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From Coast to Costa: Southwest Airlines connects LAX to Costa Rica -- Southwest Airlines takes flight from LAX beyond the continental U.S. today with the departure of Flight 6920 to Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR), Liberia/Guanacaste, Costa Rica. LAX thus becomes the airline's 13th mainland gateway serving Latin America and the Caribbean. A news conference is scheduled in the newly renovated Southwest ticket lobby at Terminal 1. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will celebrate Southwest's inaugural international service alongside Los Angeles World Airports CEO Deborah Flint and Southwest Airlines Vice President Corporate Planning and Financial Planning and Analysis Paul Cullen. Southwest Media Advisory
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Southwest invests in Los Angeles, modernizes terminal -- 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of low-cost-carrier Southwest Airlines. As the company has grown and matured, and in order to maintain its competitiveness, it has needed to modernize some of its dated facilities. This is true at Los Angeles International Airport, where the airline is currently undertaking a $508 million renovation project. Recently, Airways was invited to go behind the scenes in LAX and take a close look at the status of the project. Alex McIntyre/Airways News
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Live near LAX? Overnight jet noise will keep you awake -- Residents near Los Angeles International Airport may notice a change in overnight noise levels this week due to runway maintenance operations. Flights at LAX generally take off and land over the ocean between midnight and 6:30 a.m. to reduce noise. On Tuesday through Thursday, however, arriving flights will continue to approach the airport from the east during those hours. Airport officials said maintenance work will force the closure of runway 24R/6L during those hours. City News Service
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The LAPD dropped him off at LAX 2 months ago. He's still missing -- Since 23-year-old Ryan Robichaud left his family's home in Canada in January, he's turned up in Montreal, Boston, Los Angeles and now, possibly, in Westminster, his mother said. Police in the Orange County city notified the public about the missing man and asked anyone who sees him to alert authorities. He was last seen in Westminster on March 18, appearing thin and pushing a shopping cart, police said. Matt Hamilton/Los Angeles Times
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Family asks for help finding 14-year-old girl who left LAX -- The family of a 14-year-old girl were asking for the public's help on Monday in finding her after she walked away from Los Angeles International Airport. Isabella Citarello was last seen around 7:30 a.m. Sunday in the 6100 block of W. Century Boulevard near LAX. Citarello has been diagnosed with bipolar problems and takes medication. Citarello is described as 4 feet 11 inches tall, weighs about 100 pounds, and has brown hair. NBC4
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Man surprises his friend by posing as Uber driver picking him up from LAX -- A man surprised one of his friends, by posing as his Uber driver picking him up from Los Angeles International Airport. The hilarious stunt was caught on camera. YouTube user Connor Nolte wrote online: 'My good friend Ramiro just moved to Brazil. 'He had to come back to LA to pick up his Visa. 'When he and our friend Jesse arrived in LA, Jesse "called an Uber" which ended up being driven by me.' Zoe Szathmary/Daily Mail Also: LAPD arrests man accused of attacking woman after posing as Uber driver
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Why you should want to live right next to an airport -- John Kasarda, the author of Aerotropolis and chief adviser to the booming Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone in China, asserts that quick connectivity to air transport hubs will be essential for individuals and businesses to stay competitive in the 21st century. His message is clear: if the West continues neglecting its airport zones it will fall behind rising Asian powers who are embracing them as core business infrastructure. Wade Shepard/Forbes
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Ultimate airport guy takes over at Oakland International, brings Southwest flights with him -- Let's just say upfront that it was a coincidence that on the same day Bryant Francis moved from a job as director of Long Beach Airport to director of Oakland International Airport, Southwest announced it will begin service between the two. "Southwest made the announcement March 31, which just happened to be my first day in Oakland, immediately following my last day in Long Beach," Francis said. Ted Reed/The Street
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Las Vegas elevated expressway idea for airport-Strip traffic criticized -- A state Transportation Board member Monday suggested that a proposed elevated expressway to move visitors between McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip and its convention facilities is not the best use of scarce transportation dollars. Tom Skancke, a public representative on the state board from Las Vegas, said Nevada has lost convention business to other cities because there is no transit linking the airport to its convention facilities. Sean Whaley/Las Vegas Review-Journal
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Ex-Nashville airport official sentenced to prison in fraud case -- Former Metro Nashville Airport Authority official John T. Howard was sentenced Monday to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution stemming from charges of money laundering, wire fraud and accepting a bribe. Howard's sentencing comes one week after an airport contractor who allegedly joined in on the scheme was charged with conspiracy. Tim Rucker was charged with conspiracy and the lesser crimes of wire fraud and money laundering on April 4. Anita Wadhwani & Nate Rau/The Tennessean
