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Planes bump into each other at LAX -- Two passenger planes bumped into each other Sunday evening on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, according to CBS Los Angeles, but nobody was hurt and the only casualties appeared to be about 340 passengers' schedules. United Airlines Flight 199 came into contact with an Alaska Airlines jet near Terminal 7 after landing from New Jersey. The Alaska jet was being pushed back from the gate prior to takeoff at the time. CBS News AP ABC7 KTLA City News Service
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American Airlines accidentally flew the wrong plane from L.A. to Hawaii last month -- In late August, American Airlines accidentally flew the wrong plane from Los Angeles to Hawaii, a mix-up that violated Federal Aviation Administration regulations. The mistake, first reported by aviation blogger Brian Sumers, occurred on Aug. 31 - just days after the airline began flying Airbus A321 planes on the L.A. to Hawaii route (other planes in American Airlines' fleet have long flown this route). A spokesman for the airline confirmed to The Washington Post that a version of the A321 plane that was not certified to make long flights over water - as on the route between Los Angeles and Hawaii - was accidentally flown that day. Abby Phillip/Washington Post BrianSumers.com CBS LA ABC News CNN Sydney Morning Herald Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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It just got harder to hop another flight when yours is grounded -- Two of the world's three largest airlines, American and Delta, will no longer exchange passengers to help them reach their destinations in bad weather or during other disruptions. Delta wants more money from the larger airline than American is willing to pay. The "interline" agreement between the two ends Sept. 15, although tickets already sold for trips beyond that date will be honored. Such agreements allow for multi-segment tickets on two airlines-for example, flying Delta from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and then American from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Justin Bachman/Bloomberg Businessweek Cranky Flier: Delta's Reason For Killing Its Interline Agreement With American Makes No Sense
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Germany orders United Airlines flight to San Francisco back over bomb threat; nothing found -- A United Airlines flight to San Francisco was ordered back shortly after takeoff from Frankfurt airport Friday because of a bomb threat, German authorities said. After the jet landed back in Frankfurt, all luggage and people on board were searched but no explosives were found, a German federal police spokesman said. Nobody was detained in the incident. "Police received a threat notice warning of a bomb attack," spokesman Christian Altenhofen told The Associated Press. "We ordered the plane back to Frankfurt, where it landed safely." AP
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Why do airlines choose routes? It's not always about $ -- When an airline decides where and when to fly its planes, there's often a lot more at stake than just the bottom line. The final choice of routes can be controversial, as United Continental's recently ousted CEO discovered after allegations surfaced that the company initiated money-losing, nonstop service as a personal favor to a New York-area airport official. But as the airline industry has sharply consolidated over the last decade, the battle for air service has become the subject of intense political and legal pressures from cities, local airports, politicians and businesses. John W. Schoen/CNBC
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Man urinates on fellow passengers aboard flight, police say -- Oregon man faces charges after authorities say he urinated on passengers on a flight from Anchorage to Portland, Ore. Jeff Rubin, 27, was arrested early Friday after JetBlue Flight 47 arrived at Portland International Airport, KOIN-TV reported. A police report says passengers and airline employees told officers Rubin had been sleeping for most of the flight. About 30 minutes before landing, they said, he stood up and began urinating through the crack between the seats in front of him - and onto the passengers sitting there. AP
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Landing the airline stories: Reporter Terry Maxon reflects on his long career -- When one thinks about the really big personalities of the airline industry over the last 25 years, three names stand out for me: Robert L. Crandall, Herbert D. Kelleher and Gordon Bethune. It was my fortune to cover all three, Crandall and Kelleher more so than Bethune. Covering Crandall and Kelleher were highlights for an airline reporter. Although fierce competitors, they are very good friends - and as different as night and day. Crandall is tough, blunt and demanding; Kelleher is gregarious, affable and genuine. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Hollywood pilot, film pioneer Alan D. Purwin from San Fernando Valley killed in Colombia on Tom Cruise film -- A Hidden Hills pilot killed during filming for a Tom Cruise movie was remembered Saturday as a pioneer in the aerial cinematography industry and a generous philanthropist. Alan D. Purwin, a helicopter pilot, aerial film operator and founder of Helinet Aviation in Van Nuys, was killed along with Carlos Berl, a Colombian, according to The Associated Press. A third person, pilot Jimmy Lee of Georgia, was rushed to a hospital in Medellin, where he was in intensive care. Dana Bartholomew/Los Angeles Daily News
