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LAX to host industry forum on contracting for $5-billion LAX Landside Access Modernization Program -- Los Angeles City and airport officials will conduct on Thursday a forum to present details of the estimated $5-billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) that will deliver a world-class transpor- tation system for Los Angeles International Airport. LAMP is considered the largest individual construction program in Los Angeles City history. Nearly 900 executives from local, national and international companies are registered to attend. LAWA Media Advisory
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American grows at LAX despite challenges -- American Airlines will operate more than 220 peak day departures this summer from Los Angeles International Airport, but while the new schedule will provide more connectivity, the carrier will not turn the airport into a traditional hub. Brian Sumers/Aviation Daily
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San Jose airport delays launch of new Germany flights -- The airport's new direct flight to Germany has been delayed before it could even take off. Lufthansa confirmed Wednesday a two month delay in launching its new daily nonstop flights to Frankfurt, Germany, from the Mineta San Jose International Airport. Frankfurt was one of three new international routes planned to launch from Silicon Valley's airport this year. The airline was set to begin the nonstop flights on April 29 but will instead start service on July 1. Ramona Giwargis/San Jose Mercury News
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Ex-PHL chief Gale named Fort Lauderdale airport director -- Mark E. Gale, former Philadelphia International Airport CEO, has been hired as aviation director of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. The Broward County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to hire Gale, on the recommendation of the Broward County administrator. He will begin in March, and succeed retiring aviation director Kent George. Linda Loyd/Philly.com
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Delta Air Lines CEO Anderson to retire; president takes over -- Richard Anderson, who oversaw Delta Air Lines' transformation into one of the world's most profitable airlines, will retire this May. His right-hand man, airline president Ed Bastian, will take over as CEO, the Atlanta-based airline said Wednesday. Anderson started as CEO in 2007, just after Delta exited bankruptcy protection. The next year, Delta merged with Northwest Airlines, a deal often cited as a model for future airline mergers, some of which did not go as smoothly. Scott Mayerowitz/AP Related: Anderson's retirement from Delta could be as unique as his career
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Southwest Airlines pilots picket outside of Dallas Love Field -- Holding signs saying "We stand united for a contract," hundreds of Southwest Airlines pilots stood silently outside of Dallas Love Field on Wednesday. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents the Dallas-based carrier's 8,300 pilots, held the informational picket to bring attention to its current contract negotiations which have lasted for almost four years. "It's time to bring a contract home for our pilot group," SWAPA vice president Captain Mike Panebianco said. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star Telegram
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United Airlines offers to re-assign pregnant crew from Zika-hit routes -- United Airlines has offered to re-assign pregnant flight attendants concerned about contracting the Zika virus from routes to Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The previously unreported policy, communicated in an internal memo on Jan. 28, shows how the mosquito-borne virus, linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, looms as an issue not just for airline passengers but for crew as well. Jeffrey Dastin/Reuters
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United Airlines dramatically expands relationship with airport lounge services firm -- Atten-shun! Now the United States Marines and United Airlines have a lot in common. The Chicago-based airline said today it has inked a contract with Sodexo to become the sole service partner for more than 50 United Club airport departure and arrivals lounges that United operates inside United States airports and at other airports around the world. Founded in 1966, Sodexo is a Paris, France-based company that is among the world's largest food services and facilities management companies. Lewis Lazare/Chicago Business Journal
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Militant group Al Shabaab leading suspect in Somalia plane blast: U.S. government sources -- Investigators suspect the Al Shabaab militant group was behind a likely bomb blast that forced an Airbus A321 into an emergency landing this week in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, U.S. government sources said Wednesday. One U.S. government source said investigators believe the Islamic militant group Al Shabaab perpetrated the attack. Abdi Sheikh & Mark Hosenball/Reuters
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Emirates feeling strong dollar pinch -- Dubai: Emirates is feeling the pinch of the strong dollar despite the reprieve from lower fuels costs, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline and Group and Chairman of Dubai Airports, said on Wednesday. "We have currency issues," he told reporters in Dubai at an aviation industry conference. Alexander Cornwell/Gulf News Aviation
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The surprisingly easy way to score a year of free flying -- It might be the best travel perk you've never heard of. Southwest Airlines offers a companion pass that lets you take a partner on all your trips free for one year. It's unique in the airline business, an all-you-can-travel extra that's surprisingly easy for many people to obtain, and so potent that it changes lifestyles and saves families thousands of dollars. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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Bill to privatize U.S. air-traffic would ban in-flight calls -- The U.S. air-traffic control system would be spun off to a nonprofit corporation and airline passengers wouldn't be allowed to talk on mobile phones under sweeping legislation unveiled Wednesday to set aviation policy for the next six years. The job of guiding planes would be taken away from the Federal Aviation Administration and put under the auspices of a new nonprofit funded by fees on commercial flights that would replace most current airline taxes, said Representative Bill Shuster, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Alan Levin/Bloomberg Business
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Pilots say FAA bill is 'unsafe' without lithium battery ban -- The union that represents pilots in Washington said Wednesday that a proposed funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration is "unsafe" because it does not include a ban on carrying lithium ion battery during flights. Most major airlines are already banning passengers from carrying lithium batteries on flights after warnings from federal regulators, but aviation groups have been pushing Congress to enact a ban that would have also covered cargo flights. Keith Laing/The Hill
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Lawmakers ground airport fee hike -- A new measure from a key House panel would ground a proposal to nearly double the amount of money that airline passengers are charged to help pay for facility improvements. Airport groups in Washington have been pushing Congress to nearly double the cap on the fee that is added to every plane ticket, which is known as the Passenger Facility Charge. The increase would have hiked the charge from $4.50 to $8.50. The Federal Aviation Administration measure unveiled by the House Transportation Committee would keep the fee where it stands. Keith Laing/The Hill
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'Airplane!' Creators reveal the origins of 'Don't Call Me Shirley' -- There are few movies as quotable as the 1980 disaster-movie parody Airplane! - and of the movie's many memorable gags, arguably the most enduring is the moment when reluctant pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays) tells Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen), "Surely you can't be serious," and Rumack replies, "I am serious - and don't call me Shirley." We dug into the origins and execution of that exchange - as well as the overall comedic mechanics of Airplane! - with the trio who wrote and directed the film, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. Abraham Riesman/Vulture
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L.A. 2024 organizers impress IOC president Thomas Bach during his visit -- At the end of his tour of the UCLA campus Monday afternoon, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach walked across a soccer pitch behind the Wooden Center and lined up for a penalty kick for the benefit of a group of photographers. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, dressed in slacks, a white dress shirt and a navy U.S. Olympic Committee track suit jacket with U.S.A. in large red letters across the back, stood in goal. Scott M. Reid/Orange County Register
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Former Port of L.A. police chief admits to tax evasion and lying to the FBI -- The former chief of police at the Port of Los Angeles pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of tax evasion and providing a false statement to the FBI. Ronald Boyd, who previously oversaw the police agency at one of the nation's busiest seaports, also admitted to a misdemeanor count of failure to file a complete income tax return in 2011, according to his attorney, Vicki Podberesky. Matt Hamilton/Los Angeles Times
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