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City audit uncovers big cost increases for new LAX Bradley terminal -- A city audit has uncovered an unusually high level of cost increases for LAX's new Tom Bradley International Terminal -- the centerpiece of a multibillion-dollar modernization of the aging airport. The Los Angeles city controller's office, which sampled 30 projects across city government, revealed Thursday that Los Angeles World Airports paid almost 67% more for several construction contracts related to the Bradley work than it originally agreed to pay. According to the audit, the contracts were supposed to total about $621 million, but the airport department ended up paying about $1.04 billion due to change orders. Dan Weikel/Los Angeles Times City News Service Official Audit
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ONTARIO AIRPORT: Interim fixes end 2 days of major electrical problems -- After running at "bare minimum operations" during its second day of major electrical problems, Ontario International Airport restored full power to two passenger terminals, the terminal parking lots and its rental car facility, airport officials say. "The return to normal terminal operations is anticipated over the next few hours and includes the re-establishment of all airline services and food-and-beverage offerings," airport spokeswoman Maria Tesorio said in a written statement issued Thursday afternoon, Sept. 17. Ali Tadayon/Riverside Press-Enterprise
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Terminal evacuated at Ontario Airport over suspicious luggage -- Travelers are being let back into LA/Ontario International Airport following a brief evacuation when a police dog became suspicious about a piece of luggage. Airport police Officer Alicia Hernandez says the evacuation was lifted around 7:15 a.m. Thursday after the bag was cleared and its owner was found. Hernandez says the K-9 sniffed out the bag earlier and identified it as suspicious. Terminal 4 was evacuated as police searched for the bag's owner. Hernandez didn't immediately know of any flight delays as a result. AP/CBS LA
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Palm Springs council approves $110,000 for airlines -- Two airlines offering new and expanded service to Palm Springs International Airport have been awarded up to $110,000 in incentive grants. The Palm Springs City Council enthusiastically awarded JetBlue a $50,000 grant for its decision to offer seasonal, non-stop service between Palm Springs and New York. The five-day-a-week flights are set to begin in mid-January to May 1. The council also approved a similar air-service incentive grant for WestJet, the popular Canadian carrier, for its expanded service to Toronto. Skip Descant/Desert Sun
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Newport Beach resident's 'Destination Art' exhibit on display at John Wayne Airport -- From now through October 15, John Wayne Airport is featuring a collection of Sherry Marger's landscape paintings entitled 'Destination Art' as part of JWA's Community Focus Space Program. The paintings can be viewed on the Departure (upper) Level near the security screening areas in Terminals A, B and C, and on the Arrival (lower) Level adjacent to Baggage Carousels 1 and 4. As a studio artist, Marger uses acrylic paints in an impressionistic style to interpret the photographs she has taken on her many travels. JWA News Release
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San Jose airport to receive $1.5 million to study airfield safety -- In another victory for the Mineta San Jose International Airport, congressional leaders announced Thursday the airport is one of the first to receive nearly $1.5 million in federal funding to study improvements to airfield safety. "Our airfield was designed to standards from many years ago, and the FAA has since updated those standards," said airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes. "Now we'll be one of the first airports to undergo this study to see what airfield changes, if any, need to be made here." Ramona Giwargis/San Jose Mercury News
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Flying through Denver International Airport in late September? Try the beer garden. -- If you're flying through Denver International Airport in the next 10 days, you might want to check out the main terminal's pop up beer garden. Denver is bringing back the popular seasonal attraction starting Saturday, and it will run through Sept. 27. It'll run daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. I believe this takes place in the non-secure area of the airport, so unless you start or end your trip in Denver, you'll have to have a long layover to stop for beer. BrianSumers.com
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A high-speed rail from L.A. to Las Vegas? China says it's partnering with U.S. to build -- For decades private developers and entrepreneurs have periodically announced bold plans to run high-speed trains between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. None have gotten anywhere because they lacked money or suffered other setbacks. On Thursday, however, one long-discussed proposal appeared to gain some intriguing support. Officials for XpressWest, which has been unable to secure adequate private investors in the United States or a $5.5-billion federal loan, announced that it had formed a partnership with China Railway International USA, a consortium led by China Railway, the national railroad of the People's Republic of China. Julie Makinen & Dan Weikel/Los Angeles Times
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Dem bill would give TSA screeners police officer benefits -- A Democratic representative is introducing legislation to give Transportation Security Administration screeners benefits that are similar to police officers and firefighters. Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) said armed attacks at airport security checkpoints in Los Angeles and New Orleans in the last two years show the need for TSA workers to receive protections that are similar to other public safety employees. "Transportation Security Officers are often the first line of defense against threats to our aviation, railways, ports, and transportation systems," she said in a statement. Keith Laing/The Hill
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At United, meet the new boss, same as the old boss -- United Airlines hired a new intern last week and on Tuesday he wrote to tens of millions of members of the MileagePlus program. He promised to learn all about running airlines, promoting teamwork and satisfying customers. The problem? The new intern is Oscar Munoz and he's the boss of the joint, hired in a panic to run the listing carrier that trails the industry in virtually all financial, operational and customer-satisfaction metrics. Joe Brancatelli/The Business Journals
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American stops flights at 3 airports, problems soon resolved -- American Airlines says it has fixed a technology problem that was grounding flights to and from Dallas, Chicago and Miami on Thursday. American spokesman Casey Norton said the airline did not immediately know the cause of the outage, which began around 11 a.m. CDT and lasted nearly two hours. Flights on both American and its regional affiliate, American Eagle, were halted. David Koenig/AP
