|
|
|
|
Airline fears of pilot shortage spark Congress fight over required training -- The regional airlines that provide half the country's flights want Congress to reduce a requirement that all commercial pilots have 1,500 hours of flight time when Federal Aviation Administration legislation is renewed later this year, but families of air crash victims plan to fight back. Regional carriers contend the congressional requirement caused a pilot shortage and forced them to cancel flights. Airlines have complained for years about difficulty finding trained pilots to hire. But pilots say airlines would have no trouble finding qualified pilots if they hiked starting salaries. Bart Jansen/USA Today
|
United says it is working hard to become more 'flyer-friendly' -- Despite years of substantial hiccups and challenges after its merger with Continental Airlines, United Airlines insists it is committed to delivering on the original promise of 'the Friendly Skies.' "After the merger we really take a step back to see what we wanted our brand promise to be: the world's most flyer-friendly airline," United's Managing Director, Marketing and Product Development, Mark Krolick, tells Skift. "Everything we're doing is all supporting that idea." Marisa Garcia/Skift
|
Qantas boss Alan Joyce triples pay to $12m as airline's profit recovers -- Qantas Airways chief executive Alan Joyce's total pay packet tripled to nearly $12 million last year as he reaped the rewards of the swift financial turnaround of the airline and its rising share price. His actual take-home pay for the year rose to $6.7 million, up from $2 million the prior year. The total figure, which includes $4.6 million of long-term incentives from share price growth, was up from the $4 million he received a year earlier when the airline reported a record $2.8 billion loss. Mr Joyce's base salary of $2 million had been frozen since 2011 as a result of the carrier's poor performance during that period. Jamie Freed/Sydney Morning Herald
|
Who knows where almost every flight is right now? -- It's 11 o'clock. Does your airline know where your flight is? Maybe not, but a couple of aviation geeks who crowdsourced a global tracking network do. The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in March 2014 left the traveling public dismayed that airlines don't constantly track airplanes. In that vacuum, Flightradar24, based in Stockholm, has become the go-to source of information on tracking planes. The operation relies on volunteers world-wide with 7,500 receivers installed on roofs, towers, islands and ships. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
|
Travel groups seek to ground airline's third-party ticket fee -- Travel groups are seeking to ground a proposal from Lufthansa Airlines to charge passengers an extra fee for booking flights through third-party resources like websites Orbitz and Travelocity. The company is planning to implement a fee of 16 euros, or $18, on tickets booked through other means besides Lufthansa's website , ticket counters and travel agents in September. The Alexandria, Va.-based Global Business Travel Association said the fee, which the company is calling a "distribution cost charge," will drive passengers away from Lufthansa. Keith Laing/The Hill
|
Charter company announces flights from Farmingdale, N.Y. to Cuba -- Travelers who want to see Cuba as it emerges from decades of economic isolation can hop a charter plane from Farmingdale, a charter company announced Thursday. JFI Jets, whose primary bases are at Republic Airport in Farmingdale and Long Beach Airport in California, where it is headquartered, said it has acquired clearances to fly to Cuba. Ken Schachter/Newsday
|
Toronto Pearson passengers stranded after SkyGreece Airlines abruptly suspends service -- SkyGreece Airlines temporarily ceased its operations Thursday, after days of media reports of delayed and cancelled flights to and from Pearson International Airport. Toronto media published a news release from the airline Thursday, stating that the temporary service suspension was prompted by financial setbacks the company faced as a result of the recent Greek economic crisis. Sean Wetselaar & Alison Shouldice/Toronto Star
|
Air traffic control at John Wayne Airport rated low in financial efficiency -- Air traffic control operations at John Wayne Airport are among the least financially efficient when compared with those of airports of similar size nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. A report by the department's inspector general shows that the Federal Aviation Administration-controlled towers at John Wayne used more labor hours and equipment to handle each reviewed operation than more efficient towers at medium-sized hub airports. Hannah Fry/Los Angeles Times
|
With eye on future foreign flights, Vegas airport to grow -- Las Vegas plans to double the number of international gates at McCarran International Airport with the expectation that foreign travel to the destination will climb as officials seek out prized direct flights, particularly with Asia. McCarran International Airport director Rosemary Vassiliadis said Thursday that construction to convert part of an existing link between its D concourse and one of its two terminals into seven additional international gates would begin later this year. Kimberly Pierceall/AP
|
Orlando International's international growth is testament to open skies success, as Emirates enters -- Orlando International Airport is capping off a couple of years of impressive growth in Sep-2015 with the highly anticipated launch by Emirates of new service from Dubai, opening up strategic access for the airport's passengers to the Middle East and Asia. The airport during the last year has also welcomed new service to Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Denmark and Ireland. The service additions reflect the unique ability of Orlando International, a non-hub for the large three US global airlines, to attract international service in the post consolidation era of US aviation. CAPA
