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American Airlines beats profit estimate as fuel prices fall -- American Airlines Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit exceeded analysts' expectations on plummeting jet fuel prices and strong domestic travel. Adjusted earnings were $2 a share, compared with the $1.97 average from 15 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales of $9.63 billion fell short of the $9.65 billion expected by analysts. Mary Schlangenstein/Bloomberg
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JetBlue Airways fourth-quarter profit soars, beats estimates -- JetBlue Airways Corp said Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled from a year earlier, topping analysts' estimates as cheap fuel and revenue from new checked bag fees and first-class seats added to its bottom line. The U.S. budget carrier earned $190 million in the fourth quarter, up from $88 million a year ago. It earned 56 cents per diluted share, compared with the average analyst estimate of 51 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Jeffrey Dastin/Reuters
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Illness that diverted American Airlines flight remains a mystery -- American Airlines Flight 109, traveling to Los Angeles from London, was more than two hours into its journey and close to Keflavik, Iceland, when several passengers and crew members suddenly and mysteriously became ill. Those aboard were startled, news reports said, and the pilot decided to fly back to London. The plane landed safely. But on Thursday, the mystery of what happened on the plane, which captured headlines in Britain and beyond, remained unclear. Dan Bilefsky & Nicola Clark/New York Times
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Alaska Airlines braces for more ULCC competition as it makes subtle shifts in its business strategy -- Alaska Air Group is making subtle changes to its business in 2016, which include the introduction of a premium economy product and a decision to enlarge its fleet of larger regional jets, as the airline positions itself to compete more effectively with its rivals. There are also nuanced changes in Alaska's competitive landscape in 2016. Although Delta Air Lines remains a fierce competitor in Alaska's Seattle hub, most of the competitive capacity additions that Alaska faces in early 2016 stem from other airlines, including expanded competition with ULCCs. CAPA Centre for Aviation
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Alaska Airlines apologizes, removes 'Meet our Eskimo' phrase from website -- After an outcry from members of the Alaska Native community, Alaska Airlines has removed the line "Meet our Eskimo" and replaced it with "Meet the Eskimo" on its website, alongside the airline's updated branding it unveiled earlier this week. The phrase referenced a slight redesign of the iconic image on the tail of Alaska Airlines' aircraft, an Alaska Native's visage long referred to as the Eskimo. Annie Zak/Alaska Dispatch News
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EgyptAir mechanic suspected in Russian plane crash -- An EgyptAir mechanic whose cousin joined Islamic State in Syria is suspected of planting a bomb on a Russian passenger plane that was blown out of Egypt's skies in late October, according to sources familiar with the matter. So far Egypt has publicly said it has found no evidence that the MetroJet flight, which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh airport, killing all 224 people on board, was brought down by terrorism. Reuters
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Controller shortage to increase airline costs, delays, fares -- It is ironic that at a time when commercial airlines are redoubling efforts to improve on-time and schedule performance that a new report from the Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General concluded that Federal Aviation Administration-caused delays will likely increase. The report said FAA is woefully behind on controller staffing levels at the nation's busiest and most critical air traffic control facilities. Kathryn Creedy/Forbes
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In U.S. oil capital Houston, no cheap fuel bonanza for airlines -- While airlines are in no rush to pass on fuel savings to passengers brought by the collapse in oil prices, the Houston travel market has left them little choice. Airlines serving the U.S. oil capital have resorted to steep discounts to lure newly budget-conscious energy executives back into the air, according to an analysis of ticket prices provided exclusively to Reuters. Crude's 70-percent drop in the past 19 months has made the Houston travel market a rare point of downward pressure on airline revenues. Jeffrey Dastin/Reuters
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Hainan Airlines commences flights between Los Angeles and Changsha -- Hainan Airlines, the largest privately operated carrier in China, commenced Los Angeles's newest non-stop service to the Chinese mainland on January 21. The twice-weekly flights, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, will connect LAX to the capital of Hunan province, Changsha (CSX). Airline Reporter was invited to be on the ramp at LAX for the arrival of the inaugural flight from CSX. John Nguyen/Airline Reporter
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Intolerable Foodie: Welcome to L.A., home of America's least disappointing airport food -- Until recently LAX's only attempts to localize were Lakers teddy bears and civilization's worst-written plaque, in which Antonio Villaraigosa declares: "Transportation is about moving people so they can go about the business of their lives." But by waiting until every other airport gourmeted up, we learned how to do it well. So there's now a Cole's French Dip sandwich shop, one of the nation's few airport-bound institutions that does not disappoint. Joel Stein/Los Angeles Magazine
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San Francisco-Singapore will be world's longest Dreamliner route -- United Airlines will use its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to add nonstop service from San Francisco to Singapore. United says the new route become the world's longest Dreamliner flight and the longest regularly scheduled flight operated by any U.S. carrier. United also will become the only airline to fly nonstop from the United States to Singapore. Flights on the new route will begin June 1. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Art on the fly -- Among the security checkpoints and baggage carousels at John Wayne Airport, travelers will find the landmarks and shapes of Southern California transformed into works of art by Laguna Woods resident Susie Stockholm. Stockholm is the featured artist for JWA's Community Focus Space Program, for which art created by Orange County artists is displayed. "That is kind of a big deal to be in the airport and to be in different shows," Stockholm said. "The really nice thing is to be known and to be invited into shows." Scott Bosco/Orange County Register