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It could be Halloween before Uber can pick you up at LAX -- On Aug. 25 the L.A. City Council voted once and for all to open LAX's upper level to ride-hailing pickups, which previously had been outlawed. This means that UberX, Lyft, Sidecar and other app-based companies that let everyday drivers use their cars to make extra cash can be hailed via smartphone at our international airport. It's a good thing for all you Uber fans out there, we know. But it's not happening immediately. The ride-hailing companies were free to submit applications to pick up at LAX following that vote, but the firms have been moving slowly. Dennis Romero/LA Weekly
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Officials: Partnership with UCLA raises awareness of Bob Hope Airport -- Heading into its third year, an agreement that made Bob Hope the official airport of the Rose Bowl Stadium and UCLA Athletics has raised awareness of the Burbank airfield, but officials aren't sure how that translates into its recent passenger increases. Promotions for the "airport closest to the goal line" have gone before millions of television viewers and more than 500,000 spectators in the stadium, including during a 2014 football season that saw the highest attendance numbers in 20 years. Chad Garland/Burbank Leader
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Once cleared for takeoff, Sacramento airport tower project on hold -- After working with the federal government for nearly a decade to replace the air traffic control tower at Sacramento International Airport, local officials received an abrupt message earlier this year: Build it yourself. The new tower had been in the airport's master plan since 2007. The Federal Aviation Administration had spent $2 million to pay for an environmental assessment and a design, which was completed in June. Curtis Tate/Idaho Statesman
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Seattle workers picket aviation contractor over labor issues -- Baggage handlers, cabin cleaners and ramp workers employed by Alaska Airlines contractor Menzies Aviation have walked off the job at Sea-Tac International Airport. The workers are picketing Friday to protest what they say is unfair labor practices - including intimidation, threats and harassment - by their employer. The Menzies Aviation workers also say they're demanding a safe workplace. They plan to picket all day Friday and hold a 10 a.m. rally where they'll be joined by community leaders. AP
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Airport concessionaires start jostling to win Midway contract -- Airport concession companies are circling Midway International Airport, drawn in by the prospect of controlling nearly 70,000 square feet of shopping space at the Southwest Side facility. The city's Department of Aviation is teeing up a $248 million remake of the airport that includes transforming food and dining there, as well as expanding the property's parking garage and upgrading its security checkpoints. Micah Maidenberg/Crain's Chicago Business
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The world's largest airports' growth slowed in 2014 but Istanbul booms, Dubai takes #1 international -- Airports Council International has released the latest edition of the World Airport Traffic Report covering over 2,200 airports in more than 160 countries. Passenger numbers increased by 5.7% in 2014, to over 6.7 billion. The global order is shifting, as airports in the Middle East and Asia continue their ascendance. Dubai finally took on the role of largest international airport in the world, even despite the closure of one of its two runways for some weeks. CAPA
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Florida in middle of port, airport building. Is it enough? -- With Florida on pace to host a record 100 million visitors this year, the state's tourism infrastructure is being challenged like never before. Florida's four large-hub airports and five major seaports are undergoing billions of dollars in renovations and construction, but some experts says Florida will have to adapt to even further increases in demand to remain competitive. Tourism is the state's biggest industry. Mike Schneider/AP
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Is Chicago's hometown airline a criminal? -- United Airlines doesn't have the best reputation among customers, employees or investors, but it's never been known as a criminal organization. As federal prosecutors probe the firm's actions in Newark, N.J., the carrier now must stare down that ugly possibility. The Chicago-based airline could be exposed to a range of criminal charges-including bribery-for reinstating a route from Newark Liberty Airport to Columbia, S.C., in 2012. Known as the "chairman's flight," United may have re-established the unprofitable route at the behest of David Samson, the former chairman of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey who had a vacation home nearby, according to Bloomberg News. Micah Maidenberg/Crain's Chicago Business
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The friendly skies meet 'The Sopranos' -- Whether it is better to give than to receive, as everyone knows, depends on whether the charge being contemplated is bribery or extortion. On that question may hang the fate of Jeff Smisek, dismissed this week from his job as United Airlines CEO in a manner that suggested he had become a liability to his shareholders, not that the company had discovered something awful in response to subpoenas from a U.S. attorney in New Jersey. One loser already is New Jersey governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie. Holman W. Jenkins, Jr./Wall Street Journal
