Airports
Making international connections at LAX is about to get a lot easier -- For decades, visitors to Los Angeles International Airport have been surprised at how difficult it is to connect from a domestic flight to an international departure. But as soon as Thursday morning, those troubles might be over for many passengers. For the past two years, the airport has been spending an estimated $115 million to build a connector, inside security, between Terminal 4 and the Tom Bradley Internationa Terminal, which is used by many, but not all, international airlines.  Since Terminals 4-8 are already connected inside security, this means passengers flying United, Delta, Alaska and American will be able to seamlessly access the Tom Bradley Terminal. BrianSumers.com
Deal Alert: Los Angeles to Tokyo from $391 round-trip -- Been looking to go to Tokyo? Now is your chance. Delta Air Lines is offering cheap flights to Tokyo (HND) right now from select cities in the US, including Los Angeles (LAX), Dallas (DFW), Phoenix (PHX), Miami (MIA) and Philadelphia (PHL). To book, you must go through Priceline to get the best deal. Availability is through early May for travel on Monday through Thursday.  Emily McNutt/The Points Guy
Uber, Lyft at Palm Springs airport? It could happen -- For anyone wondering when you're going be able to hop into your Uber or Lyft ride at the front door of Palm Springs International Airport, stay patient. Airport officials are working through the details of developing a policy to allow ride-shares to pick up directly in front of the terminal. Not that there's much inconvenience today. Currently, ride-share services pick up in front of the airport grounds on El Cielo Road. When dropping off, ride-shares can pull up directly in front of the airport's main terminal. Skip Descant/The Desert Sun
A short history of the much-maligned jet bridge -- In the glamorous "golden age" of air travel, entering or exiting an airplane involved a walk across the tarmac and a climb up or down a flight of moveable stairs. That was fine when the weather was good and all passengers were agile, and is still how it's done at many small airports and for flights at larger airports that arrive and depart on smaller jets. But sometime in the late 1950s, moveable, enclosed metal walkways offering a sheltered pathway between terminals and airplanes began sprouting up at U.S. airports. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest, has opened a $1.2 billion concourse with the arrival of a British Airways flight from London -- The world's busiest airport for international travel is growing again. Dubai International Airport opened a new concourse on Wednesday with the arrival of a British Airways flight from London. The new, $1.2 billion concourse will boost the airport's capacity from 75 million to 90 million passengers annually, officials said. Adam Schreck/AP
Measures aim to reduce impact of O'Hare's jet noise -- Suburban and city lawmakers touted aviation-related proposals Tuesday that include studying the impact of O'Hare International Airport on human and environmental health and giving homeowners a tax credit to buy soundproofing. But with Springfield mired in gridlock over the budget and many lawmakers focusing on the March 15 primary and November general election, getting legislation passed this session is a tough proposition. Marni Pyke/Daily Herald
Travel
Cancellations spike past 2,000 as storm heads east -- Fliers faced headaches across the Great Lakes and Northeast Wednesday as a potent storm brought snow to the Midwest and severe weather to the East. Nationwide, more than 2,000 flights had been canceled by early Wednesday evening and nearly all big U.S. carrier had enacted flexible rebooking policies. The worst of Wednesday's problems came in snowy Chicago, though cancellations in the East began to spike Wednesday afternoon as a line of severe weather pushed East. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
Hilton wants to change your mind about airport hotels -- Legacy hotel brands have come a long way in the last decade, building new properties with more natural light, more modern design, better food, and better amenities. But the perception still persists worldwide that most airport hotels will never be more than an unfortunate, unavoidable interruption between point A and B, or a place to have a cheap meeting. Hilton Worldwide wants to change that perception. It's trying to reboot the traveling public's view of its airport properties with a new research paper entitled: "The Rise of The Airport Hotel," inspired by this month's official opening of the new Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Greg Oates/Skift
Airlines
Which airlines get into Havana? The Feds will decide -- It's been more than 50 years since commercial flights from the U.S. could legally land in Cuba, and now domestic airlines have under two weeks to explain to federal regulators why they deserve to have a few of just 110 daily roundtrip flights to the island. The battle for Havana will be particularly fraught because the agreement to restore commercial flights includes only 20 slots in the capital. Justin Bachman/Bloomberg Business
