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Deborah Flint leads transformation of New LAX -- In the midst of vehicle traffic, thousands of passengers and hundreds of daily flights, Los Angeles International Airport is transforming into the new LAX. Maligned for decades due to congestion on its roadways, in terminals and in the skys, the nation's second-largest airport has embarked on a 10-year, multi-million dollar capital improvement program that aims to dramatically enhance the traveler's experience. Leading the transformation is Deborah Flint, the recently appointed executive director of Los Angeles World Airports, who was named by Mayor Eric Garcetti in June to head the mammoth transportation agency comprised of LAX, Ontario International Airport and Van Nuys Airport. Cora Jackson-Fossett/Los Angeles Sentinel
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Long Beach to LAX shuttle service to begin in December -- A new airport shuttle service in Long Beach will begin picking up and dropping off at Los Angeles International Airport starting in December, airport officials announced Thursday. The FlyAway shuttle line, which is run by a city-owned airport agency, will add Long Beach service at Long Beach Transit Gallery, at the northwest corner of First Street and Long Beach Boulevard. The one-way fare will be set at $7 for at least the first six months. City News Service LAWA Press Release
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LAX modernization update: October construction activities expected to cause passenger impacts -- Major construction projects at Los Angeles International Airport will continue to impact travelers in October with sidewalk and vehicle lane closures and in-terminal work. This construction, part of a multi-billion-dollar capital-improvement program underway throughout LAX, will result in a modern airport that significantly improves the overall guest experience. Up-to-date construction alerts showing Central Terminal Area roadway lane restrictions and sidewalk closures, as well as a pedestrian walking map and new helpful Terminal finder, can be found at laxishappening.com. LAWA Press Release
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Supervisors consider $101M airport contract -- The Orange County Board of Supervisors is scheduled at its Oct. 6 meeting to vote on awarding a four-year contract for $101.8 million to Swinerton Builders in Irvine to refurbish and seismically retrofit buildings and terminals at John Wayne Airport. The agenda item for the meeting said 89% of the money would come from an airport construction fund and 11% from the facility's operating fund. The multipart item includes an authorization for the airport director to transfer up to $70 million in bond financing that was previously authorized but never used to "reimburse John Wayne Airport for eligible costs" on the projects. Paul Hughes/Orange County Business Journal Nicole Knight Shine/Orange County Register
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John Wayne Airport invites Orange County students to enter 26th Annual Student Art Contest -- John Wayne Airport's 26th annual Student Art Contest is underway. All Orange County public and private school students in grades kindergarten through 12 are encouraged to submit artwork inspired by this year's theme: "Airsports in Harmony with Nature." Entries should be submitted to the Orange County Department of Education, any Orange County Public Library Branch or participating city libraries, no later than 4 p.m., Tuesday, November 3, 2015. JWA News Release
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B-17 bomber lands in Long Beach to give you bombardier's perspective -- Wilbur Richardson was a 21-year-old wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army Air Forces when he packed his body into the ball turret underneath the belly of a B-17 Flying Fortress and flew into combat over Nazi-occupied Europe. Richardson, who is now 92, recounted his wartime experiences Thursday on the tarmac at Long Beach Airport. The airport is the latest place where Experimental Aircraft Association volunteers have taken their own historic B-17 - the Aluminum Overcast - on its current tour of the United State. The aircraft is scheduled to be in Long Beach though Sunday. Andrew Edwards/Long Beach Press-Telegram
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Noise levels improving at Palm Springs Airport -- A meeting to discuss the growth of ticketing and rental car areas at the Palm Springs International Airport was dominated by conversation on the noise airplanes make. Eric Johnson, who lives near the airport, implored the Palm Springs Airport Commission to tackle what he described as "increasingly disruptive noise" coming from the airport. The Palm Springs Airport Commission met in a special meeting at City Hall on Wednesday to discuss the master-plan. The master-plan proposes no changes to runways or other air operations infrastructure. Skip Descant/The Desert Sun
