Results tagged “lax”

Virgin America announced today that they will be ceasing operations in and out of Orange County's John Wayne Airport, according to the OC Register. The airline has been running flights between there and San Francisco International since April 2009, when they launched the route with a splashy event that included Virgin chairman Richard Branson strumming a boogie board on the tarmac and appearances by some of the "Real Housewives" ladies. Instead of the JWA-SFO route, Virgin is throwing their focus to two new routes out of LAX, Orlando and Toronto. The last JWA-SFO flight is scheduled for May 26. JWA will welcome Air Canada next month, and says they have a waiting list of airlines interested in replacing Virgin. more ›

A small mishap prompted a 20-minute closure of security screening in three terminals this morning. At 5:20 a.m. a wheel-chair bound woman going through a secondary screening because of her prescription medicine--LAX officials called it a bottle of liquid above the allowable amount--left the area towards her gate, apparently because she thought it was being confiscated. When screeners noticed she was gone (ah, hello?), they halted screening per TSA standard protocol as they searched for the passenger, who was quickly found. more ›

People all over the Westside and near LAX have been curious about a plume of dark smoke and flames originating from the El Segundo area, and worried that a large fire was burning dangerously close to homes and businesses. However, the fire is actually originating from the Chevron facilities, according to a live KTLA broadcast, and the LAFD confirms via email alert that the refinery there is "performing a 'controlled burn-off.'" The authorities "are aware of this," noted KTLA, "so you can rest assured that no one is in danger." more ›

A $1.25-billion expansion project at Los Angeles International Airport gets underway today as officials are scheduled to break ground for "one of the largest public works projects in the history of Los Angeles," according to cbs2. more ›

It was December 1999 when Ahmed Ressam was caught trying to smuggle explosives over the Canadian border with plans to detonate them at LAX on New Year's Eve. He was eventually sentenced to 22 years in prison by a Seattle judge, but that today was overturned by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The panel of judges said it was so lenient that it constituted as a procedural error and failure by the Seattle judge to adequately protect the public, according to the LA Times. The resentencing will be done by a different judge. more ›

Airport security is a hot-button topic today, and with LAX serving as a major international hub how we keep travelers safe is getting much attention. While local officials like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are lauding the facility for its level of security, as recently as last month several "LAX security workers were fired [...] after they were allegedly discovered to have been using drugs," notes LA Daily, following a CBS2 report on the subject. more ›

This Christmas, when a Nigerian man traveling into the US armed himself with explosives on his Detroit-bound Northwest flight, the hair-trigger reaction by airlines and airports and the TSA was to up security measures and to adjust policy for travelers entering the States from abroad. more ›

Airport officials at LAX have announced a significant change in their parking operations which is effective this month, LA Now is reporting. Parking Lot B, the long-term economy lot located at 111th Street and La Cienega Boulevard is slated to close permanently and public parking services once offered there will be "consolidated with other lots." more ›

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is moving one of his deputy mayors to Los Angeles World Airports, the department that runs LAX, Ontario and Palmdale airports. One big goal? Bring rail to LAX and Ontario Airport, according to the Daily Breeze. more ›

Saturday afternoon found several major airlines departing from LAX having to cancel flights to East Coast cities where a brutal winter storm forced many airports to shut their runways. By last night, however, "the flight schedule had returned to normal," reports the LA Times. Passengers with reservations for Sunday and today will face no more than the usual holiday travel headaches and hassles, however those whose flights were canceled Saturday may still find they are in a holding pattern as airlines work to accommodate them. Airport authorities say Saturday's storm, which affected travel in cities such as New York, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., "affected more than 6,000 passengers," some of whom were told they could not be re-booked to travel until Christmas Day. more ›

Although our palm trees are swaying in the 80 degree warmth, it was wintry snow and blizzard-like conditions that foiled the plans of many travelers looking to leave from LAX yesterday. "At least 38 flights from Los Angeles International airport to East Coast destinations hit by winter storms were canceled Saturday," according to LA Now. more ›

Curbed LA says it best in their headline: "Wha? Oakland Airport Will Have Rail Access Before LAX?" Yes, it appears ground will break on a 3.2-mile tram between the airport and BART's Coliseum Station with completion possibly within three years. A train to LAX? Maybe, just maybe, in 2018. more ›

