides, track customer reviews and offer online booking. Travel agencies like Expedia are offering more add-ons, like walking or Segway tours, bike adventures and attraction tickets. Groupon can get you deals on local tours and activities. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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In a car-obsessed city, learning to love mass transit -- For the estimated 6.6 million people who visit Los Angeles each year for business purposes, a good mass transit system could mean less frustration and fewer hours spent in the city's legendary freeway jams. While the very concept of mass transit in L.A. still seems a contradiction in terms in a culture tethered to its automobiles, the city has made huge investments in recent decades to improve its once-nonexistent system. L.A. now has a network of nearly 200 bus lines and six rail lines, as well as an extensive regional commuter rail system. John Hanc/New York Times
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New Metro chief executive will make nearly $350,000 in salary, stipends -- The incoming chief executive of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will make nearly $350,000 a year in salary and stipends, an increase of $20,000 over his predecessor's earnings. Phil Washington, who most recently led Denver's transit agency, signed a four-year contract with a base salary of $327,000. He will also receive a $20,000 annual stipend for transportation, insurance and living expenses, and six weeks of paid time off per year. Laura J. Nelson/Los Angeles Times
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Leading industry trade groups grapple with tough TNC issues -- Attendees to the 2015 International LCT Show left no doubt what industry issue was foremost on their minds and will be for at least a few years to come. Transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber have gripped and motivated the industry in ways no prior issue could. The TNCs are proving to be what NLA President Gary Buffo calls "an existential threat" to the limousine industry business model, as TNCs flout safety, insurance, labor, licensing and operational rules that apply to chauffeured vehicle and taxicab companies. Martin Romjue/LCT Magazine
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No new restrictions for L.A. DWP water users - for now -- Los Angeles residents and businesses aren't required to change their water use immediately, now that the state has mandated a 16 percent reduction for L.A., but city officials are preparing for new restrictions. Department of Water and Power managers say the city is nearly on course to meet the mandate by early 2016, though this summer's heat could knock that off track and trigger new rules. The department has already made strides in water conservation, so L.A. officials were able to persuade state regulators to lower the mandate from 25 percent to 16 percent. Mike Reicher/Los Angeles Daily News
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New online tool will help public easily see lobbyist connections to bills -- Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new online search tool Wednesday that he said will open up the way the California Legislature does business and radically transform state politics "from a world of promises to a world of participation." Newsom, a Democrat, joined former Republican state Sen. Sam Blakeslee and open-government advocates in announcing the launch of Digital Democracy, an online search engine that is now live which allows the public to hone in on specific bills or keywords, such as looking for all references in Legislative hearings to the controversial vaccine bill currently being weighed by lawmakers. Melody Gutierrez/San Francisco Chronicle
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