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JetBlue 'absolutely' will use new Long Beach slots -- JetBlue Airways will "absolutely" use the three slot pairs it was awarded at Long Beach airport earlier this month, says vice-president of network planning Dave Clark. "We absolutely intend to fly the three additional slots," he says at the Routes Americas forum in San Juan. JetBlue plans to announce how it will use the slots - likely a combination of increased frequencies and one new market from Long Beach - soon, says Clark. It is still evaluating how to use them, he adds. Edward Russell/Flightglobal
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Los Angeles International Airport pax up 10%, cargo down 6% in Jan-2016 --
Traffic highlights for January 2016: Passenger numbers: 6.1 million, +9.6% year-on-year; Domestic: 4.3 million, +8.9%; International: 1.8 million, +11.2%; Cargo volume: 158,813 tons, -5.7%; Freight: 150,405 tons, -6.5%; Mail: 8409 tons, +11.5%; Aircraft movements: 54,228, +3.6%. CAPA Centre for Aviation LAX Statistics
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LAX T1 $508m changes deliver six new brands -- Retail development company Westfield has completed its phase redevelopment at Los Angeles International Airport Terminal 1, introducing six new retail and F&B brands, including Be Relax, Brookstone, I Love L.A., Sol Surf, Treat Me Sweet and Rock & Brews. This new development is all part of the $508m terminal overhaul jointly funded by Southwest and Los Angeles World Airports which also includes upgrading the customer gate areas, modernizing the terminal and introducing a more efficient customer experience. Doug Newhouse/Travel Retail Business
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County launches review of Carlsbad airport plan -- San Diego County has kicked off a 30-day review of its controversial proposal to expand Carlsbad's McClellan-Palomar Airport to serve a higher class of aircraft. The airport was designed to handle small and mid-sized aircraft, but larger, faster planes are already landing there. To safely accommodate them, the airport has to grow, county officials have said. The Board of Supervisors agreed in December to reclassify Palomar McClellan from a B-II airport to a modified C/D-III, one of several options that had been considered. Phil Diehl/San Diego Union-Tribune
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Little Italy eatery overcomes airport's objections -- An apologetic San Diego City Council on Tuesday cleared the way for the development of a two-story steakhouse in Little Italy, despite a ruling last year by the San Diego Airport Authority that the project could endanger diners in the event of a plane crash. At issue were new airport regulations that went into effect in 2014 to increase safety in several neighborhoods under the airport flight path by imposing limits on some commercial and residential development. Lori Weisberg/San Diego Union-Tribune
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DFW Airport to lower landings fees for airlines -- Dallas/Fort Worth Airport plans to lower its landing fees and terminal rents for airlines starting on April 1. The airport will give back $16 million to the airlines that use DFW as the airport's revenues were stronger than expected in 2015. Landing fees will drop to $2.25 per 1,000 pounds, down from $2.56. Terminal rents in B, D, and E will decline 7.7 percent while rents in terminals A and C will decline 10.8 percent. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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D/FW Airport opens new 137-room Hyatt Place hotel -- Travelers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport will have another option for overnight stays with the grand opening of a new Hyatt Place near the south entrance on Tuesday. The 137-room Hyatt Place DFW, which had a soft opening in February, is located in Southgate Plaza near the airport's new administration building and the rental car center in Euless. It's the first hotel to open at the airport in over a decade, joining the Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Regency. Conor Shine/Dallas Morning News
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American's Charlotte hub has best yield growth, Chicago O'Hare is worst -- A new report said that only four of the 19 global U.S. airline hubs have been producing positive domestic yield growth. Nevertheless, American , Delta and United all produced record profit in 2015. The report by Wolfe Research analyst Hunter Keay said American's Charlotte hub produced 3.4% domestic yield growth in the 12 months ended Oct. 30. Second best was United's San Francisco hub, with 1.7% domestic yield growth, followed by both the Delta and United hubs at New York Kennedy International Airport, both with 1% domestic yield growth. Ted Reed/The Street
