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Southwest says it will fly out of Long Beach Airport -- Southwest Airlines announced Tuesday that it will indeed fly out of Long Beach Airport, although the airline has not yet revealed its destinations. The Dallas-based airline plans to make those details public during a Thursday morning media conference at the Queen Mary. Long Beach officials offered four flight slots to Southwest after former LGB chief Bryant L. Francis determined the city's noise ordinance required the city to allow airlines to increase the amount of business they do at LGB. Andrew Edwards/Long Beach Press-Telegram Southwest Media Alert
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American Airlines to be the Leading Transpacific Carrier from LAX -- The strategic implications of American's recently announced Los Angeles - Hong Kong route will not be overlooked by its two largest competitors at LAX: Delta and United. The world's largest carrier has now added or plans to add four new transpacific routes from its LAX hub within the past 3 months to Sydney, Tokyo Haneda, Auckland and now Hong Kong. By Fall 2016, American's LAX roster have grown from offering three intercontinental routes (London Heathrow, Tokyo Narita and Sao Paulo) year-over-year to a total of seven once Hong Kong comes online on September 7, 2016. Rohan Anand/Airways News
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Follow the money at LAX -- Travel buffs have a new hobby: scrutinizing how Los Angeles International Airport spends $1 billion a year on operations. The L.A. city controller put the finances of Los Angeles World Airports online. You can look up each invoice paid by the agency that runs LAX. You can see how the money is spent, check salaries of airport employees, chart car rentals by month and see maps of noise impact and rankings of airports world-wide showing LAX lagging. It opens up the inner workings of a major airport as never before. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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Richmond man says he didn't try to choke reclining passenger on flight from LAX -- A man choked and punched a woman seated in front of him on a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco after she reclined her seat, a prosecutor told a federal jury Tuesday, but his attorney said he never assaulted the passenger. Lawrence Wells, 54, of Richmond, California, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the federal charge of assault on an airplane resulting in serious bodily injury. City News Service
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No release for former Jamaican beauty contestant accused of drug running -- A 2008 Miss Jamaica World runner-up remains on remand in a prison in New York, two weeks after abandoning luggage with nearly 70 pounds of cocaine at a security checkpoint at the Los Angeles International Airport, kicking off her heels, and fleeing. A judge last week set bond at $500,000 for 31-year-old Marsha Gay Reynolds, who allegedly used her credentials as a JetBlue flight attendant to try to get the drugs through the airport on March 18, but the order was stayed pending the hearing of government's appeal against her bail. Caribbean360
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Palm Springs power outages, diverted flights during Monday wind -- Strong winds on Monday night interrupted traffic at Palm Springs International Airport, executive director Tom Nolan said. "During this windstorm, it has posed some challenges for some airlines. Some have been diverted, some have been delayed and some have been cancelled," Nolan said. Nolan said that during Palm Springs' busiest months, the airport serves as many as 100 flights per day. He recommended that travelers direct any questions about specific flights to their airlines. Rosalie Murphy/The Desert Sun
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United Airlines' gutsy new 787 route links San Francisco to Israel -- Not surprisingly, United takes advantage of a combination of riches -- the best West Coast hub in San Francisco, the world's most advanced airplane in the Boeing 787, and a historic China presence -- to build an imposing network of San Francisco-China service. But now United is trying something surprising and, it would seem, far less logical: San Francisco-Tel Aviv. The inaugural SFO departure aboard a Boeing 787-9 with 252 seats is set for 8 p.m. PDT Wednesday; the flight will operate three days a week. Ted Reed/The Street
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How many people does it take to run an airport? -- This isn't one of those "... change a lightbulb" jokes; USA TODAY was curious about what it takes to operate airports, which are often referred to as "cities within cities." According to a recent economic impact study conducted for Airports Council International - North America, about 1.2 million people work at 485 commercial airports in the United States. Some of those employees work directly for an airport operator. Others are employed by concessionaires, government agencies and other entities doing business at airports. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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Someone tell the president that's not the name of Atlanta's airport -- President Barack Obama returned to Atlanta Tuesday to speak at a national drug conference after landing at Atlanta's bustling airport. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, that is. Yet the decade-old name change - which has prompted much controversy in Atlanta - still has eluded many outside of our city. Including the White House, apparently. The president's official schedule, published on the White House's blog, twice calls the bustling airport by its former name. Greg Bluestein/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Sea-Tac trying to speed up TSA lines -- Relief may be coming to frustrated travelers at Sea-Tac Airport who are stuck in long Transportation Security Administration lines. Airport Director Lance Lyttle says Sea-Tac is looking to hire 90 contractors to pick up security jobs for the TSA so trained officers can get back to focusing on passenger and luggage screening. "We are not going to add additional checkpoint capacity immediately, but we have to look at how we manage these checkpoints," Lyttle said. Jake Whittenberg/KING-TV Seattle
