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Get out of line to stay safe -- The March 22 bombing of Brussels Airport was another reminder that the threat to aviation has not waned. Public areas where there are large quantities of unchecked luggage around lots of people have proven to be vulnerable targets of terrorism. When many people gather, or stand in line, they become an attractive target for a terrorist attack. Airports as a result have repeatedly fallen within the sights of terrorists targeting. In a 2004 study, RAND presented near-term options for improving security at Los Angeles International Airport based upon one fact that consistently emerged from the analysis: it is not the size of the bomb that matters most; it is where it is detonated. Henry Willis & Michael A. Brown/U.S. News & World Report
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Catching a flight? Budget hours, not minutes, for security -- Security lines at airports are getting longer - much longer - and wait times could reach epidemic levels when air travel peaks this summer, according to airlines, airports and federal officials. A combination of fewer Transportation Security Administration screeners, tighter budgets, new checkpoint procedures and growing numbers of passengers is already creating a mess at airports around the country. Jad Mouawad/New York Times
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Lawsuit challenges TSA's use of full-body scanners in airports -- Two groups that say fear of airport security body scanners forces some would-be fliers to risk driving instead, have challenged their use by the Transportation Security Administration. Filing suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District on Monday, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and the Rutherford Institute said "because car travel is much riskier than air travel, the net result could be an increase in overall travel fatalities." Ashley Hasley III/Washington Post
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In budget fight, appropriators eye long TSA wait times -- In budget fight, appropriators eye TSA wait times: The bad news: Security lines at airports around the country are expected to get a longer than ever this summer. The good news (at least for the travel industry): Those increasingly disruptive wait times may prod Congress to up appropriations for the Transportation Security Administration. Plumping spending accounts at the security agency has never been a popular notion. But neither is the prospect of angry constituents tying up congressional phone lines with stories of snaking screening lanes and missed flights. Martine Powers/Politico
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John Wayne Airport releases passenger survey results -- John Wayne Airport has announced the results of its most recent passenger survey, conducted in 2015. The biannual survey is conducted to measure traveler preferences and satisfaction. The 2015 Passenger Survey confirmed that John Wayne Airport continued to earn very high approval ratings from travelers, both visitors and residents alike. Based on responses from both the Intercept (terminal) and Telephone surveys, findings include: 96% of Telephone survey respondents and 99% of Intercept respondents give the airport either an "A" or "B" for overall satisfaction. John Wayne Airport Press Release
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Janitors in O.C., L.A. counties avoid strike, ratify new contract -- Janitors in Orange and Los Angeles counties voted to stay on the job, avoiding a labor strike, according to reports Monday. Janitors who clean John Wayne Airport and office buildings around Fashion Island, along with 1,400 other janitorial employees across Orange County, were negotiating a new contract with higher wages, protection against sexual harassment and continued family health insurance, a union representative told the Register last week. Orange County Register
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Atlanta commits to having only one commercial airport -- While the city of Atlanta just struck a new 20-year deal with Delta Air Lines over Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Paulding County is moving ahead with its plans to establish commercial air service north of the city. That's despite lawsuits Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport faces related to commercialization plans and stiff opposition from the city of Atlanta and Delta Air Lines. Atlanta has committed to not funding or operating any other commercial airport as part of its deal with Delta. Tasnim Shamma/NPR Atlanta
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Berlin Brandenburg airport corruption 'whistleblower poisoned' -- German prosecutors are investigating allegations of grievous bodily harm, amid reports that an engineer working on Berlin's troubled new airport was poisoned. German media say the man was a whistleblower in a corruption scandal involving an airport construction firm. He was said to have been sick for months after his coffee was poisoned. Berlin Brandenburg airport was due to open in 2011 but has been dogged by problems. BBC News
