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Nation's busiest airport this holiday? LAX -- Los Angeles International airport is expected to be America's busiest airport this holiday season, according to Expedia. The online travel site, which examined ticket volume for flights that depart from Dec. 18 to 31 from airports across the country, also found that popular flight routes will be tightly packed, but might be less expensive to fly. Average fares to the most popular holiday destinations were down more than 5 percent from 2014, while average prices from Los Angeles to Chicago and Los Angeles to Honolulu were down 10 percent or more from last year. Natalie Schachar/Los Angeles Business Journal
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Local officials travel to D.C. to make their case for nighttime curfew at Bob Hope Airport -- Burbank and airport officials are headed to Washington, D.C. to lobby for a long-sought mandatory nighttime curfew, part of a larger agreement that formally started discussing regarding a possible replacement terminal at Bob Hope Airport. This week, in their first public meeting outlining that condition and others, Burbank's elected officials announced the trip, facilitated by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), to meet with the Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator of airports. Chad Garland/Los Angeles Times
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Marines strongly oppose international airport on base -- The Marine Corps, after reviewing a study of the feasibility of building an international airport on Camp Pendleton released a statement saying it does not support the idea. California State University San Marcos MBA students unveiled an economic analysis Wednesday night to an auditorium full of students and interested parties, including San Diego businessmen Irwin Jacobs and Malin Burnham, who support exploring the idea. Alison St John/KPBS-TV San Diego
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New route: Oakland-London -- Although the airline hasn't announced or confirmed it yet, the website Airliner Route reports that European low-cost carrier Norwegian has filed a proposed schedule to fly between Oakland and London Gatwick. Based on data from the OAG Schedules Analyzer, Airlineroute.net said Norwegian plans to use a 787-8 to fly the route three days a week (Monday, Thursday and Sunday) starting May 12. Norwegian already has service from Oakland to Stockholm and Olso twice a week; it currently shows one-way fares to Stockholm in January for as little as $169 (plus ancillary fees). Travel Skills
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Cameron delays decision on new airport runway for London -- Prime Minister David Cameron's government delayed a decision on whether to build a new runway at Heathrow Airport on Thursday, arguing that it needs more time to study the impact on air quality, noise and other environmental concerns. Cameron had promised a firm decision by the end of this year on whether to choose Heathrow or Gatwick for airport expansion. Business leaders in Britain argue that the country needs more airport capacity in southeastern England to keep the country growing. Danica Kirka/AP
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Firefighters spray wrong plane with foam at Chinese airport -- When crew members of a passenger plane reported sparks coming from an engine while taxiing at an airport in southern China, eight fire trucks responded within minutes. Then they covered the wrong plane with white foam. The mistake at the Fuzhou city airport Thursday was quickly amended and the firefighters turned their attention to the correct plane, but the other one - with passengers aboard - was delayed 10 hours and the entire incident delayed 30 flights, the airport said in a statement. AP
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FAA imposes temporary flight restrictions over gas leak near Porter Ranch -- The Federal Aviation Administration is banning low-flying planes over the gas leak near Porter Ranch. The agency said in a statement that the temporary flight restrictions were requested "out of concerns that fumes from the gas leak could be ignited." The restriction, according to KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, prohibits aircraft from flying below 2,000 over the area. CBS LA
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Airlines are banning 'hoverboards' after fires trigger safety concerns -- Hoverboards have gone from a hot gift this holiday season to literally the hottest gift this month as regulators are investigating reports of the batteries catching on fire, raising safety concerns about the devices. Delta, American and United announced Thursday afternoon they are restricting the electric scooters from flights, joining British Airways, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue. United's policy is immediate, Delta's takes effect Friday and American on Saturday. Matt McFarland/Washington Post
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Airlines set to deliver higher profit as fuel prices tumble -- Airlines are poised to deliver a higher than forecast record profit this year and should see a further earnings increase in 2016 fueled by oil prices near seven-year lows, the International Air Transport Association said Thursday. Airlines are expected to generate a record $33 billion in net profit this year as the IATA raised its industry outlook for a second time in the past year. That would represent an almost doubling of earnings after carriers combined to deliver a net profit of $17.3 billion in 2014. Robert Wall/Wall Street Journal
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Lufthansa, not Qatar Air, to take first Airbus A320neo jet -- Germany's Lufthansa has stepped up to become the first airline due to take delivery of a revamped Airbus passenger jet, after Qatar Airways voiced uncertainty over the technical performance of its Pratt & Whitney engines. Confirming a news report, the German flag carrier said it would take delivery of the upgraded A320 earlier than expected. Victoria Bryan/Reuters
