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L.A. will transfer airport ownership back to Ontario -- After years of litigation and contentious negotiations, Los Angeles has agreed to transfer ownership of struggling LA/Ontario International Airport back to the city of Ontario, The Times learned Wednesday. The deal reverses a 30-year-old acquisition and marks a retreat from the vision of Los Angeles' airport agency as an ascending, regionwide air travel powerhouse with major branch operations in the Inland Empire and Palmdale. Dan Weikel/Los Angeles Times Richard K. DeAtley/Riverside Press-Enterprise Liset Marquez/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin City News Service ABC7 LA Observed
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CASSIE MACDUFF: Two key changes cleared runway for Ontario airport's return -- At last! The Inland Empire is going to get its airport back. Ontario International Airport will be returned to local control. The announcement expected Thursday caps a seven-year push to stop the airport's downward spiral and return it to Inland hands. It took pleading, cajoling, begging and ultimately a lawsuit by the city of Ontario to get Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports to let go of ONT and allow Ontario to begin rebuilding the shambles L.A. has made of it. Cassie MacDuff/Riverside Press-Enterprise
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Power restored at LAX after outage impacts traffic signals, elevators -- Power has been restored at Los Angeles International Airport after an outage impacted traffic signals, escalators, and elevators. Airport police reported that the outage started around 7:50 p.m. Wednesday. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was dispatched and the issue was resolved just after 9:30 p.m. There was no word on the cause of the outage, which had not impacted flights. Those in the area were advised to use caution and expect traffic congestion. CBS LA ABC7 NBC4 MyNewsLA.com City News Service
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American launches Telluride, Jackson Hole Flights from LAX -- American Airlines is betting plenty of Angelenos will be headed for ski slopes in the Rockies this winter. The airline this week announced it will introduce nonstop flights between Los Angeles International Airport and airports near Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Telluride, Colo., beginning in December. The flights will operate daily from Dec. 17 through Jan. 6, and on Saturdays through April 4. Matt Pressberg/Los Angeles Business Journal
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L.A. Airport police union sends open letter to police chief --In a rare and unprecedented move, the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers' Association (LAAPOA) sent an open letter to Airport Police Chief Patrick Gannon offering to assist him in removing costly and ineffective contracted police services from Los Angeles International Airport. LAAPOA Press Release/Nixle
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Tampa airport CEO Joe Lopano wants the power to give employees 20% bonuses -- The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority is expected to vote on a proposal Thursday that would grant the airport's chief executive the authority to give monetary bonuses to airport employees of up to 20 percent of an employee's annual salary. The current policy honors every five years of service with gift cards that increase by $50, and the maximum bonus an employee can receive is $2,000 a year. Justine Griffin/Tampa Bay Times
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Animals on duty at Chicago O'Hare International Airport -- The new commissioner of Chicago's Department of Aviation, Ginger Evans, came on board in May but didn't get to meet some of O'Hare International Airport's hardest-working employees until this week. To do that Evans put on boots and headed out into a field just north of one of the runways to mingle with a herd of goats, sheep, llamas, burros and alpacas that has spent the past few months munching their way through weeds and other vegetation difficult to maintain with traditional landscaping equipment. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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Southwest, Delta feud over Love Field gate -- On Sunday, Southwest Airlines Co. finishes the expansion of its Dallas Love Field schedule, a process that began nearly 10 months earlier when the airport was opened up to long-distance flights. If nothing else, it'll settle the question: Can Southwest handle its 180 flights at its 18 gates and let Delta Air Lines Inc. operate its five departures there as well? With Sunday's expansion, Southwest will grow from its 166 weekday departures now. That'll require that it put all of its gates to full use, including Gate 15, where Delta operates its five daily departures to Atlanta. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Chicago City Hall planning major upgrades at Midway Airport -- City officials on Thursday will announce a major investment to upgrade concessions, parking and other facilities at Midway Airport. The project will be the biggest investment at the Southwest Side airport in nearly a decade, according to a statement from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office. Leeann Shelton/Chicago Sun-Times
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The most efficient airlines: Delta beats American Airlines, United -- Every traveler has his or her own personal favorite -or despised - airline when they need to jet off to a destination. But what is the most efficient airline when it comes to making money? One of the most important metrics for the airline industry is revenue per available seat mile (RASM). This metric, which allows investors to compare efficiency of different airlines, represents how much operating revenue the companies generate per unit of capacity (represented by total seats multiplied by total distance covered). Liyan Chen/Forbes
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Frontier Airlines adds bundled fee package to ticket offerings -- Order a pizza with "the works" and you'll get a meal with tons of toppings. Add the new package Frontier Airlines is calling the "WORKS" to your next plane ticket on the low-cost carrier and you'll get a bundle of popular options previously sold only as a-la-carte add-ons. "There are a lot of people that love the unbundled model, but there are still a lot of people that don't understand it," Frontier Airlines president Barry Biffle told Today in the Sky. Harriet Baskas/USA Today Also: Moms angry Frontier Airlines charges carry-on fee for breast pumps
