|
|
|
|
Airports fire latest shot in passenger fee wars -- Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) has unveiled a new "Upgrade My Airport" web campaign, part of its ongoing effort to raise the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). The PFC is a fee of up to $4.50 currently paid by travelers flying out of U.S. public commercial airports, and ACI-NA wants the PFC cap raised to $8.50 to fund FAA-approved projects or to boost air carrier competition. ACI-NA's campaign targets travelers who use the nation's commercial airports. Benet J. Wilson/USA Today
|
|
State tax board members disingenuously defend a power grab -- George Runner and Fiona Ma, two members of the state Board of Equalization, say I "unfairly" criticized a plan in the state legislature to give the board the power to assess commercial aircraft. They're right that I criticized the plan, in my column at the beginning of May. But "unfairly"? We'll see. The assessment authority is currently held by county assessors, especially those in counties with major airports. They don't think any better of the legislative proposal than I did. Michael Hiltzik/Los Angeles Times
|
Analysts pan Southwest Airlines' plan to speed up expansion; airline stocks fall -- Southwest Airlines Co. is speeding up its planned growth, which worries analysts, and American Airlines says profit margins will probably fall next year. The stocks of several leading airlines fell in afternoon trading on Tuesday. Southwest said it plans to increase flying this year by between 7 and 8 percent compared with last year, up slightly from its previous plan. Its chief financial officer, Tammy Romo, said it was mostly due to new flights in Dallas. AP
|
Southwest and American Airlines top list of companies poised for best 2015 earnings per share growth -- Ahead of the first quarter earnings season, many Wall Street analysts warned that the quarter could be the worst since 2009. And while members of the S&P 500 posted a mixed bag of results thanks to hits from broad (like foreign exchange) and narrow (burrito demand), one positive trend did emerge: strength in the transportation sector. Maggie McGrath/Forbes
|
No paycheck! Just stock: American Airlines CEO -- Airline stocks have hit major turbulence recently after the price of oil started rebounding a few months ago, which has caused many investors to back away from the group. However, Jim Cramer refuses to back down and won't give up on airlines. American Airlines has been a long-time favorite of Cramer's ever since its merger with U.S. Airways in 2013. Prior to the massive consolidations in this space, Cramer always considered airline stocks too dangerous to own because of the large quantity of buyers and tough competition. Abigail Stevenson/CNBC
|
American president hints at investments to improve operations and systems in 2016 and beyond -- American Airlines president Scott Kirby today hinted at more investments next year and beyond to improve operations and systems. American will start to see revenue synergies after the airlines move to a single reservation system later this year, Kirby said today at the Wolfe Research Global Transportation Conference in New York. Those revenue synergies will help Fort Worth-based American "outperform relative to the industry and help us catch up to the margins of those still ahead of us." Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
|
|
NMB certifies a two-union alliance to represent American maintenance, fleet and service clerks -- The National Mediation Board certified that an alliance of two unions can represent American Airlines Group's maintenance and fleet employees and service clerks, the airline said today. "That means we can begin negotiations with them on joint collective bargaining agreements," said Casey Norton, a spokesman for the Fort Worth-based airline, which includes US Airways. Representatives of the two unions - the Transport Workers Union and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers - did not immediately return phone calls. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
|
|
Airline fees: What you're likely to pay more for -- What's the next big thing on the fee front for airlines? David Cush, CEO of San Francisco-based Virgin America, thinks it should be a change in baggage fees. Speaking at an airline conference in Phoenix this month, he said the way major airlines charge for bags is backward and doesn't make sense economically. "A bag charge is the same on a short haul (flight) as a long haul,'' he said. "We give the most valuable space in the airplane other than a seat away for free, which is the overhead, but we charge people for the least valuable place in the airplane, the belly.'' Dawn Gilbertson/Arizona Republic
|
WOW Air CEO bullish on U.S. market -- WOW Air founder and CEO Skuli Mogensen is betting that U.S. customers will fly his carrier, attracted by low trans-Atlantic fares. The Icelandic low-cost carrier launched service from Baltimore-Washington International on May 8 and from Boston on March 27 using Airbus A321 aircraft. Mogensen started the carrier in November 2011, saying his goal is to cater to price-savvy travelers. "Businesses and the general public today are much more aware of the aftereffects of the financial meltdown, especially in Iceland," he says to Today in the Sky. Benet J. Wilson/USA Today