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'Please switch off the camera': Qatar Airways' dramatic auto-brake aborted takeoff at JFK -- Qatar Airways, whose chief executive Akbar Al Baker has claimed runway overruns that damage aircraft "happen quite often", was forced to abort a take-off of an A350 filled with media guests at high speed in New York on Thursday evening. It was another embarrassing incident for the rapidly growing airline, which will double its flights to Australia next year by launching services from Doha to Sydney and Adelaide, following a runway overrun in Miami in September. Jamie Freed/Sydney Morning Herald Also: Qatar Airways chief slams Delta CEO on 'baloney' claims
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Having a bad day on United? Flight attendants can now give you free food and drink -- Having a bad flight on United Airlines? Look for flight attendants to soon make your day a little better. In another sign United is taking customer service seriously, the carrier has authorized flight attendants to give free alcoholic drinks and food to passengers who have received poor service. BrianSumers.com
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Aviation emissions deal expected next year, no matter outcome of Paris talks: industry official -- A deal on limiting carbon dioxide emissions from aviation will likely be reached next year, no matter the outcome of this week's climate change talks in Paris, a senior official from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday. The aviation industry is not covered by the United Nations climate talks currently being held in Paris because it is organized under a separate U.N. body, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Victoria Bryan/Reuters
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Holiday air travel projected to rise 3% over last year -- A projected 38 million passengers will fly on U.S. carriers during the Christmas and New Year's holidays, a 3% increase over last year, according to an airline trade group that attributes the rise to lower airfares and an improved economy. The increase should result in about 73,000 more travelers a day from Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 over the same period last year, according to Airlines for America, a Washington-based trade group. Airfares have fallen 4.3% for the first nine months of the year, the group said. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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9 Last-minute December travel deals -- Holiday travel can get pricey-with prices up two, three, even four times the normal rates-but there are deals to be had if you're willing to get creative about your destination, be flexible with your travel dates, and know how to search. Some basic tips: Fly on Christmas Day if you can, and avoid leaving Dec. 26 and returning Jan. 3-it's the most popular week to travel, and airlines and hotels know it. Even a slight tweak to your schedule-like leaving Dec. 27 and returning Jan. 2-will make hotels and flights cheaper. Brian Sumers/Conde Nast Traveler
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The worst day to buy a plane ticket -- It may be tempting to dream of vacations and book some leisure travel as you head into the weekend. Resist. Airline tickets are generally priciest on Fridays. Average prices for tickets bought on Friday are 13% higher than on Sunday, according to a new analysis of tickets sold world-wide over the past year. One reason: Leisure travelers tend to book discount trips more heavily on weekends, while business travelers typically pay higher fares booking reservations at the end of the work week. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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Tourism chief dies -- Brad Burlingame, chief executive of Visit West Hollywood, died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer. Burlingame, 62, had been president of the travel and tourism agency headquartered at the Pacific Design Center since 1997. He was a longtime advocate of promoting businesses in the city and helped make West Hollywood a travel destination for local and international tourists through Visit WeHo. Subrina Hudson/Los Angeles Business Journal
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L.A. City Council should move to overhaul DWP management, study says -- The Los Angeles City Council should pursue a 2017 ballot measure to change the way the Department of Water and Power is governed - a move that would better ensure the utility is held accountable for its decisions, a consulting firm said in a report issued Thursday. The report, released by City Controller Ron Galperin, said there is widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo at the DWP. David Zahniser & Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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City planning commission backs two 30-story towers in Hollywood -- The Los Angeles City Planning Commission on Thursday backed a proposal for two 30-story residential towers in Hollywood, despite a challenge from the nonprofit group next door. Commissioners praised the proposed Palladium Residences, saying the 731-unit project would provide much needed housing on a stretch of Sunset Boulevard served by bus routes and the nearby Metro Red Line subway. David Zahniser/Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles approves program to fix up and sell bank-owned nuisance properties -- Banks that own vacant, rundown houses in Los Angeles soon could lose control of those properties to the city, which wants to fix them up and sell them. The move is the most drastic step in addressing the lingering effects of the housing crash, which flooded neighborhoods with foreclosed homes, many of which fell into disrepair and became makeshift garbage dumps or hubs of criminal activity. James Rufus Koren/Los Angeles Times
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