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On approach: A brand new LAX is coming -- A $14 billion overhaul is about to break ground at Los Angeles International Airport, the seventh-busiest airport in the world. The LAX rebuild is the biggest public works project in LA history. Construction starts next year and will take six years to complete. "It is a hugely important airport, one of the busiest in the world. Yet the experience for the traveler is not up to par with what you'd expect in a global international airport," says travel expert Brett Snyder. Paul Magers/CBS2
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LAPD asks for public's help to find man who went missing at LAX -- Police Thursday sought the public's help in locating a 53-year-old man who went missing at Los Angeles International Airport a week ago. Antonio Moreno Aguilera was last seen about 11:15 p.m. on May 12 in the area of Terminal 7, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Aguilera is Hispanic, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and a beige hat that day. City News Service
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LAX tightens security in wake of EgyptAir plane crash -- Authorities on Thursday said security has been heightened at Los Angeles International Airport and other airfields in response to the crash of an EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo that may have been a terrorist attack. "The safety and security of passengers, airport workers and visitors is our number one priority,'' Airport Police Sgt. Belinda Joseph said. "In light of EgyptAir flight MS804, which disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea, we have heightened our security posture and enhanced our counter-terrorism security measures at our Los Angeles World Airport airports.'' Kelly Taylor Hal Eisner/City News Service
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Alaska, Southwest fight for California with new flights -- Both Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines this week announced they will add new routes from California airports. This is likely just the beginning of a battle for the hearts and wallets of California's frequent flyers as Alaska absorbs Virgin America and takes on Southwest for dominance in the Golden State. For the short term, travelers should benefit with more options and lower fares. TravelSkills
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Baraka orders $15 wages, city oversight at Newark airport -- City Mayor Ras Baraka has taken the latest swing in an ongoing battle over jurisdiction at Newark airport. Baraka released an executive order Thursday that calls for several new regulations at the airport, including a call for $15 an hour minimum wage for airport workers. Among the provisions in the order is the creation of a "City of Newark Office of Port Authority Oversight," which city officials said would "examine all capital projects affecting Newark and to help increase job opportunities." Jessica Mazzola/NJ.com
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Why Atlanta airport officials don't want you going to the international terminal to bypass security lines -- During peak travel times, the domestic terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is crowded with thousands of travelers packing into long security lines with wait times up to an hour long. Meanwhile, the international terminal on the other side of the airport remains a sparkling oasis with wide open space and few crowds. Kelly Yamanouchi-Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Sea-Tac Airport to hire 90 contractors to help shrink security lines -- Long and slow lines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport security checkpoints may improve starting next week, when screening officers will open more lanes in time for the peak travel season. That's what the airport and Transportation Security Administration officials promised Thursday when they announced their move to hire 90 full-time, temporary private contractors before an expected record number of passengers maneuver through the airport's terminals this summer. Jessica Lee/Seattle Times
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Egyptian military finds debris of crashed airliner -- The Egyptian military found the personal belongings of passengers and other debris from an EgyptAir jet floating in the Mediterranean, Cairo said on Friday, confirming that the plane had plunged into the sea with 66 people on board. The navy said it had found the debris about 180 miles north of the coastal city of Alexandria and was sweeping the area in search of the plane's black box recorders. President Adbel Fattah al-Sisi offered condolences for those on board, amounting to Cairo's official confirmation of their deaths. Ahmed Aboulenein/Reuters
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Airlines say Congress is contributing to long airport lines -- As airport security lines get longer, the finger-pointing over blame is growing too. The nation's leading airlines, already feuding with the Transportation Security Administration, are now taking on Congress. The trade group Airlines for America on Thursday says Congress should reverse a 2013 decision that diverted $12.6 billion in passenger-security fees to reducing the federal budget deficit. The airlines want that money to pay for airport security screening. David Koenig/AP
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McCaul: Lax airport security overseas putting 'Americans at risk' -- Thursday's crash of an EgyptAir jet in the Mediterranean highlights the urgent need to increase security at airports in Northern Africa, House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul said, noting that the disaster is "looking more and more like it was an act of terrorism." Though Flight 804 was heading toward Egypt from Paris, it had previously taken off from Cairo - and if a bomb took down the plane, it had probably been placed on board in one of those two cities, the Texas Republican said. Jennifer Scholtes/Politico
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Airport workers in the spotlight after Egyptair crash -- It could be weeks before officials know why Egyptair Flight MS804 vanished from the sky on Thursday morning, with 66 people on board. But French authorities have begun hunting for a cause, including the possibility an explosive device might have been placed on board the Paris-Cairo flight at Charles de Gaulle airport. Egyptian aviation minister Sherif Fathy told reporters on Thursday that "the possibility of having... a terror attack is higher than the possibility of having a technical failure." Vivienne Walt/Time
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France has tightened Paris airport security since attacks -- French authorities have tightened security at Paris airports since last year's attacks in the city with thousands of border police officers, custom personnel, soldiers and private guards patrolling daily in the three airports serving the French capital. In addition to thousands of police, army and customs members, some 5,000 security guards working for private contractors are assigned to the Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget airports, according to Paris Aeroport, the authority in charge. Philippe Sotto/AP
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Silk Way, EgyptAir crashes leave aviation industry shaken -- Within a matter of hours between Wednesday afternoon and this morning, two unexplained fatal aircraft crashes - one an Antonov An-12 cargo plane, the other an EgyptAir A320 passenger aircraft - have shaken the aviation industry, sending investigators scrambling to find the causes. On the afternoon of Wed., May 18, the An-12 freighter, owned by Baku-based Silk Way Airlines, crashed shortly after takeoff from Dwyer Airport in Afghanistan's Helmand province, killing seven of the nine crew members on board. Randy Woods/Air Cargo World
