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Virgin America gets takeover bids from JetBlue and Alaska Air -- Virgin America Inc. received takeover offers from JetBlue Airways Corp. and Alaska Air Group Inc. after the carrier backed by billionaire Richard Branson put itself up for sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Discussions between Virgin America and the two bidders are ongoing, and a deal could be announced as early as next week, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. It is unclear if other suitors will emerge, and Virgin America may yet decide to abandon sale negotiations in favor of remaining independent. Ed Hammond, David Welch & Mary Schlangenstein/Bloomberg
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American Airlines to compete with Delta Air Lines for Los Angeles-to-Beijing routes -- The battle for Beijing is on with American Airlines submitting a proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday to begin daily nonstop service from Los Angeles to the Chinese capital, two weeks after Delta Air Lines announced a similar competing bid. Both airlines said they would like to begin service from Los Angeles International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport starting Dec. 16. But with a limited number of slots available, it will be up to the DOT to decide who gets the coveted routes. Conor Shine/Dallas Morning News Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Delta Air Lines and pilots near showdown over new contract -- Delta Air Lines posted a record profit last year and its stock is near the all-time high it reached in December. But its momentum faces a hurdle as the company negotiates a new contract with pilots. The existing contract expired in December, which triggered a 90-day window for management and the pilots' union to reach an agreement. That period ends on Thursday and both sides are now preparing for negotiations that will be led by the National Mediation Board as required by the Railroad Labor Act. Kristen Leigh Painter/Minneapolis Star Tribune
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American Airlines pilots plan "disciplined, methodical" review of 5% profit sharing offer -- American Airlines pilots say they welcome the carrier's dramatic decision to award 5% profit sharing to employees, but they are also aware that the gesture is not without shortcomings. American said Wednesday that it will offer 5% profit sharing to all employees, except for top management, starting with profits earned in the current year. Ted Reed/Forbes
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Many airlines say they have the best on time performance, let's see how they're all right -- The funny thing about statistics is you can really manipulate them to say pretty much whatever you want. Airlines are certainly good at doing that when it comes to on-time performance. United says it was the best of the legacy carriers in February of this year. American says the same thing. Southwest can also lay claim to it. If you go beyond the legacies then Alaska and Hawaiian have legitimate claims as well. So who is right? Cranky Flier
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China's Lucky Air hopes for greater fortune with LCC model. 70 aircraft and widebodies by 2020 -- 'Luck' may be in its name but Chinese carrier Lucky Air is not leaving its future entirely to fate. The Kunming-based carrier is expected to transition to the low-cost model, following the Chinese government's rapid rise in LCC interest. With a southwestern base and route network concentrated on secondary cities, fare premiums are hard to attain. CAPA Centre for Aviation
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Dallas-bound Southwest Airlines flight makes emergency stop after co-pilot becomes sick -- A Southwest Airlines flight headed to Dallas made an unplanned stop in Las Vegas on Friday after the co-pilot became ill. Southwest spokeswoman Brandy King said the co-pilot was fine after being checked by medics. Flight 1015 was flying from San Jose, Calif. Flight-tracking services showed that the plane was over southern Utah when it turned back to land at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas around noon. It stayed on the ground for about two hours. AP
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Hijacker is arrested after diverting EgyptAir flight to Cyprus -- A man claiming to be wearing an explosive vest hijacked an EgyptAir plane on Tuesday, forcing it to land in Larnaca, on the southern coast of Cyprus, before he was arrested, according to the Cypriot government. "It's over," the Cypriot Foreign Ministry announced at 2:41 p.m. Most of the 56 passengers were released after the flight was diverted, while en route to Cairo from Alexandria. But a tense standoff ensued for hours as the plane stayed on the tarmac, with the hijacker and seven or eight other people still on board. Then they were freed, and shortly afterward, the hijacker surrendered. Declan Walsh/New York Times
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Web of agencies at U.S. airports could hinder security overhauls -- Travelers passing through New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport this week witnessed a show of force following the Brussels airport attack: U.S. Army soldiers in khaki camouflage bearing assault rifles, police officers in black bullet-proof vests and private security guards directing traffic in neon-yellow vests. The variety of uniforms is a sign of the overlapping jurisdictions that determine which federal, state or local agency - or even airline - is responsible for security on any particular patch of turf. Jeffrey Dastin & Joseph Ax/Reuters
