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Delta plans Los Angeles-Beijing nonstops -- Delta Air Lines plans to add nonstop service between Los Angeles and Beijing, the carrier announced Monday. Delta's service would launch Dec. 16, pending regulatory approval. Delta would offer one daily round-trip flight between the cities on 291-seat Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The jets are configured with 37 flat-bed seats in business class and 254 in coach. Of the coach seats, 36 are Delta's extra-legroom Comfort+ seats. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today City News Service
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Reno airport's first Orange County flight departs Wednesday -- Reno-Tahoe International Airport will be celebrating its first flight to Orange County via Alaska Airlines this Wednesday. The airport is kicking off the start of daily nonstop service between Reno (RNO) and John Wayne Airport (SNA) with its first "Fun-In-The-Sun" event at 9 a.m. March 16, which will be attended by Alaska Airlines and airport officials as well as Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. Jason Hidalgo/Reno Gazette/Journal
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SMO lawsuit reaches appeals court -- However you feel about the Santa Monica Airport, buckle your seatbelt and prepare for takeoff. One of several lawsuits in the ongoing battle over the future of the local airport moved forward Friday at the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where attorneys for the City of Santa Monica and the Federal Aviation Administration made opening arguments before a three-judge panel in a dispute over control of the property. Jeff Goodman/Santa Monica Daily Press
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New head of Ontario Airport Authority to talk field's future -- What the future holds for Ontario International Airport after it becomes a locally controlled asset will be the main focus of a March 30 talk at UC Riverside by the Ontario International Airport Authority's newly appointed CEO. Kelly Fredericks, a 33-year aviation industry executive, assumed his duties last week after departing as head of the Rhode Island Airport Corp. He's the headliner of the UCR Randall Lewis Seminar Series program, themed, "Ontario International Airport: Now Locally Owned, But What Happens Next?'' City News Service/Riverside UCR Today
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Thanks Again celebrates successful launch of beacon-enabled smartphone app at Burbank Bob Hope Airport -- Thanks Again, an airport consumer loyalty program, celebrated the official launch of a beacon-enabled smartphone app at Burbank Bob Hope Airport last week with an inaugural ribbon cutting and celebration. There was also a short video developed to demonstrate this new technology. The availability of the new app gives Burbank Bob Hope Airport the distinction of being one of the first "smart airports" in the nation. Thanks Again Press Release
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Chicago aviation chief thinking big on new O'Hare gates -- With a deal for a new runway and related projects in hand, Chicago Aviation Commissioner Ginger Evans today said that landing more gates at O'Hare International Airport is her next priority-and she made it clear she's thinking big. In an appearance at a City Club of Chicago lunch, Evans said potential expansion of O'Hare's T-5 international terminal, renovation and more of United Airlines' T-1 terminal, and new "terminals" at unspecified locations to the west of existing ones all are on the table as the big field tries to build itself out of creeping obsolescence. Greg Hinz/Crain's Chicago Business
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Indianapolis airport board to keep sports complex developer on short leash -- The Indianapolis Airport Authority is standing behind the group that wants to build a $500 million sports and medical complex near the airport. But the developer will have a narrow window of time to prove it's up to the job. The airport authority as early as Friday could give Athlete's Business Network exclusive negotiating rights to redevelop the 130-acre site near the former airport terminal. James Briggs/Indianapolis Star
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Alaska Airlines to revamp its rural Alaska airport terminals -- Alaska Airlines is about to spruce up and in some cases overhaul the 11 airport terminal facilities it owns across rural Alaska. The Seattle-based company will put at least $30 million into a three- to five-year project starting this year which will majorly remodel a few of its terminals -- in Kotzebue, Kodiak and Barrow -- and give more minor facelifts to the others. A need to expand some of the terminals came from a growing Transportation Security Administration presence at the airports, said Joe Sprague, senior vice president of communications at Alaska Airlines. Annie Zak/Alaska Dispatch News
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Southwest beefs up Baltimore flight schedule -- Southwest is beefing up its schedule at Baltimore/Washington International (BWI), already the third-busiest airport in the carrier's network. Southwest will add an additional daily flight on six routes it already serves from BWI. Additionally, the airline will add one additional Saturday-only flight on five other routes. The extra flights will be offered in the airline's early-summer schedule, starting June 5 and running through Aug. 6. Southwest is already the largest carrier at BWI. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Virgin readies for Denver-San Francisco inaugural -- Virgin America is winging its way into the crowded Denver-San Francisco air travel market this week. The flights begin Tuesday morning with an inaugural flight to Denver from Virgin America's San Francisco hub. Passengers on the inaugural flight will include Virgin Group's Richard Branson and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, along with officials from LinkedIn. Virgin America will serve the route with two-class Airbus A320 aircraft that offer power outlets at every seat and onboard Wi-Fi. Trevor Hughes/USA Today
