|
|
|
|
United Airlines customer dissatisfaction festers, 5 years after merger -- The merger of Continental Airlines and United Airlines in 2010 was supposed to combine Continental's reputation for solid customer service with the broader reach of United's domestic and international network. Instead, the five-year-old marriage has turned into an exercise in frustration for United fliers, with frequent delays, canceled flights and lost bags. Jad Mouawad & Martha C. White/New York Times
|
What can airline passengers do about bad behavior? -- On Friday, CNN reported that a JetBlue passenger en route from Anchorage to Portland, Ore., stood up and urinated on passengers sitting in front of him and others around him. When the plane landed, he was arrested by Portland police, charged with criminal mischief and offensive littering, two misdemeanors, and later released. In the annals of bad flights, this one certainly ranks among the most disgusting, but it is not a total outlier. Elaine Glusac/New York Times
|
Fliers describe chaotic scene that caused American flight to divert -- Police on Tuesday identified the woman arrested for a violent outburst that forced a Chicago-bound American Airlines flight to divert to Indianapolis a day earlier. Daniela Velez-Reyes, 25, Chicago, remained in custody at the Marion County Jail Tuesday afternoon, according to the Indianapolis Star. An Indianapolis Airport Police report said Velez-Reyes was arrested on suspicion of battery, disorderly conduct, criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today; Michael Anthony Adams & Justin L. Mack/Indianapolis Star
|
American Airlines' new operations center in Fort Worth is a high-tech wonderland -- A tour of American Airlines new operations center in Fort Worth reveals a high-tech wonderland. American chief executive Doug Parker said today called it the "nerve center" of the airline. The $88 million, 24/7 operations center is the brain of the world's largest airline. American will oversee all operations - from flight dispatch and air traffic control to customer service and emergency response - from the building for more than 1 million flights a year and over 140 million customers. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
|
American Airlines CEO still is considering a HQ move, but will stay in Dallas-Fort Worth -- American Airlines CEO Doug Parker today said the carrier still is determining "whether it makes sense to build a new headquarters," but it will remain in the Dallas-Fort Worth area no matter what. Last fall, the Fort Worth-based airline said it was looking at the possibility of building a new headquarters. In November, a mystery company was in secret talks with Irving officials about moving its headquarters and thousands of employees to the former Texas Stadium site where the Dallas Cowboys once played. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
|
American reports record traffic, capacity, load factors in August -- Fort Worth-based American Airlines Group Inc. on Thursday reported record traffic, capacity and load factors in August. American said that total revenue passenger miles were 21 billion, up 5 percent from August 2014. The airline reported that total capacity was 24.3 billion available seat miles, which is up 2.7 percent from the same month a year ago. Total passenger load factor was 86.5 percent, which American said was up 1.9 percent from August 2014. Lance Murray/Dallas Business Journal
|
Frontier Airlines' footprint down 43 percent in Denver -- Frontier Airlines has made good on promises to cut back service at Denver International Airport. However, despite a 43 percent reduction in the Denver-based airline's hometown footprint over the past year, DIA has mitigated much of the potential fiscal fallout and says it is on pace to match record passenger numbers logged last year. The number of passengers traveling through DIA in July declined by about 1 percent over the same time last year "primarily due to a decrease in seat capacity by Frontier Airlines," the airport said in a report released Friday. Laura Keeney/Denver Post
|
Airline grounds 130 crew members over their BMIs -- At Air India, luggage isn't the only thing getting weighed before takeoff: The airline is relegating around 130 of its flight attendants to ground duty after they failed to meet body mass index (BMI) guidelines issued by the country's aviation regulator. Last year, the state-run airline warned about 600 of its 3,000 cabin crew members that their BMIs were too high and they had six months to slim down to the acceptable ranges of 18 to 25 for men and 18 to 22 for women. Susan Rinkunas/New York Magazine
|
Tri-Cities Airport expected to add daily direct LA flights next year -- The Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco (Wash.) could begin offering daily direct flights to Los Angeles next June. The airport has been awarded a $750,000 federal grant to attract an airline to provide the service. More than $300,000 in local matching funds also was raised. The money will help with start-up costs, marketing and revenue guarantees for the airline that steps up. Sara Schilling/Tri-City Herald
|
Flight Deal of the Day: Get from L.A. to Bangkok for under $500 -- Great news! If you've been considering a trip to Asia this fall, Air China just unveiled a round of airfare deals from major cities in the United States. Some of those routes include Los Angeles to Hong Kong for $564, Los Angeles to Bangkok for $475, San Francisco to New Delhi for $415, San Francisco to Seoul for $631, and New York City to Taipei for $607. In order to get these fares, head to Air China's website and search for a wide range of dates: most of the offers are on select dates between September and November. Lilit Marcus/Conde Nast Traveler
