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LAX unveils Data Comm aircraft texting system designed to reduce flight delays -- It may sound like a dangerous practice on its face - aircraft pilots texting in the cockpit - but federal aviation officials are encouraging them to do just that using new technology designed to make commercial air travel safer and more efficient. Dubbed Data Comm, the technology eliminates the long-winded conversations between air traffic controllers and flight crews that often occur on taxiways when weather forces flight plan revisions, FAA officials said Friday as the system was unveiled at LAX. Nick Green/Torrance Daily Breeze Jason Song/Los Angeles Times eTurbo News
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Will new offshore L.A. County helicopter route curb noise complaints? -- The FAA this week quietly implemented an offshore Los Angeles County helicopter route in a bid to address long-standing noise concerns, but apparently failed to inform affected residents or city officials. Moreover, activists who have long fought against what they see as excessive helicopter noise contend the route that was officially activated Thursday - just 750 feet off the coast - will do little to reduce the clattering from low-flying choppers. Nick Green/Torrance Daily Breeze
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American Airlines kick off LA-AKL flights with hotdogs, cheerleaders -- The inaugural American Airlines Los Angeles - Auckland flight arrived in the early hours of Saturday morning as the airline looks to expand on its relationship with Qantas and take on Air New Zealand's dominance over the trans-Pacific route. The new daily service will be operated using American Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The Qantas' relationship with American Airlines will feed up to 1600 passengers a week into the New Zealand domestic JetStar network, as well as linking them to Australia via Auckland. Dan Lake/TV3 Auckland
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Teen in LAX bomb threat faces more charges -- Sentencing for a rural Camp Douglas (Wisc.) teen accused of a bomb threat at Los Angeles International Airport was postponed after more charges have been filed against him. Clint O. Terrell, 17, on Friday was set to plea to felony charges in Monroe County Circuit Court. But that was delayed after Terrell was arrested last week for disobeying a court order to stay off the Internet and may have had friends prank calling authorities to his home. Matthew Perenchio/Tomah (Wisc.) Journal
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'Pretty scary': Unruly passenger forces Virgin America plane to stop in Denver -- A Virgin America flight en route to Los Angeles from Newark was diverted to Denver Saturday night after a man on board started acting bizarrely - spreading wired devices out in the aisle and waving his fingers in fellow passengers' faces. Upon landing, the "unruly" man was escorted off of flight VX169 by police, according to statements from Virgin America and Denver International Airport. Denver International Airport's statement said that there was no threat to passengers and crew on the plane, and the man was not arrested. Elisha Fieldstadt/NBC News
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Study names Honolulu best U.S. airport for summer travel -- NerdWallet released a new study on the nation's best and worst airports for summer travel last week and ranked Honolulu Airport as the best option for summer travelers. The personal finance website examined data from 2013 to 2015 and more than 4.7 million flights, determining the U.S.'s busiest airports and then measuring delays, canceled flights, customs wait times, TSA security line wait times and the quality of restaurants according to online sites such as Yelp. John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., finished second in the website's Best Airport for Summer Travel ranking and the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport was third. Shane Nelson/Travel Weekly
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Oakland Airport has busiest May in eight years -- Passenger growth surged at the Oakland International Airport last month, giving the airport its busiest May in eight years, Port of Oakland officials said Friday. May passenger traffic totaled just over 1 million travelers, which was an increase of 5.8 percent, or 54,591 passengers, over May 2015, according to the port. May marked the 30th consecutive month of year-over-year traffic growth at the airport, port officials said. Bay City News
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Brexit fallout 'cast doubts on Heathrow runway expansion' -- According to John Stewart, if Boris Johnson follows David Cameron as prime minister his opposition to Heathrow expansion leaves it "up in the air". But Heathrow's boss John Holland-Kaye said its expansion "is the right choice for a stronger Britain". The government was to decide on whether to expand Heathrow or Gatwick in July. The Department for Transport has been contacted for a comment. BBC News
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United flight attendants closer to being unified six years after merger -- United Airlines, which has struggled to turn the corner in its rocky merger with Continental, announced Friday it has agreed on terms for a new agreement that would bring its flight attendants under a single contract for the first time. The Association of Flight Attendants and United have come up with tentative terms which will be finalized over the weekend. Union leaders, who are gathering early next week, will then need to sign off, and finally United's flight attendants will need to ratify the tentative contract. Charisse Jones/USA Today
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JetBlue to match Virgin America flyers' points balances -- JetBlue and Virgin America have been sparring over customers ever since JetBlue failed to acquire its rival earlier this year. JetBlue's latest offer, announced on Friday, raises the stakes. In a campaign called #goforthwithjetblue, the carrier is offering to match the balance of points from Elevate in TrueBlue accounts, in many cases, rounding up the mileage. The blog Point me to the Plane, which was one of the first to report on program, called the deal "pretty awesome," while View From the Wing suggested it was the "deal of the year." Grant Martin/Skift
