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Airport security lines may get worse -- Most holiday travelers passed through airport security lanes with few hitches this Thanksgiving weekend, despite Sunday being the busiest day TSA has seen in more than 10 years. Threatening to gum up the works, however, are recent cutbacks in PreCheck lanes, reserved for the Transportation Security Administration's trusted-traveler program. In addition, failures by TSA checkers to detect weapons in covert testing by the Department of Homeland Security has TSA rethinking procedures. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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Terminal cures: Airports changing for the better -- The best airports today don't feel like airports. Think close-in parking; fast, free WiFi; speedy TSA clearance; menu choices ranging from high-fiber to high-end; as well as access to lounges, shops, playgrounds, massages, gardens, outdoor terraces, waterfalls, spas, supermarkets, meditation rooms, hotels, fenced-in dog runs, solar lighting, designer signage, lactation rooms for nursing moms and a greater sense of space and place. Gay Nagle Myers/Travel Weekly
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Palomar Airport master plan gets mixed reactions in North County -- The McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad is supposedly San Diego County's second commercial airport. But, while increasingly large private corporate jets are flying in and out of the facility, no commercial airlines currently offer service to the general public. The county Board of Supervisors will vote soon on a new 20-year master plan for Palomar, and North County residents have mixed feelings about the airport's future. Alison St. John/KPBS
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Fresno airport developing rules for ride-share networks -- Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, for which users can hail a ride with their smartphone, have grown rapidly in popularity in Fresno and across California over the past two years. But if you're trying to get a ride from Fresno Yosemite International Airport, as Fresno resident Harry Schoettler did recently on a return trip from San Diego, you're going to be out of luck. Tim Sheehan/Fresno Bee
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Art of the control tower: Airports as you've never seen them -- They stand watch over airfields around the planet, ensuring that tens of thousands of flights take off, land and taxi safely every day. Yet airport control towers are often overlooked by air travelers -- or at least some would be if they weren't so weird looking. Built by some of the world's most experimental architects, many belie their functional purpose by displaying an often stark beauty worthy of more than passing attention. Barry Neild/CNN
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Charlotte airport administrator sues city, alleging racial discrimination -- A prominent Charlotte Douglas International Airport administrator has sued the city in federal court for racial discrimination, alleging he was passed over for promotion in favor of white employees with less experience. Assistant Aviation Director Herbert Judon, who is black, filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court. It's the latest challenge for an airport that lost its longtime director in 2013 amid a power struggle between city leaders and state lawmakers in Raleigh. Ely Portillo/Charlotte Observer
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How Southwest Airlines hires such dedicated people -- Southwest Airlines receives a job application every two seconds. Given the talent shortage facing our industry, you'd think we'd be tempted to snap up many of those candidates, particularly ones with backgrounds in engineering and technology. But, since the company was founded, even before our first flight on June 18, 1971, we've been extremely selective in our hiring. So far this year, for example, we've reviewed 287,422 resumes, chosen 102,112 candidates to interview, and hired only 6,582 people, or less than 2% of all applicants. Julie Weber/Harvard Business Review
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United Airlines gives employees good news about Thanksgiving ops metrics -- United Airlines had a lot more than that to cluck about regarding the Thanksgiving holiday travel period - traditionally the year's busiest. And it's often a time of year when delays or flight cancellations can turn into major headaches for travelers who find there is no space available to rebook on a different flight on short notice. But for United Airlines none of those issues was a huge problem, and the carrier has just shared the good news about its Thanksgiving metrics with employees. Lewis Lazare/Chicago Business Journal
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United Airlines airport reps will now use an iPhone 6 Plus to print your boarding pass -- Flying United? Don't be surprised if you see more iPhones during your next flight. United Airlines announced on Wednesday that its airport representatives will be equipped with an iPhone 6 Plus in an effort to "mobilize" customer service in the airline's U.S. hubs. More than 6,000 service reps will be using an iPhone 6 Plus to print boarding passes and baggage tags from anywhere in the airport. Oscar Raymundo/Macworld