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JetBlue to expand its high-end service, dubbed Mint, to more routes -- Days after losing the chance to purchase Virgin America Inc., JetBlue Airways Corp. is expected to announce plans to expand its luxury version of first class, dubbed Mint, on new transcontinental routes starting next year. JetBlue is expected to announce it will bring Mint flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as well as connecting Las Vegas and New York, San Diego with New York and Boston, and Seattle with New York and Boston. Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Virgin America fans ask if Alaska Airlines takeover will mean loss of cool -- For younger business travelers like Nicole Bansal, Virgin America's mood lighting, customer service and technology have filled a niche not found on legacy airlines. Ms. Bansal, 29, flies Virgin America nearly monthly for her job as a Silicon Valley marketing manager and has become one of the airline's legion of fiercely loyal fans. But now, with a $4 billion takeover by Alaska Airlines in the works, Ms. Bansal worries she will lose the unique touches that helped her click with Virgin America. Matt Krupnick/New York Times Skift: The death of Virgin America's brand and the aftermath of the Alaska Airlines sale
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Southwest Airlines increases early boarding fee -- Southwest Airlines has quietly increased the fee it charges for early boarding. The airline's EarlyBird Check-In option is now $15 per person each way, up from $12.50. The 20 percent increase took effect in mid-March. Travelers who pay the fee get a better position in Southwest's open boarding system. The airline, which has one of its busiest operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with more than 170 daily non-stop flights, does not assign seats. Dawn Gilbertson/Arizona Republic
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Passenger shaming: Fair or foul? -- You've seen the pictures, haven't you? You know, the snapshots of oversized airline passengers violating their seatmates' airspace. Of travelers propping their bare feet against seatbacks. Or of the trash they leave behind after their flight. It's called passenger shaming, or the act of taking travelers - usually air travelers - to task for their boorish behavior. And while some passengers probably deserve to be called out, most don't. But it was just a matter of time before something abstract, like uploading a photo of someone's shame-worthy actions, crossed over into the real word, with troubling results. Christopher Elliott/USA Today
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Showdown week for FAA -- Senators from both parties are really hoping to close the deal this week on an FAA reauthorization. But it's already pretty clear that resolving the FAA tax title probably won't happen without some more bumps along the way. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, told reporters late last week that he's not alone in wanting to tack more than a handful of expiring renewable incentives on to the FAA bill, among other things. (There's some bipartisan agreement in the Senate that those provisions were left out of December's big tax deal by mistake.) Bernie Becker/Politico
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Conservative groups step up fight against energy tax breaks in FAA bill -- Conservative groups that oppose a proposal to include energy tax breaks in the long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration are vowing to take their fight to the House if the Senate moves ahead. Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners said Monday that if the Senate ends up attaching energy tax provisions to the FAA bill, the organizations will ratchet up pressure on lawmakers across the Capitol to oppose the language or pass a clean-extension of FAA. Melanie Zanona/The Hill
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Lawmakers seek to ensure FAA bill won't preempt local drone laws -- A handful of lawmakers are pushing to tweak language in the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration that state and city officials fear would curtail their ability to establish and enforce local laws dealing with drones. But the sponsors of the bill appear unlikely to support any efforts to change the provision, arguing that local governments aren't precluded from carrying out privacy and safety laws related to drones as long as the statutes don't specifically mention drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Melanie Zanona/The Hill
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AAAE, ACI-NA propose screening changes for summer -- AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli and ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin Burke contacted TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger last week to propose ways to increase the efficiency of airport passenger screening during what is expected to be a record summer for traveler volume. The association officials thanked Neffenger for his ongoing outreach and cooperation with airport operators. They offered solutions designed to re-focus existing resources on core screening functions, increase overall efficiency, and minimize wait times while maintaining a high level of security. Aviation News Today
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TSA chief sees 'low' risk of terrorist attacks on U.S. subways, trains, buses -- Although terrorists have attacked trains and subway systems in Europe, there is relatively little risk that they will assault similar targets in the United States, according to the nation's transportation security chief. "Right now we consider the general risk to be low in the United States domestically against surface transportation," said Peter Neffenger, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration. Ashley Halsey III/Washington Post
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Don't dismiss the Boeing 747 just yet -- On Thursday, an anonymous airline placed a surprising order for four Boeing 747-8i aircraft, extending the life of the "Queen of the Skies" just a little bit longer. Since its inception, Boeing's latest incarnation of the beloved, humpbacked jet has not been a big seller, which has forced the 100 year old manufacturer to repeatedly slow down the production rate. Ironically, it is Boeing's other planes that are cannibalizing the 747. Paul Thompson/Travel Pulse
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iFly brings indoor skydiving to Ontario -- Late last year I was standing in front of the iFly tunnel at the Citywalk and thought to myself: Simulated skydiving? No way would I do that. I've never had a desire to jump out of a plane, and this didn't seem any more appealing. Fast forward to Thursday where I found myself at iFly Ontario, the first indoor skydiving business in San Bernardino County. The facility, on Ontario Mills Parkway between the 10 Freeway and Ontario Mills shopping center, allows customers to levitate off a platform on a cushion of air. Liset Marquez/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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