Airports

Judge delays trial of LAX suspected shooter Paul Ciancia until summer of 2016 -- The federal death penalty trial of a suspect charged in a deadly shooting spree at Los Angeles International Airport won't begin until next summer - nearly three years after the crime took place, court papers obtained Thursday show. U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez said in a written ruling that the start of trial for Paul Anthony Ciancia will be Aug. 23, 2016, rather than a previously proposed February 2016 date. City News Service

Contested documents hearing set for July 8 -- Los Angeles has filed papers to protect documents it wants to keep from Ontario in the two-year-old lawsuit the Inland city filed to regain ownership and control of Ontario International Airport. The docket for the case showed the Los Angeles declarations were filed Wednesday, June 10. A hearing on the matter was set for July 8. It's the latest in a series of developments in the case, which is set for Aug. 17 trial. Attorneys for both sides met in a closed mandatory settlement conference Thursday, June 11 in Riverside County Superior Court. Richard K. De Atley/Riverside Press-Enterprise

FAA: New proposed flight procedures at airports will not increase ground noise in Southern California -- The FAA has unveiled a sweeping plan to improve the flow of air traffic over Southern California, upgrading decades-old air traffic procedures in way the agency contends will not increase noise levels for those living and working beneath some of the nation's most congested air space. The Federal Aviation Administration will hold a series of public meetings beginning next week to explain and receive comment on the draft environmental analysis for what's called the Southern California Metroplex project. Nick Green/Torrance Daily Breeze

Travel group offers compromise on airport passenger fees -- The U.S. Travel Association is offering a potential compromise in a fight over the amount of money that airline passengers can be charged to help pay for airport 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 (PFC), from $4.50 to $8.50. Keith Laing/The Hill

Instant sunshine: Stockholm airport installs weather simulator -- For anyone who's ever stepped off a plane into sweltering heat and instantly regretted their decision to dress head-to-toe in mohair, there's now help at hand. Stockholm's Arlanda Airport has installed a new "climate portal" that allows travelers to sample the weather at their destination before they go there. The shiny booth, which will be in place until the end of August, uses live data from around the planet to simulate a variety of weather environments. Barry Neild/CNN

Balloons over D/FW Airport force American Airlines pilot to take evasive maneuver -- Think about this next time you let go of some balloons, accidentally or otherwise: It only takes a few free-floaters to cause a brief scare in the skies over one of the world's biggest airports. Lynn Lunsford, the Mid-States Public Affairs Manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, says that at 2 p.m. Thursday, several pilots reported seeing "a small bunch of helium balloons" near Runway 18-Right at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Robert Wilonsky/Dallas Morning News

Airlines

Ready to binge watch in HD? Virgin America will upgrade on-board video -- Virgin America is rolling out an improved in-seat video experience that will have three times as much content as the current system, as well as enhanced maps and some retro video games, like Pac-Man. The system will run on Android software, which Virgin America says is much easier to update and refresh. The system will have entire seasons of popular shows. Brian Sumers.com

Airlines boost on-time arrivals, reduce canceled flights -- Airlines are doing a better job lately of arriving on time and canceling fewer flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday that 81.8 percent of flights on the nation's leading airlines arrived on time in April. That's up from 78.7 percent in March and 79.6 percent in April 2014. Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines had the best on-time ratings. Low-fare carriers Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines had the worst. AP

CEOs warn of protectionism in foreign airline subsidy fight -- A group of business leaders in the hotel and travel industries is urging the Obama administration to ignore complaints from U.S. airlines about alleged foreign flight subsidies. Unions that represent employees of the largest U.S. airlines, known collectively as the Big Three, have alleged Middle Eastern airlines like Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airlines received more than $42 billion in subsidies since 2004. Keith Laing/The Hill

Southwest Airlines, JetBlue boost fares in many markets -- We don't get press releases from airlines that raise fares. But we do get analysts' notes when airlines do so. That's how we know that Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways have raised fares in many markets. Here's what Jamie Baker of J.P. Morgan says in a note out Tuesday: "Overnight, Southwest raised roughly one-half of its fare structure by $5 one-way, often affecting categories skewed toward business travelers. This represents Southwest's first broad-based increase since October," Baker wrote. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News

Brazil's Azul Airlines founder wins bid to buy Portuguese carrier TAP -- The Portuguese government said Thursday it decided to sell control of its national carrier, TAP Air Portugal, to an investor group led by David Neeleman, the founder of Brazil's third-largest airline. Mr. Neeleman started Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras SA and founded U.S. airline JetBlue. He and Latin American tycoon German Efromovich, owner of Avianca Taca Holding SA, had bid for 61% of the Portuguese company. Luciana Magalhaes/Wall Street Journal