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PSP one step closer to getting upgrades -- After four years of environmental impact studies, the Palm Springs International Airport is one step closer to some much needed improvements. The Palm Springs Airport Commission unanimously approved results from an environmental impact study on making improvements to the airport on Tuesday. The study looked at everything from noise pollution to the impact on local birds. An upgrade to certain parts of the airport is necessary to deal with the large number of travelers coming through, including new flights with airlines like West Jet and Jet Blue. Joe Galli/KESQ
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DFW Airport unveils new logo -- Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is no longer blue. Instead, it's bright orange as the airport unveiled its new logo and branding campaign on Thursday. The airport, which has used the same blue logo with white waves for 14 years, has also added the tagline, "Travel. Transformed." to its new orange logo that is simply DFW in large letters. It also includes a "journey line" in the center of the letters, which the airport says represents the role DFW plays in its customers' journey. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Southwest defends $120 million payment for 2 airport gates -- Southwest Airlines on Wednesday defended a $120 million payment for two gates at Dallas Love Field, saying the deal was legal and cheaper than the price of access at other airports. The payment to United Airlines is emerging as a key issue in a fight between Southwest and Delta Air Lines, which is trying to keep a toehold at the Southwest-dominated airport. A federal judge heard three days of testimony and will decide whether Delta gets to stay at the airport by using a Southwest gate. The judge indicated Wednesday that he could rule in about a week. David Koenig/AP
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Dallas Love Field gets marker illuminating where LBJ was sworn in -- After almost 52 years, Dallas Love Field has officially marked the location where President Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One as it sat parked on the ramp. On Wednesday afternoon, contractors turned on a light embedded into the concrete where Southwest Airlines jets taxi in and out of the gates. Inches away from the light sits a 43-pound bronze marker flush into the ground which lists the historic events of Nov. 22, 1963. Jason Whitely/WFAA TV Dallas
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United's new CEO acknowledges airline's failures -- Five years after United Airlines and Continental merged, the company's new CEO declared in a public letter that the combined company has failed to live up to the expectations of both fliers and United's employees. Just three weeks into the job, CEO Oscar Munoz acknowledged in full-page newspaper ads that "the journey hasn't always been smooth." Since the merger, United has been plagued with chronic delays, computer outages and dissatisfied workers, who have a reputation for taking out their frustrations on fliers. Scott Mayerowitz/AP Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal
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U.S. airlines 'eager' to begin scheduled service to Cuba -- Five or six major U.S. airlines are "eager" to begin scheduled service to the island, but after a second round of talks between the United States and Cuba on civil aviation matters this week, there's still no timetable for when such service could begin, a U.S. State Department official said Thursday. The U.S. and Cuba held talks on civil aviation matters Monday and Tuesday in Havana and had "a good, candid exchange of views," the official said. The first round of aviation talks was held in Washington in March and it's possible there will be a third round in coming months. Mimi Whitefield/Miami Herald
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Oman Air: The 'other' Middle East airline with sky-high ambitions -- Look at just about any list of the world's best airlines, and you'll likely find Middle Eastern companies in the top ten. Indeed, the "the big three" Gulf carriers -- Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad -- all secured a place in this year's Skytrax World Airline Awards, including the number one spot. Could another Middle Eastern airline be set to join their elite ranks? In the past year alone, Oman Air has added a new plane every month, and attracted 1 million extra passengers -- up from 5 million to 6 million. Sumnima Udas & Jon Jensen/CNN
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Southwest Airlines' secret to staying nimble amid high growth -- How does an airline company grow to be the nation's largest carrier while maintaining the maverick, innovative culture that propelled it to the top and, in the process, earning multiple accolades on industry lists (Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies, Vault.com's Best Travel & Leisure Company, Glassdoor.com's Best Places to Work)? You acquire the best talent available. How do you do that? "Our mantra is, we hire for attitude and train for skill," Gary Kelly, chairman, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines, told attendees gathered for the 2015 CEO Talent Summit in Dallas, Texas. C.J. Prince/Chief Executive
