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A circuitous route to the L.A. World Airports police force -- The gig: Ethel L. McGuire is assistant chief of the Los Angeles World Airports police force, in charge of homeland security and intelligence. Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth-busiest airport in the world, a major gateway to Asia and host to traveling dignitaries from across the globe. The police force also handles Ontario International Airport and the nation's busiest general aviation airport, Van Nuys Airport. Small wonder then that L.A. World Airports has one of Southern California's largest law enforcement agencies, with more than 1,100 officers and staff. Ronald D. White/Los Angeles Times
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Fighter jets on training mission make a pit stop at Bob Hope Airport -- Before he moves from California to Florida, Brian O'Toole spent a little time training some colleagues Friday on a flight that passed near his childhood hometown of La Ca�ada Flintridge - an event that rattled some windows near Bob Hope Airport and caused some chatter on social media. O'Toole, it turns out, was the lead pilot of a trio of Navy fighter jets from Naval Air Station Lemoore near Fresno that made a stop in Burbank to refuel. Chad Garland/Burbank Leader
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The turf stays at Palm Springs airport. All of it -- It started as an ambitious goal - eight acres of turf at Palm Springs International Airport would be removed as the region adjusts to a stricter, water-conservation mindset. Eight acres reflects 80 percent of the lawn areas at PSP. That number was later whittled to five acres due to cost concerns. The project was then scaled down to just under an acre a year ago. Now, the airport plans to convert zero acres of turf to desert landscaping, due to, once again, the project's price-tag. Skip Descant/The Desert Sun
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Palm Springs flew high when airports reigned supreme -- As Palm Springs continues to grow as a vacation destination, record numbers of people are flying into Palm Springs International Airport. Remarkably, Palm Springs has had an airport in one form or another since the 1920s. Palm Springs' first "airport" was at El Mirador Hotel. According to a press release "the airport was located behind the hotel between what is today Tachevah, Avenida Caballeros, and Vista Chino Drives." Nicolette Wenzell/The Desert Sun
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Favorite world airports: Top picks from our travel panel -- Maria Todd, an international health care consultant in Denver, once fell ill while traveling through Singapore's Changi Airport. She went straight to the on-site pharmacy, where the employees came to her aid with the medication she needed. "They were able to meet my needs without an emergency department visit, by consultation with an English-speaking pharmacist, identification, and a registry book entry," she says. That's one of the many reasons Todd named Singapore's airport her favorite outside of the USA. Nancy Trejos/USA Todayoday
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Revved-up Sea-Tac prepares for takeoff -- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was the fastest-growing major airport in the United States last year, continuing a red-hot streak that matches the economy of the region it serves. Consider that during 2014-2015, Sea-Tac saw an additional 7 million passengers, matching the previous decade's increase. A total of 42 million passengers used the airport last year. By 2034, that number could reach 66 million. No wonder that a top priority for commissioners and officials at the Port of Seattle, which runs the airport, is examining how it must expand to accommodate growth and keep up with the competition. Jon Talton/Seattle Times
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Proposed Atlanta airport hotel height to be studied for possible interference with radar -- A planned hotel to be built just steps away from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is seen as an opportunity to add a "world-class" amenity for travelers and boost airport revenue - but the project is still awaiting a review to see if it would interfere with radar. The proposed InterContinental hotel, which would be built just outside the west exit of the Atlanta airport's domestic terminal, is planned to be 11 stories high, including parking built underneath the hotel, according to Hartsfield-Jackson spokesman Reese McCranie. Kelly Yamanouchi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Four finalists vying for top MSP Airport job -- The final four candidates to become the next CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) include an insider, outsiders, and three people with ties to the Twin Cities. MAC announced the finalists in a memo published Friday. The commission is looking for a replacement for longtime Executive Director and CEO Jeff Hamiel, who is retiring in May after 30 years at the helm. A Blue Ribbon panel worked with recruiting firm Spencer Stuart to find candidates, though that panel said it had a hard time attracting some candidates because of the relatively low salary for the job. Nick Halter/Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
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'Crazy' long security lines rankle passengers at MSP Airport -- Since the TSA last week consolidated six screening checkpoints into two in an effort to speed up the security process and make it more efficient, the move has brought complaints, frustration and longer lines. Indeed wait times sometimes have been twice as long as normal, the TSA confirmed. The number of lanes was supposed to stay the same - at 16 - but not all of them have been used. On Friday, only seven of the 10 lanes in the north checkpoint were in service. That left many passengers Friday morning sweating it out as some wait times stretched to 47 minutes, said TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers. Tim Harlow/Minneapolis Star Tribune
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American Airlines pilots can increase clout by rejoining larger union, former union exec says -- More than 50 years after American Airlines pilots split off to form their own union, a former union executive is suggesting the group consider rejoining the larger Air Line Pilots Association. In a Wednesday LinkedIn post, American pilot Neil Roghair said shifts in the broader commercial aviation industry make it the right time to debate a change in representation. Conor Shine/Dallas Morning News
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United Airlines hit with bad news: Regional flight operator Republic Airways declares bankruptcy -- United Airlines could feel a significant impact from another bankruptcy in the airline industry. On Thursday Indianapolis-based Republic Airways filed for Chapter 11 reorganization. Though Republic emphasized it would continue "normal business operations" in the wake of the filing, United Airlines, which has been working hard to improve operations in recent months, could feel some fallout from Republic's bankruptcy. Lewis Lazare/Chicago Business Journal
