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Is it time to set up checkpoints outside airports? -- The terrorist attack on Belgium caused some European security officials to reconsider strategies for protecting air travelers, including the idea that perhaps the checkpoint perimeter should be moved farther out to airport entrances or beyond. It's a discussion that should happen here too. The idea that many countries are risking disaster by not setting up checkpoints at the entrances or even on the outskirts of an airport came from Pini Schiff, the former security chief at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport and now the chief executive of the Israel Security Association, an organization that provides security for companies and government offices. Fredrick Kunkle/Washington Post
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Brussels Airport reopens Sunday -- to 3 flights -- For the first time since deadly terrorist bombings rocked Brussels, the city's main airport on Sunday will reopen to passengers -- albeit to a very limited number of them. Here's what we know about this measured move toward normalcy, which will come 12 days after the March 22 bombings at the airport and the city's subway system that killed 32 people and injured more than 300 others: The reopening of Brussels Airport will start with small steps: Only three Brussels Airlines flights. Jason Hanna, Greg Botelho & Margot Haddad/CNN
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John Wayne Airport officials delay report on departures investigation -- John Wayne Airport officials, who were scheduled to report on their investigation of noise generated by departures at last week's Aviation Committee meeting, claimed that they needed another two to three weeks to analyze the data they've collected. Newport Beach residents have complained that they've seen more flights drift more to the west in recent years, generating more noise over the homes that traditionally haven't been as impacted. Daniel Langhorne/Newport Beach Indy
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The Concourse Hotel invests in its building and workers -- The humble, two-star Concourse Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport is undergoing at $65-million renovation, with a plan to emerge this fall as a four-star Hyatt Regency hotel. As part of its effort to upgrade, the hotel's management decided the staff needed some enhancements, as well. But instead of wholesale layoffs, the hotel teamed up with the city of Los Angeles and Unite Here Local 11, the union that represents the hotel workers, to offer on-site training classes. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Program spotlights 90 years of Goodyear blimps -- The history of the iconic Goodyear blimps, long visible in the skies over Southern California, will be featured when the Flight Path Speaker Series continues on Tuesday, April 26, at 10 a.m. The program by Goodyear operations staff is scheduled at 10 a.m. at the Flight Path Museum in the LAX Imperial Terminal, 6661 W. Imperial Highway, Los Angeles. Admission and parking are free. Flight Path Press Release
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Plans shaping up for ONT's future -- At a national aviation summit in Washington, D.C., last week, new Ontario International Airport CEO Kelly Fredericks found that the story of the Inland area's successful fight to regain control of ONT from Los Angeles preceded him. "People know about the Ontario story, they know about the Inland Empire," said Fredericks, later adding, "The (aviation) industry's attention is on Ontario, and that is an exciting proposition." Cassie MacDuff/Riverside Press-Enterprise
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R.I.'s other airport businesses: Beyond T.F. Green, there are lean machines -- Every month, as reports show how many passengers travel through T.F. Green Airport, Rhode Islanders are reminded of the economic impact of the state's biggest airport. But the state also is served by five smaller general-aviation airports, each an engine of commerce. The Rhode Island Airport Corporation, the state agency that runs Green, also controls Quonset State Airport in North Kingstown, North Central State Airport in Smithfield, Westerly State Airport, Block Island State Airport and Newport State Airport, in Middletown. Paul Edward Parker/Providence Journal
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Newark Airport flight limits eased; could spur lower fares -- The Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday it's easing limits on the number of hourly flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, and the airport's operator said that should lead to greater competition and lower airfares. The limits at Newark Liberty, which serves the New York City region and is one of the busiest airports in the nation, were put in place in 2008 to reduce congestion and delays. They restricted flight operations during peak times to 81 per hour. David Porter/AP
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Albuquerque aviation police chief, 3 officers put on paid leave -- Four Albuquerque Aviation Police officers, including the chief, are on paid administrative leave, and the city of Albuquerque is in the process of transferring control and oversight of the Sunport operation to the police department. Aviation police Chief Marshall Katz, Deputy Chief Timothy Esquibel, and aviation police officers Johnny Moraga and Lisa Cheromiah are on paid administrative leave while the city investigates missing or mishandled evidence, said Gilbert Monta�o, Mayor Richard Berry's chief of staff. Ryan Boetel/Albuquerque Journal
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Airline complaints rise despite better performance -- U.S. airline performance improved in three of four key categories in 2015, but the flying public still filed complaints at a rate not seen in at least 15 years. The 2016 Airline Quality Rating being released Monday,) found that U.S. carriers did a better job last year of landing flights on time, handling baggage, and making sure everyone who had a ticket for a given flight was able to get on board. Charisse Jones/USA Today
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At American Airlines, profit sharing shows CEO's willingness to adapt -- It was a surprising reversal by an airline CEO who for two years had stuck to his guns, saying that higher wages are better for employees than risky profit-sharing plans. But last month, American Airlines' chief executive Doug Parker announced that the Fort Worth-based carrier would implement a profit-sharing program for more than 110,000 employees. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Alaska Airlines changes mileage plan to crush loopholes for frequent flyers -- Alaska Airlines has changed a sliver of its loyalty program, and travel bloggers responded with unilateral fury. "I feel what Alaska has done is unrepairable and trust has been destroyed," ranted the owner of Renespoints.com, for example, reflecting the feelings of many. One change to Alaska's loyalty program - and the way that it was implemented - has triggered the outcry. Mileage Plan, Alaska's loyalty program, is widely regarded as one of the best in the industry. Grant Martin/Skift
