| Istanbul Airport Attacks Aftermath |
Security at LAX: What to know after the Istanbul attack -- Officials have beefed up security at LAX after the devastating attack on Tuesday at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. Patrick Gannon, chief of L.A. Airport Police, says that as soon as he heard about the suicide bombings in Turkey, he began retooling LAX's security plan. "Immediately, I want to know as many facts as I possibly can - what the tactics were of the individuals involved, what exactly happened. Then we take a look at our own defenses here to see whether or not we're set up [to] deal with that," he said. Elina Shatkinys/KPCC Take Two/KPCC John Gregory/ABC7 KTLA
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Istanbul attack prompts big response at Southern California airports -- The attack in Istanbul was a "worst-case nightmare" that exposed the vulnerability of public areas of airports outside screening checkpoints, experts said Wednesday. Southern California airports, gearing up for a potentially record-setting Fourth of July weekend, responded quickly to meet the threat by saturating terminal entrances with uniformed police officers and bomb-sniffing dogs. David Downey/Orange County Register
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Tough problem: Airport public areas designed for commerce, not security -- From Thursday through Monday, about 3.3 million Americans will head to airports for the July 4 holiday travel period. They'll be flying during the peak of a record-breaking summer travel season. Those passengers can expect to see heavier-than-usual security in the aftermath of recent deadly attacks on airports in Belgium and Turkey. The extra measures may help a bit. But security experts say making airports safer is a huge challenge because public areas are designed for commerce, not security. Marilyn Geewax/NPR
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Istanbul terrorist attack highlights airports' weak spots -- The deadly terrorist attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport highlights the struggle faced by those trying to secure against one of commercial aviation's greatest vulnerabilities: the so-called landside spaces where people gather before and after flights. Tuesday's attack occurred when three suicide bombers detonated their devices before passing through security. The blasts, which briefly closed the hub, are believed to constitute the deadliest airport attack in history after the death toll rose to at least 41 people, including 13 foreigners. Robert Wall/Wall Street Journal
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Officials: Early airport security helped disrupt Istanbul attack -- A new security regimen at Ataturk airport apparently helped disrupt the plans of three terrorists looking to penetrate deeper into the terminal and wreak more havoc, Turkey's prime minister said Wednesday. The attackers' suicide bombs killed 42 people, but the death toll was likely lower after an encounter with guards at the terminal's doorway forced them to split up and set off the explosives earlier than planned. Victor Kotsev & Onur Erem/USA Today
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Routine night of Istanbul airport duty, then horror and death -- Yusuf Haznedaroğlu had finished a work shift at the Istanbul airport Tuesday night and was waiting for a shuttle. He was to be married in 10 days. Taxi driver Mustafa Biyikli was ready for another fare. Translator Ertan Tan, whose wife is six months pregnant, had just dropped off tourists. Nisreen Melham, 28, a Palestinian woman living in Saudi Arabia, had just arrived in Turkey for a vacation with her husband and 3-year-old daughter. Jessica Durando/USA Today
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Building a world class airport for the next jet age -- The original Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX was fast-tracked in 1984 to bring thousands of athletes and spectators to the Summer Olympics. It was state-of-the-art for its day, but Los Angeles International Airport is now in the middle of a massive, multi-billion-dollar modernization. PCMag took a walkthrough with interim CIO Aura Moore, saw what's on the tech development slate, and got access to the highly secure Airport Response Coordination Center as they geared up for a disaster-scenario training mission. Sophia Stuart/PC Magazine
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Two heroes honored by Inglewood Rotary Club for saving baby -- A parent's worst nightmare was averted this past Mother's Day thanks to the quick actions and first responder training of Los Angeles Airport Police Officers Cindy Colon and partner Martin Hernandez. What started off as a joyful Mother's Day for a young mother and her baby waiting to board a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to visit family, quickly turned tragic. The young mother began to panic as her baby stopped breathing and soon lost consciousness. LA Sentinel
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Many airlines have an on time problem in Los Angeles, but it's American's that concerns me most -- Los Angeles is a market in high demand these days. Delta and American have been slugging it out while international carriers pour in as well. Pretty much everyone is growing, and that means the airport is coming under pressure to maintain its usually strong on-time performance. It's been particularly bad this month (not even Alaska could crack an 80 percent on-time arrival rate). Though many airlines are suffering, it's American's performance that I find most worrying. Brett Snyder/The Cranky Flier
