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TSA chief: 'Chaos' of Brussels attacks motivates agency improvements -- Transportation Security Administration Administrator Peter Neffenger witnessed firsthand the devastation of the deadly bombings at the Brussels airport and subway which killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more. That tragedy really hit home, Neffenger told members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday. Tom Costello/NBC News
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Thune says TSA needs to better screen airport workers -- Federal transportation safety officials are not doing enough to screen airport employees, leaving airports "vulnerable" to criminal activities, Sen. John Thune said Wednesday. Thune, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and other senators pressed the head of the TSA at a committee hearing to better screen workers and reduce the number of checkpoints used by employees to enter airports. Christopher Doering/Sioux Falls (S.D.) Argus Leader
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Schumer calls for more airport security funding -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Wednesday more needs to be done to toughen up the "soft targets," like check-in stations and baggage claim areas, at area airports. In a conference call, Schumer, D-N.Y., pitched his proposal for more training for law enforcement, more funding for airports and other mass transit hubs and more bomb-sniffing dog teams to provide added security to airports. Matt Coyne/Democrat & Chronicle
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Atlanta airport eyes techniques to speed security screening -- Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport general manager Miguel Southwell said he hopes to begin testing new technology to speed security screening by this summer. One of the methods under discussion to test at the Atlanta airport is a system with a secondary conveyor belt where passengers put their carry-on items in bins to go through the X-ray machine. The system will allow people to pass those who are slower in separating their items into bins. Kelly Yamanouchi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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JWA flights halted after small plane lands on its belly -- All flights in and out of John Wayne Airport were put on hold Wednesday afternoon after a small plane touched down with its landing gear still up. The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza skidded to a halt on its belly on the main runway at 2:37 p.m., according to airport spokeswoman Deanne Thompson. The person aboard the plane wasn't injured, but all flights had to be held while Orange County Fire Authority crews moved the plane away. Jeremiah Dobruck/Daily Pilot Paige Austin/Newport Beach-Corona Del Mar Patch
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Air cargo to be processed at new technology-driven sorting facility -- UPS has announced the addition of a new sorting facility and the expansion of its existing building at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, California. The new building will process urgent, time-definite next-day air packages and will feature automated sorting capabilities. The expanded ground sorting facility will be retrofitted with automated sorting systems and have twice the package processing capacity. Global Trade Magazine
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Airports, designed for everyone but the passenger -- One morning in 1977, Brian Eno, the electronica pioneer and former synthesizer player for the band Roxy Music, was sitting in an airport in Cologne, Germany, and was deeply disturbed. "The light was beautiful, the building was beautiful," Mr. Eno told a Dutch television interviewer. "They spent hundreds of millions of pounds on the architecture and everything - except the music." Chris Holbrook/New York Times
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Aviation committee OKs 5 new O'Hare gates for American Airlines -- The Chicago City Council's aviation committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan by American Airlines to add five new gates at O'Hare International Airport, the first major expansion to gate capacity since Terminal 5 was built in 1993. The new gates, which will be in Terminal 3 and are intended for regional jets, are expected to be completed sometime in 2018. With the addition, the number of gates at O'Hare will grow to 194 from 189. Mary Wisniewski/Chicago Tribune
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FAA loosens United Airlines' grip on Newark air travel -- The Justice Department said on Wednesday that United Airlines had dropped plans to buy extra landing and takeoff rights at Newark's airport from Delta Air Lines, a deal that antitrust regulators opposed last year. The airlines' agreement was made unnecessary last week, when the Federal Aviation Administration said it would soon lift landing and takeoff restrictions altogether at Newark Liberty International Airport. Jad Mouawad/New York Times
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American Airlines CEO calls alleged subsidies to Gulf carriers 'biggest threat I've ever seen' -- While the battle between three major U.S. airlines and their Middle Eastern competitors over alleged government subsidies has drifted out of the public eye after dominating headlines last year, the issue is still very much on the radar for American Airlines CEO Doug Parker. "This is the biggest threat I've ever seen to commercial aviation in the United States," Parker said during a speech at an aviation maintenance conference in Dallas on Wednesday. Conor Shine/Dallas Morning News
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Alaska Air Group-Virgin America: Alaska deleverages to expand US market share -- For most of its history Alaska Air Group has quietly built up strength in the Pacific Northwest. Beginning in the 2000s, the company undertook a balance sheet restructuring that won Alaska coveted investment-grade status in 2014. That milestone occurred in 2012 after Delta Air Lines began a massive incursion into Alaska's largest hub and headquarters in Seattle. Alaska arguably held its own under attack from Delta, and has now made a bold move to acquire Virgin America. Alaska's motivation is to build scale and remain relevant in the consolidated US market place. CAPA Centre for Aviation