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Security privileges, lapses helped flight attendant escape -- Within hours of ditching 70 pounds of cocaine at a security checkpoint and bolting barefoot out of the main Los Angeles airport, an off-duty flight attendant was flying across the country after clearing security at the same airport, law enforcement officials said Friday. Marsha Gay Reynolds, 31, did not do anything out of the ordinary to get back on a plane, officials said, describing how she used an airline badge with her real name to board another flight the next morning at one of the nation's busiest airports. Amanda Lee Myers/AP Related: California judge denies bail for flight attendant in drug case
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Arrested flight attendant was beauty pageant contestant, studying to be nurse, attorney says -- A flight attendant arrested in an LAX cocaine smuggling case is "a very accomplished young lady" and the allegations are "completely out of character," her attorney said. Dennis J. Ring said it was too early in the case to answer specific allegations against Marsha Gay Reynolds but defended her character. He said she is a U.S. citizen born in Jamaica who had competed in beauty pageants in the past. Richard Winton & James Queally/Los Angeles Times
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Woman bypasses TSA, boards plane at Nashville airport -- A 24-year-old woman is facing criminal charges after Metro police say she bypassed Transportation Security Administration security without being screened and boarded a plane at the Nashville International Airport. Naja Eva Haynes of Oak Grove, Ky., is facing misdemeanor charges of an airport and aircraft security violation and resisting arrest in connection with the March 24 incident. According to an arrest affidavit, Hayes drove her car to the airport, parked and walked inside the terminal. Natalie Neysa Alund/The Tennessean
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UPS adding jobs, space at Ontario airport -- UPS has unveiled plans to add 500 jobs, growing its operations at LA/Ontario International Airport over the next five years in a bid to keep up with the growth in e-commerce. Atlanta-based UPS will expand its existing building at ONT by 15 percent to nearly 900,000 square feet, the cargo carrier announced last week. In 2015, UPS completed construction on a 416,000-square-foot air facility, which handles urgent, next-day packages and features automated sorting capabilities. Liset Marquez/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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Board of Supervisors invites Chinese business group to San Bernardino County -- To encourage international business relationships, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved a plan to invite a high-level delegation from the city of Wuxi, in China's southern Jiangsu province, to visit the area. The delegation is expected to visit the region sometime this summer, said Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman. "We always have to be in business redefining what we do and staying competitive," Hagman said. "In San Bernardino, we are doing that. With the addition of local control of Ontario International Airport, we can become an international trade hub for both imports and exports." Neil Nisperos/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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It'll always be Burbank Airport. Period. -- To the editor: I am a retired airline pilot and executive who was based for more than 35 years at the Burbank airport. ("Does it really matter what we call the Burbank airport?" editorial, March 25) If hundreds of thousands more dollars are to be spent "rebranding" an airport that has already had six names in its 80-plus year history, why not call it what most people - within and outside the aviation business - call it now? It's Burbank Airport. John W. Hazlet Jr./Opinion/Los Angeles Times
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JetBlue: Plans for new Long Beach slots include flights to Reno -- JetBlue will add nonstop service between Reno and Long Beach, Calif. The route will begin Aug. 15, enabled by new takeoff and landing slots added at the capacity controlled airport. JetBlue will fly one daily round-trip flight between Reno and Long Beach using Airbus A320 aircraft. Once the Reno flights begin, JetBlue will serve 12 destinations nonstop from Long Beach (LGB). Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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How a teen orphan opened up jet travel at Long Beach Airport: Rich Archbold -- Paul Deats was a destitute, 16-year-old orphan from Kentucky when he arrived in Long Beach in 1935 with little idea on how he was going to survive. Little did he know that he would become a millionaire, make friends with a president of the United States and a California governor and be at the center of a storm resulting in the opening up of commercial jet travel at Long Beach Airport. Rich Archbold/Long Beach Press-Telegram
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Gas odor in LAX terminals traced to open sewer vent pipes -- Multiple complaints of a natural gas odor in several Los Angeles International Airport terminals on Friday prompted an investigation, but the suspected source turned out to be some sewer vent pipes that were open while work was being done. Firefighters responded to the airport about 4:35 p.m. after the odor was reported in terminals 5, 6 and 7, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. City News Service