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Newark-Columbia flight scandal 'surreal' to airport director -- In January 2012, the executive director of Columbia Metropolitan Airport was at the Chicago headquarters of United Airlines, trying to buck up service between South Carolina's capital and the Windy City. But during the meeting - out of the blue and to Dan Mann's surprise - the United schedulers offered an unlikely new route to Newark, N.J., their lucrative hub. The officials said they had an "aircraft utilization" need - meaning they had an aircraft that was being underused and they wanted to add a Thursday night flight from New Jersey to Columbia and Monday morning flight from Columbia to New Jersey. Jeff Wilkinson/The (Columbia, S.C.) State
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Former United CEO may enjoy new, wider first-class seat -- Days after United Airlines Chief Executive Jeff Smisek resigned amid a federal corruption investigation, the carrier announced plans to install new, extra-spacious seats for first-class passengers in more than 200 aircraft. The timing is interesting given that Smisek left the airline with free first-class flights for life on top of nearly $5 million in separation pay and 60,000 shares of stock. The new leather-bound seats, created with the help of the London design firm PriestmanGood, are 21.1 inches wide, nearly an inch wider that the current first-class seat on United's narrow body planes. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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FAA contractor sentenced to 12 1/2 years for fire at key Aurora radar center -- Dan Palmer was driving a rental car through the night, desperately trying to get back to Illinois from Texas before his sister died of colon cancer, but somewhere east of Tulsa, Okla., he got the call that he was too late. Palmer at first had planned to fly back, but his flight had been canceled in Dallas a day after a fire at a key Aurora radar tower plunged the nation's air travel system into chaos. On Friday, Palmer sobbed in Chicago's federal courthouse as he turned toward Brian Howard, the Naperville man who sabotaged the facility last September, and told him how he robbed him of a chance to say goodbye to his sister, Pam. Jason Meisner/Chicago Tribune
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How a Boeing sales flop became the world's hottest secondhand jetliner -- Nine years after production ended for Boeing Co.'s 717 jetliner, the former sales dud is one of the most sought-after aircraft in the world. Boeing built just 155 of the 100-seaters, and most are near the age when airlines start thinking about a trade-in. But valuations and lease rates are soaring thanks to a mix of cheap fuel, Boeing's $1.5 billion bet on ensuring the model stays in service and Delta Air Lines Inc.'s decision to use the plane as a replacement for its smallest regional jets. Julie Johnsson/Bloomberg Business
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Boeing, Japanese airline unveil Dreamliner painted like Star Wars' droid R2-D2 -- Star Wars theme music played and Storm Troopers held guard as the hangar doors began to open. Within moments, a Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" painted with likeness of R2-D2 emerged to a cheering crowd at Boeing's wide-body assembly line facility in Everett, Wash. The airplane featuring images of the loyal droid from the Star Wars franchise belongs to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways and will begin flying paying passengers Oct. 18. The jet's first revenue flight is scheduled for a run between Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Vancouver, Canada. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Freight forwarder loses ground on Wall Street -- When UTi Worldwide Inc. reported second-quarter earnings that fell well short of analyst estimates last year, investors were relatively forgiving. Not this time. The Long Beach freight-forwarder Sept. 3 reported a loss of $70.7 million (minus 70 cents a share) on $914 million in sales for the quarter ended July 31. Analysts had anticipated a much more modest loss of 5 cents a share on higher revenue of $1.05 billion. The poor performance sent shares down 11 percent to close at $6.08 for the week ended Sept. 9. Cale Ottens/Los Angeles Business Journal
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L.A. gets another rival in competition to host 2024 Summer Olympics -- Another city has joined Los Angeles in the competition to host the 2024 Summer Games. As expected, Rome formally submitted its bid to the International Olympic Committee on Friday, just days after Hamburg, Germany, also entered. "The Olympics must be the opportunity to bring forth a new vision of the city, rooted in history and in the regeneration of what is in existence," Italian Olympic officials said in a statement. Paris and Los Angeles appear to be the front-runners in a group that includes Budapest, Hungary. David Wharton/Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles gets greener with promise to lease more electric vehicles -- Soon, Los Angeles will become even more sustainable with a commitment by Mayor Eric Garcetti and city departments to lease green energy vehicles. Garcetti, speaking at a news conference Friday outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, announced a commitment to lease 160 pure battery EV vehicles, which he said will give L.A. the largest pure EV fleet in the nation. Brittny Mejia/Los Angeles Times
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United Airlines 1970 TV Spot
With Vocal by Glenn Yarbrough
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