|
|
|
|
Ontario airport deal gets approval of Ontario International Airport Authority -- The authority poised to operate LA/Ontario International Airport gave final approval of the $250 million agreement that would transfer control of the facility. The Ontario International Airport Authority met Thursday afternoon in closed session to review and approve the settlement agreement. "The OIAA will take all steps to ensure that Southern California has the airport capacity needed to meet the long-term demand for air travel while boosting the Inland Empire's most important economic and jobs engine," Alan Wapner, Ontario councilman and president of the authority, said in a statement. Liset Marquez/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Curbed LA
|
LAX expected to see 3.5 million holiday travelers -- Airport forecasts estimate that a record 3.5 million travelers will pass through Los Angeles International Airport during the upcoming holidays, a 7.9 percent increase over last year. According to online travel companies Expedia and Orbitz, LAX will be the busiest among all U.S. airports this winter holiday season. The 17-day holiday travel period begins Friday and continues through January 3. The busiest day is expected to be Dec. 30 with 232,000 passengers, followed by Wednesday (226,000); Monday, (224,000); and Dec. 27 (220,000). Kevin Smith/San Gabriel Valley Tribune CBS LA
|
How to navigate America's busiest airports -- Pack a portable charger, and your patience. The December holidays are among the busiest for travel across the country, making for lengthy airport security lines, fast food temptations and mass scrambles for open electrical sockets. While many airports have upgraded their concourses with shopping malls, commissioned artwork and even micro-hotels, some of the busiest remain miserable, according to a new study by J.D. Power, which listed Newark, New York's La Guardia and Los Angeles International as the bottom three in flier satisfaction. Elaine Glusac/New York Times
|
John Brian King's never-seen photos of LAX are a Los Angeles time capsule -- In the early 1980s, John Brian King was a student at the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied with photographers John Divola, Jo Ann Callis, Judy Fiskin and more. But some of his most compelling learning experiences were happening more than 30 miles to the south, at the terminals of LAX. A born and raised Angeleno, King grew up in the airport-adjacent neighborhood of Westchester, which means Los Angeles International Airport has in some form always been a part of his life. Carolina A. Miranda/Los Angeles Times
|
City of Burbank statement following FAA meeting in Washington, D.C. -- Representatives from the City of Burbank, City of Glendale, and the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority met Wednesday in the office of Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) in Washington, D.C. to brief senior officials of the Federal Aviation Administration on the conceptual term sheet that the City Council and Airport Commission endorsed last month. The term sheet calls for the construction of a 14-gate replacement terminal at the Bob Hope Airport in exchange for changes in how the Commission takes action in seven important categories. City of Burbank Press Release
|
Airport Insanity -- To The Editor, The Long Beach Airport is the bane of our existence. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. We let it add more flights and suffer with more interruptions and pollution to life. We don't let it add flights and we lose our precious "noise bucket." The people have to rise up against this insanity. We need an organized rebellion to airlines and big business running roughshod over us. Let us live in relative peace and quiet. Steve Ross, Bixby Knolls/Opinion/Long Beach Gazettes
|
San Bernardino: Presidential visit adds to history of 'international' airport -- The most widely known jet on the planet -- Air Force One -- is scheduled to visit San Bernardino only briefly, but the trip adds to the history of the city's WWII airbase-turned-"international" airport. President Barack Obama is expected to spend no more than three hours Friday, Dec. 18, at San Bernardino International Airport to meet with the families of this month's terror attack that killed 14 people and wounded 22. Richard Brooks/Riverside Press-Enterprise
|
Protests aim to disrupt holiday travel at Midway, speak out against police brutality -- Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke goes before a judge Friday on charges in the 2014 murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Three rallies are planned for Friday, aiming to disrupt business as usual in several parts of the city. One of those protests will take place outside the courthouse at 26th and California. Another protest will target holiday travelers at Midway Airport. Anyone traveling in or out of Midway should allow plenty of time to get to the airport and to check in. Laquan McDonald/WLS Chicago
|
Battle brews as Phoenix Sky Harbor proposes new airport pickup fees -- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is proposing dramatic changes in the fees it charges companies that pick up passengers, a sudden shift that has airport parking shuttle operators fuming and vowing a major fight. The move is part of a proposed overhaul of its 32-year-old ground-transportation policy meant to usher in the era of popular ride-sharing services such as Uber and to boost revenue. It would tie fees to the number of airport pick-ups and vehicle seating capacity. Dawn Gilbertson/Arizona Republic
|
Cuba deal will allow 110 daily flights; Will airline bidding battle follow? -- U.S. carriers will be permitted to add as many as 110 daily round-trip flights between the United States and Cuba, The Associated Press reports. But only 20 of those will be to Havana, a destination that most big U.S. carriers have expressed an interested in serving. That 20-flight cap could led to a competitive bidding process for access to the Havana flights, depending on how many airlines seek those rights. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
|
American Airlines CEO goes back to the future at old headquarters -- Wandering through dark halls and up and down fire escapes, American Airlines' chief executive Doug Parker found his original cubicle at the airline's old headquarters. "It looks exactly the same. I mean it's eerie," Parker said as he opened the drawers to his old desk. "This is where it all started. In this cube." Parker began his career at American in 1986 as a financial analyst in the complex on Trinity Boulevard. Now, as American's CEO, he's planning to tear the old building down and construct a new $350 million corporate campus where about 5,000 employees will run the airline. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