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Alaska Airlines touts growing links to American Airlines -- Members of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan for a long time have been able to earn miles and redeem trips on American Airlines flights. On Oct. 17, all US Airways flights will become American Airlines flights, which means that those flights will be accessible to Mileage Plan members, too. As a result, Alaska Airlines put out a press release Tuesday morning touting that fact. The release also noted that its top fliers, Board Room members, will get access to American's Admirals Clubs in airports beginning Aug. 15. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Reunion Island wing debris is from Flight 370, Malaysia prime minister says -- The prime minister of Malaysia said Wednesday that wing debris found on an island in the Indian Ocean was that of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. His comments came hours after air experts began examining a part, known as a flaperon, that already had been identified as coming from a Boeing 777. It was found on a beach on the French island of Reunion a week ago. A French prosecutor stopped short of confirming that the part came from the missing plane, but said it appeared likely. Kim Willsher/Los Angeles Times
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LOT Polish Airlines now accepts bitcoins as payment -- Star Alliance member LOT Polish Airlines has joined the small but growing group of airlines that list the software-based currency bitcoin alongside Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and other payment options for tickets on the airline's website and mobile app. "It's just the matter of time when payments with the online currency will become as popular as using credit cards today," said Jiri Marek, LOT executive director for sales and distribution, in a statement, "We notice this potential, which is why we are one of the first airlines in the world to give its passengers the possibility of paying with bitcoins." Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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Alaska hunters voice concerns over airlines' new hunting trophy policies -- Delta, American and United airlines are changing their policies when it comes to shipping certain hunting trophies from Africa, but that raises larger questions about possible impacts in Alaska and has some concerned. Delta Air Lines, which serves Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks, announced Monday it will no longer accept lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies and will "review acceptance policies of other hunting trophies with appropriate government agencies and other organizations supporting legal shipments." Suzanna Caldwell/Alaska Dispatch News
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WestJet Airlines Ltd pilots vote against plan to form union -- The unionization drive by pilots at WestJet Airlines Ltd. has fizzled out for now after the majority of pilots rejected certification in a close vote. The WestJet Professional Pilots Association said Wednesday that of the 1,247 pilots who voted, 55 per cent said no to unionization, allowing the company to preserve its status as the only major Canadian airline without a union. "The majority of WestJet pilots have decided that they do not wish to pursue certification at this time," the association, which was created by a group of pro-union pilots, said in a posting on its Facebook page. Kristine Owram/Financial Post
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Republic Airways CFO is quitting as of Sept. 1 -- Republic Airways chief financial officer Timothy P. Dooley is resigning as of Sept. 1 "to pursue other interests," the regional airline said Wednesday evening. Dooley, a 17-year employee who was named CFO in 2011, will be replaced immediately by Joe Allman, who is stepping up from vice president of finance and treasurer. Allman will also have the title of senior vice president, while Dooley is an executive vice president. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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A new trick for cheap flights to Europe -- T.F. Green Airport, near Providence, R.I., doesn't have a single nonstop flight to Dallas or anywhere else west of the Mississippi River. But it does offer flights to Europe this summer, with Condor Airlines flying a widebody Boeing 767 to Frankfurt twice a week. Coach prices are roughly half what Lufthansa and other airlines charge from Boston or New York. Business class on Condor is only a few hundred dollars more than coach rather than several thousand dollars more on big international airlines. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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TSA wants Twitter talk-back program -- The Transportation Security Administration wants a direct line to the public, according to a recent sources-sought notice. TSA's Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs wants to create a new Twitter account, @AskTSA, to respond directly to customer complaints and questions. TSA posted the notice in late June with a response window of just a few days. Michael Hardy/Federal Times
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Aviation funding bill up in the air -- The unfinished debate over highway funding in Congress is likely to ground hopes for passing a new funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA bill, which includes funding for air traffic controllers, is scheduled to expire Sept. 30. But Congress is expected to return its focus on highways upon returning to Washington next month, because lawmakers punted debate on a long-term surface transportation-funding bill into October before leaving for their August recess. Air travel advocates are worried that the twin cliffs will mean aviation will get the short end of the stick when lawmakers return to Washington. Keith Laing/The Hill
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FAA plan to cut weather-watchers at Fresno Yosemite airport on hold -- A plan by the Federal Aviation Administration to shut down weather observation offices at Fresno Yosemite International Airport and 56 other airports around the U.S. appears to be on hold. But after an abandoned effort two years ago to transfer weather-watching chores to tower controllers, the trained and certified weather observers who work as contractors to the FAA believe they still have a target on their backs. Tim Sheehan/Fresno Bee
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Los Angeles reaches tentative labor deal with 20,000 city employees -- City officials have reached a tentative contract agreement with the unions representing more than half Los Angeles' civilian workforce, bringing within reach the conclusion to more than a year of tense bargaining and sharp rhetoric over public-employee pay. The deal, which must still be approved by the City Council and union members, holds the line against higher spending in key areas, deferring city workers' raises and taking strides toward cost-saving pension reforms. Peter Jamison/Los Angeles Times Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News
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