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Hawaii airport authority measure advances -- The late state Sen. Gil Kahele's bill to establish a statewide airport governing body cleared the Hawaii Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday and is on its way to a vote by the full Senate. An amended Senate Bill 3072, one of three measures the Hilo Democrat signed before he died in January, would establish a five-member airport authority to oversee all of the state's 15 airports, currently headed by the Department of Transportation. Kirsten Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald
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Why American Airlines sticks with first class on key transcontinental routes -- American Airlines is the only carrier still flying a three-cabin plane - that's an aircraft with first class, business class and economy class - on flights from New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco. But will that last forever? Delta removed first class years ago on all planes, while United dropped it from transcontinental routes in 2013, though sometimes United rotates in a three-class plane temporarily. BrianSumers.com
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Airbus A380 makeover in limbo on Emirates capacity squeeze -- Airbus Group SE said a new version of the A380 superjumbo is unlikely to enter the market until the mid-2020s as the double-decker jetliner's biggest operator, Dubai-based Emirates, struggles with limits on flights from its home market. Emirates has pressed Airbus to develop a re-engined model of the world's biggest passenger plane, the backbone of its international fleet, promising an eye-popping order as reward. Julie Johnnson/Bloomberg
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Turkish Airlines has a record year, thanks to cheap fuel and network strategy -- Turkish Airlines' net income rose to a record $1.1 billion last year from $832 million in 2014, the company said in a statement to the Borsa Istanbul late on Monday. That beat expectations of all 22 analysts in a Bloomberg survey and was 41 percent higher than their mean estimate of $779 million. A slump in Brent crude pricesand a weaker lira helped cut operational costs even as war in neighboring Iraq and Syria, renewed violence with Kurdish militants at home, and terror attacks in Istanbul and Ankara put pressure on direct traffic to Turkey. Tugce Ozsoy/Bloomberg
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The world's 25 longest airline routes -- What are the longest airline routes in the world? It's a question I get frequently at Today in the Sky, so I reached out to the folks at OAG to help us update the list of world's longest flights for 2016. OAG, of course, is a top airline data provider, but they also specialize in airline schedules. To help us answer the question, OAG provided Today in the Sky with the world's 25 longest regularly scheduled flights on the books as of March 1, 2016. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Alaska's long history with 'combi' aircraft -- Alaska Airlines' announcement late last year that they plan to phase out of their 737-300 "combi" or combination aircraft means the end of an era for the state's commercial aviation industry. The aircraft's innovative design, which combined both freight and passengers in the main cabin, brought larger aircraft to Bush destinations for decades. And it was one of several aviation innovations that originated in the Last Frontier but would eventually be used around the world. Colleen Mondor/Alaska Dispatch News
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An airline famous for its bikini shows is planning an IPO -- VietJet, the low-cost carrier from Vietnam that has courted attention with its bikini-clad attendants, is reportedly looking to hold an initial public offering soon. The IPO could be held as early as in the second quarter of this year, and is aiming for a $1 billion valuation, people close to the matter told Bloomberg. That could make the Vietnamese domestic carrier a power player in the region and more valuable than competitors AirAsia, PT Garuda Indonesia, or Thai Airways. Jonathan Chew/Fortune
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American Airlines announces major changes to AAdvantage program -- Got miles? Everything you need to know about the latest updates for frequent fliers. If you're hoarding your American Airlines miles, you might want to, well, stop. Starting March 22, American AAdvantage miles may not take you as far-bad news if you've been planning to use them for first- or business-class seats on long-haul international flights. The airline is changing how many miles you'll need for many routes, and while people who redeem miles for coach on shorter trips will fare fine, travelers preferring to sit up front will feel the pinch. Brian Sumers/Conde Nast Traveler
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Southwest Airlines serving Community Coffee on flights; farmer donations part of deal -- Starting Tuesday, Southwest Airlines passengers will be able to kick back with a tastier cup of coffee and the warm feeling that comes from doing a bit of good for the farmers who helped make it happen. The Dallas-based company announced a partnership that will see products from Community Coffee Co. served on all its flights. The 100 percent Arabica coffee bean blend was the winner in a double-blind taste conducted by the airline. Conor Shine/Dallas Morning News
