CommercialSome California Airports Suspend TakeoffsThe Federal Aviation Administration issued a "ground stop" on Wednesday, suspending takeoffs at Los Angeles and other Southern California airports in a move that officials said they believed was a result of computer problems. The ground stop at LAX, which began at around 2 pm local time, does not affect incoming flights, said airport spokeswoman Amanda Parsons. The action was also in effect at other Southern California airports. John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, according to statements on each of those facility's Twitter feeds.
LinkTSA Questioned On Ability To Maintain SafetyA US Senate Committee on Wednesday questioned the Transportation Security Administration's ability to maintain safety and prevent terrorism attacks, citing recent incidents that included a teenager who scaled a fence at San Jose airport and stowed away in the wheel well of a Hawaii-bound jet. The TSA, which was formed after the September 11, 2001, attacks, annually screens about 640 million travelers and 1.5 billion bags on domestic and international flights leaving US airports. Several incidents, including a shooting in November at Los Angeles Airport that left one TSA official dead, have put the agency under close scrutiny.
LinkRyanair Setback In German 'Screen-Scraping' CaseGermany's highest court on Wednesday reversed an appeal court ruling that had found for Ryanair in its battle to stop a travel website from "screen-scraping" information from the airline's official site to sell Ryanair tickets. After a local court initially rejected Ryanair's claim that Cheaptickets was misusing its booking system and harming its direct selling of tickets, a higher Hamburg court ruled that the airline had a case for unfair competition and injunctive relief, a form of damages whereby the defendant is told to cease a certain behavior.
LinkSearchers Dismiss Bay Of Bengal Wreckage As MH370A private company said it had found what it believes is wreckage of a plane in the Bay of Bengal that should be investigated as potential debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, but the possibility was dismissed by search coordinators. The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) managing the multinational search for the missing plane said it believed that the plane came down in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia. "I think that we have been looking in the right place," Angus Houston, the head of JACC, told Sky News Australia. "I'm confident the aircraft will be found." A massive search operation involving satellites, aircraft, ships and sophisticated underwater equipment capable of scouring the ocean floor has failed to turn up any trace of the Boeing 777, which disappeared on March 8.
LinkAir France-KLM Narrows Losses In First QuarterAir France-KLM narrowed its losses in the first quarter on the back of cost cuts and lower fuel prices, and announced a breakthrough contract in China for its maintenance business. Europe's second-largest network carrier by revenue reaffirmed its financial targets for the year in the face of "tough" conditions, as first-quarter operating losses declined to EUR€445 million (USD$615 million) from EUR€532 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 2.2 percent to EUR€5.554 billion, and EBITDA losses (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) more than halved to EUR€50 million. "We weren't helped by the economic climate, nor did it get worse, but there is no oxygen from that side of our business," chief executive Alexandre de Juniac said.
LinkLockheed stresses importance of ‘flying wing’ UCLASS designLockheed Martin’s “flying wing” design for an unmanned carrier-launched aircraft has the “inherent” stealth the US Navy needs to operate in future high-threat environments, said the company during an interview. “Stealth is something that has to be designed into the [aircraft]. That’s one of the advantages that we believe we have,” says Bob Ruszkowski, Lockheed’s capture director for the navy’s unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS) program. Ruszkowski says Lockheed has been stressing to the navy the importance of getting the initial design “right”, saying improvements in capability may not be viable if the service doesn’t “start out with the right shape of the aircraft.”
LinkHawaiian CEO aims to welcome Chinese touristsMark Dunkerley, the CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, said last week that Hawaii needs to do more to welcome Chinese tourists to the Aloha State. "For us to be a good destination of Chinese visitors, the level at which Mandarin-speaking services are available in the community has got to expand dramatically," he said. Hawaiian Airlines recently launched air service to China.
LinkU.S. airlines report huge improvement in Q1 earnings over last yearTaken together, nine major U.S. airlines reported quarterly earnings of $401 million for the first three months of 2014. That represents a nearly $1 billion improvement over the first quarter of 2013, when the airlines reported a combined loss of $552 million.
LinkDCA slots value hard to determine, experts sayExperts say it is difficult to put a value on the slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) airport that were purchased by JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and Virgin America. "Clearly they're very valuable," said Jan Brueckner, an economics professor at the University of California Irvine. "That's because Washington National is clearly the preferred airport for travelers going to Washington."
LinkEASA moves to ease way for foreign airlinesThe European Aviation Safety Agency is preparing to make it easier for foreign airlines to apply for authorization to fly to and between its 28 European Union member states and four European Free Trade Association states. Starting May 26, airlines will be able to obtain a single safety authorization covering all of Europe. Currently, airlines must apply for a separate authorization for each country.
LinkTSA expands PreCheck to include Air Canada passengersThe Transportation Security Administration is opening its PreCheck program to fliers using select international airlines for the first time, starting with Air Canada. TSA officials say airlines that want to participate in the program will need to update their computer systems to embed PreCheck information in boarding pass barcodes.
LinkAirlines await payment for Venezuela flights sold in bolivars A month after airlines thought they were about to receive the almost $4 billion in revenue trapped in Venezuela, the government has been seeking meetings with carriers to try to negotiate discounts on how much of the money it will repay. Two dozen airlines are waiting for the proceeds of tickets sold locally in Venezuelan bolivars while the money is blocked by tight currency controls, according to the International Air Transport Association. Venezuela’s government has failed to authorize the repatriation of the cash for more than a year, and at least 11 airlines have curtailed flights, including the cancellation last month of three weekly flights from Toronto to Caracas on Air Canada.
LinkGogo will roll out improved in-flight Wi-Fi in 2015Gogo officials say the company's latest in-flight Wi-Fi solution, 2Ku, is expected to be available on commercial passenger airlines in mid-2015. "We anticipate that this technology will deliver peak speeds of 70 Mbps to the plane when initially launched and more than 100 Mbps when new spot beam satellite technologies become available," said Anand Chari, Gogo's chief technology officer.
LinkBoeing's GPS-guided seat will serve travelers with limited mobilityAircraft manufacturers are considering ways to accommodate the aging flying public. Boeing has patented a self-guided mobile seat that can scan tickets and automatically transport travelers to the correct gate via GPS. Meanwhile, London-based designer Priestmangoode has developed a seat that can be rolled into place on an airplane, eliminating the need for a passenger to maneuver into and out of a standard seat.
LinkLuxury retailers to open at Dallas-Fort Worth airportThe Dallas-Fort Worth Airport will soon welcome luxury retail to its Terminal D. "To bring brands in like Coach, Mont Blanc and Michael Kors, we are really raising the game in Terminal D and with all the international expansion this is really a great achievement," said Sean Donohue, airport CEO. Meanwhile, the airport approved construction of a $21 million Hyatt Place Hotel for the airport's Southgate development.
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