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Oakland Airport has new director of aviation -- Airport industry veteran Bryant Francis took the helm Thursday as the new director of aviation for the Port of Oakland, where he will lead a staff of more than 200 people at the Oakland International Airport. The airport is the second-busiest in the Bay Area, according to port officials. Francis has 20 years of experience in the industry and has been director of airports in Long Beach and Shreveport, Louisiana, and served in executive capacities at airports in Detroit, Palm Springs and Boise, Idaho. Bay City News
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Raucous crowd gathers for meeting about international flights at Long Beach Airport -- A turbulent community meeting this week about the future of Long Beach Airport started with a smooth take-off but had to be diverted after residents demanded to speak with the pilot. All seemed calm Wednesday night inside the Long Beach Gas and Oil Auditorium when Steven Peters, a pilot, and project manager for Jacobs Engineering - the firm selected to provide a feasibility study into possible international flights - explained the process, now in its early stages. The roughly 150 residents gathered were invited to formally submit their questions and concerns on cards to be included in the study, and speak with experts in the room. And that's when the shouting started. Josh Dulaney/Long Beach Press Telegram
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Double digit growth at JWA -- John Wayne Airport passenger traffic in February grew 12% to 793,553 compared with the same month last year, after January's passenger traffic grew 10% year-over-year. Year-to-date the airport has seen 1.6 million passengers-up 11% compared with 2015. There were about 3,900 flights in February, up 17% year-over-year. The international passenger count was 30,160-up 94% from February 2015-on 149 flights. Paul Hughes/Orange County Business Journal JWA News Release
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Man guilty of assault of fellow passenger on flight from LAX -- A man was convicted Wednesday of a federal misdemeanor count of "simple assault" stemming from a heated encounter with a woman seated in front of him on a Southwest Airlines flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Lawrence Wells, 54, of Richmond, California, faces up to a year in prison when sentenced on June 27, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Wells had faced a federal felony charge of assault on an airplane resulting in serious bodily injury, with the lesser included misdemeanor "simple assault" count, prosecutors said. City News Service
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O'Hare baggage handlers, custodians strike; no service disruptions reported -- O'Hare International Airport workers went on strike Thursday as part of a national action to protest what they say are low wages, inadequate safety training and retaliation for organizing. Nearly 100 baggage handlers, custodians, cabin cleaners, security officers and wheelchair attendants walked off the job at O'Hare, joining their peers at eight other airports across the country participating in 24-hour strikes, said Izabela Miltko, spokesperson for the Service Employees International Union Local 1. Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz/Chicago Tribune
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Training device mistaken for bomb shuts down Peoria Airport -- A training device resembling a bomb shut down Peoria airport for hours Thursday after it was discovered during a TSA X-ray check. According to the Peoria County Sheriff's Office, a Transportation Security Agent at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport flagged the suspicious bag at about 6:30 a.m. Authorities then evacuated and shut down the airport. The woman owning the bag was taken into custody and questioned. Peoria Journal Star
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Miami Airport contractor charged with bilking $376K from Miami-Dade Aviation -- A longtime contractor at Miami International Airport spent at least seven years doctoring invoices and pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars that should have gone to the airport, investigators said Thursday. The scam, according to investigators from the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office and the county's inspector general's office, was as simple as charging cargo carriers a certain fee for services, then misrepresenting what those services were to the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. Charles Rabin/Miami Herald
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Brussels airport to partially reopen on Friday evening -- Brussels airport said it would partially reopen for passenger flights on Friday evening after its closure following the March 22 bomb attacks, the company running the airport said. Casting doubt on those plans however, airport police warned of a planned strike on Sunday in protest over what they said were lax security measures planned by authorities. "The measures proposed by the authorities are insufficient," Belgian broadcaster RTBF cited the police union as saying. Reuters
