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Airports blame airlines for aviation-funding standstill -- Airports are blaming airlines' opposition to a proposal increasing the amount of money passengers can be charged to help pay for facility improvements for a standoff in Congress that is threatening federal aviation funding. Airport groups in Washington have been pushing Congress to nearly double the cap on the fee that is added to every plane ticket, which is known as the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), from $4.50 to $8.50. Airlines have countered that passengers are already charged enough fees by the federal government when they purchase airfare. Keith Laing/The Hill
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Burbank Bob Hope Airport awards courtesy shuttle services contract to MV Transportation, Inc. -- The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority awarded a $11.97 million fixed-price, five-year contract to MV Transportation, Inc., for courtesy shuttle services at the Burbank Bob Hope Airport as part of the Airport's continuing effort to provide parking customers and employees with the highest level of safe and efficient parking lot transportation. Bob Hope Airport News Release
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Burbank Airport Center sells for nearly $20 million -- The Burbank Airport Center has changed hands for $19.8 million, or about $220 a square foot. The 90,000-square-foot office building at 2550 Hollywood Way was purchased by Atlantic Pearl Investments Inc. of West Hollywood from a group of Los Angeles investors who acquired the building in 2007, at the peak of the real estate market, and took a loss on its sale. Los Angeles Business Journal
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American Airlines plane has mishap at San Diego airport -- An American Airlines emergency slide accidentally deployed from an airplane parked at San Diego International Airport Sunday afternoon, airport authorities said Monday. A crew member accidentally deployed the aircraft's emergency slide on the right side of the plane Sunday at 1:40 p.m., airport spokeswoman Rebecca Bloomfield said. The slide came to a rest on the Gate Gourmet truck's front loading platform. Fox5 San Diego
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Southwest tests out international terminal set to open at Hobby -- Anne Lewandowski flew in from Dallas early Saturday specifically to do what most travelers dread: go through airport security, wait on the uncomfortable terminal seats, and pass through immigration and customs proceedings. Her reward? A free Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich, lunch from Pappas, and a peek at Hobby Airport's new international concourse. "We're aviation geeks," said the 31-year-old technical writer at Southwest Airlines. "You don't get to see a new airport terminal every day." Lomi Krie/Houston Chronicle
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Atlanta airport searching for new revenue sources -- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is ramping up an effort to find new sources of revenue through a division called ATL Business Ventures. The airport created a new position to lead ATL Business Ventures and hired Cortez Carter, a former executive from Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports, for the job. Carter was managing deputy commissioner with the Chicago Department of Aviation, and more recently worked as vice president of business development for concessionaire SSP. Kelly Yamanouchi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Uber drivers having a 'field' day at airport -- Earlier this month, Sacramento International Airport officials signed an agreement with Uber, the smartphone app-based transportation company, to allow its drivers to pick up passengers at the airport. But there is a catch: To avoid congestion and jostling at the terminals, Uber drivers are not allowed to wait on the airport grounds to pick up a ride. They can only enter airport property when they get a ping on their cellphone telling them a flier is requesting a ride. Tony Bizjak/Sacramento Bee
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Airline-less Delaware airport hopes ad campaign boosts image -- Anyone traveling through New Castle County this month might notice new highway billboards advertising something called Wilmington Airport. No, the ads are not promoting a new facility. They are part of an "awareness" campaign for the state's largest civil airfield - one that just happens to have a rather fluid name. Scott Goss/The News Journal of Wilmington
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What's in a name? Airport authority hopes bonds skirt Wayne County's taint -- What's in a name? Not much, if you ask investors about the Wayne County Airport Authority, which is selling about $588 million of debt Tuesday. The independent agency, which runs the airport serving once-bankrupt Detroit, bears the name of the Michigan county that was just put under state financial oversight after years of declining population and tax collections pushed it toward insolvency. Wells Fargo Asset Management and Columbia Threadneedle Investments say the airport's finances show it's coasting above the distress. Elizabeth Campbell/Bloomberg News
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Delays at Sydney Airport as workers strike over conditions and pay -- Industrial action at Sydney Airport's international terminal has increased waiting times, leaving some passengers frustrated. Border Force and Immigration workers are conducting stop-work action for four hours each day over the coming 10 days, at eight international airports around the country. In Sydney, hundreds of passengers have been confronted by lengthy queues. Brendan Trembath/ABC News 24 Australia
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Airlines rake in $5.5 billion, most profitable quarter since 2007 -- Lower fuel costs and steady travel demand continue to boost the nation's airlines, which enjoyed the most profitable quarter since 2007. Commercial airlines reported net income of $5.5 billion for the three months that ended in June, a 53% increase over the same period last year, according to financial data released Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. That's the highest net income since the carriers collected $5.9 billion in the same period in 2007. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Airlines' privacy policies do little to protect consumers' personal data -- Ever hear of Resolution 787? Me neither, until this industrywide standard was recently pointed out to me. Basically, it's a new system that allows airlines to collect data from passengers and exploit the information for marketing purposes. In April, Democratic lawmakers asked the Department of Transportation to look into whether Resolution 787 does enough to ensure fairness and passengers' privacy. This got me wondering about airline privacy policies in general. How much privacy do they actually guarantee? Not much, it turns out. David Lazarus/Los Angeles Times
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Judge withdraws from BA case after airline loses his luggage -- A judiciary watchdog is investigating a high court judge who complained about his luggage going astray on a flight booked with British Airways while he was overseeing a case involving the airline. Mr Justice Peter Smith mentioned the problem in a written ruling on a case involving allegations of air cargo charges being fixed. He said in the ruling that he had decided to pass the case, which has yet to reach its final stages, to another judge. Press Association