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United's CEO returns to airline facing big issues -- When Oscar Munoz walks into his office at United headquarters Monday, there will be plenty of smiles seeing him return from a heart transplant just two months ago. But he won't be able to ease back on the job after his major surgery. Instead, his return is overshadowed by questions about whether he can lift United Airlines to a new level and an ongoing proxy battle over who should be on the board that will directly influence his plans to turn around the carrier. Phil LeBeau/CNBC
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If Congress cuts airline fees, who would suffer? -- A few senators must have finally had enough on one of their many flights to and from their home districts. Last week, a bill was introduced that would "forbid airlines from imposing ridiculous fees" - specifically, the baggage and changed reservation fees that have become a staple for many large airlines. If such a bill actually made it into law, what would it mean for airline companies? As much as 15 percent of some carriers' total operating revenue comes from just those two fees according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics data. Mark Fahey/CNBC
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Why airlines are kicking the oil betting habit -- U.S. airlines are trying to harness low fuel prices to power their bottom lines. That might not be as simple as it sounds. Low oil prices mean that major airlines are less interested in using derivatives to hedge their exposure to fuel-cost fluctuations. Delta Air Lines said last week it has closed its hedges altogether, while United Continental Holdings and Southwest Airlines have scaled back their use of such contracts. Charley Grant/ Wall Street Journal
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Want more frequent flier miles? Perhaps you should fly Alaska Airlines -- United and Delta recently made it more difficult for travelers buying cheap tickets to earn miles. Both airlines once allotted them based on the distance of your flight, but changed their programs to reward big spenders. Now, the least expensive tickets earn few miles. Later this year, American will institute the same model, giving miles based on how much you paid. Other airlines, including Southwest, Virgin America and JetBlue, have long had similar approaches. BrianSumers.com
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Airlines post on-time arrival rate of 81.3 percent in January -- U.S. airlines posted an on-time arrival rate of 81.3 percent in January, an improvement from 76.8 percent in January 2015, as there were fewer winter storms affecting operations across the country. According to a report by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time rate of 91.7 percent while Spirit Airlines had the worst with only 68.1 percent of its flights arriving on time. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Report: Business aviation flights increase in February -- Business aviation activity increased in February, according to a monthly report from Argus International. The Argus TRAQPak report said IFR flights in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean were up up 6.9 percent in February 2016 compared with the same month a year ago. Argus said without the extra day in February 2016 because of leap year, business aviation activity was up 3.3 percent in the same period. Jerry Siebenmark/Wichita Eagle
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House approves short-term FAA extension -- The House voted Monday to extend legislative authority for the Federal Aviation Administration to July 15, while lawmakers debate longer-term legislation governing airline rules for consumers, drones and equipment upgrades, The FAA's current authority expires March 31, and lawmakers want more time to reach a compromise that would last years instead of months. The authorizing legislation governs routine FAA operations, contracts for air-traffic control towers and airport grants. Bart Jansen/USA Today
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FAA years ago raised questions about Germanwings co-pilot -- U.S. aviation regulators in the summer of 2010 initially declined to issue a pilot medical certificate to then-student aviator Andreas Lubitz, who five years later intentionally brought down Germanwings Flight 9525. The Federal Aviation Administration first said he wasn't eligible for a pilot's license due to a "history of reactive depression." After receiving a report from the applicant's psychiatrist and psychotherapist, however, FAA medical officials dropped their objections. Andy Pasztor/Wall Street Journal
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L.A. plans to fix sidewalks, then hand off responsibility for future repairs -- Under a tentative plan to smooth its badly broken sidewalks, Los Angeles would spend money to fix walkways next to homes and businesses, then gradually hand off the responsibility for future repairs to property owners - a "fix and release" plan that has troubled some community groups worried about financially strapped residents. The proposed new policy, which was backed Monday by two City Council committees, would roll back a longstanding rule that had put the city on the hook for sidewalks buckled by street trees. Emily Alpert Reyes/Los Angeles Times
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2 L.A. City Hall staffers arrested on suspicion of DUI: 1 drove city-issued car, another hit Metro bus -- Two aides at Los Angeles City Hall were arrested over the weekend on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said. A car driven by Fredy Ceja, a spokesman for City Councilman Gil Cedillo, collided with a Metro bus near 6th and Spring streets in downtown L.A., according to an LAPD source who was not authorized to speak publicly. More than an hour later, Fredy Torres, a field deputy for City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, was arrested near 43rd Street and McKinley Avenue in South L.A., according to arrest records. Matt Hamilton & Richard Winton/Los Angeles Times
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L.A sued over seizure of homeless people's belongings -- A group of homeless people and their advocates filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the city of Los Angeles and police alleging the wrongful seizure of people's property. Plaintiffs include four homeless individuals who say their constitutional rights were violated when city employees allegedly took their belongings without due process or notice. They're seeking damages and a stop to the practice. Josie Huang/KPCC
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