|
New leader put in charge of San Antonio airport -- Assistant City Manager Carlos Contreras has been temporarily assigned to be the "primary lead" of San Antonio's aviation department, according to an internal memo City Manager Sheryl Sculley sent to her executive leadership team Tuesday. He will physically work on site at the airport while in that position. The aviation director, Frank Miller, "will report directly" to Contreras and will oversee airfield and other airport operations, the memo said. The city's aviation department controls the San Antonio International Airport and Stinson Municipal Airport. Vianna Davila/San Antonio Express-News
|
Wi-Fi at Indianapolis' airport is so fast it's almost supersonic -- If you're fed up with airport Wi-Fi service, you may want to fly through Indianapolis International Airport. Here's why you'll fall in love with IND, as it's known by its call letters: The Wi-Fi is free, and it claims to be the fastest airport Wi-Fi in the country. The Indiana airport says its Wi-Fi speeds average 40 megabits per second or mbps, eight to 10 times faster than major U.S. airports. And there are no log-ins needed or annoying ads you have to watch before you can connect. Mary Forgione/Los Angeles Times
|
8 major airports in need of a makeover -- Airports are inherently chaotic. The general stress of travel already has everyone on edge, and some airports don't help things much. They are poorly organized with worn-down terminals that come complete with threadbare carpeting, uncomfortable seating. depressing fluorescent lighting and an overall atmosphere straight from the 1980s - or earlier. Luckily, some of the world's most uncomfortable hubs are scheduled for major upgrades in the coming years - a step that should improve the passenger experience. Josh Lew/Mother Nature Network
|
City of Dallas wants federal judge to compel answers from DOT, FAA -- The city of Dallas asked U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade on Thursday to make the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration respond to requests for information in the Dallas Love Field gate dispute. "The Federal Agencies have declined to comply with the City's discovery requests in two respects: The Federal Agencies asserted that they would not provide any discovery because in their view this Court lacks jurisdiction, and they declined to respond to discovery requests on an expedited basis," the city stated in its motion. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
|
FAA approves commercial use of drone paper airplane. Yes. Really. -- In a possible sign of how seriously FAA is taking unmanned aircraft operations in national airspace - or maybe just a sign of how absurd matters have gotten - the FAA yesterday approved the first ever toy powered paper airplane to fly commercially in U.S. airspace. The applicant granted the so-called Section 333 Exemption (named after the section of the federal statute authorizing it) is Peter Sachs, a well-known drone advocate, lawyer and commercial helicopter pilot. John Goglia/Forbes
|
CSC wins $109M FAA cloud contract -- Computer Sciences Corp. has captured a $109 million FAA contract to provide cloud computing services to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA will use the contract to consolidate its data center environment that serves over 47,000 employees and the agencies contractors. While the value is pegged at $109 million, options could push it much higher. CSC bested several competitors including IBM, Lockheed Martin and Hewlett-Packard, according to a source. Nick Wakeman/Washington Technology
|
|
|
|
Analysts question costs in Los Angeles 2024 Olympics bid -- City analysts warned that construction costs for athlete housing in Los Angeles' 2024 Olympic bid may be significantly underestimated. The cost of acquiring land and building an Olympic Village for athletes near downtown Los Angeles "may significantly exceed" the projected $1 billion cost, according to a preliminary report released Thursday from the city's Chief Administrative Officer Miguel Santana and Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso. The report says more study is needed. AP Peter Jamison/Los Angeles Times
|
Olympics bid book says Jerry Brown supported state 'financial guarantee' for 2024 games -- In its pitch to host the 2024 Olympic Games, Los Angeles officials told the U.S. Olympic Committee that Gov. Jerry Brown had "expressed support for a state financial guarantee for the Games." But, one day after that pitch booklet was made public, it is not clear if Brown actually made such a statement. The line was deep in the 218-page "bid book" that Los Angeles Olympics organizers prepared for the U.S. Olympic Committee. Ben Bergman/KQED
|
How L.A.'s 20-year mobility plan could transform the roads around you -- As Los Angeles planners continue to nudge the city toward a denser, more bicycle-, pedestrian- and mass transit-centric future, the City Council passed Mobility Plan 2035 earlier this month, charting a transportation course for the next 20 years. The plan designates hundreds of miles of bicycle and bus lanes, and incorporates changes to many of the city's main arteries such as Sunset, Hollywood and Wilshire boulevards, Van Nuys Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley, and Vermont Avenue stretching from Los Feliz to South L.A. Armand Emamdjomeh/Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
|
|
|