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Brussels attacks: 'Months' until airport fully reopens -- It will take months to reopen Brussels airport fully, its CEO has warned, as staff return to the site a week after it was targeted by Islamist bombers. Arnaud Feist said the building will have to be rebuilt "from the air conditioning to the check-in desks". The airport said later it would remain closed on Wednesday, dashing hopes it would resume partial services. Thirty-two people were killed and 96 more are still in hospital after bombs targeted the airport and a metro train. BBC News
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How tight does airport security need to be? -- In the wake of last week's terrorist attacks in Brussels, airports across the globe have upped their security. Europe has, of course, led the way. France has called up an extra 1,600 police officers to bolster security at its borders and transport facilities, including at Charles de Gaulle airport. Nigeria has deployed dogs to conduct special checks. In Egypt, top security officials are personally handling security checks in and around airports, although that did not prevent the hijacking of a plane bound for Alexandria from Cairo. The Economist
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American Airlines cancels all flights to and from Brussels until April 7 -- American Airlines has canceled all flights to and from Brussels until April 7 in what appears to be further response to the terrorist attacks that killed 32 people and injured hundreds in that city last week. The airline released a statement saying that all flights in and out of Brussels Airport are on hold until a flight from Philadelphia departs on April 7. A return flight will depart the following day. Payton Guion/Independent
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Why airline hijackings became relatively rare -- The first airplane hijackings occurred not long after international air travel became commonplace. In those days, most hijackers were seeking refuge or riches, not mass murder or global attention for a radical cause. Terrorist hijackings were a later development, but after reaching a grim apex on Sept. 11, 2001, they have become less and less common. The motivations of the man arrested in Cyprus on Tuesday after he hijacked an Egyptian airliner remain unclear. Nicola Clark/New York Times
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EgyptAir hijacking raises security questions -- You're the pilot of a passenger airliner. A flight attendant brings news: There's a passenger who says he has explosives on board and he wants the plane diverted. With all the modern security procedures -- belts off, shoes off, laptops out, magnetometers on, etc. -- it seems unlikely the passenger is really armed with explosives. But you can never discount the possibility entirely. What do you do? That's the question that was faced by the pilots of EgyptAir Flight MS181 Tuesday morning. Holly Yan & Don Melvin/CNN
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US airlines deploy widebody aircraft on long haul services, reclaiming their global roles -- The big three US airlines - American, Delta and United - are redefining their role as global operators. Since the glory days of PanAm Clippers circling the world, for US airlines "global" has recently meant meant occasional forays beyond Europe to the east, Japan to the west, and Latin America to the south. This is changing. United Airlines will open nonstop San Francisco-Singapore service, which will become the world's third longest flight. CAPA Centre for Aviation
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The best airlines for Wi-Fi coverage -- When it comes to Wi-Fi service, you are better off flying domestic. In the United States, 71 percent of domestic flights offer internet service, while only 13 percent of international flights provide coverage, according to an airline connectivity report by Routehappy. While part of this is due to the difficulties of offering service while flying above places like the North Pole, it is also because the American legacy airlines were some of the first to begin rolling out Wi-Fi systems a few years ago. Alexandra Talty/Forbes
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Officials: Airline worker with $282K in backpack arrested -- A Delta Air Lines employee sneaked $282,000 in a backpack into Palm Beach International Airport with instructions to deliver it to a passenger in a restroom, federal officials said. Jean Yves Selius, 29, of Boynton Beach was arrested Saturday after an airport security officer saw him using his security badge to enter the boarding area of the terminal from the tarmac, bypassing the security gates, according to an affidavit filed by Homeland Security agent Jon A. Longo. Selius was dressed in civilian clothes and not his Delta gate agent uniform. AP
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High Flyer Interview: United Airlines VP / Network Brian Znotins -- Brian Znotins is vice president of network for United Airlines and leads the team that oversees the carrier's network strategy group. His team's functions include scheduling, route planning, charters, and route profitability reporting. He was previously managing director of international and long-range planning for the airline. Before the carrier merged with United, Znotins had worked for Continental Airlines since 1999 and had held several leadership positions within the company including manager, senior manager, and director and managing director of network strategy. Benet J. Wilson/Airways News