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Airlines eye new opportunities in Argentine skies -- International airlines and airplane manufacturers are taking steps to increase their presence in Argentina, as a new business-friendly government heralds change for the market, executives said at the FIDAE air show in neighboring Chile. The domestic Argentine air travel market has been dominated in recent years by two carriers - state-run Aerolineas Argentinas and Chile-based LATAM Airlines, Latin America's biggest airline. Rosalba O'Brien & Felipe Iturrieta/Reuters
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U.S. airlines upset they must bid again for better Tokyo flights -- Japan agreed to allow more U.S. airlines to land at Tokyo's convenient Haneda airport, but several U.S. airlines are upset they have to compete again to continue serving the same airport. Under a 2010 agreement, four U.S. airlines got permission to land and take off daily at Haneda overnight -- ostensibly because of noise concerns. But a February agreement will allow six daily flights from the U.S., with five during the day and one overnight, as Japan prepares to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Bart Jansen/USA Today
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Great Lakes Aviation moves to become a private company -- Great Lakes Aviation Ltd. has filed to voluntarily deregister its common stock from the OTC Pink Market. Great Lakes Aviation is the parent company of Great Lakes Airlines, a regional air service based in Cheyenne. On March 23, the company filed its notice to deregister with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The process will take 90 days. Becky Orr/Wyoming Tribune Eagle
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All 4 major airlines now give refunds if you cancel tickets within 24 hours -- America Airlines will finally refund ticket purchases within 24 hours of the sale, according to the Dallas News, catching up to other major airliners that have had the same customer-friendly policy available for years. Until today, American Airlines allowed customers to "reserve" seats without paying for the tickets for 24 hours. But the airline would not refund any money if the tickets were actually purchased. Alicia Adamczyk/Time
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Why United, other airline stocks hit turbulence -- Domestic-focused airlines like Southwest and JetBlue may largely evade an expected downturn in corporate travel that looks set to hit larger rivals like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Continental. In a Friday research note, Deutsche Bank analyst Michael Linenberg downgraded American, Delta, United and Hawaiian Holdings to hold from buy due to a slowdown in corporate profits that is typically a leading indicator of economic activity, as well as corporate travel. Ciaran McEvoy/Investor�€™s Business Daily
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United launches E175 'hot-and-high' upgrade -- United Airlines has become launch customer for a newly certified 'hot-and-high' performance improvement package developed by Embraer for the E175 airliner. The upgrade, which will be introduced on 135 aircraft the airline group has either already accepted or is due to receive, enables the current production model of the E175 to fly an additional 500 nm from hot-and-high airports such as Denver. Guy Norris/Aviation Daily
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5 years later, Continental-United merger still stirs strong feelings -- Chris Langdon logged 728,608 miles with Continental and, after its 2010 merger, United Airlines before growing so disenchanted a year ago that he began flying Southwest. The final straw was a dispute over a $50 fee. "It was obvious that after a while the United policies and procedures were taking over," the Richmond resident said. Frequent flier Sherridan Schwartz got so frustrated with the customer service after her hometown carrier moved its headquarters to Chicago that she recently switched her loyalty to Fort Worth-based American Airlines. Andrea Rumbaugh/Houston Chronicle
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Troubling signs for aviation safety -- None of the world's safest airlines are American, according to the latest numbers from the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre in Germany. Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates and EVA Air earned the highest marks in their safety rankings. JetBlue Airways (11th) is the top-rated U.S. carrier, and Delta Air Lines (17th) is the safest legacy carrier. Alaska Airlines is the lowest-rated, landing in the 43rd spot out of 60 carriers. The airline industry wants you to think it's all but crash-proof. Christopher Elliott/USA Today
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Boeing to slash 4,000 jobs from commercial unit by attrition, voluntary departures -- Boeing Co. plans to cut about 4,000 jobs from its commercial airplanes division by mid-year as part of a broader effort to reduce costs amid fierce competition from Airbus Group SE. For now, the U.S. planemaker doesn't plan any involuntary layoffs. Rather, the savings will come from 1,600 workers who elected to leave the company under a voluntary program announced last month, Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman, said by e-mail. Julie Johnsson/Bloomberg News
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Los Angeles Area Helicopter Noise Coalition (LAAHNC) ongoing efforts to solicit complaints against helicopter noise -- The Professional Helicopter Pilots Association is troubled with the LAAHNC's ongoing efforts to solicit helicopter complaints from Los Angeles residents. Although we encourage people to utilize the Federal Aviation Administration's automated helicopter noise complaint system when they are bothered by helicopter noise, it appears the LAAHNC may be encouraging people to "game" the system and make multiple complaints on single incidents or simply complain about any sort of noise and attribute that noise to helicopters. PHPA Press Release
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Metrolink aims to rebuild ridership with new scheduling on the San Bernardino Line and digital ticketing -- In an ongoing effort to bolster customer service, the Metrolink commuter railroad has made mobile ticketing apps available throughout its system and plans major schedule changes on Monday to reduce problems for users of the San Bernardino Line. The digital ticketing and scheduling adjustments to one of Metrolink's most heavily traveled routes is part of a broad attempt to add amenities for passengers, reduce delays, improve safety and rebuild ridership. Dan Weikel/Los Angeles Times
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San Francisco is highest-priced city for business travelers; L.A. is No. 8 -- The City by the Bay is once again ranked as the most expensive U.S. destination for business travelers. But the big surprise in an annual study of hotel, rental car and dining prices is the ladder-climbing by Detroit. The latest report by the trade publication Business Travel News, which measures prices paid by corporate travelers visiting the country's 100 biggest cities, found that the fastest increase in hotel rates - 22.5% from 2014 to 2015 - was reported in Detroit, a sign perhaps that the Motor City is bouncing back from its 2013 bankruptcy. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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