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Southwest Airlines adding service from Burbank to San Francisco -- Southwest Airlines will begin offering flights between Burbank's Bob Hope Airport and San Francisco for the first time early next year, the company said Tuesday. Dallas-based Southwest said it will have three flights a day between Burbank and San Francisco International Airport starting Jan. 6. The service will be permanent, and some one-way tickets will be available for travel between Jan. 6 and May 8 next year for $49, company spokesman Brad Hawkins said. Gregory J. Wilcox/Los Angeles Daily News Chad Garland/Burbank Leader
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Airline caterer sues Los Angeles over order to pay a 'living wage' -- An airline catering company has sued the city of Los Angeles to challenge an order that the company pay a "living wage" to 271 of its employees, dating back to 2010. Flying Food Group Pacific, located at the Los Angeles International Airport, filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying the city previously had ruled that the company was in compliance with the city's living wage ordinance. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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LAX gets 3 new massive pieces of contemporary art, with one hung over TSA -- Los Angeles International Airport probably isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think about art venues in the city. Sure, the LAX Theme Building where the Encounters restaurant used to be is an iconic piece of L.A. architecture, and the color-shifting light installation that welcomes passengers to the airport serves as a great backdrop for local TV weather reports. But even so, for L.A. natives and travelers alike, LAX doesn't always conjure the beauty that art can bring. Robert Garrova/KPCC
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What's next for Santa Monica Airport? -- This is the way a key agreement over the future of Santa Monica Airport ends - not with a bang but with a barbecue. On Wednesday, a key agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration and City Hall that dictates control over the Santa Monica Airport expires. Opponents of the airport have had the date circled on their calendars for years but don't expect empty skies on July 1. Airport Commissioners had talked about shortening the runway with the coming of the expiration, or banning aviation tenants from airport land. David Mark Simpson/Santa Monica Daily Press
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Gulfstream Aerospace developing its Long Beach Airport site -- Gulfstream Aerospace is expanding its site at Long Beach Airport in California, and will create at least 50 additional product-support jobs. The 370,000-sq.-ft. operation comprises an aircraft service center, a completions facility, and a sales and design center that employs some 900 people. It plans call for adding a 19,000-sq.-ft. maintenance hangar and nearly 10,000 sq. ft. of support and office space in mid-to-late summer. William Garvey, Jessica A. Salerno & Molly McMillin/Aviation Week
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Passengers help soldier pull off surprise airport proposal -- Hearts were gushing at Sacramento International Airport for a soldier's homecoming ceremony - but this wasn't your typical welcome home celebration. After serving multiple deployments overseas, U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Vance decided to make one more commitment. The soldier who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, had a surprise for one special lady. Misty Kennedy thought she was at the airport to welcome her boyfriend from a 6-month deployment in South Korea. Carlos Saucedo/KXTV
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Heathrow runway recommendation stirs political tension -- Britain should build a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport, a government-appointed commission into the country's airport capacity said in a report set to create a political headache for Prime Minister David Cameron. Lawmakers broadly agree that southeast England needs a new runway to remain economically competitive but its location has been disputed for over 25 years. Proposals to expand Heathrow in densely-populated west London are politically divisive and likely to fuel tensions in the ruling Conservative party. Sara Young/Reuters
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| With much fanfare, fancy new terminal opens at Pyongyang's international airport -- North Korea opened a new terminal building at Pyongyang's international airport on Wednesday, underscoring an effort to attract more tourists and to spruce up the country ahead of a celebration of a major anniversary of the founding of its ruling party in October. North Korean Premier Pak Pong Ju officiated at the opening ceremony, which marks the completion of years of work at Pyongyang's main Sunan airport. AP |
Emirates reveals fuel contract details in U.S. airline subsidy claim riposte -- Dubai's Emirates airline on Tuesday denied claims its parent company absorbed fuel hedge losses from the carrier, giving its most detailed response yet to allegations it has violated the U.S. Open Skies agreement with the United Arab Emirates. U.S. airlines have charged Emirates received at least $5 billion in subsidies since 2004, including hedge losses that its state-owned parent company assumed. Nadia Saleem/Reuters
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United Airlines investing $30 million in biofuels producer -- United Airlines says it is investing $30 million in a biofuels company to reduce its vulnerability to oil-price shocks and limits on carbon emissions from planes. United officials said Tuesday that they expect to begin receiving fuel from Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc. in 2018 and could be taking 90 million gallons a year by 2021. That's enough fuel for 20,000 flights a year but just a drop in United's fuel bucket. David Koenig/AP
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Southwest Airlines is now the only major airline that doesn't charge for first checked bag -- It took seven years for us to get to this point, but there's now only one major airline that doesn't charge customers for the first checked bag - Southwest Airlines. JetBlue Airways is implementing its three-tier fare system that charges a bag fee to people buying the cheapest fare. Higher priced fares allow at least one free checked bag. This practice of charging for checked bags began back in February 2008 when United Airlines announced it would charge for a second checked bag. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Hacking into airline computer systems -- Hacking stories about airplanes seem to have managed to supplant car related stories in recent weeks. While incredulous claims that a plane might be able to fly sideways are debated, that really overshadows the salient point. Security has to be baked into every step the process with an implementation. Today I find myself sitting on a beach in a tropical country, writing away and pondering the trip that brought me here. There were guards at the airport barking at travelers. Dave Lewis/Forbes