Germanwings co-pilot may have feared he was losing his eyesight -- A French prosecutor said Thursday that the a Germanwings co-pilot may have been depressed over fears that he was losing his eyesight and would no longer be able to fly when he crashed the plane into the French Alps in March, killing 150 people. Marseille Prosecutor Brice Robin told reporters in Paris that the 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had seven doctor's appointments within the month before the March 24 crash, including three appointments with a psychiatrist, according to the Associated Press. Doug Stanglin/USA Today

Discipline' for airlines, pain for fliers -- At this week's meeting in Miami of the International Air Transport Association, the annual meeting of the world's top airline executives, the buzzword was "discipline." Here is Delta Air Lines' president, Ed Bastian: Delta is "continuing with the discipline that the marketplace is expecting." Air Canada's chief executive, Calin Rovinescu: "People were undisciplined in the past, but they will be more disciplined this time." James B. Stewart/New York Times

Aviation Security

GOP senator: Declassify failed TSA bomb tests -- A Republican senator is calling for a report that found Transportation Security Administration workers failed to find fake explosives and weapons in internal tests at almost all of America's busiest airports to be declassified. The report, released last week by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general, documented a series of undercover stings in which agents tried to pass through security with prohibited items, although much of its findings still remain classified. Keith Laing/The Hill

Tourism & Hospitality

Study: Disneyland Resort generates $5.7 billion of Southern California economy -- Disneyland Resort generates an estimated $5.7 billion annually in economic activity for the Southern California economy, according to an independent study commissioned by Disney. The Disneyland Resort includes Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, three hotels and the Downtown Disney district. Disneyland celebrates its 60th anniversary on July 17. The economic impact report was released today at a luncheon hosted by the OC Forum. Joseph Pimentel/Orange County Register

Anaheim attempts to lure upscale hotels with big tax breaks -- Anaheim is trying to get into the luxury hotel game, even without an ocean. The City Council on Tuesday will consider whether to offer hefty room-tax breaks to developers wanting to build upscale resorts, a move that supporters say will attract more lucrative conventions and high-spending tourists. If the plan is approved, Anaheim soon could have hotels trying to compete with oceanfront resorts in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Huntington Beach for the highest end of the hospitality business. Art Marroquin/Orange County Register

Airplanes

Boeing sees budget airlines driving jet market to $5.6 trillion -- Boeing Co. sees booming demand from no-frills carriers driving commercial aircraft sales to $5.6 trillion over the next 20 years as travelers take wing in developing nations. Single-aisle jets such as the 737 will be the fastest-growing part of a global fleet doubling to 43,560 planes, Boeing said Thursday in its annual market outlook. At the other end of the spectrum, demand will keep shrinking for four-engine jumbos. Julie Johnsson/Bloomberg Business

Aviation Data & Analysis

US Fuel Prices Down 34.5% YOY April
Courtesy Oliver Wyman PlaneStats
City Government

DWP worker embezzled more than $4 million, district attorney alleges -- Los Angeles County prosecutors on Thursday charged a former Department of Water and Power employee with 27 felonies, including embezzlement and conflicts of interest, on allegations that he misappropriated more than $4 million in public funds. Prosecutors say Thatcus Carl Richard made more than $1 million for himself by arranging DWP video and audio job contracts for his friends' shell companies. Joseph Serna/Los Angeles Times

Wanted: Companies to install free wireless Internet service throughout L.A. -- Wireless Internet service would be free across Los Angeles under an ambitious plan unveiled Wednesday by Los Angeles City Hall leaders. Officials want companies to install wireless service from San Pedro to the San Fernando Valley, possibly by placing technology for the service on the city's street lamps and government buildings. No other major city has turned over its infrastructure to outside companies, officials said. Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Street repair policy: Fix the good, leave the bad -- Los Angeles' strategy for fixing deteriorating streets is just what you may have suspected as your car bounces over pavement ruts and assorted potholes: The good streets get fixed, and the worst streets go wanting. It's a strategy designed to keep the city's overall rating of street condition at a solid C minus on an A to F scale. Sharon McNary/KPCC

Subscribe to Eye on L.A. Aviation (1,416 Subscribers)
Follow Eye on L.A. Aviation on Twitter (1,314 Followers)