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Boeing, FAA warn 787 pilots of bad airspeed data -- Boeing 787 pilots are being warned not to make sudden control inputs in response to a "sudden, unrealistic" drop in airspeed shown on cockpit displays. The US Federal Aviation Administration will adopt an airworthiness directive on 1 April requiring 787-8 and 787-9 operators to update the flight manual with the warning message. The FAA accelerated the release of the airworthiness directive, bypassing the normal rulemaking process to make operators adopt the change as quickly as possible. Stephen Trimble/Flightglobal
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They're 400,000 strong and the Pentagon sees them as an emerging threat -- The Pentagon, the world's largest user of drones, has posted a new policy on signs outside the mammoth five-sided building: No Drone Zone. The signs, complete with a red slash through an image of a quadcopter drone, reflect America's growing concern about the proliferation of the small, inexpensive remote-controlled devices and the risk they pose to safety, security and privacy. W.J. Hennigan & Brian Bennett/Los Angeles Times
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JetBlue to add 'Mint' flat-bed seats to more routes -- JetBlue is expanding its recently launched "Mint" service to more routes. JetBlue's Mint seats debuted in 2014 on its new Airbus A321 aircraft, giving the carrier premium seating for the first time. Mint passengers get seats that recline into lie-flat beds, upgraded food options and amenity kits. Now, the airline will add the seats to more routes beginning this fall. Within the USA, JetBlue's Mint seating to be available between Boston and Los Angeles starting Oct. 20. JetBlue initially will offer Mint on one of its three daily flights between the cities before expanding it to all Boston-LAX flights in November. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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What the next round of airline mergers could mean for travelers -- The airline industry in America has been described as an "uncompetitive oligarchy," with power resting in the hands of a select few players. Consumer groups have decried the fact that four airlines control 80% of flights within the U.S. and have called upon Congress to investigate-and push for-more competition in the marketplace. And yet it looks like a new round of mergers and acquisitions in the airline business will result in less competition in the near future. Brad Tuttle/Money
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How to navigate airline bookings and get a good deal -- Anyone who has booked an airline trip online knows what it's like to wade through hundreds of options. Renee Montagne talks to former Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza about airline pricing. NPR
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Southwest Airlines offers customers points for a ride with Lyft -- Ride-hailing company Lyft is partnering with Southwest Airlines, the largest commercial air passenger carrier at McCarran International Airport, in a promotion tied to the airline's loyalty program. Through the rest of the year, the airline will award Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards customers with 1,100 points after they take their first ride on Lyft from one of 11 airports served by the companies, including McCarran. The new program was announced by both companies Thursday. Richard N. Velotta/Las Vegas Review-Journal
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American Airlines will no longer let travelers hold flight reservations for 24 hours -- Starting Friday, American Airlines will get rid of a feature that let customers lock in airfare for 24 hours without having to put any money down. Instead, it will switch to the model most other airlines follow: Travelers will now have the ability to cancel a flight and receive a full refund as long as they cancel within 24 hours of booking. Under federal law, airlines have to offer travelers the option to cancel a reservation and receive a refund within 24 hours or to put a flight on hold at the current price for 24 hours. Jonnelle Marte/Washington Post
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Airline rude ponytail tweet takes off on Twitter -- Nothing seems to incur more wrath than an airline passenger who invades the personal space of a fellow traveler and that was the case this week after a woman slung her long ponytail over the back of her seat. Boston Globe columnist Dante Ramos was the lucky recipient of the bad behavior Monday as he flew from Houston to Boston. Ramos wrote that he thought the sight of the hair almost down to his tray table was "comical." Debbi Baker/San Diego Union-Tribune