|
FAA slaps Cleveland Hopkins Airport with $735K fine for unsafe runway conditions in snowstorms -- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport has been slapped with $735,000 in fines for violating an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to adequately staff snow removal teams and deice runways - causing unsafe conditions and forcing planes to divert to other airports. In four letters sent Monday to Acting Director of Airports Fred Szabo, FAA officials listed dozens of dates when staffing at Hopkins fell far short of requirements, leaving inches of snow and ice uncleared from the taxiways and runways. Leila Atassi/Northeast Ohio Media Group
|
Hidden cameras reveal Miami airport workers stealing from luggage -- Inside a plane at Miami International Airport, baggage handlers are going on a shopping spree with passengers' bags. What they don't know is that they are being recorded on a hidden camera. The Miami-Dade Police Department set up the camera as part of an ongoing police investigation into luggage thefts by the very airport workers who are supposed to get bags safely onto planes. "It's a problem we all face," said police Lt. Pete Estis. Scott Zamost, Drew Griffin & Curt Devine/CNN
|
MH370: 'White object' spotted near Malaysia Airlines wing find -- French authorities are searching the Indian Ocean for apparent debris spotted by a jet pilot near where a wing part from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was discovered. An Air France official said a crew from their airline reported seeing something white floating in water about 56 kilometres north of Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean. The regional administration for the French island said on Tuesday that a military plane searched the area, but despite clear skies and seas, did not find anything. AP
|
Whistleblowing FAA controllers reveal safety risk that could cause planes to collide -- Five air traffic controllers have exposed a problem that is putting planes at risk of colliding or accidents due to wake turbulence, a federal whistleblower protection office said Tuesday. The problem occurs when pilots, air traffic control centers or airline dispatchers try to make changes to a flight plan by creating a second plan for the same flight, according to letters sent to the White House and Congress by the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency. Joan Lowy/AP
|
FAA declares no-drone zones for Papal visit -- Drones are unwelcome as Pope Francis visits his flock this month in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The Federal Aviation Administration designated all three areas no-drone zones to prohibit remote-controlled flights from Sept. 22 through Sept. 27. The prohibition is part of broader restrictions to limit unscheduled flights around the Pope's various events as a security precaution. "If you plan to attend any of the Papal visit events, please leave your drone at home," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said. Bart Jansen/USA Today
|
Apollo Astronaut Jim Lovell, to receive 2015 Howard Hughes Memorial Award from Aero Club of Southern California -- James A. Lovell, Jr. has been selected by the Aero Club of Southern California to receive the 2015 Howard Hughes Memorial Award. Established in 1978 by the Hughes family, the Award is presented annually to an aerospace leader whose accomplishments have contributed significantly to the advancement of aviation or space technology. Lovell will receive his Award at a banquet at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, February 10, 2016. Aero Club of Southern California
|
|
|
|
Boeing to offer ViaSat broadband service on new aircraft -- Airlines will be able to have satellite broadband terminals installed on new aircraft as a factory option, after satellite broadband supplier ViaSat signed an agreement to make its in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity system available on all new Boeing commercial airliners. Under the terms of the deal, ViaSat's Ka-band airborne satellite hardware will be evaluated as a factory option for Boeing aircraft prior to delivery, which means aircraft will come off the production line with broadband connectivity ready for immediate service. Alex Scroxton/Computer Weekly
|
L.A.'s newest police commissioner elected board's president -- Less than two minutes after taking his seat as L.A.'s newest police commissioner, Matt Johnson was elected president on Tuesday of the five-member panel tasked with overseeing the LAPD. The 47-year-old entertainment lawyer said he was "honored and humbled" to join the board, calling the Police Commission "the most important commission in the city of Los Angeles, particularly at this moment in history." Kate Mather/Los Angeles Times
|
L.A's road diet leaves some hungry for workable solutions -- When we talk about traffic in Los Angeles, we generally bicker about how slowly it moves, and we demand to know when someone at City Hall is going to do something about it. Well, city officials have finally responded, but not in the way you might have expected. On many streets, they're trying to slow traffic down, not speed it up. Steve Lopez/Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
|
|
|
