2024 Olympics
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti charms Olympic delegates in bid for 2024 Games -- It's hard to miss Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in the crowd of conference delegates. He seems to be everywhere - meeting the constituents, pressing the flesh, oozing the charm in the lobby, hallways and bars of a Washington hotel. There he is at a reception in downtown Washington, exchanging pleasantries and business cards with everyone around him. This is no ordinary political campaign, though. It's the real launch of Garcetti's quest to bring the Olympics to Los Angeles in 2024. Stephen Wilson/AP
Airlines
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines continue war of words over Tokyo Haneda slots -- American Airlines and Delta Air Lines continued their war of words over landing slots at Tokyo's Haneda airport. In a filing made on Tuesday, American refuted Delta's claims that the Fort Worth-based carrier has not fulfilled its promises to the U.S. Department of Transportation to start service between Tokyo Haneda and Los Angeles in a timely manner. American also accused Delta of hypocrisy in its attempt to take the Haneda slots away from American. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Big 3 US airlines continue capacity expansion in 2016. Domestic pricing pressure remains a worry -- Solid 3Q2015 profits by the Big Three US airlines - American, Delta and United - were unsurprisingly overshadowed by continued unit revenue degradation, and also preliminary capacity projections for supply expansion in 2016. The capacity growth is occurring as none of the three major airlines are offering a specific time period of when their passenger unit revenue performance will improve. CAPA Centre for Aviation
Southwest Airlines announces 10 new non-stop routes -- Southwest Airlines announced 10 new non-stop routes on Tuesday that will begin flying this spring, along with a round of route cuts. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
Alaska Airlines: Issues that delayed flights being resolved -- Computer problems that delays about 20 Alaska Airlines flight were being resolved early Thursday, the airline said. Crews are fixing the problems and "systems are returning to normal," spokesman Cole Cosgrove said. Late Wednesday night several computer systems ran into technical problems, including programs for passenger check-in and for pre-flight departure paperwork, Cosgrove said. Mark Thiessen/AP
Gift for the holidays: Airfare and hotel deals -- Here's some early holiday cheer: Airline tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas on many busy routes are a bit cheaper this year, and you don't have to book months in advance to get a good deal. Increased competition from low-fare carriers and modest expansion by big airlines have been pushing fares down in many markets the past couple of months. Average ticket prices were down 7% in September and 4.3% for the first nine months of the year compared with year-earlier periods, according to Airlines for America, the industry's trade group. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
Family escorted off JetBlue flight, says airline called them 'Animals' -- A woman who claims her family was escorted off a JetBlue flight on Tuesday says a flight attendant "antagonized" her family prior to the confrontations that she says led all nine family members to being detained. Keren Kimchy and her family -- a total of five adults and four children -- had boarded the flight at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and were headed to the Dominican Republic. Genevieve Shaw Brown/ABC News
Airports
FBI releases clothing descriptions of missing boys last seen at LAX -- FBI officials searching for two missing brothers last seen Aug. 28 at Los Angeles International Airport released photographs Wednesday the clothing they packed, hoping they will spark someone's memory and lead agents to them. Investigators suspect someone might recall seeing 15-year-old Sage Cook and his 9-year-old brother, Isaac, wearing the clothing since their disappearance. Larry Altman/Torrance Daily Breeze
Disney's rise came long after nearby airfields were built -- Q. It's surprising to me that with Anaheim being such a tourist destination, the city doesn't have its own airport. Did it, historically, have an airport and why doesn't it now?  A. Interesting question. Remember that when talking about Anaheim being a large destination for tourists from around the world, we're talking about only since after Walt Disney decided to carve his dream into the orchards of Anaheim 60 years ago. Eric Carpenter/Orange County Register
