Airlines
American beats estimates with fuel savings amid airfare duels -- American Airlines Group Inc. reaped a bigger third-quarter profit than analysts had estimated, bolstered by tumbling fuel prices in the global crude-market rout. Record earnings excluding some items were $1.9 billion, or $2.77 a share, American said in a statement Friday. That exceeded the $2.72 average of 15 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The savings on jet kerosene at the world's largest airline cushioned the blow from fare wars with domestic discounters and sagging demand in Latin America, its top overseas market. The profit also made American the third U.S. carrier, after Delta Air Lines Inc. and Southwest Airlines Co., to top analysts' projections in the industry's busiest quarter. Mary Schlangenstein/Bloomberg
American Airlines plans new 300-acre campus in Fort Worth -- American Airlines, growing and flush with profits, said it will build a new headquarters and create a corporate campus at a site just west of its current location near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. "Our current headquarters is remote from the very people we are here to support," the company said in a letter to employees today. American plans to demolish the old Sabre Holdings headquarters and lease 97 acres adjacent to 200 acres that it already leases. Mitchell Schnurman/Dallas Morning News
United Airlines' acting CEO aims to reassure investors amid strong results -- United Airlines on Thursday tried to dismiss concerns that executive shake-ups have left an amateur team running its business, promising better service for travelers and moderate expansion in 2016 for investors worried about weak demand. Shares of parent United Continental Holdings Inc rose more than 2 percent after it forecast a pre-tax profit margin of up to 11.5 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with 5 percent a year earlier. The forecast surprised analysts who expected higher costs would keep margins lower. Jeffrey Dastin/Reuters
Shareholder optimism on airlines at low altitudes -- And then there were four. US Airways, part of American Airlines Group Inc. since December 2013, officially operated its final flight last week. A consolidating U.S. airline industry has delighted shareholders of the remaining major carriers in proportion to passenger drudgery. Just since American's merger through today, those airlines have seen their share prices appreciate by 125% on average. On Thursday, two U.S. airlines reported better-than-expected earnings and a third, United Continental Holdings Inc., saw its shares rise despite a slight miss. Spencer Jakab/Wall Street Journal
Clinton knocks airlines for ticket prices -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton knocked airlines this week for charging high ticket prices despite decreases in jet fuel and the price of oil in recent months.  "Over the past year, oil prices have fallen from over $100 a barrel to under $50, and the price of jet fuel has dropped more than a dollar per gallon," Clinton wrote in an op-ed published on Quartz Magazine's website titled "Being pro-business doesn't mean hanging consumers out to dry." Keith Laing/The Hill
Flight-tracking startup reports the best and worst airlines at delays and paying claims -- Have you used AirHelp? This incredible app lets air travelers file claims quickly and easily for delayed, canceled or overbooked flights. Founded in 2013, the founders say their "goal is to make claiming compensation as easy and seamless as possible for you. We believe this can be achieved by data and cutting edge technology presented with a user-friendly website and intuitive mobile apps." Molly Brown/GeekWire
Airports
Elevating airport conveyance to the next level with automated people movers -- Demand for air travel is increasing. Larger aircraft are being deployed. Airports are more much expansive, both in size and scope, as well as annual passenger operations. All this makes it increasingly challenging for airline passengers to quickly and efficiently access key areas of the airport - terminals, gates, or baggage claim - which often involve traveling excessive distances. Passengers today can navigate sprawling airports by various means depending on the distance that needs to be traveled. Peter Aarons/Aviation Pros
Hours revised for scheduled weekend closure of Metro Rail Green Line LAX/Aviation Station on October 23-25, 2015 --  Los Angeles International Airport officials advise travelers that the Metro Rail Green Line LAX/Aviation Station will be temporarily closed this Friday night through Sunday, October 23-25.  This closure now begins at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 23, through Sunday, October 25, at the end of that day's service. According to Metro, the closure is necessary to allow installation of safety barriers for part of its Crenshaw/LAX light-rail line construction. LAWA News Release
'Holdover' tenant to vacate Bob Hope Airport land, company owner says -- A f irm that had been leasing roughly 17 acres of Bob Hope Airport's roughly 58-acre "B6" parcel for vehicle storage and had stayed on the property past the end of its lease earlier this year will clear out and close shop next month, its owner said. "It is what it is," said Sandy Bass, a Simi Valley resident who owns Affordable Storage LLC, one of three "holdover" tenants the airport had sued in April after their leases expired in March and they failed to vacate the property. "At this stage of the game, I have no choice... We will be removing ourselves ASAP." Chad Garland/Los Angeles Times
