Southwest is the most contrarian U.S. airline and that's why it always wins -- You won't find Southwest Airlines flight attendants wearing hot pants or go-go boots anymore. And no one at the Dallas headquarters thinks the airline can turn a Boeing 737 in 10 minutes. But more than four decades after its founding as quirky Texas upstart with just three planes, Southwest retains a contrarian streak. You may have to look harder to find it, but Southwest, the nation's largest domestic airline, still has its own style. Brian Sumers/Skift

American Airlines' financial performance is clouded by concerns over unit revenue degradation -- American Airlines does not foresee a return to unit revenue growth until 2H2016 as industry capacity increases that occurred during 2Q2015 should remain at similar levels until that time. American's 7% decline in passenger unit revenues during 2Q2015 was the largest among the four major US airlines.  Similar to those other airlines, American posted record top-line financial results in 2Q2015, which for now does not seem to be enough to allay investor concerns about declining unit revenue. CAPA Centre for Aviation

British Airways shrinks size of some carry-on bags -- Remember in June when the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced its "Cabin OK" program that proposed airlines adopt new "optimum" dimensions for carry-on bags that were generally smaller - in some cases 20% smaller - than what many airlines currently allow? Although IATA insisted many international airlines were ready to embrace the program, the Cabin OK scheme was quickly put "on hold," due in no small part to opposition from domestic airlines. Now British Airways seems to be taking a page from the Cabin OK concept. Harriet Baskas/USA Today

Alaska, Delta on opposing sides of 'Open Skies' debate over foreign airlines -- As Alaska Air Group and Delta Air Lines circle one another in the fight to win passengers, a new battle front has broken out in the form of two opposing organizations whose names are nearly identical. The U.S. Airlines for Open Skies will take on the Partnership for Fair and Open Skies, and Alaska and Delta find themselves on opposing sides of the debate.  Steve Wilhelm/Puget Sound Business Journal

Lawsuit claims poor plane maintenance, racial discrimination at FedEx -- An aircraft technician and his boss who work at FedEx's Los Angeles International Airport location are suing the courier giant for allegedly ignoring their complaints that the company put profits ahead of safety by not maintaining its aircraft consistent with FAA safety requirements. Stanley Langevin and Mark Collins filed the whistleblower complaint Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Collins, who is black and also is Langevin's supervisor, additionally alleges racial discrimination. The suit seeks unspecified damages. City News Service

Pieces of falling spaceship barely missed people, new evidence shows -- Newly released evidence in the investigation of last fall's crash of an experimental spaceship over the Mojave Desert is raising questions about whether federal aviation regulators are protecting the public as companies launch more rockets. When Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo disintegrated on a test flight on Oct. 31, killing one of two pilots, debris rained down over 33 miles of desert northeast of Los Angeles, including some pieces landing dangerously close to the public. Melody Petersen/Los Angeles Times

D/FW airline disaster in '85 helped start wind of change -- It took a catastrophe 30 years ago Sunday to force the nation to fix one of the worst threats to aviation safety. But the quest to find out why some planes fall to earth as if pressed by an unseen hand was already underway before Delta Flight 191 crashed. The disaster at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which killed 137 people, was the last proof of a case that had been building for years. By 1997, the government had installed terminal Doppler weather radar at 45 major airports. Randy Lee Loftis/Dallas Morning News

FAA investigating drone flying close to airplanes near JFK -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating two incidents in which airplanes spotted a drone flying near them as they were landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports. One of the airplanes reportedly came within 100 feet of the unmanned aircraft. Delta Flight 407, an MD-80 en route from Orlando, was preparing to land at 4:55 p.m. Friday at JFK when it spotted a drone flying at 100 feet about a quarter-mile from the aircraft. Jessica Guynn/USA Today

Chicago aviation commissioner urges jet noise critics to get behind her plans -- The city's aviation commissioner Friday urged critics not to spend another six months or a year "arguing" about jet noise solutions and instead get behind her "ambitious" plan to mitigate the impact of new O'Hare flight paths. The sell-job didn't convince leaders of the Fair Allocation in Runways coalition, who insisted they would continue to fight to keep open two diagonal runways, slated for closure, that they contend can be used to spread out O'Hare traffic more evenly. Rosalind Rossi/Chicago Sun-Times