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John Wayne Airport posts May 2016 statistics -- Airline passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport increased in May 2016 as compared with May 2015. In May 2016, the Airport served 949,280 passengers, an increase of 13.0% when compared with the May 2015 passenger traffic count of 839,813. Commercial aircraft operations increased 19.8% and commuter aircraft operations decreased 65.2% when compared with May 2015 levels. Total aircraft operations increased in May 2016 as compared with the same month in 2015. JWA News Release
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John Wayne Airport provides Fourth of July holiday travel tips -- The busy summer travel season is underway at John Wayne Airport and with the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, JWA anticipates a busy travel period from Friday, July 1 through Tuesday, July 5. Passengers are reminded that fireworks are prohibited in or around the Airport. Demand for parking over the holiday weekend is expected to be high. JWA News Release
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Pediatric rehabilitation patients to take flight over Long Beach -- Pediatric rehabilitation patients from Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach - with special needs including spina bifida, brain injuries, neuromuscular disorders and other conditions - will experienced their first "Discovery Flight" at the Pacific Jet Center/Mustang Sally & Flite Serv on Wednesday. Patients were assigned to a certified flight instructor, who will take them and a parent, caretaker or therapist for a flight from the Long Beach Airport over Miller Children's, around the Long Beach marina and toward the South Bay. Miller Children's Women's Hospital Long Beach
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Get through airport customs faster with this free app -- Stumbling off a 13-hour flight from Hong Kong a few weeks ago, I dreaded the long queue at border control. But instead of joining hundreds of other weary travelers in the cattle drive, I launched an app. Like an angel from on high, an airport employee whisked me to an empty-yes, empty-line reserved for tech-savvy travelers. I waved my phone over a scanner and was done in two minutes. Geoffrey A. Fowler/Wall Street Journal
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Fire ignites as flight heads to runway at Seattle airport -- A fire erupted on an American Airlines plane as it left the gate and headed for the runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Wednesday, but the blaze was quickly extinguished, officials said. No one was injured, and none of the 151 passengers or six crew members en route to Philadelphia was evacuated, the airline said. The Airbus A320 was on the taxiway going toward the runway when smoke started coming out of the back of the plane, airport spokesman Brian DeRoy said. Martha Bellisle/AP
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Birmingham airport CEO's private gym just one of the outrages -- Former mayor Larry Langford had his smoking porch. An $11,000 affront to the people of Birmingham. He thought the rules didn't apply to him. Gov. Robert Bentley has his beach house. And that privacy wall he just had to have - and eventually had to tear down. He thought the rules didn't apply to him, either. And Al Denson, head of the Birmingham Airport Authority, has his gym at the airport. Rules? What rules? John Archibald/Birmingham (Ala.) News
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Contract for United Airlines flight attendants would truly unite them -- United Airlines and leaders of its flight attendants' union have agreed to a new labor contract that will unify the cabin crews for the first time since United's merger with Continental Airlines more than five years ago. The deal, which still requires a vote by the union's full membership, would also raise United flight attendants' pay to a level that the union claims is the highest in the industry. Annalyn Kurtz/New York Times
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United Airlines flight-attendant top pay to rise as much as 31% -- Top pay rates for United Airlines flight attendants would rise as much as 31 percent, a union spokeswoman said, under a proposal to bring the 25,000 members under a single labor contract for the first time. The maximum pay for veterans with at least 13 years of experience would be set at $62 an hour, the Association of Flight Attendants said in a statement posted at Ourcontract.org Tuesday. That figure would rise to $67.11 by the end of the contract's five-year term. Michael Sasso & Crystal Tsz Ching Tse/Bloomberg
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WOW: Discount airline brings its $99 Europe fares to New York -- The Icelandic discount carrier known for its $99 fares to Europe is coming to the USA's biggest city. WOW Air will begin flying from Newark Liberty International Airport on Nov. 25, offering daily nonstop service to its hub in Iceland. Connecting service is offered to 21 other European destinations. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