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Virgin America can help Alaska Airlines up its game on several fronts -- Alaska Airlines' acquisition of Virgin America makes a lot of sense, but its decision to ditch the Virgin brand and stick with the Alaska name and its folksy image doesn't. With new entrants threatening to destabilize Alaska's dominance in the Pacific Northwest, it was high time that the airline did something to diversify its route network beyond its core market. Cyrus Sanati/Fortune
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United Airlines perks up at 'Coffee University' -- As part of its overall efforts to perk up customer service, United Airlines announced this past November that it had inked a deal with Italian coffee roasting company illy to provide coffee in the United Clubs and - starting this summer - on board flights worldwide. Switching brews may seem like a small thing, given the carrier's rebuild-the-brand challenge, but "coffee is a disproportionately noticeable small thing," said travel analyst Henry Harteveldt, founder of Atmosphere Research. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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Happy 90th birthday, United Airlines -- The carrier that would eventually assume the "United Airlines" name made its first flight 90 years ago Wednesday. It came under the name Varney Air Lines, which launched April 6, 1926, with an airmail run from Pasco, Wash., to Boise. Varney would go on to become one of the founding airlines making up today's United Airlines. And in what would later become a remarkable historic coincidence, Varney Air founder Walter T. Varney would go on to launch another carrier in 1934. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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United flight attendant fired after emergency slide exit at IAH -- Sources have confirmed a picture obtained by Channel 2 News features the United Airlines flight attendant who was fired after she intentionally opened an emergency slide. Video shows Julia Price opening a plane door and inflating the emergency slide after the aircraft landed Monday at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating the incident. KPRC-TV Houston
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Airline hedges fuel rally in later dated oil prices -- Big airlines are making waves in the oil market for the first time since prices went into a tailspin nearly two years ago, betting this may be their best chance to lock in cheap jet fuel for years to come, industry and market sources say. A number of airlines moved last week to place significant oil price hedges for 2017, 2018 and even 2019, according to three trading sources familiar with money flows. They declined to specify companies, but said it was the largest flurry of such activity in more than a year. Catherine Ngai/Reuters
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Why you may be paying more for airline tickets -- The three largest U.S. airlines have changed the way they price multi-city trips, forcing those who book such itineraries to pay hundreds of extra dollars in airfare. Most fliers buy simple roundtrip tickets and won't be affected. But travelers visiting several cities on one trip, especially those flying for business, are seeing airfares six or seven times the normal price. Many might not know of the new policy or that there is a way to avoid the higher fares. Scott Mayerowitz/AP
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Air France-KLM 'out of danger' but challenges await CEO -- The outgoing head of Air France-KLM said on Wednesday he was no longer worried about the airline's survival, but his departure leaves an elusive successor facing a challenging task to complete its turnaround, airline industry sources said. De Juniac, who announced his surprise departure to lead the International Air Transport Association on Tuesday, said he had achieved his goals of ending losses and reducing debt, despite having three years left of his mandate. Cyril Altmeyer & Tim Hepher/Reuters
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Despite terrorism scares, summer tourists still plan European trips -- When it comes to summer travel, a strong dollar and cheaper airline tickets are overpowering terrorism fears. Travel agencies say they expect a very strong summer travel season, with bookings already filling up at top spots in popular destinations. Many of the best luxury rooms are already booked on Italy's Amalfi Coast, according to Virtuoso, a network of travel agencies. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal
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| Transportation Network Companies |
L.A. and S.F. want to regulate ride services if state won't -- California was the first state in the country to regulate ride services, but 2� years later, the head of the California Public Utilities Commission is questioning whether his agency is the right one for the job. "The real question is: Should we be doing this?" CPUC President Michael Picker said in a recent interview with KQED, echoing comments he made at two legislative hearings in Sacramento last month. Brian Gobel/KQED Also: Uber forcing Democrats to rethink labor rules
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President Obama comes to LA Thursday - Here are the areas to avoid -- President Obama will be in Los Angeles Thursday and Friday for campaign fundraisers, the White House has announced, but traffic tie-ups-which have come to be known as Obamajams-should be less than experienced in previous visits because he's expected to arrive and depart at off-peak traffic times. Obama is scheduled to arrive aboard Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport at 7:25 p.m. Thursday. KPCC
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