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American Airlines offers discounted inaugural fares to Cuba -- American Airlines is now taking reservations and selling regularly scheduled flights between Miami International Airport and five Cuban cities to start in September for less than $300 round-trip, including taxes. But the cheaper rates come with caveats, including final approval from the Cuban government for American's new commercial flights to the island. If all goes as planned, regularly scheduled flights to Cienfuegos and Holgu�n will take off from MIA on Sept. 7. Mimi Whitefield/Miami Herald
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United Airlines hopes slim seats and exclusive lounges will help generate $3 billion -- Hoping to match the profit margin of his competitors, United Airlines Chief Executive Oscar Munoz laid out a plan this week to generate $3.1 billion in new revenue and savings by 2018. One way he hopes to meet that goal is do what airlines have been doing a lot lately: Squeeze more thin-cushion seats into the economy section and offer more luxury seating for well-heeled fliers near the front of the plane. Hugo Martin/Los Angeles Times
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Southwest Airlines says it won't use new technology to upsell passengers -- Southwest Airlines is watching as its competitors begin to more carefully segment customers, allotting perks based on how much passengers paid, but it does not plan to copy American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said Thursday. "We want to protect our brand," Kelly said at Southwest's investor day. "Our brand is really good. We don't want to pull threads that cause the whole thing to unravel." But for Southwest, that's only part of it. Brian Sumers/Skift
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American Airlines flight from London to Charlotte evacuated when fumes fill cabin -- Passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 731 from London to Charlotte evacuated the plane Sunday after smoke filled the cabin. As passengers waited for the plane to take off, gray smoke filled the cabin, said passenger Doug Drew, a Myers Park resident who was traveling with his wife, Theresa, and 18-year-old son, Alexander. Two rear slides were deployed by flight attendants and one by a passenger, American Airlines confirmed. About 25 people escaped on inflatable slides, a statement from the airline said. Karen Sullivan/Charlotte Observer
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Plane bursts into flames on Singapore runway -- A plane burst into flames on a runway at Singapore's main airport Monday after making an emergency landing. None of the 222 passengers and 19 crew members were injured, the aircraft's owner Singapore Airlines said. The plane, a Boeing 777, was flying to Milan in Italy when it was forced to return to Singapore due to an engine oil warning message. The aircraft's right engine caught fire after it landed at Changi Airport at about 6.50 a.m. local time, the airline said. Jane Onyanga-Omara/USA Today
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Delta flier gets entire 160-seat jet to himself -- Sitting next to an empty seat has become a rare luxury for air travelers these days. But one lucky Delta passenger got more than an empty adjacent seat on his Tuesday flight from New Orleans to Atlanta. He got the entire plane. Steven Schneider was flying home to Atlanta on Tuesday evening when he arrived to an empty gate area for his flight at the New Orleans airport. "I was so nervous," Schneider told WSB TV of Atlanta. "I couldn't believe it. I felt like I missed my flight!" Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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America's most hated airline wants to fix one thing: Being on time -- Spirit Airlines Inc. is the carrier that leads the pack when it comes to customer gripes. With that in mind, its new boss is trying to repair one crucial aspect of the business: getting to your destination on time. Spirit operated only 68 percent of its flights on time for the 12 months ended April 2016, as defined by the U.S. metric of a flight that gets to the gate within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival. Justin Bachman/Bloomberg
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Why TSA PreCheck doesn't always work for trusted travelers -- Thousands of fliers enrolled in trusted traveler programs such as PreCheck aren't getting the expedited screening they paid for because of clerical errors with their reservations. The most common problem is that their date of birth or government "known traveler number" has been entered incorrectly into a reservation. Other times, the name on the itinerary doesn't match the name used to enroll in PreCheck, Global Entry or one of the other government programs. Brian Sumers/Skift
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Parents wonder how to protect children who fly alone -- The arrests this month of two men on charges of groping young girls on planes has raised questions about the safety of minors who fly alone. Experts say that before putting children on planes alone, parents should teach them to immediately get help if another person makes them uncomfortable. Parents should also understand that flight attendants aren't baby sitters. There are no federal regulations, so the airlines set their own rules for minors flying alone. David Koenig/AP
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U.S. bargains to Europe may follow 'Brexit' -- The United Kingdom's vote to exit from the European Union promises years of political upheaval, but travel experts expect lower costs for U.S. travelers this summer. "The immediate effect: American visitors will pay less for travel to and within Europe and Britain," said George Hobica, president of airfarewatchdog.com. The pound was trading at levels not seen since 1985, making hotels, meals, shopping and other purchases at least 10% cheaper, Hobica said. Bart Jansen/USA Today
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Garcetti panel revokes building permits over illegal tree chopping -- The Los Angeles Board of Public Works moved Friday to punish a developer that illegally cut down three trees in Brentwood, saying the move would send a message to property owners about flouting the city's urban forestry rules. The panel, made up of appointees of Mayor Eric Garcetti, voted unanimously to bar Sullivan Equity Partners from building on the sprawling 12-acre site for five years. David Zahniser/Los Angeles Times
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