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U.S. airline CEOs to meet with Kerry on Gulf carriers -- U.S. airline leaders met with Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday to argue for American action on subsidies that they allege three Gulf carriers have received, according to a State Department official. The 1:30 p.m. ET meeting, listed on a public schedule, marked the first time the chief executives of Delta Air Lines Inc and American Airlines Group Inc have won time with Kerry in a months-long crusade to persuade the Obama administration to talk with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates about curbing alleged unfair competition from the Gulf. Reuters
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Delta Air Lines giving 14.5% raise to many of its employees -- Pay raises are coming for many Delta Air Lines employees. The carrier said Wednesday it will boost base pay by 14.5% for many of its employees. The carrier also will up its match on employee 401(k) contributions from 5% to 6%. The Seattle Times says "the changes affect all Delta employees except top executives plus two unionized groups with separate contracts: some 13,000 pilots and a couple of hundred dispatchers." Overall, about 80,000 employees work for Delta worldwide. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Republic's feud with pilots union highlights industry strains -- The worsening feud between Republic Airways Holdings Inc. and its pilots union highlights strains across the U.S. regional-airline industry, which is contending with a sudden pilot shortage just as business is being crimped by major carriers reducing commuter flights to some smaller airports. Regional carriers, while far less well known than big mainline airlines, are enormously important to U.S. fliers. Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal
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Southwest Airlines tops list of 8 airline perks 'you've never heard of' -- Southwest Airlines offers three of the eight airline perks "you've never heard of" posted earlier this week by The Huffington Post. Since Dallas is the home base of Southwest and the Dallas-Fort Worth area is a major aviation community, some of you may scoff at the "never heard of" label give to the airline's three perks. They are: 1. Southwest's Companion Pass: This "pass" lets one person - a family member, friend or anyone - travel with you on any flight for free (not including minor taxes and fees of about $5.60). Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
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Poll: 55 percent of voters oppose FAA privatization plan -- Fifty-five percent of voters are opposed to a Republican plan to privatize some facets of the nation's air traffic control system, according to a new poll released on Thursday. GOP leaders in the House have pushed to create a private air traffic control organization that would be separate from the FAA as the agency struggles to meet deadlines for upgrading the flight navigation system. Keith Laing/The Hill
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Reaching beyond airport boundaries -- An increasing number of general aviation airports and businesses are realizing the benefits of addressing complex economic challenges and opportunities together. Close collaboration and communication among the airport and its key stakeholders are catalysts for positive economic growth. When airport sponsors, tenants, public officials, and local business and community leaders work jointly to achieve a common goal, a strong public-private "business support team" is formed. Curt Castagna/Airport Magazine
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Man attempts to steal jet at Texas airport, police say -- A man with a history of mental illness attempted to hijack a Learjet after crashing through a security gate at Waco Regional Airport in Texas on Thursday, police said. The suspect, whose identity was withheld, attempted to steal the jet after breaking into a secured area of the airport about noon, according to a statement issued by Waco police. An officer approached the man, who was brandishing a stick, as he was trying to enter the jet. The officer struck the man with a stun gun several times when he refused to back away from the jet, police said. James Queally/Los Angeles Times
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Expedia-Orbitz deal gains antitrust clearance -- The Justice Department granted antitrust clearance on Wednesday to Expedia Inc.'s $1.3 billion takeover of rival online travel agent Orbitz Worldwide Inc., saying the deal was unlikely to hurt competition. The clearance represents the last major regulatory hurdle for the deal. Bill Baer, the department's antitrust chief, said the department investigated concerns raised by third parties about the deal. "At the end of this process, however, we concluded that the acquisition is unlikely to harm competition and consumers," he said. Brent Kendall & Drew Fitzgerald/Wall Street Journal
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GE to expand aviation operations overseas amid Ex-Im bank debate -- General Electric Co. said Thursday that its aviation unit would expand operations in Europe, Brazil and Canada, as the company continues to shift more American jobs overseas, citing the failure of the U.S. government to reauthorize the U.S. Export-Import Bank. GE has said the lapse of the charter of the export-financing agency, which congressional Republicans have singled out as an example of corporate welfare, forces the company to move facilities overseas or risk losing contracts for turbines, power projects and other industrial equipment. Ezequiel Minaya/Wall Street Journal
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Sepulveda Boulevard built under LAX -- Construction of the north portal of the Sepulveda Boulevard tunnel underneath Los Angeles International Airport was underway on October 15, 1952. Staff photographer Art Rogers' image appeared in the Oct. 26, 1952, Los Angeles Times. Charles Hillinger reported: Detour days are numbered for drivers who by-pass the International Airport along Sepulveda Blvd. The six-lane divided highway tunnel structure is complete except for ventilating and lighting facilities and an inside and portal paint project. By March 15 of next year, a scant five months hence, traffic will flow in and out of the 1910-foot tunnel under the major twin runways and twin taxiways of the airport. That's if everything continues to go along on schedule, of course. ... The tunnel opened a month late. Dedication ceremonies were on April 21, 1953. Scott Harrison/Los Angeles Times
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New L.A. councilman eyes ban on business, union donations to candidates -- A Los Angeles lawmaker wants the Ethics Commission to explore banning campaign contributions from businesses, unions and other groups, arguing that it would prevent hard-to-trace donations from flowing to city candidates. But it's not clear whether the plan will even receive a full hearing at City Hall, where City Councilman David Ryu needs at least one other council member to sign on to introduce the proposed changes for consideration. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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