Airports
Singapore Airlines back for the long haul -- Singapore Airlines Ltd. said Tuesday it plans to resume the world's longest nonstop flights, which will carry passengers between the city-state and the U.S. using a small number of specially configured Airbus Group SE jetliners. The airline said it has signed a deal with Airbus to take seven A350-900ULR jets from the European plane maker, deliveries of which are scheduled for 2018, Singapore Airlines said. The airline is the launch customer for the ultralong-haul version that carries extra fuel to fly as far as 8,700 nautical miles. The planes will return to the Singapore carrier the bragging rights it had before it stopped such flights to Newark, New Jersey, and Los Angeles in 2013. Surging fuel costs had forced the carrier to pull the nonstop route. Wall Street Journal
American is waiting for a "commercially viable" slot to start Los Angeles-Tokyo Haneda service -- American Airlines said today the reason it has not started its newly awarded Los Angeles-to-Tokyo Haneda International Airport is outside of its control: getting a "commercially viable" slot time for the Japanese aviation authority. Once that happens, the Fort Worth-based airline hopes to start the Los Angeles-Haneda service by March 27, 2016, it said today in documents filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
More drones fly into LAX airspace, endangering aircraft -- With drone sightings by airline pilots and intrusions into commercial airspace rising, the FAA is relying on education and ad campaigns to get the unmanned small aircraft to blend more safely into the aerial landscape. The FAA reported 650 drone sightings and near-misses of commercial aircraft in the first eight months of 2015, about four times the monthly average rate of sightings over the 238 reported in all of 2014. About one-fifth of the sightings have been near Los Angeles International Airport, according to an analysis by the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has proposed stricter drone regulations. Sharon McNary/KPCC
Airports create hotel complexes, aiming to become destinations -- As airports become more competitive, vying for tourists and business travelers, they are getting into the hotel business. Within the last 16 months, San Francisco International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Kennedy announced intentions to build on-site airport hotels. The Westin Denver International Airport is scheduled to open in November. Amy Zipkin/New York Times
New ways to avoid the airport when you fly -- Getting through the airport, or airport terminal to be exact, is often times still a downer. Priority security lines open to the masses of airline elite frequent fliers can be lengthy. Lounges can be overcrowded as airline alliances, lounge pass clubs and access granted to holders of affinity credit cards means more travelers are eligible to join those who are actually flying in first and business class. Doug Gollan/Forbes
Airlines
Dutch investigators say Buk missile downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 -- The  Dutch Safety Board has concluded that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which crashed over Ukraine in July 2014, broke up after it was was hit by a Russian-made Buk missile fired from eastern Ukraine. Dutch Safety Board chairman Tjibbe Joustra briefed reporters Tuesday on the findings of the final report into the incident. He said part of the plane broke off and and the jetliner came down over eastern Ukraine. Bart Jansen/USA Today 
U.S. airlines hit Justice Department hurdle in Gulf trade dispute -- The U.S. Justice Department has raised concern about demands by U.S. airlines that the government limit flights of three Middle Eastern rivals to the United States, three sources familiar with the matter have said. Justice Department antitrust officials warned of higher fares and fewer choices for consumers if the Obama administration blocks new flights by Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Jeffrey Dastin & Diane Bartz/Reuters
United dangles 100-seat jet order to spur pilot accord -- United Airlines plans to order a fleet of 100-seat jetliners from either Bombardier Inc. or Embraer SA if it can agree on terms for a two-year contract extension with pilots in expedited bargaining. Reaching a deal would assure labor peace with a crucial union for new Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz and bring back some flying now done by regional partners with cramped, less-efficient 50-seat planes. Julie Johnsson & Michael Sasso/Bloomberg Business
How United Airlines is avoiding Middle East conflict zones near Syria -- United Airlines has started re-rerouting some of its long-haul flights, including departures to Dubai and Kuwait City, to avoid new conflict zones, according to a note distributed to pilots. United officials said there are no official warnings recommending airlines avoid airspace near Syria and Iran, but the airline nonetheless took several steps as a precaution. Flights to the Middle East and India are most affected. BrianSumers.com 
Analysis: United rarely filled controversial Newark-South Carolina flight -- Flights on a controversial United Airlines route that flew just twice a week between Newark Liberty and Columbia, S.C., averaged extraordinarily low passenger counts during much of its 19 month run.On average, the flights were less than half-full for 11 of those 19 months. And they were less than one-third full in six of those 19 months. "This would suggest a seriously loss-making route, though without detailed fare and cost data this cannot be known for sure," according to an analysis by anna.aero, a website focusing on "airline network news and analysis." Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