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United Airlines out, Royal Brunei Airlines in as Australian federal government rejigs air travel panel -- United Airlines is out, but alcohol-free Royal Brunei Airlines is in. The list of airlines that will be flown by public servants and politicians has been expanded to include carriers such as Royal Brunei, Air Niugini, Garuda Indonesia and Fiji Airways as part of the new whole of Australian government air travel services panel. United Airlines, which flies from Sydney to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and from Melbourne to Los Angeles, is the only carrier on the previous panel that is not on the new list. Jamie Freed/Sydney Morning Herald
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Airlines report record profits even as customer complaints soar -- Cheap fuel prices juiced record profits for U.S. airlines last year even as customer complaints soared over cramped flights and mounting fees. The 25 U.S. passenger airlines logged a record $25.6 billion in profits in 2015, more than three times the industry's after-tax earnings of $7.5 billion reported in 2014, the Transportation Department said Monday. Fuel prices averaged 35% lower in 2015 than the previous year. Bart Jansen/USA Today
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Delta's new CEO: 'This airline has never performed better' -- Ed Bastian takes over as Delta's newest CEO Monday, replacing outgoing Richard Anderson who had held that role since 2007. Bastian will be tasked with solidifying and advancing Delta's decade-long turnaround that began under Anderson and has left the airline standing as perhaps the USA's best-performing large carrier. Delta outperforms most of its U.S. industry rivals in a number of key areas, including on-time arrivals, baggage delivery and customer satisfaction. Record profits have followed in recent years, as well. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Delta Chief had long climb to top -- Incoming Delta Air Lines Inc. Chief Executive Ed Bastian ran the New York marathon two years ago after promising he would complete the 26.2-mile race if his airline attained a leading market share in the city. His path to the top spot has been a marathon as well. Mr. Bastian, 58 years old, becomes CEO on Monday, 18 years after joining the Atlanta-based company, now the nation's No. 2 by traffic. In that time he has resigned once, helped steer Delta through bankruptcy and helped shepherd its merger with Northwest Airlines Corp. Susan Carey/Wall Street Journal
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Rosier times coming for United elites - Skift business traveler -- United hasn't had the best relationship with its frequent flyers over the last few years as MileagePlus transitioned to a revenue based program and the airline straightened out its operations. With airlines now jockeying for the better revenue and a CEO bent on fixing United's image through, frequent flyers may be getting their time in the limelight. Last week, the airline launched a promotion aimed at pulling former elite members of MileagePlus back into the fold. Grant Martin/Skift
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Southwest Airlines CEO gets 19 percent boost in compensation for 2015 -- With American Airlines' proxy filed on Friday, I thought I'd check around to see who else has filed their shareholder proxy. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines filed its proxy earlier this month and its chief executive Gary Kelly had almost a 19 percent increase in his compensation. Kelly earned $5.9 million in 2015 which included his base salary of $675,000 and a $3.78 million stock award. He also received a $232,875 cash bonus and other benefits last year. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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American Airlines CEO earns $11.7 million in 2015 -- American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker earned $11.7 million last year, mostly from a stock award granted last April. According to the Fort Worth-based company's proxy filing made on Friday, Parker received a salary of $231,538 and a stock award worth $10.3 million for 2015. Last spring, Parker announced that he would no longer receive a cash salary and instead that all of his compensation would be based on stock. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Maneet Chahuan is taking over American Airlines' in-flight menus -- Taking a cue from Delta, American Airlines is the latest to tap celebrity chefs for in-flight food. They've hired Maneet Chauhan, who you know from Chopped, Sam Choy, Julian Barsotti and Mark Sargeant to handle food on international flights. Chauhan will be in charge of the flights that leave from the United States, and Sargeant will be in charge of those leaving from the U.K. Barsotti's food will be served in premium cabins on flights within the United States, and Choy's will be on flights to and from Hawaii. Dana Eisenberg/The Braiser
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Poor-taste wi-fi name grounds Perth flight -- An inappropriately named wi-fi hotspot sparked a major security scare on a Qantas flight to Perth, resulting in up to 40 passengers refusing to fly. A female passenger is believed to have spotted the hotspot on her phone's wi-fi menu - titled Mobile Detonation Device - shortly after she boarded QF481 in Melbourne on Saturday. The woman immediately showed it to the crew, who then informed the captain and security. Grant Taylor/The West Australian