On the Road: No airport transportation offered at ARTIC - yet -- There is no direct shuttle or bus service that will take people to any of the region's four major airports. However, airline passengers can catch buses at ARTIC that connect to other buses that will eventually get them to SNA, LAX, LGB and ONT, said Anaheim spokeswoman Ruth Ruiz. But let's face it, studying all those transportation maps would be a pretty tedious process, when you could more easily call a taxi or a private shuttle company to zip you to the airport. Art Marroquin/OC Register
LA/Ontario International Airport hosts 7th Annual "Pull for Our Heroes" Plane Pull competition benefitting Bob Hope USO Ontario -- LA/Ontario International Airport will host its 7th Annual "Pull for Our Heroes" Plane Pull competition on Saturday, Oct. 24, at ONT. Co-hosted by the Friends of Ontario Airport, the Plane Pull is a fun and competitive tug-of-war exercise pitting teams of men and women against a 120,000 lb. 727 aircraft.  Each team of 20 will have two attempts to pull the 727 a distance of 25 feet. LAWA News Release
Denver International CEO: "Our goal is to empty your pockets." -- Want to buy a gallon of milk at the airport? Maybe a loaf of bread? Perhaps some school supplies for your children? Or a prescription at the pharmacy?  Denver International Airport wants its customers to do all that and more, CEO Kim Day said at last week's Skift Global Conference in New York. She seeks to accommodate two groups - one she calls "elites" and the other she calls "explorers." The elites are frequent travelers. The explorers are "energetic" and "optimistic" people who love traveling. Brian Sumers/BrianSumers.com
Uber: Chauffeur license mandate would nix Chicago airport pickups -- A ride-hailing giant whose investors include the mayor's brother warned Thursday that it would be "unable" to make pickups at O'Hare and Midway Airports if aldermen forge ahead with a plan to require ride-hailing drivers serving the airports to get chauffeur licenses. "We don't offer this service under those excessive mandates at airports anywhere in the country. The reason is, it would disproportionately hit the driver," said Brooke Anderson, a spokeswoman for Uber Technologies. Fran Spielman/Chicago Sun-Times
Sea-Tac nation's fastest-growing major airport through September -- A brisk pace of route expansion by the airport's two largest airlines and a healthy Puget Sound economy is helping Sea-Tac Airport set new passenger-handling records through this year's third quarter. Through the end of September, Sea-Tac's passenger numbers were up 13.3 percent over the record numbers in 2014's first three quarters. That pace is more than twice the 5.7 percent average growth experienced by major American airports this year so far, said the Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac's owner. John Gillie/Tacoma News Tribune
Drones
Long Beach to hold off on drone rules -- Long Beach officials are holding off regulating unmanned aircraft until they have a chance to see what kind of rules the feds put forth to govern civilian drone flights. "We aren't sure what they'll look like, and we'll need to look through them carefully," said Diana Tang, Long Beach's manager of government affairs. "We just want to make sure people are using them safely, and they're not interfering with aircraft that are in the air." Andrew Edwards/Riverside Press-Enterprise
Aviation Data & Analysis
Airline Passenger Yield Continues to Decline In September
Courtesy Oliver Wyman PlaneStats
City Government
L.A. can audit controversial DWP nonprofits, appeals court rules -- A three-judge appeals panel has upheld the city's right to freely inspect the financial records of a controversial pair of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power nonprofit trusts, which have received more than $40 million in ratepayer money. For more than two years, union leaders who co-administer the nonprofits with managers from the city-owned utility, have fought a bitter legal and political battle to keep the records secret. Jack Dolan/Los Angeles Times
Garcetti strongly backs rail line to eastern edge of L.A. County -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Thursday strongly endorsed extending light rail service to the far inland edge of L.A. County. "I completely support the Gold Line going further east," the mayor told reporters following a downtown press conference. "Getting out to Claremont is incredibly important to me." The comments came as Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials announced that an 11.5-mile, $957-million addition to the San Gabriel Valley section of the Gold Line, from Pasadena to Azusa, will begin carrying passengers March 5. Laura J. Nelson/Los Angeles Times Related: Gold Line extension to Azusa will open in March, bringing Metro rail deeper into L.A. County suburbs 
L.A. city commission opposes 'amnesty' for billboards with permit problems -- For years, Los Angeles officials have wrestled with how to clamp down on the proliferation of billboards across the city without trampling the rights of outdoor advertising companies that have built up a powerful lobbying force at City Hall. On Thursday, the City Planning Commission laid out its proposal for what Los Angeles should do - one that takes a stricter tack toward signs than some city lawmakers had proposed. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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