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Extra security at LAX as travelers fly for holidays -- Travelers descending upon Los Angeles International Airport for Thanksgiving will need to have packed some patience as they deal with extra security following heightened terrorism threats. Officials said they expect 25 million people to travel by air in the 12 days surrounding Thanksgiving, with LAX the second busiest behind Atlanta International Airport. With the increased security, travelers are urged to arrive to LAX two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Elex Michaelson/ABC7
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Holiday travelers facing tougher security measures -- Millions of Americans who take to the skies for the busiest travel period of the year, in the aftermath of terrorist attacks around the world, are expected to see longer security lines and more careful screening, more uniformed patrols and more bomb-sniffing dogs. But there is little sign so far that concerns about safety are keeping people home for Thanksgiving. The nation's railroads and highways will have heightened security, as well, but the vigilance will be most apparent at airports. Richard Perez/Pena, Emma G. Fitzsimmons & Jad Mouawad/New York Times Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal
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Union cancels strikes at Lufthansa -- A strike at Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, has been averted after a cabin crew union announces it would hold further negotiations with the airline. The cabin crew union UFO said Wednesday that it would cancel previously announced walkouts for Thursday, Friday and Monday. The union for flight attendants said there would be further negotiations leading up to a so-called job summit with Lufthansa on Dec. 2. AP
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Five things you need to know about the State Department's worldwide warning -- It's just what you wanted to hear as the holiday travel season gears up. The U.S. Department of State issued a worldwide travel alert on Monday, warning travelers to watch out no matter where in the world they are. A broader version of the country-specific alerts the State Department puts out on a regular basis, the warning came days after terrorist attacks killed dozens of people in Paris, Beirut and Mali, and in a Russian passenger jet in Egypt. Sara Clemence/Travel & Leisure
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L.A.'s 'soft targets' draw more scrutiny in the wake of Paris attacks -- Counterterrorism efforts in Southern California have long focused on the region's distinct landmarks. Los Angeles International Airport, the intended target of a terrorist driving a vehicle filled with explosives in 2000. The U.S. Bank tower in downtown L.A., mentioned in Al Qaeda documents as a possible 9/11 mark. And, of course, Disneyland. But the coordinated attacks in Paris - where 130 people were killed at caf�s, outdoor terraces and a concert hall in several parts of the city - has officials reassessing the threat. In addition to protecting famous attractions, authorities say they need to focus more on lesser-known gathering places where a few terrorists could carry out a devastating attack. Corina Knoll, Richard Winton & Kate Mather/Los Angeles Times
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Honolulu-bound American Airlines flight diverted to LAX over mechanical issue -- A mechanical issue on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Honolulu caused the jetliner to be diverted Tuesday to Los Angeles International Airport. Flight 123 landed safely at LAX about 10:20 a.m., said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration. Firefighters were on standby at Runway 25 Right as a precaution, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. City News Service
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Delta and Virgin crowd more California flights into United's Denver hub -- Delta and Virgin America have both set their sights on Denver, expanding service from their Los Angeles and San Francisco hubs and ramping up competition with United, which operates hubs in all three cities. It's one more sign of the strength of Denver International, the fifth-busiest U.S airport with 53.5 million passengers in 2014, which already boasts 22 peak day flights to Los Angeles and 18 peak day flights, including nine on United, to San Francisco. Ted Reed/The Street
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LAX's Kardashian klass VIP terminal has a serious side -- A VIP terminal can have benefits beyond simply helping paparazzi-shy stars evade the cameras. Deadly shootings at LAX in terminal 3 two years ago and thirteen years ago at the Tom Bradley terminal have shown how pre-security airports are a significant risk: high-visibility soft targets with all kinds of people carrying all kinds of luggage. There are certainly individual passengers and small groups of passengers who face greater danger than others. The VIP terminal could be a useful way of reducing those risks, both for those passengers and in terms of collateral damage. John Walton/Runway Girl Network
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"Spy in the Sky" headlines speaker series program -- The 2015 Flight Path Speaker Series will conclude on Saturday, December 5, with project engineer Phil Pressel's program, "The Hexagon KH-9 Reconnaissance Satellite," covering development and design of the satellite for the CIA. The program will begin at 10 a.m. at the Flight Path Museum in the LAX Imperial Terminal, 6661 W. Imperial Highway Los Angeles. Admission and parking are free. Flight Path Press Release
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A secretive air cargo operation is running in Ohio, and signs point to Amazon -- An air cargo operation by that name Aerosmith launched in September in Wilmington, Ohio on a trial basis. The operation is being run by the Ohio-based aviation holding company Air Transport Services Group, or ATSG, out of a state-of-the art facility. It's shipping consumer goods for a mysterious client that many believe to be Amazon. The hub-and-spoke operation has flights to and from four other confirmed airports: Allentown, PA (ABE), Ontario, CA (ONT), Tampa (TPA) and Oakland (OAK). Amazon has distribution centers about 20 miles from ABE and ONT and within 60 miles of TPA and OAK. Kari Paul/Motherboard
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Fresno airport implements Thanks Again rewards program -- Travelers through Fresno Yosemite International (FAT) are now be able to earn points for hotels and airline miles with purchases as part of the Thanks Again rewards program. Passengers will get points when they park, shop or dine at FAT, along with at more than 170 other airports and 25,000 participating businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Claire Cole/Airport Revenue News
