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Alaska Airlines launches nonstop service to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico -- More nonstop international flights are taking off from John Wayne Airport. Beginning Thursday, travelers can fly on Alaska Airlines between Orange County and Los Cabos, Mexico, and beginning today, they can fly between Orange County and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The flights are year-round and will be operated four-times a week to/from Los Cabos and three-times a week to/from Puerto Vallarta. JWA News Release
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Little girl reunited with her teddy bear thanks to viral Facebook post -- Seven-year-old Abby McCoy from Villa Rica was recently reunited with her beloved teddy bear, Teddy - with the help of 28,000 other people. The story of Abby's unintentional virality began when she and her family realized they'd left her bear, a longtime companion, behind at John Wayne Airport in Orange County as they flew home after Labor Day Weekend. Fiza Pirani/Atlanta Journal Constitution
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Long Beach's JFI Jets buys Florida aviation firm to boost flights to Cuba -- In part to build upon a fledgling effort offering chartered flights to Cuba, a Long Beach charter aviation firm JFI Jets has acquired ACP Jets, a private aviation firm based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Both companies are privately held and terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Andrew Edwards/Torrance Daily Breeze
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Irvine police chief David Maggard Jr. named assistant chief at LAX, area airports -- Irvine Police Chief David Maggard Jr. has been appointed assistant chief of the Los Angeles Airport Police Department. Maggard, a former Manhattan Beach police captain, will oversee patrol, traffic and security at Los Angeles International Airport, LA/Ontario International Airport and Van Nuys Airport when he joins the force on Nov. 1. He will serve under Airport Police Chief Patrick Gannon. Larry Altman/Torrance Daily Breeze
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United Airlines will give Boeing Dreamliner quite the workout in San Francisco in 2016 -- Even as United Airlines starts to regroup under new CEO Oscar Munoz, the carrier plans to give the Boeing 787 Dreamliner quite the workout at the airline's growing San Francisco hub. Already a major outpost for United Airlines' trans-Pacific route network, San Francisco International Airport is set to get three new international routes next year - all on the Dreamliner. Lewis Lazare/Chicago Business Journal
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Emirates cozies up to Alaska Airlines to defend against Delta in growing Seattle market -- One of the world's largest international airlines has become closely allied with far-smaller Alaska Airlines as the two fight for market share against rival Delta Air Lines. About a third of the passengers Emirates books for its twice-daily flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Dubai connect to Alaska Airlines flights. That partnership, Matthias Schmid, Emirates vice president of U.S. sales, said is increasingly fruitful. Steve Wilhelm/Puget Sound Business Journal
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Risky near misses between drones and other aircraft surge in California -- Pilots are reporting a fast-rising number of near misses with drones, with one of every five of those risky events happening in the skies over California. On Aug. 16, the pilot of an Allegiant Air flight filled with scores of passengers and approaching Los Angeles International Airport spotted a small helicopter-like drone just under the airliner's wing. The drone, the pilot reported, "almost hit us." Melody Petersen/Los Angeles Times
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Counterfeit vehicle inspection stickers are seized at Kennedy Airport -- They are known as rovers: the United States Customs and Border Protection officers who patrol the baggage claim area at Kennedy International Airport, scrutinizing arriving passengers and looking for signs of illegal narcotics, food items or currency tucked away in pockets and luggage. This week, for reasons that agency officials did not reveal, a rover pulled aside a man who had just arrived on a flight from Santiago, Dominican Republic. An examination of his luggage turned up something highly unusual: counterfeit New York State vehicle inspection stickers. Kirk Semple/New York Times
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Southwest Airlines executive talks about international journey at Houston Hobby Airport -- Southwest Airlines plans to carry about 7,500 international passengers in and out of Houston Hobby Airport when it starts flights outside of the United States on Oct. 15. That's according to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly projected that the airline can carry 150 people on each departing flight based on 25 departures. He also thinks there's room to expand those international flights at Hobby in future. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
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Delta tops airline on-time rankings, Spirit arrives last -- Here are the government's rankings of the leading airlines and their on-time performance for August. The federal government counts a flight as on time if it arrives within 14 minutes of schedule. 1. Delta Air Lines, 85.5 percent 2. Alaska Airlines, 82.9 percent 3. Hawaiian Airlines, 81.5 percent 4. ExpressJet, 80.8 percent 5. Virgin America, 80.6 percent 6. American and US Airways, 80.6 percent 7. Envoy Air, 80.5 percent 8. SkyWest Airlines, 79.8 percent 9. Southwest Airlines, 79.5 percent 10. United Airlines, 78.8 percent. AP
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Qantas CEO sees Pacific Trade accord boosting demand -- Qantas Airways Ltd.'s long-haul operations have helped the airline return to profit and should benefit from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord, alongside deepening ties with American Airlines and Emirates Airline, said the Australian carrier's chief executive. The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed this week among the U.S., Australia and 10 other countries around the Pacific that would lower trade barriers to goods and services is "very positive," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said, and should be boon also for long-haul budget unit Jetstar. Robert Wall/Wall Street Journal
