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LA-bound American Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Lubbock, TX -- Passengers heading home for the holidays were held up in Texas after an American Airlines flight from Miami to Los Angeles was diverted due to a mechanical issue. American Airlines flight 295 landed in Lubbock, Texas, due to what the airline called a "mechanical issue." The FAA said the Airbus 321 landed "after declaring an emergency for engine oil warning light." The flight was carrying 186 passengers and a crew of six, according to the airline. The FAA said the plane landed "without incident." Emily Knapp/ABC News
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Big change starts small as Lyft arrives at LAX -- With dozens of cars nosing toward curbs and long lines of passengers toting bags, Los Angeles International Airport didn't feel much different Wednesday even though Lyft became the first app-based ride service to legally pick up passengers there. Business appeared relatively slow for the new Lyft service as passengers and drivers showed some confusion about how it all works. But given the experience of other California airports, officials expect such ride-hail companies soon will have a significant effect on LAX and its passengers, especially after Lyft's much larger rival, Uber, starts service in upcoming weeks. Laura J. Nelson & Ruben Vives/Los Angeles Times CBS LA
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Best new airport amenities in 2015 -- As the recent 2015 J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study reveals, travelers are feeling better about the airport experience. "It's no longer just about getting travelers from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible; it's about making the airport experience enjoyable," Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power, said in a statement announcing the study results. What makes an airport enjoyable, of course, is in the eye - and stress level - of the passenger, but it's clear that many airports are getting much better at being places where travelers really don't mind spending time. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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Southwest flight out of Oakland lands safely after landing gear issue -- A Southwest flight out of Oakland International Airport landed safely back at the airport Wednesday morning after a several tense hours circling in the sky following a possible problem with the plane's landing gear, officials said. Flight 2547 bound for Chicago departed with 139 passengers on board around 6 a.m. but the captain immediately decided to return to the airport to check on a "maintenance item" on the plane, Southwest officials said in a statement Wednesday morning. Evan Sernoffsky & Kale Williams/SF Gate
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Fiji Airways expands to San Francisco -- Fiji Airways will add seasonal nonstop service between San Francisco and Fiji, the carrier announced Tuesday. San Francisco will become the airline's third U.S. destination, joining Los Angeles and Honolulu. The San Francisco service will launch June 16, with Fiji Airways operating two flights a week through Aug. 14. The service will resume again Dec. 15 and continue through Jan. 15, 2017. Fiji Airways will fly one round-trip flight each Thursday and Sunday during its seasonal schedules. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Police: Man chokes woman in Austin airport line to 'take Devil to hell' -- A woman waiting in the security line with two children at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Saturday was grabbed from behind by a man who put her in a choke hold, saying he was told to "take the Devil to hell," according to the man's arrest affidavit. The man, identified by authorities as Derek Tyler Chapman, 23, was arrested and faces a misdemeanor charge of assault with injury. Roberto Villalpando/Statesman
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McCarran passenger traffic jumps 10.2 percent in November -- Passenger traffic at McCarran International soared again in November with the airport recording the highest monthly year-over-year percentage increase since 2004. The Clark County Department of Aviation reported 3.7 million passengers for the month, a 10.2 percent increase over November 2014. Domestic travel continues to pace the growth with 11.2 percent more passengers arriving and departing than a year ago. Richard N. Velotta/Las Vegas Review-Journal
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United Airlines unveils a new informational video series called Big Metal Bird -- United Airlines executives are calling a new series of informational videos collectively titled "Big Metal Bird" an effort to explain the complex airline industry to customers in an entertaining and memorable way. The tone of the new series that has just begun to post on United's YouTube page may strike some viewers, however, as too much of an attempt to dumb down the airline business for the uninitiated. Lewis LazareChicago Business Journal
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Airlines prep for holiday crush: more flights, bigger planes -- Airlines are shifting the timing of thousands of flights, even adding dozens of redeyes, as they try to avoid delays while hauling millions of passengers from now through the Christmas weekend. Success or failure could all depend on the weather and Mother Nature isn't making it easy on airlines. Rain and fog in the Northeast caused delays Wednesday morning in Boston, New York and Washington - the busiest part of the country's airspace. Rain in Chicago and Atlanta caused some delays in those cities too. David Koenig/AP
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Airline evolution: Once-conservative, familial Delta aims to lead - and change -- The Global Industry -- Despite what you probably think Delta Airlines did not get its name from the Greek letter used by mathematicians and engineers as the symbol for change. Yet Delta is well on its way to becoming the symbol for change in the airline business thanks to some major departures from industry norms it has made in the last few years and to even more dramatic changes that appear to be in the works. Dan Reed/Forbes
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TSA can now require full-body scans, trumping pat-down option -- Just in time for the holidays, the Transportation Security Administration changed the rules for its full-body scanners to find out who's naughty or nice at airport checkpoints. The change is aimed at safeguarding airline security at a time of heightened tensions over terrorism. But legal and security experts complain that TSA rules are ambiguous and that changes come without the opportunity for public comment. Bart Jansen/USA Today
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Americans in Beijing warned of terrorism threat; parts of city locked down -- The U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday morning warned citizens of a Christmastime terrorism threat against Westerners in one of the city's most popular expat districts. Beijing authorities put swaths of the city under lockdown, stationing armed guards on street corners and in pedestrian plazas. Jonathan Kaiman/Los Angeles Times
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Barring of British Muslim family flying to Disneyland touches nerve -- A member of the British Parliament is demanding an explanation for the refusal by American officials stationed at Gatwick Airport to allow a British Muslim family to board a flight last week to Los Angeles to visit Disneyland - a decision that the family says was made with no explanation or justification. The case has generated intense interest on social media in Britain, where around 5 percent of the population is Muslim and where Donald J. Trump's call two weeks ago to bar Muslims from entering the United States drew scorn and outrage. Sewell Chan/New York Times
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Increased security for Rose Parade and Rose Bowl after San Bernardino attack -- Local and federal authorities are stepping up security measures at this year's Rose Parade and Rose Bowl after a terrorist attack in San Bernardino rattled the region. Though authorities stressed that they have not received any threats targeting the annual event, the city said Tuesday that "enhanced security measures" would be in effect along the parade route and at the Rose Bowl Stadium come Jan. 1. Matt Stevens/Los Angeles Times
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L.A. city attorney and SoCal Gas agree on plan to relocate Porter Ranch residents -- Under a court order brokered Wednesday, Southern California Gas Co. must work quickly to provide temporary housing for Porter Ranch residents who want to flee fumes from a massive natural gas leak. More than 2,500 families of the northwest San Fernando Valley community are waiting to be relocated by SoCal Gas, which owns the well in Aliso Canyon that has been leaking massive amounts of methane for two months. As of Tuesday, the gas company had paid to relocate and house more than 2,000 households. Matt Stevens/Los Angeles Times
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In observance of Christmas, Eye on L.A. Aviation will not be published Friday. The next edition will be Monday, December 28.
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