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JetBlue, Azul sign codeshare deal -- JetBlue and low-cost carrier Azul Brazilian Airlines have agreed to codeshare. Subject to government approval, Azul will share coding on domestic JetBlue routes to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. From those locations, Azul flies to its hub at Viracopos International Airport in Sao Paolo. The arrangement will allow travelers to fly on a single ticket from the JetBlue destinations to Brazil. The airlines haven't announced which Fort Lauderdale and Orlando routes they will codeshare. Robert Silk/Travel Weekly
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Editorial: Local airline demonstrates business at its best -- Four years ago, soon after American Airlines filed for bankruptcy, union leaders cast their lot with a rival CEO, Doug Parker of much smaller US Airways. They backed Parker's audacious plan to merge the two airlines while American was in Chapter 11. And they demanded that Parker and his team lead the combined company. The strategy worked gloriously, creating enough value to pay off creditors and reward shareholders. Editorial/Dallas Morning News
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Great airline food fight, Part Two: American Airlines goes into battle (Video) -- When I walked into a conference room at the American Airlines Admirals Club at O'Hare Airport on a recent afternoon, Steve Emmert was there to greet me. Emmert has worked at American Airlines for 25 years, much of that time as an international first class purser in charge of the first class cabin. "This isn't a job, it's a lifestyle," Emmert said of his role at American. Blessed with the gift of gab (in a very good and polished way) Emmert is an important part of what international first class has always been about at the world's largest airline. Lewis Lazare/Chicago Business Journal
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Police: Pilot's blood-alcohol level was double legal limit -- A 50-year-old American Airlines co-pilot had a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit and was having trouble with his cockpit seat just before an aborted takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport over the weekend, according to police reports. The reports released Tuesday through a public records request said John Maguire registered .081 percent on a breath test Saturday morning. The limit for a pilot is .04. CBS/AP
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JetBlue and Alaska Airlines reportedly eye a Virgin America merger -- Shares of Virgin America Inc. are taking off amid speculation that the carrier backed by celebrity entrepreneur Richard Branson has received takeover bids from JetBlue Airways Corp. and Alaska Air Group Inc. Shares of the Burlingame, Calif., airline surged 10% Monday when talk about a potential merger first surfaced, jumping $3.53 to close at $37.70. Shares rose an additional 29 cents, or less than 1%, Tuesday to $37.99. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Budget fliers should love airline fees -- Air travelers love to gripe about fees: $25 to check a bag; $34 for early boarding; $129 for a few more inches of legroom. In the name of protecting passengers, Sens. Ed Markey (D., Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.) have proposed the Fair Fees Act to ban upcharges that are not "reasonable and proportional" to airlines' costs. But the bill would wind up hurting budget-minded travelers, who would lose the ability to make trade-offs while facing higher base airfares. Rafi Mohammed/Wall Street Journal
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Thune to press TSA head on security improvements -- Transportation Security Administration chief Peter Neffenger next week will make his first appearance before Congress since the deadly attacks in Brussels, Sen. John Thune said in an interview. With the bombings last week in Brussels, including at the airport, Thune said he wants to know if the agency is "prepared to prevent that type of attack on U.S. soil." The South Dakota Republican, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said the TSA's role in protecting travelers at U.S. airports has been dogged by a number of security lapses. Christopher Doering/Argus Leader
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The amazing thing that happened on Flight 4463 -- Rex Ridenoure searched for a good seat in the airport terminal and immediately wished he had a drink, preferably whiskey, to help him face what he knew would be a long flight filled with reminders of his little sister. Rex had arrived early at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. He wanted a quiet spot. Soon enough he'd be in a big plane surrounded by a noisy crowd. The direct flight on March 12 to Los Angeles was expected to be close to full. Dianna M. N��ez/Arizona Republic
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This aviation startup is the answer to your travel prayers -- As someone who has lived for years on one continent while the vast majority of my friends and family live on another, I have long dreamed that some brilliant company would finally make a real-life, Star Trek-style transporter beam. One minute I'd be standing in the chaos of Heathrow, next I'd be hurrying towards the luggage carousel at JFK. In my more realistic moments, I admit that's a long-shot, but for me and other frequent travelers, a recent bit of news out of the aviation industry might be the next best thing to "Beam me up, Scotty!" Jessica Stillman/Inc.
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Treading a fine line, L.A. council considers ordinance to boost homeless sweeps -- Faced with the most unsheltered people in the country, and ratty shantytowns from the Cahuenga Pass to the harbor, the city in June rewrote a municipal ordinance - 56.11 - authorizing aggressive encampment sweeps. It later approved an ambitious, $2-billion plan to end homelessness in the next 10 years. But as concerns surfaced about potential lawsuits and federal condemnation of criminalization, officials suspended enforcement while they debated softening some provisions. On Wednesday, the City Council plans to take up the proposed changes. Gale Holland/Los Angeles Times
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