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New Miami airport program preps passengers with special needs for flight -- Passengers with special needs will soon find a new resource at Miami International Airport - a program that lets passengers practice the check-in and security checkpoint process before the day of their flight. MIAair - the "air" stands for "airport instruction and readiness" - simulates the checking-in, security and boarding process through prescheduled tours for passengers with special needs and their families. Elizabeth Koh/Miami Herald
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Belgium tries to contain threats to airport security -- The Belgian government has been stripping or blocking the security clearances of people working at the Brussels airport because of past connections to people who left for Syria, possibly to join extremist groups fighting there, officials said. Belgian authorities grew concerned about the threat when they discovered that someone who worked at the airport had left for Syria in 2013, officials here said. That prompted the authorities to begin scrutinizing the associations of people working at the airport more closely. Matthew Dalton/Wall Street Journal
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Airlines bet on long oil slump after millions lost to hedging -- Two of the world's biggest airlines are betting that oil prices won't rally any time soon, growing more cautious after losing hundreds of millions of dollars on hedges. United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. have reduced fuel hedging as oil plunged close to a six-year low. They've become more like American Airlines Group Inc., the biggest global carrier, which closed its last hedging position in 2014. Robert Tuttle/Bloomberg Business
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How to trade airlines amid travel concerns -- Airline stocks broadly dipped Tuesday amid sustained terrorism concerns, but some "Fast Money" traders saw a buying opportunity in the sector. Tunisia suffered the latest in a string of deadly attacks Tuesday, one day after the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for citizens. Shares of several large airlines - including American, Delta and JetBlue - fell Tuesday. "There is a little bit of pressure. I think it could be lingering for a while," said trader Pete Najarian. Jacob Pramuk/CNBC
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Amazon video, music and more now available on majority of JetBlue's "Fly-Fi" enabled planes -- Half a year after Amazon originally announced a partnership with JetBlue to bring its Amazon Prime Instant Video service and its Prime Music service to the airline's passengers, the company says today that the service is now available on the majority of JetBlue's "Fly-Fi" enabled planes - meaning those that offer JetBlue's free, high-speed broadband internet service. Sarah Perez/TechCrunch
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Qatar Airways CEO: No room for Premium Economy on Middle Eastern airlines -- On a stereotypically gloomy November day in Seattle, Washington, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker signed the paperwork to accept his airline's 24th and 25th Boeing in a double delivery ceremony. The 25th aircraft was delivered in a configuration just like the 24 before it; an Economy cabin and a high-end Business Class cabin. Unlike many other global airlines, however, a Premium Economy cabin is still noticeably absent. Jason Rabinowitz/Forbes
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United's new Americas sales VP outlines strategy -- Touting operational improvements and new alliance deals, United Airlines is ready to "reintroduce itself to the market," according to its new vice president of sales for the Americas, Jake Cefolia. The carrier recently appointed him to replace John Slater, who after five years in the role has moved to lead United's Chicago O'Hare International hub. Michael B. Baker/Business Travel News
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Air Canada adds four cities, 12 routes in major U.S. expansion -- Air Canada announced a major U.S. expansion, unveiling four new destinations as it detailed 12 new routes between the USA and Canada. The new cities joining Air Canada's route map are Jacksonville, Fla.; Salt Lake City; San Jose, Calif.; and Washington Dulles. The airline will begin flying to all four cities this May. Air Canada will fly to three of the new cities - Jacksonville, Salt Lake City and Washington Dulles - from its biggest hub in Toronto. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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China investigates deputy head of aviation body - graft watchdog -- The deputy head of China's civil aviation administration is being investigated for alleged disciplinary violations, the ruling Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog said on Tuesday. The CAAC's Zhou Laizhen is "suspected of serious violations of discipline", the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a one-line statement on its website. Reuters
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California tourism groups worried about changes to visa program -- The head of a group representing California tourism organizations says she is concerned that the state's more than $117-billion annual tourism industry could be hurt by a plan to change a visa program following the Paris terror attacks. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said at a news conference last week that she and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., plan to introduce legislation after Thanksgiving that would prohibit anyone who has traveled to Syria or Iraq in the last five years from traveling to the United States without a traditional visa. Sarah D. Wire/Los Angeles Times
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Aerojet soars with space contract -- Shares in Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. leapt on Tuesday by more than 12 percent following an announcement the company had won two major NASA contracts, worth a total of $1.4 billion. The rocket engine manufacturer will do work at its Chatsworth campus on both contracts. One is for the RS-25 engine for the Space Launch System, a contract valued at more than $1.2 billion through 2024. The Space Launch System is NASA's next generation heavy-lift rocket that will take astronauts on missions into deep space, potentially even to Mars. Mark Madler/San Fernando Valley Business Journal
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In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, Eye on L.A. Aviation will not be published on Thursday and Friday. The next edition will be Monday, November 30.
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