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Why Republic Airways filed for bankruptcy even though it's profitable -- You might not have heard of Republic Airways. But if you fly often, you've probably traveled on one of its planes. If you book a Delta Air Lines flight from Indianapolis to, say, Detroit, there's a chance you'll fly Republic. That's because major carriers outsource their small regional flights to Republic and a handful of its competitors. Regional airlines service half of the commercial flights in the U.S. Those are the flights that usually have 76 or fewer seats on them and travel short distances, often to small and midsize cities. James Briggs/Indianapolis Star
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OneGo allows subscribers to book unlimited commercial flights -- At last, here's an app-based subscription plan that lets you book unlimited flights on commercial airlines. Name: OneGo What it does: A monthly subscription entitles you to flights on Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, United and Virgin America. There are more than 700 routes at 76 major airports. What's hot: Subscription rates start at $1,500 a month for flights at 14 airports in the West, including Los Angeles International Airport, Orange County, California's John Wayne Airport, San Diego and Las Vegas; $1,950 with access to 18 airports in the central region, including Houston and San Antonio; and $2,300 a month for access to 39 airports in the East. Jen Leo/Houston Chronicle
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US Air aborted takeoff in Philadelphia blamed on pilot error -- Federal investigators say pilot error was the "probable cause" of an aborted takeoff that collapsed a jet's nose gear in Philadelphia. The National Transportation Safety Board says US Airways Flight 1702's pilot and co-pilot chose to take off rather than ensure its computer was properly configured. The NTSB's final report was released Thursday. It says the first officer entered information for the wrong runway before the March 2014 flight took off. Once the plane was off the ground, the captain declared it unsafe to fly and throttled down. AP
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After repairs, fire-damaged British Airways jet leaves Las Vegas -- A British Airways jet that was damaged by fire during an aborted takeoff in September flew from Las Vegas to a California airport on Friday after six months of repairs including an engine replacement and fuselage patch. The Boeing 777 took a circuitous route over the Mojave Desert to Victorville, where it will be repainted before being flown back to the United Kingdom, airline spokeswoman Michele Kropf said. Flight records showed the big twin-engine aircraft departed McCarran International Airport about 1:30 p.m. and arrived 90 minutes later at Southern California Logistics Airport. Ken Ritter/AP
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British Airways to no longer accept unaccompanied children under 12 -- British Airways has flown generations of solo children around the world, with "flying nannies" looking after under-12s travelling alone. But in BA's latest move to cut costs, the airline is ending its "Unaccompanied Minor" (UM) service - angering parents who face flying thousands of miles to pick up or deliver their offspring. The airline has not publicised the move widely. Instead, BA told passengers with children booked to fly as UMs that, while existing tickets will be honoured, no new bookings will be accepted. AirLive
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Profanities and thanks among the most common terms used in tweets to airlines -- An analysis of more than 1.3 million Twitter messages sent to airlines over the last holiday season found the phrase "thank you" was more common than any other. But that doesn't mean the most Twitter messages sent to the world's airlines are filled with gratitude. Consider a tweet sent last week to Spirit Airlines by a traveler from Atlanta: "Thanks for keeping us waiting for 8 hrs only to cancel! You ruined our 1st wedding Anniversary trip, without even a apology." Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Original Boeing 727 prepares for its final takeoff -- Bob Bogash hopes that this week week a dream he's pursued for more than a quarter of a century will materialize: to see the first Boeing 727 - a model that became one of the airplane-maker's top-selling planes of all time - take to the skies one last time. Unlike other restored planes, the 727 was rebuilt solely to fly one last time. The plane is tentatively scheduled to take its final flight Wednesday - if weather permits - around 10 a.m. from Paine Field in Everett, where it has been sitting for the last 25 years, to Boeing Field. Blanca Torres/Seattle Times
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Los Angeles to get long-needed rail line to Santa Monica in May, after decades of intrigue -- For the first time since the 1950s, you'll soon be able travel from Downtown Los Angeles to the beaches of Santa Monica by train. Anyone who's ever been stuck on an L.A. freeway can appreciate what a big deal this is. Amid the region's ever-worsening traffic, residents of West Los Angeles and Santa Monica have been waiting for decades for this rail service into Downtown L.A. Yesterday, Phil Washington, CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro), announced that service would begin on May 20, 2016. Andrew Bender/Forbes
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| Transportation Network Companies |
California to reconsider fingerprint checks for Uber, Lyft drivers -- The California Public Utilities Commission will consider requiring drivers for all ride services, including Uber and Lyft, to undergo fingerprint background checks, just as Uber is facing more scrutiny over its screening process. In January, commissioner Liane Randolph declined to recommend more rigorous screenings for ride-service drivers. But in proposing a new set of rules for transportation network companies, Randolph wrote that the CPUC would issue a ruling "posing questions about background checks and establishing the identity of drivers through methods such as fingerprinting." Bryan Goebel/KQED
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Fresno airport partners with ridesharing service Lyft -- Fresno Yosemite International Airport has entered into an agreement with ridesharing service Lyft to immediately provide pickup services for travelers, the city announced Friday. Lyft drivers will be able to pick up passengers at a designated curbside area between the front of the terminal and baggage claim. Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin said the agreement provides more choices for travelers and creates more economic opportunities for local Lyft drivers. Rory Appleton/Fresno Bee
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How hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake in a planned DWP rate hike -- As Los Angeles city leaders prepare to vote on raising water and power rates Wednesday, hundreds of millions of dollars hang in the balance. But it's not just funds to replace old pipes and other utility expenses one might expect at the Department of Water and Power. Roughly $600 million of power revenue each year is spent on city work unrelated to delivering water and electricity, such as police protection and firefighting. Some of the money comes from a tax on electricity, and some is "transferred" from the DWP's surplus power revenue. Mike Reicher/Los Angeles Daily News
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| | Northwest Airlines - first airline to ban smoking on all flights in North America (April 23, 1988). Click here to read the New York Times story |
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