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Selling Indians a 'flight' for less than a dollar -- More people are taking flights around India than ever before - great news for airlines and aeroplane manufacturers. But air travel is still a luxury for many - there are millions of people in India who simply cannot afford it. For those people who may never get to take a real flight, one man has come up with a scheme where they can still get a taste of the experience without leaving the ground. For less than $1, customers get to sit in an old Airbus A300 parked on the outskirts of Delhi, have a lesson in the etiquette of flying, and get some sweets too. BBC News
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WOW Air expands to Canada, rolls out $75 flights to Iceland -- The Icelandic discount carrier that has made headlines with $99 fares from the United States to Europe is bring its no-frills bargain service to Canada. And, just as it did for its U.S. flights from Boston and Baltimore, WOW Air is bringing its eye-popping fare sales to Canada, too. The airline will begin flying to its Reykjavik hub from Toronto Pearson and Montreal in May, offering introductory fares to Iceland for just CDN $99 - or about US $75. Fares on connections to Europe begin at CDN $149, or about US $113. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Air France to release drastic cost-cutting plan -- The French arm of Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM plans to unveil a steep cost-cutting plan, the carrier announced Thursday after failing to reach an agreement with pilots. The board of Air France met Thursday and formally instructed management to come up with new cuts to the carrier's loss-making operations by Oct. 5. No details were provided on the forthcoming plan. The decision came in response to a breakdown in negotiations with pilots' unions. Talks between the unions and Air France initially aimed to trim €170 million ($190 million) annually over the next three years. Inti Landauro/Wall Street Journal
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Effort to force vote on Ex-Im Bank reauthorization gains some GOP support -- A vote to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank by using a rarely successful legislative procedure gained support Thursday from centrist House Republicans, an important step that represents a rebuke to party leaders who allowed the bank to close this summer. Backers hope to revive the government agency, which finances exports of U.S. companies, before new GOP leaders who oppose the bank take office when House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) leaves Congress at the end of the month. Nick Timiraos & Kristina Peterson/Wall Street Journal
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U.S. and Persian Gulf airlines clash over $42 billion trade dispute -- Bart Jansen, who covers aviation for USA Today calls it "the single biggest trade dispute in history." The three biggest U.S. airlines - American, United and Delta - have lodged a complaint with the U.S. government, alleging that three major carriers in the Persian Gulf are receiving unfair subsidies from their governments - $42 billion over the last decade. The Gulf carriers deny the allegation. For the American airlines, some of their most lucrative routes, plus thousands of U.S. jobs, are on the line. P.J. Tobia/PBS News
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Doctor builds makeshift device to save baby's life on airline flight -- Flying at 35,000 feet over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a doctor cobbled together a makeshift medical tool - partly from trash - to save a baby's life. Four hours into the seven-and-a-half hour flight from Spain to the U.S., a two-year-old had an asthma attack, but her medicine was in the family's checked luggage. Dr. Khurshid Guru answered a flight attendant's call for a doctor and quickly assessed the situation. He realized girl needed a pediatric nebulizer, a device that delivers a measured dose of medicine to the lungs through a sustained mist. Terry Turner/Good News Network
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FAA looks to 2016 for drone rules -- A three-year-old legislative deadline for integrating unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into U.S. commercial airspace passed without being met Sept. 30. The Federal Aviation Administration is closer to its goal, but significant work remains. The deadline to develop a framework to integrate drones and control systems into the National Airspace System (NAS) was set by Congress in a 2012 aviation funding bill. However, the FAA has indicated that it would most likely push past the deadline. Mark Rockwell/FCW
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L.A.'s response to domestic violence is underfunded and disjointed, audit finds -- Mayor Eric Garcetti started 2015 by announcing that, in the face of rising crime statistics, he would devote more money and manpower to helping victims of domestic abuse, a crime that had been underreported by the Los Angeles Police Department. So far this year, reported cases of domestic violence are up 5%, according to the LAPD, and an audit released Thursday found the city's domestic violence services "were disjointed and inconsistent and did not include all of the elements" of a successful program. Alice Walton/Los Angeles Times
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