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Crisis of the Week: United Airlines faces turbulence amid federal probe -- This week we look at the statements and actions of United Continental Holdings Inc., which replaced its CEO and two of his top executives amid a continuing corruption investigation by federal prosecutors. The ouster of Jeff Smisek comes as investigators look into whether former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman David Samson used his position to demand favorable treatment or personal benefit from the airline. Ben Dipietro/Wall Street Journal
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United Express flight was delayed by pilots' 'disagreement' -- A weekend flight on United Express was delayed for five hours in Lubbock, Texas, after the pilots got into a "disagreement" and were unavailable to fly the plane, according to the airline. A spokesman for ExpressJet, the regional carrier that operated the plane, said Monday reports indicated that police were called. Airport police did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. David Koenig/AP
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U.S. looks at airline investors for evidence of fare collusion -- U.S. antitrust officials investigating whether the nation's four largest airlines colluded on pricing are looking at executives' communications -- not only with each other, but also with their biggest shareholders. The Justice Department's antitrust division has asked the carriers -- American Airlines Group Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co.-- for details about meetings with their major shareholders in which "industry capacity" was discussed, according to an official information request reviewed by Bloomberg News. David McLaughlin & Mary Schlangenstein/Bloomberg
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Southwest Airlines reveals more forecasts and tidbits for 2015 operations -- Some more forecasts and tidbits from Southwest Airlines CFO Tammy Romo's speech at last week at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference in California emerged based on a filing today by the carrier with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Dallas-based Southwest expects: * It continues to expect 2015 capacity to increase by about 7 percent from last year and 2016 capacity to increase 5 percent to 6 percent from this year. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
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Airlines find travelers accept fees wrapped up in bundles -- As add-on fees make up a growing percentage of airlines' profits, more carriers are introducing bundles of features on top of their base fares - and travelers are embracing them. On a Delta flight from Dallas to Chicago this year, Paul Clough, a resident of Austin, Tex., who travels frequently, paid $48 to upgrade to a Comfort Plus ticket, which included such amenities as additional legroom, early boarding, dedicated overhead bin space and free drinks. "I don't like being nickel-and-dimed, you know, paying for everything," Mr. Clough said. Martha C. White/New York Times
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Europe's airlines spruce up their jet fuel hedges -- European airlines are exploiting a collapse in oil prices by hedging more of their fuel needs further into the future, but those that kept their powder dry before the rout are emerging as clear winners, industry sources say. At a time of heightened price volatility, carriers are also considering using more options contracts to access lower prices should they fall further. Lisa Barrington/Reuters
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TSA firing agent for stealing money from passenger's wallet -- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is firing an employee who was arrested for allegedly stealing $61 from a passenger's wallet at an airport security checkpoint. The agent, who works at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, was captured on a security camera taking the passenger's wallet, according to the report. TSA officials said in a statement that was provided to The Hill on Monday afternoon that they are "in the process of terminating this individual for his disgraceful and intolerable behavior. Keith Laing/The Hill
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TSA PreCheck: No more free rides -- For the past few years, paid-up members of the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program of expedited screenings have been grumbling about the agency's practice of funneling some non-members into the fast lanes - making those lanes not so fast after all. Well, you can stop grumbling. A few months ago, TSA started scaling back on the number of regular passengers allowed into the PreCheck lanes, and now it has reportedly ended the practice altogether. Travel Skills
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To grow tourism, boards and agencies must share airlines' risk -- You've heard of sharing the wealth? Tourism directors and agencies are now being asked to share the risk if they want to grow and attract more airlines. That was the basis of one of the presentations today at the World Route Development Forum in Durban, South Africa, a three-day event that attracts the heads of major airlines, airports and tourist boards to discuss the key elements affecting aviation and tourism development globally. Rich Thomaselli/Travel Pulse
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Retired American Airlines MD-80 to get second life as OSU learning lab -- With Pistol Pete's image emblazoned on its side, American Airlines' MD-80 N491 is ready to take off to its next chapter in Stillwater. This particular MD-80 has logged 75,356 hours of flight time for American. The time airborne breaks down into 39,825 cycles, the collective term in the industry for an aircraft's takeoff and landing. N491's long career ended Sept. 12, the date it made its final revenue-passenger trip. Instead of becoming salvage like other retired MD-80s, N491 will be flown to Stillwater on Wednesday and donated to the OSU Foundation. Casey Smith/Tulsa World
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L.A. lawmakers to declare 'state of emergency,' commit more than $100 million to fight homelessness -- Members of the Los Angeles City Council are expected Tuesday to declare a "state of emergency" on homelessness and commit $100 million toward housing and other services for homeless people. The announcement coincides with Mayor Eric Garcetti's proposal, issued late Monday, that the city devote nearly $13 million toward short-term housing initiatives paid for with projected excess funds. Matt Hamilton/Los Angeles Times
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L.A. could impose new rules for pot shops paying city taxes -- Even as Los Angeles tries to crack down on marijuana businesses, one arm of city government - its tax registration office -- has continued to register pot shops that may not be allowed to operate under voter-approved regulations. The practice has alarmed some city lawmakers, who complain that marijuana shops not complying with the rules have used business tax registration documents to convince customers and landlords that they are operating legally. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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