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Self-inflicted turbulence forced Republic's bankruptcy descent -- Republic Airways Holdings' final descent into Chapter 11 protection on Feb. 25 followed a decade's worth of missteps that left the airline uniquely vulnerable in a time of low fuel prices and healthy demand that have allowed most airlines to thrive. Republic filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, citing a pilot shortage that has made it hard to complete its schedule and ongoing disputes with some of its flying partners. Lou Whitman/The Street
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FAA orders checks on fuel valves in Boeing planes -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered checks on fuel valves on a wide range of Boeing aircraft to ensure they are safe and replace affected valves that could cause possible fuel tank explosions. The order, or airworthiness directive, is effective April 5 and involves Boeing's 737, 757, 767 and 777 jets. The FAA estimated that the new directive would affect 2,140 airplanes in the United States. An airworthiness directive is a legally enforceable regulation issued by the FAA to correct an unsafe condition in an aircraft, engine or propeller. Reuters
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Safety over sexy: Airport stops woman with gun-shaped heels -- At the airport, safety is more important than sexy. That's what a woman found out at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. Officials say she was stopped Sunday at a security checkpoint with a pair of gun-shaped stiletto heels. TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein says the stilettos had heels in the shape of handguns and faux bullets around the sole. They were in the woman's carry-on luggage, along with bracelets lined in faux bullets. AP
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Midwest snow: Airlines preemptively cancel 400 Tuesday flights -- Airlines preemptively canceled more than 440 flights across the USA Tuesday as a winter storm moved across the lower Great Lakes. The figured had jumped to about 765 by late Tuesday afternoon. Carriers also waived change fees for flights through Chicago and several other Midwestern cities. Chicago's two busy airports were hardest-hit by the cancellations as of late Monday. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Qantas A380 Business class from Sydney to Los Angeles is well worth the upgrade -- Ever wondered what you are missing out on when you walk past business class to the back of the plane? It's more than just those comfortable seats. From free tacos to parent rooms and soft pyjamas - here are 14 reasons why flying business from LA to Sydney is worth the upgrade from check in all the way to luggage pick up. Upgrading to business class will set frequent flyers back 72,000 points from Economy to business on the Sydney-LAX route. AAP
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Why in-flight pajamas still matter -- The gift of complimentary "sleep suits" for premium passengers on long flights is perhaps one of the most under-appreciated amenities of air travel. Fine wine. Personalized service, and gourmet, multi-course meals on bone china. Cozy pajamas. One of these is not like the others. Or is it? "I literally have hundreds of pairs of them. They're half my wardrobe." Ben Schlappig may be an extreme example of an airline pajama fan, considering he flies an average of 400,000 miles every year and reviews his experiences on his site, One Mile at a Time. Cynthia Drescher/Conde Nast Traveler
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Local economist shake-up -- There's been a shake-up in the ranks of local economists. Robert Kleinhenz, who has been the chief economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. for the last four years, is moving over to become executive director for economic research at Beacon Economics, the company announced Tuesday. Kleinhenz has been replaced at the LAEDC by Christine Cooper, who was promoted from within. Kleinhenz, 57, will focus on economic analysis and forecasting for Los Angeles-based Beacon. He joins a team led by founding partner Christopher Thornberg, who started Beacon a decade ago after leaving the UCLA Anderson Forecast. Howard Fine/Los Angeles Business Journal
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Water, electricity rate hikes move a step closer for DWP customers -- Los Angeles City Council committee approved plans Tuesday to increase water and power rates, moving Department of Water and Power customers one step closer to higher bills this spring. With three members present, the Energy and Environment Committee cleared the way for the full council to consider the DWP's rate proposals at its Wednesday meeting. If approved, rates will increase 4.7% for water and 3.86% for power each year for five years, the city's ratepayer advocate said. Matt Stevens/Los Angeles Times
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