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Airbus A350-900 gains beyond 180 minutes diversion time ETOPS from FAA -- The Airbus A350-900 has gained extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) approval from FAA for routes that require beyond 180 minutes diversion time, which will give US A350 operators more range and flexibility with the aircraft. The A350-900 received beyond 180 minutes diversion ETOPS approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2014. Aaron Karp/Air Transport World
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Solar-powered plane lands in Arizona on round-the-world flight -- A solar-powered airplane midway through a historic bid to circle the globe completed the tenth leg of its journey on Monday, landing in Arizona after a 16-hour flight from California, the project team said. The Swiss team flying the aircraft in a campaign to build support for clean energy technologies hopes eventually to complete its circumnavigation in Abu Dhabi, where the journey began in March 2015. Steve Gorman/Reuters
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How many flights cross the USA in a day? -- How many flights are in the air over the USA at a given time? At this moment, there's a strong possibility that we're all currently standing, sitting or working underneath a number of airplanes en route to their destinations. FlightRadar24 has released a fascinating 60-second clip that shows 24 hours of flight activity over the United States. Jelisa Castrodale/USA Today
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Here's what's driving California's strong travel, tourism business -- Southern California's travel and tourism industry was a powerful driver for the region's economy in 2015, according to a report released Monday. Visit California's report shows that travel and tourism generated nearly $51 billion in visitor spending and sustained about 441,000 jobs for the five-county area, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties. Kevin Smith/San Gabriel Valley Tribune
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NYC to London in 3 hours? The future of flying includes that and virtual-reality windows -- When it comes to flying, this is an increasingly fascinating time, with airborne technology and luxury advancing in dizzyingly creative ways that seemed previously unthinkable. Perhaps one of the lesser-known examples is a new start-up named Boom, a company focused on taking air travel to new levels of convenience with supersonic planes capable of transporting passengers from New York to London in just 3.5 hours. Mia Taylor/The Street
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An iPad misplaced at the airport takes its own vacation -- Last month, Shelby Bonnie's iPad vanished from his carry-on bag somewhere at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after a red-eye flight from San Francisco. He figured he would never see it again. But sometimes our devices aren't ready to say goodbye. While Mr. Bonnie, an investment banker with Allen & Company, continued on his way to the Bahamas for a few days of relaxation, his iPad began a strange odyssey of its own, turning Mr. Bonnie into a digital gumshoe and the narrator of a personal thriller that played out on Facebook, to the delight of his online friends. Nick Wingfield/New York Times
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Valley leaders defend proposed Metro transit projects after others call for more -- Defenders of the San Fernando Valley's current stake in a proposed transit tax that could lay billions in bus and rail lines across the region reaffirmed it would get its fair share. Business leaders and elected officials who helped choose more than $3 billion in projects that could appear on a $120-billion sales tax measure this fall have responded to a letter this month by some Valley leaders demanding more. The Metro measure is now under public review. Dana Bartholomew/Los Angeles Daily News
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| Transportation Network Companies |
Uber sued again over drivers' employment status -- The class action flood gates have opened. Less than two weeks after Uber Technologies agreed to pay up to $100 million to settle class-action lawsuits in California and Massachusetts in which drivers sought to be reclassified as employees instead of independent contractors, the ride-hailing company has been slapped with two new cases. Lawyers in Florida and Illinois have filed similar nationwide class-action lawsuits on behalf of Uber drivers who say the San Francisco company violated the Fair Labor Standard Act. Tracey Lien/Los Angeles Times
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Hundreds of LA bus shelters go unbuilt, millions in promised revenue evaporate under city contract -- More than half of the bus shelters planned under a city of Los Angeles contract have not been built, leaving riders at more than 800 locations without shelters and depriving the city of millions in unrealized advertising revenues, a KPCC investigation has found. The city of L.A. contracted with the contractor CBS Decaux in 2001 to install more than 1,000 bus shelters over two decades, but the agreement has unraveled, and many bus riders face a long, hot summer without protection from the elements. Meghan McCarty & Aaron Mendelson/KPCC
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