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Delta Air Lines: See what a little discipline does? -- Shares of Delta Air Lines are soaring after the carrier announced its first increase in passenger revenue per available seat mile, or PRASM, since December 2014-and the news has also helped lift other airline stocks like United Continental and American Airlines. Shares of Delta Air Lines have jumped 3% to $49.11 at 10:55 a.m. today, while United Continental has climbed 3.5% to $58.97, and American Airlines has gained 2.3% to $44.26. Ben Levisohn/Barron's
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Which airline fees are worth it? It depends -- A few weeks ago, American Airlines made news by announcing a new option for passengers, the ability to lock in a ticket price beyond the standard 24-hour window for up to one week's time. You won't be surprised to know this service is attached to a non-refundable fee; American is charging $7.99 for 3 days, $9.99 for 5 days and $11.99 for 7 days. I've probably devoted as much ink to the topic of airline fees as anyone writing about the industry, and I've been particularly vocal about the need for greater consumer transparency in obtaining the full price of a ticket prior to booking. Bill McGee/USA Today
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How American Airlines CIO successfully landed US Airways IT integration -- American Airlines Group Inc. CEO Doug Parker is heaping praise on CIO Maya Leibman after the cutover of US Airways reservation system on October 17. Mr. Parker, issued a statement on November 30, calling it "the most successful reservation system cutover in aviation history." All booked reservations were transferred to American's system, provided by Sabre Corp., with no customer disruption and outages, said Mr. Parker. Rachael King/Wall Street Journal
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Bricks of illegal drugs are found inside a plane in Tulsa; flight originated in Colombia -- The FBI is following the trail to who hid drugs in an American Airlines 757 in Tulsa for routine maintenance. Officials with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Tulsa County Sheriffs Deputies removed 10 square packages of cocaine. Sources tell Tulsa's Channel 8 that a mechanic made the discovery, Tuesday afternoon while working on a the plane. Kristen Dickerson/ABC8 Tulsa
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Malaysia Airlines takes next step on turnaround with Emirates deal -- Malaysia Airlines has signed a deal to expand a partnership with Emirates airline, which will also see it exit some loss-making European routes as part of a turnaround drive under new Chief Executive Christoph Mueller. The two airlines have signed a code share deal that will allow Malaysia customers to book routes to Europe with Emirates, while in exchange Malaysia will offer Emirates passengers connections within the Asia Pacific region. Victoria Bryan/Reuters
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Dem pressures airlines for cyber defense details -- Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) wants to know more about how airlines and airplane makers are defending themselves from hackers that have increasingly targeted the aviation industry. Markey, who has also helped lead the Senate's charge to question the auto industry about its cybersecurity plans, sent letters Wednesday to 12 airlines and two airplane manufacturers pressing for details on their digital defenses. Cory Bennett/The Hill
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Rep. Maxine Waters an unlikely leader in fight to reopen Export-Import Bank -- A bipartisan band of lawmakers on the verge of advancing a top business priority saved a ceremonial honor for one of the effort's surprising leaders: Rep. Maxine Waters. The Los Angeles Democrat, long a critic of corporate America, became the 218th and deciding vote to wrest control from conservative GOP leaders of a measure to revive the controversial federal Export-Import Bank, which helps U.S. companies sell their products abroad. Jim Puzzanghera/Los Angeles Times
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L.A. council supports exemption to ammunition law for retired, reserve police -- In a hotly contested move, Los Angeles lawmakers voted Wednesday to back an exemption that will allow some retired and reserve police officers to continue to possess firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition - arguing that this would help protect the public from threats. The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-4 in favor of the exemptions to a citywide ban on such ammunition magazines passed earlier this year. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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Mayor Eric Garcetti lists Echo Park post-and-beam for $1.65 million -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and his wife, Amy Wakeland, have put their Midcentury Modern-style home in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles on the market for $1.65 million. Designed by Daniel L. Dworsky and since renovated by Scrafano Architects, the 1953 post-and-beam sits on about half an acre and has views of the city, canyon and surrounding valley. Neal J. Leitereg/Los Angeles Times
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