Two teams competing to build hotel at Atlanta airport -- Two teams are competing to build a hotel at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, along with an airport travel plaza and office space. The hotel will be steps away from the domestic terminal of the world's busiest airport, just outside the exit on the west side of the terminal. One team including real estate firm Carter and Majestic Realty Co. and another led by real estate developer Regent Partners LLC each submitted proposals Wednesday for the massive project. Kelly Yamanouchi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Airports add more ground transportation options -- Getting to and from some of the nation's busiest airports can be challenging, so it's a good sign when there's news of expanded ground transportation options. On Monday, San Francisco-based Lyft became the first ride-hailing service authorized to provide service to and from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. To mark the milestone, Lyft's website has a code (FLYLAS) good for $5 off two rides to or from the airport, valid for the next six months. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
Ride-hailing companies cleared for Chicago airport pickups -- Ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft will be able to pickup people at Chicago's airports, Navy Pier and McCormick Place beginning in 2016 under a plan approved Wednesday by the City Council. Although there was no debate, the amendment added to Mayor Emanuel's budget that will charge ride-hailing companies 52 cents per ride and give them access to new areas like the airport was approved by a 39-11 vote. Tina Sfondeles & Fran Spielman/Chicago Sun-Times
FAA
FAA zeros in on unsecured tail bolts; risk is catastrophic -- When two Allegiant Airlines pilots couldn't control their plane and scrubbed a takeoff from Las Vegas in August, the carrier discovered that a critical piece of equipment in the tail had come loose. Allegiant ordered inspections of its other Boeing Co. MD-80s to ensure that all similar connections were secured. Eight days later, Allegiant said in response to questions from Bloomberg that all its aircraft "were found to be in working order." Alan Levin & Mary Schlangenstein/Bloomberg Business
CBP
Chocolate meth? Customs agents have seen it all -- Something about the dozens of individually wrapped chocolate bars in the luggage of a man flying from California to Japan struck a federal Customs and Border Protection officer as odd. Sure enough, when unwrapped, they turned out to be more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine covered by a "chocolate-like substance." That bust at Los Angeles International Airport in July 2012 was one of tens of thousands of drug seizures made by customs agents each year at the nation's airports, including many where drugs were hidden inside food. AP
Homeland Security
Canada a terrorist haven? Lawmakers want Homeland Security to check -- Border officers and U.S. officials have long taken seriously the possible threat emanating from the north - if not as seriously as the more famous southwest border - since even before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Now, Congress is acting on that concern. A bill to require the Department of Homeland Security to  conduct a northern border threat analysis passed the House late Wednesday; a similar Senate bill is awaiting a floor vote. Jerry Markon/Washington Post
HOSPITALITY
Hyatt is said to be in talks to acquire Starwood Hotels -- Hyatt Hotels Corporation is in talks to acquire Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, two people briefed on the matter said, a combination that would create one of the largest lodging chains in the world. Hyatt is preparing a cash-and-stock bid that could be announced within the next few weeks, said the people, who requested anonymity because the talks are private. The discussions may yet fall apart, they said. Starwood did not respond to requests for comment and Hyatt declined to comment on the discussions. Starwood;s brands include St. Regis, Sheraton, W and Westin. Michael J. de la Merced & Leslie Picker/New York Times
Aviation Data & Analysis

European Airlines Report Slow Growth in January
Courtesy Oliver Wyman PlaneStats
City Government
L.A.'s mayor will hire an artist to help reduce traffic deaths on city streets -- Mayor Eric Garcetti is looking for an artist who has what it takes -- not just to create something of beauty or that provokes feelings and thoughts, but to save lives. He's accepting applications right now. A new effort called the Creative Catalyst Artist in Residence Program aims, as Garcetti put it in a written announcement, to harness "the creative genius that thrives in Los Angeles" for "outside the box thinking" about some of the city's problems. Mike Boehm/Los Angeles Times
Subscribe to Eye on L.A. Aviation (1,486 Subscribers)
Follow Eye on L.A. Aviation on Twitter (1,334 Followers)