Southwest bullish on Houston; plans new drinks, seats and crew uniforms -- Southwest Airlines takes its biggest leap yet in international service this week when it adds daily flights to Mexico, Belize and Costa Rica from its new $146 million international terminal at William P. Hobby Airport. "This is the year of Houston,'' CEO Gary Kelly said during a media preview of the five-gate terminal Thursday. He said Houston, one of Southwest's three original cities and a geographic no-brainer as an international hub, will be the airline's focus for "quite some time.'' "This will be a priority for us,'' Kelly said. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
Outdated technology likely culprit in Southwest Airlines outage -- A computer glitch that prevented passengers from checking in for their Southwest Airlines flights and caused widespread delays around the nation on Sunday was likely caused by a failure of a legacy technology asked to do too much, travel experts said Monday. Southwest has provided few details about the source of the problem on Sunday, which resulted in 836 delays out of 3,355 scheduled flights and created long lines at numerous U.S. airports. The problem forced the airline staff to manually issue tickets and use backup systems to check travelers into their flights. Alexandra Zaslow/NBC News
American Airlines reports higher passenger traffic, fuller planes for September -- American Airlines Group today reported more passenger traffic and fuller planes on higher capacity for September. The Fort Worth-based airline said its total traffic rose 7.2 percent on 3.7 percent more capacity last month from September 2014. Its load factor - how full planes fly - was 82.7 percent in September up 2.7 percentage points from a year earlier. Sheryl Jean/Dallas Morning News
American prepares for reservations system cutover -- In less than a week, US Airways will disappear. American Airlines, which merged with US Airways in 2013, plans to complete its passenger reservations systems integration on Friday so when customers arrive at the airport on Saturday, self-service kiosks will say American and signs will be converted to American. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Etihad to launch A380 N.Y.-Abu Dhabi service ahead of schedule -- If you've been anxiously waiting for Dec. 1, when Etihad Airways was scheduled to begin flying the Airbus A380 between New York's JFK International Airport and Abu Dhabi, you're in luck. The national airline of the United Arab Emirates just announced that it is moving up the start date for that service to Nov. 23, replacing one of the existing Boeing 777 services with an A380 featuring The Residence by Etihad, the carrier's three-room "suite in the sky." Harriet Baskas/USA Today
Air New Zealand wants its lounges to remind you of a Boeing 787 -- So here's a novel twist in the world of lounge design. While Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines are shaping their latest lounges to have a decidedly residential ambience, and Qantas makes design nods to the lounge's location, Air New Zealand wants its new-look lounges to remind you of - well, the inside of a plane. But not just any plane, of course - we're talking AirNZ's flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. It's all subtlety done, using gentle cues of colour which many travellers may not even pick up. David Flynn/Australian Business Traveller
China's secret to a booming aviation industry: sexism -- While men dominate higher-paid jobs at Chinese airlines, women - often required to be slim and attractive - have few opportunities to grow into new positions or take leave. Amid fears of an economic slowdown in China, there is one sector that is not feeling the pinch. The Chinese aviation industry has continued to grow at a robust rate following the global financial crisis of 2008 and the first quarter of 2015 saw traffic from China's airlines surpass 100 million passengers for the first time. But success has come at a high cost for the women that fuel this industry. Xiaoni Ren/Fortune
Alaska Airlines flight diverted to Buffalo for smoke smell -- A Seattle-bound flight from New Jersey has made an emergency landing in Buffalo after smoke was detected in the galley. Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesman Doug Hartmayer says Alaska Airlines Flight 17 was diverted to Buffalo Niagara International Airport at about 8 a.m. Monday. Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Halley Knigge says a credit card reader started smoking from what appears to be a melting battery. Hartmayer says the crew sprayed it with a fire extinguisher. AP
Travel
It's not too late to save on holiday airfares -- The bad news: If you haven't already booked your Thanksgiving airfare (not to mention your Christmas and New Year's Eve flights), you missed some of the best deals. The good news: You can still save more than the laggards who will continue to procrastinate. Holiday airfares are always more eye-popping than those at other times of the year, but the general rule is that the earlier you book, the lower the price. Experts say Thanksgiving fares are usually least costly in September or the first half of October. Stephanie Rosenbloom/New York Times
Can shaming help tame unsanitary airline passengers? -- Janet Masters had just wrapped up her trip to Hawaii to celebrate her wedding anniversary. She said she had a great time until she boarded a United Airlines flight on her way home. After settling into her seat, she found a blanket in the seat pocket in front of her covering a barf bag filled to the brim with vomit spilling out of the bag. CBS LA
Aviation Data & Analysis

US Airlines Employ 3.3% More in August
Courtesy Oliver Wyman PlaneStats
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