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Las Vegas: Flier hits $933,080 jackpot at airport slot machine -- Chicago O'Hare has its signature neon tunnel walkway. Los Angeles International has its signature "LAX" welcome sign and Theme Building that inspires thoughts of flying saucers. At Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, it's the rows and rows of slot machines that are among the airport's most iconic features. And, just last week, one of those machines paid out nearly $1 million to a lucky Las Vegas traveler. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Volcano cancels 41 Alaska Airlines flights, cutting off Fairbanks -- An ash cloud from an erupting volcano has now canceled 41 flights to and from six cities in Alaska, including all flights operating to and from Fairbanks, Seattle-based Alaska Airlines announced late Monday afternoon. The massive ash cloud from Mount Pavlof, a volcano 600 miles southwest of Anchorage that started erupting Sunday evening, is moving north at up to 65 knots (75 mph). The canceled flights have affected 3,300 passengers, the airline said. Seattle Times
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Brussels Airport could reopen 8 days after terrorist attacks -- Brussels airport on Tuesday began trying out a make-shift check-in area that could allow a limited restart of passenger flights in the coming days after the attacks last week. A temporary structure has been put up to bypass the departure area that was heavily damaged when two bombs exploded there last Tuesday. "What we have today is a test to see whether all our procedures are in order," a spokeswoman for Brussels Airport said. If all requirements were met, the airport could reopen on Wednesday at the earliest, but only at a maximum capacity of 20 percent. Reuters
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Brussels Air restarts some flights from alternative airports in Belgium -- Brussels Airlines will temporarily operate some of its flights from alternative airports in Belgium while Brussels Airport remains closed following Tuesday's terror attack there. As its name suggests, Brussels Airlines operates a major hub at the Brussels Airport. The airport said Wednesday that there will be no passenger flights there before Saturday. It's possible that airport's closure might last even longer. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Airlines get nasty in competition for routes to Cuba -- The war of words has gotten nasty, with the candidates describing the ideas of their rivals as "disingenuous," "extreme" and "capricious." These are not the comments of presidential candidates. This is the language used by airlines that are competing for a handful of routes to Cuba that the U.S. government will award this summer under the Obama administration's effort to normalize relations with the island nation. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Alaska Airlines tests reusable electronic luggage tags -- Alaska Airlines, the carrier that has tested solar-powered passenger ramps and fingerprint identification devices for passengers, is continuing to experiment. The Seattle-based airline has begun testing an electronic, reusable luggage tag that is linked to a passenger's Alaska Airlines mobile app. Here's how it works: Once you buy a ticket on Alaska and check in using the mobile app, the app asks whether you want to activate your electronic bag tag. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Here's how American, Delta and United Airlines tackled Brussels terrorist attack -- On March 22, 2016, the world again entered into a shock, when news from Belgium emerged, linking to three coordinated nail bombings. Out of these, two attacks appeared in Brussels Airport in Zaventem, whereas one attack incurred at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels. The attacks claimed 31 lives including three suicide bombers, and left 330 people injured. The airport immediately got closed until further notice. Zeeshan Athar/Business Finance News
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Road Warriors name their favorite world airlines -- When Scott McKain flies Singapore Airlines, the flight attendants don't just return his jacket to him at the end of the journey. "They wait until you stand and help you put it on," he says. And that's why the author and speaker from Henderson, Nev., has named Singapore Airlines his favorite non-U.S. carrier. "It's those small, personal touches that makes it the best and separates it from domestic U.S. carriers," he says. Nancy Trejos/USA Today
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Pilot charged with being drunk before flight from Detroit -- A 50-year-old American Airlines co-pilot who was grounded on suspicion of drunkenness at an airport near Detroit has been charged with operating under the influence of alcohol. The Wayne County prosecutor's office said John Maguire was charged Monday with the misdemeanor stemming from a Saturday morning incident at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Maguire, who authorities say lives in Pennsylvania, is suspected of having a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. AP
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United Airlines pilot accused of running Houston brothels appears in court -- A United Airlines pilot accused of running a network of brothels in Houston made his initial court appearance Monday. Bruce Wayne Wallis, 51, did not speak as he entered and left the Harris County Courthouse. He was arrested last week on charges of aggravated promotion of prostitution and engaging in criminal activity. Wallis' lawyer, Dan Cogdell rejected the allegations in a brief statement outside the courthouse, the Houston Chronicle reported. Tom Steele/Dallas Morning News
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FAA predicts that 4.3 million hobbyist drones will be sold by 2020 -- The Federal Aviation Administration is predicting a bright future for the growth of the commercial and hobbyist drone industries after final regulations are approved. In an aerospace forecast report released Thursday, the FAA said unmanned aircraft systems will be the "most dynamic growth sector within aviation." It noted that venture capitalists have already sunk "considerable" funds into the industry in hopes of building early market share. Samantha Masunaga/Los Angeles Times