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Former Alitalia CEO jailed for bankruptcy fraud -- Alitalia's former chief executive Giancarlo Cimoli was among four of the airline's former managers convictedof mismanaging the loss-making airline before its state-funded bailout and privatization in 2008. Cimoli, 75, who was Alitaliaeuro's chief executive and chairman from 2004-07, was convicted of market manipulation and was jailed for eight years and eight months - the harshest of the sentences handed down. McClatchy/ AviationPros.com
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Southwest Airlines launches 'Transfarency' campaign -- Southwest Airlines, a year after introducing a new paint job and brand identity, on Thursday said it is rolling out a new ad campaign that focuses on its low-fare credo and its lack of bag fees, change fees or hidden fees for passengers. The move comes a week before Southwest opens a new international concourse at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport and begins offering flights to six Latin American and Caribbean destinations from that city. Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal
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Southwest Airlines sees higher passenger traffic on more flights in September -- Southwest Airlines today said its total passenger traffic rose 11.4 percent on 8.4 percent higher capacity in September. The Dallas-based airline's load factor - how full its planes fly - rose to 82.7 percent. That was a record for September and up from 80.5 percent in September 2014. Southwest set a record in July, with a load factor of 87.7 percent. Southwest has increased its flying - mainly at Dallas Love Field - over the last year. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
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Delta is removing seats to make flight attendants more comfortable -- Delta Air Lines Inc. is removing seats from 179 jets to make things less cramped -- for flight attendants, not the passengers. The removal of two or three seats, depending on the aircraft model, reverses some of the carrier's seat additions of recent years. The action provides more space in the galleys, spokesman Michael Thomas said. "This is an investment to give our flight attendants the room that they asked for, and in turn so they can provide better customer service," he said. Michael Sasso/Bloomberg Business
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Some travelers love to hate the new discount airlines -- When the delay on his 90-minute flight stretched past the four-hour mark, David Rankin started tweeting to Spirit Airlines as he and other passengers grew restless. "We're looking at the plane," Rankin said by phone from a Spirit gate at the Philadelphia airport. "There are no pilots." Rankin, an investment manager from New Jersey, swore it would be his last time on the discount airline. "My wife won't let me book a flight on Spirit next time," he said. AP
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How to avoid airline baggage fees: Company will turn your bags into advertisements -- As airlines have struggled over the years, many of them have turned to charging fees for "extras" like snacks, in-flight entertainment and checked baggage. Passengers who are unable to limit their belongings to carry-on luggage have to dole out extra cash - sometimes amounting to hundreds of dollars. But one company has figured out a way to help you avoid those pesky fees - but you'll have to do something in return. Jordi Lippe/Today
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FAA backs ban on shipping lithium batteries on commercial airlines -- The risk of fire is prompting federal officials to back a proposed ban on rechargeable lithium battery shipments as cargo on passenger airlines. "We believe the risk is immediate and urgent," Angela Stubblefield, a FAA hazardous materials official, said at a public meeting on Thursday. She cited research showing the batteries can cause explosions and fires capable of destroying a plane. Billions of the lithium-ion batteries are used to power consumer electronics ranging from cellphones and laptops to power tools and toothbrushes. AP
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Dems push TSA to reform transgender screening procedures -- Democrats in the House are pushing the Transportation Security Administration to change its procedures for screening transgender passengers after a woman said she was mistreated last month at Orlando International Airport. A group of 32 Democratic House members said they have "strong concerns" about the TSA's treatment of transgender passengers after a woman, Shadi Petosky, complained on Twitter about being held at an airport security checkpoint for 40 minutes because of an "anomaly" that was cited when she passed through one of the TSA's full-body X-ray machines. Keith Laing/The Hill
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Five rail lines Metro could build with $120 billion in new sales tax revenue -- A bill that Gov. Jerry Brown signed Wednesday will allow Los Angeles County transportation officials to seek a sales tax increase in 2016 that could raise as much as $120 billion for local roads, freeways and mass transit. If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority decides to pursue a ballot measure, voters would probably be asked to raise the county's overall sales tax rate to 9.5%. The measure would need a two-thirds majority to pass. Laura J. Nelson/Los Angeles Times
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Members of L.A. Councilwoman Martinez's staff summoned to appear before grand jury -- Federal prosecutors have issued subpoenas to members of Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez's staff, asking them to appear before the grand jury to discuss her recent reelection campaign, a political advisor said Thursday. Roy Behr, Martinez's political consultant, told The Times that an unspecified number of staffers have been summoned. Martinez, who represents portions of the San Fernando Valley, intends to cooperate with the inquiry but has not been called to testify at this point, Behr said. "The councilwoman has not been subpoenaed, and she understands from the U.S. attorney's office that she is not a target of the inquiry," Behr said in an email. David Zahniser/Los Angeles Times
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