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JetBlue details new bag fees, which begin Tuesday -- And then there was one. JetBlue began charging extra for checked bags starting with itineraries booked from Tuesday onward. The change was announced in November, but JetBlue had not revealed details until now. Previously, JetBlue had allowed customers to check one bag for free. The change leaves Southwest as the only major U.S. carrier that still allows its customers to check bags for free. Southwest took to social media to tout its new status with posts to Facebook and Twitter. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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The Deal Zone: Airfares fall sharply in late August -- Yes, you can still find a few airfare deals for summer -- or what passes for a deal during the airlines' peak season -- but when can you truly save? During a "deal zone." You don't have to wait much longer. The August deal zone * When it starts: Roughly 50 days from now the airline fall season gets underway, which marks the start of the August deal zone. This period typically begins Aug. 20 to Aug. 25, depending on which airline you fly. Bigger carriers like American, Delta, Southwest and United begin the deal zone Aug. 25. Rick Seaney/FareCompare.com
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JetBlue defects to the dark side -- When I visited JetBlue Airways headquarters this summer, I was prepared to find the carrier in a metaphoric bunker, fending off attacks from howling security analysts who accused it, among other crimes, of being "overly brand-conscious and customer focused." But JetBlue wasn't in a bunker. Its executives had already surrendered and were activity formulating plans to destroy the airline's unique selling points and its nicely profitable niche as the nation's best-rated airline. Joe Brancatelli/The Business Journals
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Virgin Atlantic to cut 500 support, managerial jobs -- Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. Tuesday said it would cut about 500 support and managerial jobs as the carrier founded by Richard Branson seeks to become more financially resilient. The jobs cuts are set to be implemented by the end of the year through layoffs, by moving staff, or not filling vacancies, the carrier based in Crawley, southern England said in a statement. Robert Wall/Wall Street Journal
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USAPA takes itself out of American Airlines pilot seniority talks -- We wondered what the US Airline Pilots Association would do in face of a federal court decision ordering it to advocate only for a position it didn't support. Monday, we found out. USAPA, which represented US Airways pilots, officially pulled out of arbitration proceedings that are to hear the varying positions of three groups of pilots and come up with a single seniority list to cover all American Airlines and US Airways pilots. A USAPA committee represented the interests of US Airways pilots. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Why the TSA posted a photo of a passenger's cash-filled luggage on Twitter -- The photo, from the Richmond airport, shows a passenger's luggage containing $75,000 in cash. Farbstein asks, "Is this how you'd transport it?" Most people would not, but there is nothing illegal about simply checking a bag containing $75,000, or carrying it with you on the plane. Passengers aren't under any obligation to report large sums of cash unless they're traveling internationally, though the TSA recommends that passengers consider asking for a private screening. Christopher Ingraham/Washington Post
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Greece tourism unaffected by financial crisis -- Despite Greece's extreme financial crisis, the country's lucrative tourism industry appears to be uninterrupted. And that's good news for Greeks. Tourism brought in around $32.7 billion in 2014, which made up more than 17% of the country's GDP. The industry also contributed to 9.4% of total employment, or 340,500 jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Tyler Pager/USA Today
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Former Metrolink auditor alleges she was fired for disclosing railroad's problems -- Allegations in a new lawsuit by a former top watchdog at Southern California's Metrolink commuter railroad paint an alarming picture of the operation's management problems and internal politics. Chief auditor Barbara Manning, 64, who was fired late last year, asserts that contracts were mishandled, accounting irregularities were rampant, ticket revenue was poorly tracked and that she was defamed and terminated for bringing some of the problems to light. Dan Weikel/Los Angeles Times
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Garcetti shifts stance, won't enforce tough new homeless measures -- Mayor Eric Garcetti backed off controversial legislation targeting homeless encampments, saying late Tuesday he would not stop the measures from becoming law but would block enforcement until the City Council softens some provisions. Garcetti had originally said he supported the laws, passed by the council last week, which would make it easier to seize and destroy homeless people's belongings on sidewalks and in parks. Gale Holland/Los Angeles Times
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L.A. to loosen minimum wage rules for some nonprofits -- Nonprofits that hire and train disadvantaged and out-of-work clients to rejoin the workforce won't have to pay them Los Angeles' new minimum wage for the first year and a half of their employment, Los Angeles City Council members agreed Tuesday. The council action, which directs city attorneys to draft those rules, marks an important step toward approval of the first major exemption to a recently adopted plan to hike the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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Business, labor groups turn out to support digital signs at L.A. City Hall -- Amid an outpouring of support from business and labor groups, Los Angeles lawmakers on Tuesday moved toward allowing digital billboards outside designated sign districts. A City Hall panel voted unanimously to send an amendment allowing the signs to the City Planning Commission for a vote, effectively keeping the option alive. Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News
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L.A. councilman takes rare step in bid to expedite proposed gun-lock law -- The battle over a city proposal to require Los Angeles residents to lock up or disable their handguns at home took an unusual turn Tuesday, as a city councilman sought to force the proposed law out of a committee weighing whether to exempt some Angelenos from the storage rules. Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who has championed the proposed rules as a way to protect children from fatal accidents, is pursuing a rarely used maneuver to bring the draft ordinance before the entire council, instead of allowing a smaller council committee to continue to debate it. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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