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2 explosions at Brussels Airport, 1 at subway station; 26 killed -- Three explosions that ripped through the Belgian capital of Brussels on Tuesday killed at least 26 people and wounded 130 more, according to Belgian media, and raised the reality of terror once again in the heart of Europe. "We were fearing terrorist attacks, and that has now happened," Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters. Belgian federal Prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw said it was too soon to know exactly how many people died in the bombings. Yet the Brussels Metro Authority reported that 15 died and 55 were wounded in the subway station blast. And Belgian media report at least 11 more people were killed in the two blasts in the Brussels Airport departure hall. CNN Related: U.S. cities ramp up security in wake of Brussels attacks Capitals assess, tighten security after Brussels bombings
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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti discusses city's transportation, traffic issues on Eyewitness Newsmakers -- L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti appeared on this week's Eyewitness Newsmakers for another edition of Ask the Mayor. Many viewers focused their questions on transportation and traffic issues. With the possibility of a $120 billion in new tax revenue if voters approve it, transit in Los Angeles could get a lot bigger. Even without the new funding, the mayor said there will be rail all the way to Los Angeles International Airport. Adrienne Alpert/ABC7
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Sens. Feinstein and Boxer call for approval of LAX-to-Cuba flights -- Coinciding with President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba, California's two U.S. senators are urging the Department of Transportation to approve scheduled non-stop air service between the state and the island nation. In a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both D-Calif., wrote that as the agency weighs applications from airlines to offer service to Cuba, it should ensure that California - particularly Los Angeles - is approved for flights. CBS LA
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Opinion: LAX Story - Why the Terminal 4 Connector matters to you -- A couple of weeks ago, I was one of the first to report on the opening of the new Connector facility between Terminal 4 (T4) and the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport. While this is exciting news in my world, I will admit that sometimes I forget that not everyone is a frequent-flying fanatic or even an #AvGeek. So here I am, to make the case to the everyday person on the street on just why the new T4 Connector is so monumental to the improvement to the passenger experience at LAX. John Nguyen/Airline Reporter
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Commission running Minneapolis-St. Paul airport OKs new head -- The commission that operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has approved a new executive director and CEO. The Metropolitan Airports Commission approved Lakeville native Brian Ryks' appointment Monday following a nationwide search. He will take over for current executive director and CEO Jeff Hamiel, who is retiring in May. Ryks is executive director of Gerald R. Ford International Airport in western Michigan. AP
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National Airport workers join those at other major hubs in a 24-hour strike for better wages -- Workers at Reagan National Airport will join those at some of the country's busiest hubs for a 24-hour strike beginning Tuesday night over what they say are low wages and retaliation for union organizing, labor leaders said Monday. More than 2,000 workers, including cleaners, security officers and baggage handlers plan to strike at National, Chicago's O'Hare, New Jersey's Newark Liberty, and New York's Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, among others, the Service Employees International Union said. Luz Lazo/Washington Post
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Byko: Philly airport to hero: Get lost -- While Philadelphia condemns a hero to a lonely corner of our airport, the Florida Aviation Historical Society next month will induct Mary Frances Housley into its Hall of Fame. She was the flight attendant, known as Frankie, who surrendered her life on Jan. 14, 1951, in the only fatal crash at Philadelphia International Airport. She was 24. On a flight from Newark to Norfolk, National Airlines Flight 83, with 28 aboard, made a scheduled stop in Philly, early on a Sunday afternoon. Stu Bykofsky/Philadelphia Daily News
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Houston's State of the Airport avoids controversy -- The Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz sidestepped the ongoing conflict over bid procurements during the annual State of the Airport speech, instead focusing on the new international terminal at Hobby Airport and the future spaceport planned at Ellington Airport. The airport system has been under scrutiny from city officials over the contracts related to the new international terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Joe Martin/Houston Business Journal
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Grieving passenger has bumpy ride with American Airlines -- As Mitt Romney proclaimed in 2011, "Corporations are people, my friend." But that doesn't necessarily make them nice people. Sue Ogle learned this after being informed last week by American Airlines that the carrier no longer offers discounts for people who've lost a loved one - even though, after the death of her father, she was told just the opposite by the carrier's service reps, who made her jump through hoops to get a promised refund. David Lazarus/Los Angeles Times
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Boeing 787 plus United SFO hub creates new frontiers in Asia, study says -- United Airlines' intent to start San Francisco-Singapore service June 1 with a Boeing 787-9 is an important symbol of a new frontier in aviation, one where new airplanes will enable longer flights that will bypass Tokyo Narita, according to a new survey by OAG Aviation. "The continued introduction of the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 will revolutionize long-haul travel and the sectors flown by major airlines around the world," said John Grant, the OAG senior analyst who compiled the study. Ted Reed/The Street
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United Airlines reduces gates at Cleveland Hopkins; extends lease with city -- United Airlines is consolidating its departure and arrival gates at Cleveland Hopkins airport to the so-called "banjo" or "rotunda" area at the far end of concourse C. United officials met with members of Cleveland City Council on Monday to go over two new lease agreements between the city and the airline, which extend United's commitments at the airport through 2029. Susan Glaser/Cleveland Plain Dealer