|
Just in time for the holidays, United changes its unaccompanied minors policy -- Have a young teenager planning to fly alone on United Airlines? Be ready to pay up. United quietly changed its policy this week, requiring all unaccompanied minors between five and 15 to use the airline's pricey escort program, which costs $150 each way on top of the regular fare. Previously, United only required parents to pay for special treatment for kids 11 and younger, so teens could avoid fees. Brian Sumers/Cond� Nast Traveler
|
Now you can spend United Airlines miles at this airport store -- United Airlines is making it easier for its frequent fliers to spend their air miles. The carrier recently partnered with a company to open the Miles Shop at its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). The shop is located in Terminal C at the New Jersey airport and will stay open through the holidays. MileagePlus members (you can join for free) can "spend" their miles on items including electronic gadgets, suitcases, cookbooks, power adapters, travel guides and more. Mary Forgione/Los Angeles Times
|
Top six airline customer service moments of 2015 -- The airline industry receives a lot of complaints, but a little known fact is that it also attracts a lot of praise. That isn't reported to the U.S. Transportation Department, but it is reported to the airlines, which regularly receive complimentary letters from passengers who are impressed by the high level of service. Each year, TheStreet recognizes top customer service moments at each airline. We asked the airlines to provide examples. Ted Reed/The Street
|
Delta CEO: Lower fuel costs have been 'awesome' -- The fall in fuel prices has allowed Delta Air Lines to invest in other areas of the business, CEO Richard Anderson said Thursday. "We bought a lot of Boeing airplanes and [are] building a lot of new facilities, and are really working hard on our product," Anderson told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "It's been awesome. It's just awesome." Delta said Wednesday said it ordered 20 new Boeing 737-900ER jets and 20 Embraer SA E190 planes that were in Boeing's possession, aimed at reducing the airline's use of smaller aircraft that it contracts regional carriers to fly. Fred Imbert/CNBC
|
Why Delta's ultra-cheap used 777 jet wiped out Boeing stock gain -- Boeing Co. fell after Delta Air Lines Inc. revealed it is purchasing a used 777 jetliner for $7.7 million, reviving concerns that plunging values for some wide-body models signal that the market is glutted. Delta Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson has sparred with the planemaker, analysts and lessors over the values for decade-old 777-200 family jets, a version of Boeing's best-selling twin-aisle model. Julie Johnsson/Bloomberg Business
|
Department of Transportation shifts to advocacy as airline complaints rise -- Kendra Thornton is an unlikely candidate for government aid, but when Frontier Airlines recently denied her a seat on a flight from Chicago to Denver, that's exactly what she got. Thornton and her three young children were headed to a ranch vacation in Missoula, Mont. When they tried to check in for their flight at Chicago's O'Hare airport, an airline representative informed her family that they'd forfeited their seats. "Frontier said they'd tried to contact us through our travel agency to tell us our first flight was oversold," she says. Christopher Elliott/Washington Post
|
Everything you wanted to know about airplane food (but were afraid to ask) -- Eating on a plane wasn't always joyless. We think. It feels so long ago that hot meals were a guarantee... Now, mid-air dining poses one of the greatest challenges between two wings, with passengers wondering: What should I order? Should I even bother to order? Should I just bring food on the plane? What should I bring? And why does everything taste so weird? Luckily, we have answers to everything. Katherine LaGrave/Cond� Nast Traveler
|
How Southwest Airlines turned social media into social business -- In airline circles, it's called "Bloody Sunday." On Sunday, Oct. 11, a technical glitch grounded 800 Southwest Airlines flights, delaying thousands of passengers. Lines stretched for miles, and the complainers were out in full force on social media. It could have been worse. The airline kept things moving. It responded to every single tweet and every post, which numbered in the "tens of thousands." When people started complaining of hunger, employees were dispatched to start handing out pizza at Los Angeles International Airport. The airline was praised for how it handled what could have been catastrophic brand crisis - and it had social media to thank. Many customers tweeted about it. Shareen Pathak/Digiday
|
|
|
|
After San Bernardino shootings, Disneyland and Universal Studios step up security -- Disneyland has long promoted itself as a magical refuge from the worries of everyday life. Employees are "cast members," never to be seen out of character; costumed janitors whisk away trash and horse manure; a hidden army of cats keeps vermin at bay. But now terrorism fears appear to be seeping into that fantasy world. Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood began using metal detectors and other new security measures Thursday to bolster guest screening. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times Roger Yu && Mike James/USA Today
|
Aviation museums where the imagination can soar -- In many ways, an airline pilot's job is easy to love. Most of my colleagues have remained on excellent terms with their inner child. But still, some aspects of the job that would have seemed utterly extraordinary to me as a boy - like boarding a 747 and sailing it around the curve of the planet to a new city and a new day - can start to feel ordinary after a while. Many air travelers tell me the same thing. Mark Vanhoenacker/New York Times
|
Los Angeles outsources firefighters exam, which will now come with a price tag -- Members of the Los Angeles Civil Service Commission voted unanimously Thursday to replace the test the city uses to hire new firefighters, the latest change to a selection process that Mayor Eric Garcetti has struggled to reform in his bid to root out nepotism and diversify the department's rank and file. The five-person civilian board approved outsourcing the written firefighter exam to Burbank-based PSI Services, which will charge applicants $69 to enter next year's round of hiring, scheduled to be announced on Friday. Ben Welsh/Los Angeles Times
|
|
|
|
|
|