|
A $75 airline ticket to Europe? Yes, but there's a catch -- A $75 ticket to Europe? Yes, this round-trip fare between Dallas and Moscow was found last Friday. The catch is that $75 is the base airfare only. Surcharges, taxes and fees brought the total ticket price to $420 (which is still a steal). In case you're wondering, that's a little too expensive to be a "mistake" fare (and the Department of Transportation signaled airlines no longer have to honor these anyway). Besides, the price has since risen, but keep your eyes open. Rick Seaney/FareCompare.com/USA Today
|
Replacing your smartphone battery just got harder -- Replacing your smartphone battery just got harder. Fearing cargo fires like one that caused a United Parcel Service Inc. freighter to crash into the desert near Dubai in 2010, at least 18 airlines have banned freight shipments of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries this year. Pilots are pushing for the cells to be taken off all passenger flights until they can be transported more safely. David Fickling/Bloomberg
|
|
|
|
New Chinese airline commits to 60 Boeing 737 Max jets -- Boeing won a commitment from a Chinese airline and two aircraft-leasing companies for 737 Max jets with a list price of $6.1 billion as carriers in the country expand their fleet amid a surge in travel demand. Ruili Airlines signed the agreement with Minsheng Financial Leasing and Avic International Leasing for 60 of the single-aisle jets, the carrier said in an e-mailed statement dated Monday. Seattle Times
|
| Transportation Network Companies |
|
"Get on the Surge Bus": Video appears to teach Uber drivers how to manipulate prices -- Uber users are worried about drivers manipulating prices after an online video emerged that claims to teach a method that tricks the system into jacking up fares. The video, apparently created by a Los Angeles driver and titled "Driving for Surge," was uploaded onto YouTube and shared on an Uber driver online forum. It shows how repeatedly canceling planned pickups causes fees to increase. Michael Larkin & Gadi Schwartz/NBC4
|
Why the O.C. economy outperforms most others -- Is there something special about Orange County's that explains why the local economy performs better than most areas of the state?Orange County's unemployment rate dropped in March to 4.4 percent, from 6 percent a year earlier. That's 2 percentage points below California's jobless rate and a point below the overall U.S. rate. Next door in Los Angeles County, the jobless rate was 7.6 percent. O.C. was close to the 4.2 percent rate for arch-rival Texas - without that region's less-desireable weather. John Seiler/Orange County Register
|
|
L.A. City Hall outsider Ryu wins City Council race -- Los Angeles City Council candidate David Ryu defeated his rival in the contest to replace Councilman Tom LaBonge in a sprawling district that includes Los Feliz, Hancock Park and Sherman Oaks. Unofficial results with 100% of precincts reporting showed Ryu, a health center development director, received more than 11,200 votes, giving him a more than 1,600-vote margin over former LaBonge aide Carolyn Ramsay, who had strong support from City Hall leaders including Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council President Herb Wesson. Emily Alpert Reyes, Soumya Karlamangla & Laura J. Nelson/Los Angeles Times Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News
|
Minimum wage: L.A. City Council approves increase to $15 by 2020 -- The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday backed a plan to raise the city's minimum wage to $15 per hour, joining a trend sweeping cities across the country as elected leaders seek to boost stagnating pay for workers on the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder. Lawmakers agreed to draft an ordinance raising the $9-an-hour base wage to $15 by 2020 for as many as 800,000 workers, making L.A. the largest city in the nation to adopt a major minimum-wage hike. Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle already have approved similar increases, and raising the federal minimum wage has moved to the forefront of the Democratic Party's agenda. Peter Jamison, David Zahniser & Alice Walton/Los Angeles Times Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News
|
|
DWP takes first step toward possible rate increases -- The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power took a first step Tuesday toward possible rate increases as it tries to address aging infrastructure that has resulted in spectacular water pipe breaks and other problems. The Board of Water and Power Commissioners ordered up a plan examining how the nation's largest municipal utility can generate millions of dollars in new revenue. A new analysis presented Tuesday estimated that the DWP will need $270 million in additional revenue in each of the next five years. Matt Stevens/Los Angeles Times Related: Van Nuys couple's $51,649.32 DWP horror story
|
|
|
|
|
|