The best way to compare flights -- Coach seats used to be commodities like bananas. No matter which airline you flew, each seat was pretty much the same. The only things that mattered to many were price and schedule. Now that commodity is customized. Some seats are wider and have entertainment screens and power outlets. Some planes have more comfortable cabins with higher humidity and bigger windows. Some rows have a cramped depth of 28 inches for seat and legs; others are 34 inches, with room to wiggle. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
JetBlue offered 150 passengers free round-trip tickets - if they could agree on where to go -- It's no secret that Congress has had difficulty agreeing of late, but what about a group of perfect strangers? In a new advertisement called "Reach Across the Aisle," airline company JetBlue offered 150 passengers the opportunity to win free round-trip tickets to any destination where JetBlue flies. The only caveat: They had to agree unanimously on where to go by the end of their flight. Rachel Dicker/U.S. News & World Report
Spirit CEO wants to buff 'rough edges,' says fares will stay low -- Spirit Airlines is a profitable carrier known for its cheap fares, but new CEO Bob Fornaro would like to shed its reputation for flight delays, cancellations and passenger complaints. "We have a lot of rough edges, and we can run a smoother, more reliable airline," Fornaro, who took over Jan. 4, said Wednesday at an International Aviation Club luncheon. "That's my commitment to my great team at Spirit and to our customers." Bart Jansen/USA Today
Airplanes
Airbus profit rises as aircraft deliveries grow -- Airbus says earnings grew 15 percent last year as airlines' demand for the European aerospace and defense giant's A320 and A330 jets helped boost deliveries and top arch-rival Boeing in the race for new orders. Airbus made 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion) last year, up from 2.3 billion euros in 2014, the company said Wednesday. The maker of the A380 super-jumbo says it expects to deliver more than 650 aircraft this year, up from 635 in 2015. It also forecast a growing order book in 2016, a year after it took in 1,080 orders, well over Boeing's 768. AP
FAA
FAA considers allowing drones to fly more over people -- The Federal Aviation Administration is asking for advice about potentially allowing small drones to fly over people who aren't associated with the aircraft. The FAA is asking for industry experts to produce a report by April 1, a blistering pace for federal regulators. But the strategy worked in setting up a national registry for drone owners in December within weeks of a proposal. "The department continues to be bullish on new technology," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Wednesday. Bart Jansen/USA Today
TSA
The TSA releases data on air marshal misconduct, 7 years after we asked -- Seven and a half years ago, as a new reporter here, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request for all reports of misconduct by federal air marshals. It had been several years since the U.S. government rapidly expanded its force of undercover agents trained to intervene in hijackings after 9/11. And a source within the agency told me that a number of air marshals had recently been arrested or gotten in trouble for hiring prostitutes on missions overseas. Michael Grabell/ProPublica
Aviation Data & Analysis
US Airlines Domestic On-Time Performance 77.8% in December
Courtesy Oliver Wyman PlaneStats
2024 Olympics
LA 2024 Olympic bid receives wide public support in new poll -- The cheering section for the LA 2024 Olympic bid is nearly full, according to a recent telephone poll. More than 88% of Angelenos are in favor of the city's hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid, according to a survey conducted by Loyola Marymount University, which received 2,425 responses. Meanwhile, 12% of those who responded opposed the hosting of the Games. Matt Wilhalme/Los Angeles Times
City Government
L.A. councilman blocks DWP move even as he advocates less political meddling at utility -- In a push to reform the Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles City Councilman Felipe Fuentes has argued that council members should have less sway over its decisions. Fuentes has championed a proposed ballot measure that would stop the City Council from routinely approving contracts, real estate deals and other decisions made by the DWP board - part of an overhaul that he says would reduce political meddling in the operations of the utility. Yet recently, when the department sought to extend key deadlines for solar energy companies that have deals with the city, Fuentes effectively blocked the move, exercising his power as a council member. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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