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American pilots union says carrier still won't commit to culture change -- After top leaders from American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association met Wednesday, pilots said they were decidedly underwhelmed and have seen no evidence of a promised culture change. "To characterize the APA board of directors as underwhelmed by management's lack of any apparent plan for the long-promised culture change would be a gross understatement," the union, which represents 15,000 American pilots, said late Tuesday in an email newsletter to members. Ted Reed/The Street
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American Airlines fuel exemption intact after N.C. House approves budget -- A day after the city of Charlotte warned American Airlines was on "high alert" over the possibility of losing its aviation fuel tax exemption because of the airline's opposition to House Bill 2, the N.C. House passed its budget on final reading Thursday - with no mention of the exemption. The N.C. Senate will consider the budget next week. On Wednesday, the city's lobbyist sent an email to Charlotte City Council members about the issue. Steve Harrison/Charlotte Observer
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American Airlines to implode old headquarters buildings on Friday -- With 100 pounds of dynamite and 300 pounds of shaped charges, a former American Airlines headquarters complex will come down in about 30 seconds. The Fort Worth-based carrier plans to implode its former headquarters, located on the west wide of Texas 360 at 13951 Trinity Blvd., at 1 p.m. today as it prepares the 97-acre site for a new corporate campus. Six buildings totaling 331,000 square feet have been prepared for implosion by Dallas Demolition. Andrea Ahles/Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Aer Lingus CEO on U.S. growth plans, oneworld frequent-flier alliance -- Aer Lingus is working to join the oneworld airline alliance and plans to expand service to the U.S. later this year and next, CEO Stephen Kavanagh said Wednesday. The Irish airline already flew to Boston, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, Orlando, Chicago O'Hare and San Francisco airports before expanding this month to Los Angeles. The relatively small airline plans to expand service to Newark and Hartford, Conn., in September. Bart Jansen/USA Today
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United, American airlines adding extra flights into Cleveland for Republican National Convention -- United and American airlines are adding extra flights and increasing seat capacity into Cleveland in the days immediately before and after the Republican National Convention in July. And other airlines could follow suit, in an effort to accommodate a portion of the 50,000 visitors expected to descend on the city for the convention, which runs July 18-21. Susan Glaser/Cleveland Plain Dealer
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Seattle Pride president resigns over airline parade sponsorship flap -- Turns out none of it was true. No, Delta Airlines did not seek and get a sponsorship contract with the organizers of Seattle's massive downtown Pride Parade that locked out the competition. No, that competition, Alaska Airlines, is not barred from displaying company logos during the parade. And, finally, no -- Alaska Airlines will not skip the parade, which starts at Fourth and Union in downtown Seattle on June 26 at 11 a.m. But, yes, the head of Seattle Pride will resign. Jake Ellison/seattlepi.com
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Watch David Letterman's rejected Airplane! audition -- Before launching his late-night legacy in the 1980s, David Letterman had a few forays into the acting world, appearing in an episode of Mork & Mindy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and a few other programs in the late 1970s and the early 1980s. As it turns out, though, the actor/comedian actually auditioned for a role that may have changed his career. The iconic 1980 comedy Airplane!. Through the magic of the internet, the video of his screen test for the Ted Striker role has surfaced, which is well worth watching. Brian Gallagher/Movieweb
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How Mayor Eric Garcetti has elevated LA as a sports city -- Eric Garcetti knows well the labyrinth of rules governing interaction with International Olympic Committee members. A slick way to pilfer some extra face-to-face when the largest gathering of Olympic officials in the U.S. since 1996 occurred in October was to expedite them through customs. When Dr. Robin Mitchell arrived in Washington D.C., Garcetti made sure he escorted the longtime IOC member door to door. Clay Fowler/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
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LA-area light rail now reaches from distant suburbs to sea -- A light rail line is about to extend across metropolitan Los Angeles to the Pacific for the first time since the 1950s. Starting Friday with the opening of the 6.6-mile final leg of the Expo Line, riders can now ride Metro rail from the far-inland suburb of Azusa some 40 miles to the sands of Santa Monica. The milestone fulfills a decades-long dream of public officials and transit fans, and its symbolic value is undeniable. Its true test, however, will be whether it can shake up the commuting status quo in sprawling and automotive LA. Andrew Dalton/AP
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LA City Council backs $8.7 billion budget including help for homeless --The Los Angeles City Council tentatively backed Mayor Eric Garcetti's $8.75 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, voting to make fighting homelessness a priority in the coming months. The council voted unanimously to pass Garcetti's budget, which goes into effect on July 1. There were few controversies in this year's budget, which centered on addressing homelessness amid a sharp rise in homeless encampments and tents across the city. Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News Peter Jamison/Los Angeles Times
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LA council members denounce racist remarks during City Hall meetings -- Several Los Angeles City Council members on Thursday denounced an uptick in graphic racist and sexist remarks during City Hall meetings, calling for an end to the vulgar language. City Council President Herb Wesson, who was targeted with an image of a noose and called the N-word last week, criticized the recent rash of comments, telling reporters at a press conference: "You don't threaten a black man that way." Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News
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LA Mayor Eric Garcetti's top deputy on job growth stepping down -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's top deputy overseeing economic development is stepping down. Garcetti's office announced Tuesday that Kelli Bernard is departing for a job with construction and engineering services firm AECOM. Garcetti appointed Bernard, a former Department of Water and Power executive, to the position of Deputy Mayor for Economic Development shortly after being elected in 2013. His mayoral campaign was centered on spurring the city's economy. Dakota Smith/Los Angeles Daily News
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