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All three of ANA's 'Star Wars' jets are now flying paying passengers -- All Nippon Airways put the last of its three Star Wars-themed jets into commercial service this week. The Boeing 777, painted in the likeness of the Stars Wars droid BB-8, flew from Osaka to Tokyo on Monday and then continued on to Los Angeles. The plane will fly between Tokyo Haneda and Los Angeles through April 8. After that, ANA will shift the BB-8 aircraft to Tokyo Narita, where the jet is scheduled to alternate on routes to Chicago O'Hare, Houston Bush Intercontinental, New York JFK, Singapore and Washington Dulles. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Virgin America reveals new logo ... for real? -- Could Virgin America's iconic script "Virgin" be disappearing from the tails of its planes? It seems possible, given reports this week that the carrier has received "takeover interest" from JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and possibly other suitors. But a Thursday announcement by Virgin America saying it's adopting a new logo appears to be an early April Fools' Day joke. The airline e-mailed its frequent-fliers Thursday to tell them of the new logo -- as well as a logo-themed fare sale. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today Cranky Flier
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1 in 4 flyers have never heard of the TSA Precheck -- In recent years, going through the security line at the airport hasn't been anyone's idea of a good time. It's often a lengthy line and a tedious process, involving removing shoes and sweaters, emptying pockets, and digging electronics and liquids out of your carry-on luggage, only to have to re-dress yourself and re-pack your bag on the other side. But in 2013, the Transportation Security Administration expanded the reach of the TSA Precheck, an expedited screening program that allows flyers to get pre-approved for security. Kate Ashford/Forbes
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How terrorism affects tourism -- In the past year, suicide bombers and terrorist groups have targeted specific areas-and arenas-that gave them a world stage and a chance to strike travel at its heart: There were the attacks in a commercial area of Jakarta frequented by tourists and expats, on tourists in Tunisia, and tragedies in Turkey, Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Paris, Brussels, and the Ivory Coast. But in the wake of such public assaults, how is tourism affected? Katherine LaGrave/Conde Nast Traveler
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Anbang abruptly pulls Starwood offer, clearing Marriott path -- A group led by China's Anbang Insurance Group Co. withdrew its $14 billion takeover offer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., a surprise move that ends a three-week bidding war and clears the way for an acquisition by Marriott International Inc. The group decided not to proceed because of "various market considerations," according to a statement Thursday. With the withdrawal, Starwood reaffirmed its commitment to a takeover by Marriott. Hui-Yong Yu/Bloomberg
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LA is losing out on $41 million in taxes from AirBnB, study says -- If property owners who rent out homes and apartments on the popular home-sharing site Airbnb were to pay taxes as hotels do, the city of Los Angeles would collect an extra $41 million each year. That is one of the conclusions of a study commissioned by the American Hotel and Lodging Assn., the trade group for the country's hotel industry, which has pushed for greater regulation of Airbnb and other home-sharing sites. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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| Transportation Network Companies |
Judge allows Uber surge-pricing lawsuit to move forward -- A judge Thursday allowed a lawsuit claiming that Uber's technology violates consumer protection laws to go forward. Bloomberg reported that a district court judge in New York rejected Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's bid to dismiss the class-action lawsuit, which names him personally. The lawsuit claims Uber allows drivers, who are independent contractors, to unfairly coordinate price increases through its "surge pricing" feature. David McCabe/The Hill
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Will Dianne Feinstein run again for Senate? 'Ask me that in about a year' -- n't ask Dianne Feinstein just yet whether she plans to run for a fifth full term in the U.S. Senate, a seat that will be on the ballot in 2018. "I've got two years and nine months - ask me that in about a year," Feinstein said with a grin Thursday during a meeting with Los Angeles Times editors and reporters. "I'll give you the answer then." Feinstein's plans have been a hot topic among California politicians for years; she and Sen. Barbara Boxer ran and won seats in 1992, and Boxer will retire after her replacement is elected in November. Cathleen Decker/Los Angeles Times
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Villaraigosa's made a decision on California governor race, but he's not sharing it -- Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been up and down California as part of a 38-day listening tour. His outreach lays a foundation for a run for governor, right? Well, he's not exactly revealing the answer. Antonio Villaraigosa's name comes up time and again in pundits' lists of likely candidates to fill Governor Jerry Brown's seat come 2018. The former mayor has been hopscotching around the question of whether he's running for governor. He'll only tell KPCC he's made a decision. Mary Plummer/KPCC
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