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The good and the bad of Etihad's A380 first class apartments -- When Etihad began flying its A380 with over-the-top First Class "Apartments" in late 2014, they rocketed to the top of my Must-Fly list. Their design goal seems to have been to create the preeminent First Class experience in the skies, an experience that would one-up their U.A.E. rival, Emirates. Located at the front of the upper deck in an ultra-wide single aisle 1-1 layout, Etihad gives nine First Class passengers significantly more space than Emirates, Singapore and pretty much all other carriers, which use a 1-2-1 double aisle configuration for 12-16 suites or seats in the same area. Geoff Fischer/The Cranky Flier
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Low-cost airlines: They changed the world -- but what next? -- The pioneers of low-cost air travel took the industry by storm. But now, when nearly half of air journeys in Western Europe and the U.S. are on budget carriers, is there room left for growth? Across the world, low-cost airlines have become not only a fixture of the travel industry but an essential element of contemporary life. The first budget carriers shook up a market that was ripe for disruption after decades of over-regulation, lack of competition and growing costs. Miquel Ros/CNN
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Black-box data retrieved from plane that crashed in Russia -- Russian investigators said on Monday they had been able to retrieve data from a damaged cockpit voice recorder recovered from the scene of a plane crash at the weekend in southern Russia that killed all 62 people on board. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered officials to examine whether Russia's flight safety rules needed to be tightened up after the crash, which happened as the Boeing 737-800 tried to land at a regional airport in strong, gusting wind. Gleb Stolyarov/Reuters
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A tarnished turboprop clouds China's aviation dream -- In June 2013, Myanma Airways Flight 309 veered off a runway in Kawthaung, Myanmar, with 60 passengers aboard and hit a wall. Myanmar's investigation concluded the brakes and steering failed after a hydraulic-pressure drop. Myanmar that year banned the plane, a Chinese-made Modern Ark 60 turboprop, from its airspace. Flight 309's hulk still sits by the runway. The day of that incident, another MA60 crash-landed in Kupang, Indonesia, injuring five. Daniel Stacey & Chun Han Wong/Wall Street Journal
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Cabin suppliers face challenges to meet airline demand -- Interiors suppliers will be hard-pressed to keep up with demand in the coming years, but the main challenge will not be making more seats, but rather the more complex ones that airlines want. The commercial jet fleet comprised about 3.4 million seats in 2015, a Tronos Aviation Consulting study found, and demand is expected to add 6.6 million in the next decade. About 90% are economy, says Tronos Managing Officer Gary Weissel. Sean Broderick/Aviation Week
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My too intimate relations with the TSA: James Bovard -- The Transportation Security Administration finally obeyed a 2011 federal court order March 3 and issued a 157 page Federal Register notice justifying its controversial full-body scanners and other checkpoint procedures. TSA's notice ignored the fact that the "nudie" scanners are utterly unreliable; TSA failed to detect 95% of weapons and mock bombs that Inspector General testers smuggled past them last year while the agency continues to mislead the public about its heavy-handed treatment of travelers. James Bovard/USA Today
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Specially-trained TSA agents aimed at increasing safety at airports -- The Transportation Security Administration's efforts to increase safety at airports include agents specially trained to detect a person who might be up to no good. Officials said the agents, called behavior detection officers, could be wearing plaint clothes or the blue uniform of TSA agents. NBC Bay Area spent time with one of the specially-trained agents at Mineta San Jose International Airport. The agent, who NBC Bay Area is not identifying for security reasons, was seen briefly questioning several people at SJC. Damian Trujillo/NBC LA
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TSA & the things they bring -- The TSA publishes a report each week on the number of firearms and other prohibited items people try to take with them through security checkpoints at airports. Last week, March 11-17, 2016, for example, 62 firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints around the country. 50 of those firearms were loaded and 14 had a round chambered. Passengers don't just try to guns with them onto planes. They take inert grenades, really big knives and one person tried to take this with them onto a plane at JFK International Airport in New York. Harriet Baskas/Stuck at the Airport
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Congress passes extension of FAA powers, programs to July -- Congress has passed a bill extending the Federal Aviation Administration's powers and programs through mid-July to give lawmakers time to work on a longer-term aviation policy measure. The House approved the bill Monday by a voice vote; the Senate previously approved the bill. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. The FAA's current operating authority expires March 31. AP
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Airline trade groups agree to promote U.S.-China tourism -- Airlines for America (A4A) and the Chinese Air Transport Association (CATA) formally agreed Monday to work together to promote air travel and tourism between the U.S. and China. The memorandum of understanding, signed by A4A CEO Nick Calio and CATA Chairman Li Jun, "creates a platform for A4A and CATA to further engage on issues impacting their member airlines and the global aviation community, including market access for U.S. carriers," A4A said. Robert Silk/Travel Weekly
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Marriott wins back Sheraton-owner Starwood with new offer -- Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, owner of the Sheraton and Westin brands, accepted a higher $13.6 billion acquisition offer from peer Marriott International Inc, spurning a bid from China's Anbang Insurance Group. The move dramatically raises the stakes in the bidding war since the deal with Marriott prohibits Starwood from communicating with Anbang, which already owns New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. Mike Stone & Arunima Banerjee/Reuters Related: Marriott has visions of amassive loyalty program
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