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Now Southwest can act like other airlines. Uh-oh? -- For most of its 45 years, Southwest Airlines Co. has operated with a kludgy hodgepodge of technology systems, mainly built in-house. It was generally a cheaper approach that better fit the needs of its network, radically different from those of hub-and-spoke airlines. Now, Southwest is racing to catch up technologically. The centerpiece of this three-year, $250 million effort is a new reservations system that Southwest will begin implementing this year, beginning with ticket sales. Justin Bachman/Bloomberg
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Qatar Air to explore raising stake in British Airways owner -- Qatar Airways Ltd. is considering further increasing its stake in British Airways owner IAG SA after the U.K.-based company lost a third of its market value in the fallout from the country's vote to leave the European Union, according to people familiar with the matter. Qatar Airways, already IAG's largest shareholder, is exploring boosting its holding to about 20 percent from 15 percent, said the people, who asked not to be identified because deliberations are private. Deena Kamel, Manuel Baigorri & Dinesh Nair/Bloomberg
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EgyptAir black box data downloaded; evidence suggests fire on board -- Investigators have downloaded data from one of the black box flight recorders on EgyptAir Flight MS804 and are preparing to analyse it, bringing them closer discovering what caused the jet to crash, Egypt's investigation committee said on Wednesday. The Airbus A320 plunged into the eastern Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19, killing all 66 people on board. The cause of the crash remains unknown. Ahmed Aboulenein/Reuters
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Revised total for Mideast airline subsidies is $50 billion, lobbying group says -- The lobbying group that represents American, Delta and United and their labor unions said it has found additional evidence of subsidies to Qatar Airways by the Qatar government. "Forensic investigators have uncovered a financial statement in Singapore for Qatar Airways that indicates that the government of Qatar provided close to $7 billion into the company in 2014," the Partnership for Open and Fair Skies said Wednesday in a prepared statement. Ted Reed/TheStreet
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Airline partnerships that are changing the way you travel -- Airline partnerships have evolved past premium seat upgrades, extensive network alliances and perks and privileges available through frequent flier rewards programs. These days, airlines are introducing innovative in-flight experiences that make travelers' journeys more comfortable, culturally driven and even charitable. And with new global partnerships, airlines are wowing discerning jet-setters with services that are a cut above the rest. Mosaka Williamson/U.S. News & World Report
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Former Alaska Airlines CEO joins board of this hot drone startup -- The rising use of drones has not escaped the attention of former Alaska Air Group CEO and chairman William "Bill" Ayer. Ayer, who worked at the airline for over 30 years and spent roughly a decade as its CEO until his retirement in 2013, has joined the board of a relatively new drone startup called AirMap. He was previously an advisor to AirMap, but the new board seat means he will be more involved with the startup as it tries to take off. Jonathan Vanian/Fortune
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Boeing mulls stretching 777 to knock out Airbus A380 -- Boeing Co. is proposing to stretch its largest 777 model to create a twin-engine behemoth aimed at delivering a knock-out blow to Airbus Group SE's struggling A380 superjumbo, said people familiar with its plans. The U.S. planemaker has approached several carriers about the plane it calls the 777-10X, including Dubai-based Emirates, the world's largest operator of both Boeing's 777 and Airbus's double-decker aircraft, said the people, who asked not to be identified because talks are private. Julie Johnsson & Andrea Rothman/Bloomberg
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How Iran's airlines purchased Boeing and Airbus planes, bypassing US sanctions -- The U.S. sanctions against Iran were only lifted in January, but it seems that Iranian airlines were able to buy U.S.-made aircraft in the previous year, through backdoor dealings uncovered by International Business Times. Sales data obtained by IBT shows that seven Iranian airlines purchased a combined 23 or more Boeing and Airbus aircraft before the historic nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S. was signed in October. Erin Banco/International Business Times
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Lee Wesley Gibson, believed to be oldest surviving Pullman porter, dies at 106 -- Lee Wesley Gibson, believed to have been the oldest living Pullman porter, died as he lived - calm, quiet and in control - sitting in a chair at home Saturday with family members at this side. Gibson retired from the railroad in 1974, but kept working. He served as a volunteer, assisting travelers at Los Angeles International Airport; managed income tax preparation offices for H&R Block; and was district director for the AARP tax preparation assistance program for seniors, family and friends said. Ann M. Simmons/Los Angeles Times
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