City: We expect Southwest Airlines to prevail in Dallas Love Field fight -- The city of Dallas said Friday it expects Southwest Airlines to win its battle over its Dallas Love Field gates, a decision that would let Southwest boot Delta Air Lines Inc. from a gate. But in a filing Friday in U.S. District Court, the city reiterated that it mainly wanted the court to decide whether Southwest or Delta is correct in the ongoing battle, rather than have the city threatened by future lawsuits.  Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News

Now open: Underwater tunnel to Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport -- It's a very short distance between downtown Toronto and the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, but until yesterday the only way passengers could get between the two was by ferry, because the airport sits on an island in Lake Ontario. The ride, often cited as one of the world's shortest ferry routes, is free for passengers (but not for cars) and the ferry makes the trip - about 400 feet - in about 90 seconds every 15 minutes. But waiting for the ferry and the time it takes to embark and disembark the vessel stretches out the journey. Harriet Baskas/USA Today

Company, FAA working on Gulfstream IV jet fail-safe problem --The manufacturer of the jet that crashed on takeoff in Massachusetts last year, killing the co-owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer and six other people, has reported a problem with a fail-safe system that can allow the planes to reach high speeds on the runway even if they are prevented from taking off. Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. said in a document released by the National Transportation Safety Board that the Gulfstream IV has an interlock system that is supposed to keep the plane's throttle from being moved past 6 degrees, thereby limiting acceleration, while hinged tail sections, called elevators, are immobilized. Ron Todt/AP

Gail Gorski, first United Airlines female pilot, dies -- Capt. Gail Gorski, the first female pilot hired by United Airlines, died on July 20, the airline announced. Gorski, a Boeing 747 pilot based in San Francisco, was hired by United in 1978. She was scheduled to retire in 2017, the airline said. "She was one of the original members of the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, as well as a leader of "Fear of Flying" classes to help calm those who were scared of air travel," United told employees. Her family requested donations be made to the International Society of Women's Airline Pilots or the Wounded Warrior Project. BrianSumers.com 

Uber, Lyft not popular with business travelers -- Although ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft continue to expand across the country, the services remain one of the least popular ground transportation options among business travelers. When business travelers need a ride, 36% rent a car, 24% hail a taxi and 13% call for a chauffeur, with only 11% relying on a ride-sharing service, according to a new study by the educational arm of the Global Business Travel Assn., the trade group for the nation's business travel managers. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times

Garcetti raises record $2.2 million in first quarter of reelection effort -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti raised approximately $2.23 million during the first six months of his 2017 reelection campaign, a record-setting sum for incumbent mayors' early contributions in the era of the city's modern campaign-finance system, his campaign reported Friday. Garcetti's fruitful fundraising effort comes despite his lack of a serious challenger, and brings him within sight of L.A.'s cap for expenditures of private donations, which is about $2.24 million for the general election. Peter Jamison/Los Angeles Times

Grading City Hall: City Council President Herb Wesson - Grade C+ -- Just a few years ago, the Los Angeles City Council was considered almost unmanageable, populated by a motley group of elected officials with their own priorities and allegiances. The council president was referred to as the chief cat herder because the poor fellow was expected to, somehow, persuade the council members to act together, like members of a functional legislative body, rather than like 15 lords of 15 fiefdoms. Then Herb Wesson took charge. Los Angeles Times Editorial Board

L.A. Councilman Gil Cedillo wants to spend $9M to help keep housing affordable -- About $9 million in former redevelopment funds could be used to help keep rent and housing costs low for hundreds of residential units in the First City Council district represented by Gil Cedillo, who on Friday asked his colleagues to support the plan. More than 15,000 affordable units could be lost over the next five years due to the expiration of housing agreements that protect tenants living in affordable units, Cedillo said. City News Service