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Bay Area airports brace for an onslaught of commercial, private and corporate aircraft for Super Bowl -- The skies over the Bay Area are about to get supercrowded come Super Bowl. In the days leading up to and immediately following next month's historic battle between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, our regional air space will become one big crowded dance floor like Northern California has never seen before. Patrick May/San Jose Mercury News
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Cleveland airport maintenance foreman fired for causing runway incursion -- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport officials have fired the airfield maintenance worker who drove an SUV across an active runway last week, crossing paths with a departing commercial flight. Clyde Dunham, a foreman on the maintenance crew and a 13-year veteran of the airport staff, was terminated for causing what the Federal Aviation Administration classified as the most serious level of runway incursion - one that causes a near collision, Airport Director Fred Szabo said in an interview Thursday. Leila Atassi/Cleveland.com
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Atlanta airport using $300 million in short-term funding for parking, terminal projects -- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport plans to use $300 million in short-term financing to pay for a new parking garage and other projects. The interim funding is aimed at alleviating an upcoming issue: The world's busiest airport will lose more than 6,000 parking spaces, said airport chief financial officer Roosevelt Council Jr. That's because the airport plans to build a hotel next to the domestic terminal where the West economy parking lot sits, along with an end-around taxiway on the west side of the airfield. Kelly Yamanouchi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Police: Registered sex offender attempts to abduct 3-year-old at MIA -- A registered sex-offender is behind bars after police said he attempted to abduct a 3-year-old girl at Miami International Airport on Tuesday. Cuong Nguyen, 42, was arrested and charged with attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment of a child under 13, said Miami-Dade Police. He is a registered sex offender in Pinellas County after being convicted in 1996 for lewd and lascivious behavior on a child under 16, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Carli Teproff/Miami Herald
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TSA wrongful death lawsuit -- A wrongful death lawsuit brought by the widow of a Transportation Security Administration officer who died in a 2013 shooting at Los Angeles International Airport will have to be shored up in order to proceed, a judge ruled today. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Fujie said Mary Caruso, the attorney for Ana Machuca, has 20 days to file an amended complaint to show why the city is not immune from the allegations. A section of the state Government Code states that a public entity is immune from liability in lawsuits alleging insufficient police protection. City News Service
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C.H. Robinson opens California cargo screening facility -- Logisitics firm C.H. Robinson opened a new certified cargo screening facility in Carson, Calif., which is convenient to both Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Long Beach. This is the second TSA-certified cargo screening facility for C.H. Robinson, which already opened one in Chicago in April 2012. The facility includes 20,000 square feet of warehouse space, along with scanning machines and a team tasked with screening airfreight that is brought to the facility. Linda Ball/Air Cargo World
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Security workers indicted for Honolulu Airport bribes -- Four employees of a company that provides security at Honolulu International Airport have been indicted for taking bribes. State Attorney General Doug Chin says an Oahu grand jury indicted the Securitas employees Thursday. Deputy Attorney General Albert Cook says the men allegedly solicited and accepted more than $3,000 in bribes from taxi and shuttle drivers at the airport. In exchange, the drivers were allowed to circumvent ground transportation rules at the airport. AP
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| Transportation Network Companies |
Ex-Uber driver charged with trying to extort money from passenger -- A former Uber driver pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to extort money from a passenger in order to get her phone back, then nearly running her over when he fled the scene in West Hollywood last year, prosecutors said. Los Angeles County prosecutors say that Philip Bagwell, 46, who was convicted of grand theft in 1990 and 1998 and forgery in 1991, was an Uber driver in July 2015 when he picked up a woman headed to a West Hollywood comedy club. Joseph Serna/Los Angeles Times
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Boeing will boost 737 production, slow 777 rates -- Boeing said on Wednesday it will boost production of its popular 737 jetliner to record rates while scaling back production of its 777 jets. The Chicago-based aerospace giant said in an earnings call the changes reflect shifting market demands as the two product lines prepare for the introduction of next-generation replacement variants before the end of the decade. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced in the call the company will boost production of its 737 single-aisle jet to a record 57 airplanes per month in 2019. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/USA Today
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Los Angeles' transportation system wants connections for Inglewood football stadium -- The Metro board voted Thursday to begin working with the city of Inglewood and the owners of the Rams and Chargers football teams to find ways to connect fans with mass transit. Coinciding with the proposed $2.6 billion football stadium in 2019 will be the opening of Metro's Crenshaw-LAX light-rail line, currently under construction. The rail station closest to the football stadium will be Downtown Inglewood Station, a few minutes walk away, Metro reported. Steve Scauzillo/San Gabriel Valley Tribune
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