FAA willing to meet with locals leaders, Save Our Skies about NextGen flight path -- The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it's willing to meet with Rep. Sam Farr's office, local elected leaders and representatives from Save Our Skies Santa Cruz about the recently rerouted flight path over Santa Cruz County. Annoyed residents from Capitola to the Summit decry the change of commercial flights into San Francisco International Airport. Before March 2, planes flew over Santa Cruz's Westside and the San Lorenzo Valley. Samantha Clark/Santa Cruz Sentinel

FAA chief expects new McCarran tower to be operational in '16 -- The construction error that probably cost millions of dollars to fix on the new Federal Aviation Administration tower at McCarran International Airport has been corrected, and local representatives of the agency that oversees the nation's airspace will start moving equipment into it this summer. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said air traffic controllers can't wait to move into the $99 million, 352-foot facility, which was expected to be operational this year. Richard N. Velotta/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Congress moves to cut FAA funding -- A FOX Business Network investigation TROUBLE IN THE SKIES exposed misguided hiring practices and cheating on a key Federal Aviation Administration test to become an air traffic controller and now Congress wants to cut funding to the FAA. The US House of Representatives late Tuesday night passed an amendment to the transportation and housing appropriations bill to restrict funding the FAA uses to administer a flawed personality test called the Biographical Questionnaire or BQ. Adam Shapiro/FOXBusiness

Airlines, airports squabble over passenger fee hike -- Airlines and airports are squabbling over a proposal to increase the amount of money that passengers can be charged to help pay for facility improvements. Airport groups in Washington have been pushing Congress to nearly double the cap on the fee that is added to every plane ticket, which is known as the Passenger Facility Charge, from $4.50 to $8.50.  Airlines have countered that passengers are already charged enough fees by the federal government when they purchase flight tickets. Keith Laing/The Hill

Report: Dirty conditions found in airline food prep areas at LAX -- A report issued Wednesday by a union that represents airline food workers is raising doubts about the safety of passengers' food on flights at Los Angeles International Airport. The "What's On Your Tray Table?" report from Unite Here found dirty employee bathrooms, clutter in the food storage area and failure to properly maintain machines used to control bacteria in two kitchens managed by Flying Food Group (FFG) serving flights at LAX. CBS LA Dan Whitcomb/Reuters

Traffic hacking: Caution light is on -- Incidents involving computer bugs in traffic systems have caused havoc, with one such bug closing down San Francisco's public train system two years ago, trapping passengers underground. In 2006, during a labor strike, two Los Angeles traffic engineers were accused of hacking smart traffic light systems at only four major Los Angeles intersections. The ensuing gridlock lasted four days, clogging entries to Los Angeles International Airport and the on ramp to the Glendale Freeway, and turning major intersections in Studio City and downtown into parking lots. Nicole Perlroth/New York Times

United Airlines employees protest at annual meeting -- Frustration among United Airlines' 9,000 unionized maintenance technicians, some of whom demonstrated outside the carrier's headquarters in Chicago on Wednesday, spilled over to the corporate annual meeting inside. United and the workers, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, have been working on a joint contract since January 2013 that covers workers of United and Continental, which merged in 2010. Mediated talks are scheduled to continue next week in Las Vegas. Gregory Karp/Chicago Tribune

Airline industry says carry-on bags should be smaller -- Millions of fliers could have to buy new luggage if an airline industry recommendation for smaller carry-on bags takes hold. The trade group that represents most of the world's big airlines issued the recommendationTuesday, calling it part of an "initiative to optimize the accommodation of carry-on bags." The goal, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says, is two-fold. A standard maximum allowance for carry-on bags would streamline restrictions that currently vary by airline. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today 

American Airlines shares have 81% upside -- American Airlines Group remains our top pick in the sector. We are maintaining our Outperform rating, but reducing our one-year price target to $73 from $82. Though we are lowering our second-quarter American Airlines estimates on updated management guidance, we continue to believe the second quarter will be a record quarter in terms of earnings and margins. Recent operating results and management commentary continue to provide us with confidence in the company's ability to build on 2014's record results. Barron's

Branson offers year-long parental leave for some Virgin employees -- Richard Branson, the British billionaire who controls the Virgin Group empire, is trying to reshape family leave policy by paying new dads in Europe to stay home. Virgin Management, the investment and brand-licensing branch of Virgin Group, introduced Wednesday a new policy allowing both men and women to take up to a year of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child. The policy applies only to employees of Virgin Management in the United Kingdom and Geneva. Ben Mitchell/USA Today

EDITORIAL: Airport security a humorless joke -- The TSA's acting administrator, Melvin Carraway, has been "reassigned" following the damning revelations by the DHS inspector general. But the endemic problems facing the agency created to "strengthen the security of the nation's transportation systems" will hardly be solved simply by appointing a new administrator. TSA needs nothing less than top-to-bottom reform. Riverside Press-Enterprise Editorial

Coming soon to an airport near you: Uber, Lyft? -- The battle between traditional and app-based car services has moved to the region's airports. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is considering allowing Uber, Lyft and similar services to operate at Regan National and Dulles International airports. The agency, which manages both airports, held a public hearing on the proposal Wednesday. Luz Lazo/Washington Post

Uber loses bid for arbitration in driver lawsuit -- A U.S. District Judge in San Francisco has rejected on-demand transportation company Uber's bid to enforce arbitration agreements on its drivers, clearing the way for a driver lawsuit to go ahead. In a ruling Tuesday, Judge Edward Chen said the arbitration provisions contained in both the 2013 and 2014 versions of Uber's contracts with its drivers "are both procedurally and substantively unconscionable" and therefore "unenforceable." Tracey Lien/Los Angeles Times