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FAA: Drone sightings near airports continue to rise -- The number of drone sightings near the nation's airports - often within view of pilots coming in for landings - continues to rise despite efforts to combat the safety threat, the Federal Aviation Administration says. Reports of drones in the skies around airports and other restricted zones more than tripled last December and January, compared to the same period in 2014-15, according to FAA...Candice Ruud/Newsday
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Senate passes extension that puts FAA debate off until July -- All the debates and deal-making concerning the FAA reauthorization bill have come to nothing...yet. The Senate followed the House's lead and passed an extension, with some minor amendments, that will extend the FAA's authority until July 15. The bill needs to be approved by the President, but that is seen as a mere formality. The FAA will continue to operate under the current set of rules and regulations for the next three and a half months while lawmakers attempt to get support for long-term changes. TravelPulse
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LA's effort to combat extremism off to a slow start -- A federally funded effort in Los Angeles, Boston and Minneapolis to combat extremist recruitment has been slow to start since it was announced a year and a half ago. Few local programs have been directly created by the "Countering Violent Extremism" pilot initiative, with officials in those cities just starting to distribute more than $500,000 in Department of Justice grant money to jumpstart new local efforts. Los Angeles and Boston appear to be months away from distributing their share of the money - if at all. Philip Marcelo/AP
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Colorado company plans next supersonic passenger jet -- Since the retirement of the beloved Concorde in 2003, aviation enthusiasts and the traveling elite have longed for another plane that could attempt to match the grace, luxury and speed of the original supersonic transport aircraft. Thirteen years later, one Colorado-based company plans to do exactly that. Boom Technologies is a startup company, based in Centennial, Colorado - which is a little south of Denver. Centennial Airport also happens to be the home of XTI Aircraft, creators of the Trifan 600. Paul Thompson/Airways News
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The Plane app is a way for travelers to make social connections -- It's hard to break the ice when you arrive in a new city, so here's an app to help you get the conversation started. Find a great bar, restaurant, your next destination or even a friend before, during or after your trip. Name: Plane: The Social Icebreaker. What it does: Gets people talking about travel (and life), whether they're daydreaming at their desk about travel or are already on the road. Available: In the App Store, requires iOS 8.2 or later. Jen Leo/Los Angeles Times
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Tired of slow in-flight Wi-Fi? Airline passengers may benefit from upgraded systems -- About eight out of 10 people on a given flight these days travel with a smartphone in tow. But if you forget to download your music or movies before leaving home, your phone often serves as little more than a glorified paperweight while you're in the air. That's beginning to change, however. Thanks to new technology, the ability of passengers to watch live television, stream video and more will become the norm within the next few years - likely at a much more palatable price. Conor Shine/Dallas Morning News
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Bullet train: Failure to identify funding for Southern California leg unacceptable, official says -- The California rail authority's failure to identify a source of funding to connect Los Angeles to the future bullet train system is not acceptable, said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Assn. of Governments. Until the high-speed rail authority released a new draft business plan last month, the state had planned to open its first operating segment between Burbank and the Central Valley by 2022. Ralph Vartabedian/Los Angeles Times Related: What's ahead for bullet train funding? Hearing outlines the many risks
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Changes could add hundreds of millions of dollars to first 29 miles of bullet train -- The California rail authority is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in potential change orders and other prospective cost increases on the first 29 miles of the bullet train system, state and private contractor documents show. The change orders and other claims are coming from construction firms, utilities and railroads involved in that first segment, according to the documents. Ralph Vartabedian/Los Angeles Times
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Valley councilwoman's aides sought $5 and $10 donations that are focus of U.S. inquiry -- Seven weeks before L.A.'s 2015 municipal election, political aide Caesar Huerta was on the hunt for campaign donations. His boss, City Councilwoman Nury Martinez, needed contributions from 200 of her constituents to make her campaign eligible for up to $100,000 in taxpayer funds. Huerta, a field deputy, turned to aunts, uncles, cousins and others in his immediate circle, asking for as little as $5, according to several members of his extended family. David Zahniser/Los Angeles Times
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