For those who like to travel--and come on, don't we all?--today is the day to pick a city and go, go, go! United, Jet Blue and Virgin are all offering some nice deals to get out of Los Angeles. $39 will get you to San Francisco or Seattle on United and with $30 more, Virgin will do the same to Seattle. Plenty of more deals, thanks to the info at Cheap Flights. more ›

As part of a tradition that goes back to the late 1940s, President Barack Obama, along with daughters Malia and Sasha, this morning in Washington "pardoned two turkeys that are heading to Disneyland, where they will star in a parade and live out their days," reports the OC Register. more ›

As Thanksgiving approaches, the airports fill up. Officials at LAX today are warning passengers of the expected increased traffic at the airport for a ten day period, beginning tomorrow. Of those ten, the three busiest are expected to be tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 25; and Sunday, Nov. 29 because "airlines are forecasting passenger load factors approaching 80 percent on most flights and some flights fully booked." more ›

A problem, although now fixed, with the system that collects airlines' flight plans is causing numerous flight cancellations and delays across the country today. more ›

Few details right now, but KABC-TV has reported that heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson has gotten into some scuffle with the paparazzi at LAX (wrong guy to harass?). It happened around 4:45 p.m. Unsubstantiated, but one person tweeted: "Mike Tyson just got arrested outside United terminal 7 LAX for punching one of the paparazzi!" more ›

For an airport that looks horrible, operates terribly and still has no train connection, who would be surprised at the latest poll results? Based on an online survey taken by 14,000 members and world travelers of Priority Pass, LAX came in number three behind London's Heathrow Airport and Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris. more ›

LAX officials yesterday finalized plans for the fourth FlyAway route that will take passengers to and from Irvine. Beginning November 16th, the one-way 50-mile trip will cost $25 for adults (they won't accept cash, credit or debit only). Each fare allows for two students 8th grade and under to ride for free. Children under five also ride free. more ›

Times might be tough, but at LAX, making good use of the aging Tom Bradley International Terminal is proving to be tougher. Today, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners are "expected to approve $1.13 billion in construction contracts to revitalize facilities for international travelers at Los Angeles International Airport and build new gates to accommodate the next generation of large commercial planes," according to LA Now. more ›

A midnight fire on the west side of Los Angeles International Airport is causing some delays this morning. Terminal 6 is experiencing minor delays and officials are asking travelers to give themselves enough time as light signals around the airport have been affected. Other than that, the outage is mostly affecting administrative (non-essential personnel) and tenant buildings. There is no estimate of when the power will be restored. more ›

One of L.A.'s best traffic-beating ideas will soon hit Orange County. A non-stop FlyAway bus between the Irvine Station and Los Angeles International Airport was approved today by the city's Airport Commission. The three-year license agreement between Irvine and LAX means the fourth FlyAway route could start soon. more ›

October is going to be a busy month for public meetings about transportation. The city of Los Angeles is hosting a set of them on the draft master bicycle plan while Metro will gather input at a series of meetings about the Wilshire bus lanes. more ›

A man who stood up and refused to return to his seat as an United Airlines plane was taxiing for departure prompted the jet to return to the gate this morning. The man, "who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent," was acting suspiciously and ran into the bathroom, according to the LA Times. more ›

Well, hello, Autumn! As of 9 a.m., it was already 72 in Van Nuys, 66 in downtown L.A. and 64 at LAX and in Long Beach. But temperatures are going to soar today, prompting a Red Flag for fire danger and officials to tell the public to take heed (drink that water, stay cool). At the height of the day, the National Weather Service predicts temperatures over 100 in the Valley (100 in Burbank, 101 in Van Nuys, 104 in Woodland Hills), 96 in downtown L.A. and Long Beach, 89 at LAX, 84 in Santa Monica and 101 in Pasadena. more ›

William Bratton may be Chief of the LAPD (not for long), but city hall actually has three other totally separate police departments, which may be confusing to some. There's the Port Police, Office of Public Safety--they police city properties like parks and libraries and not city streets like the LAPD--and the Los Angeles World Airports Police who are in charge protecting airport properties like LAX, Van Nuys, Ontario and Palmdale. Although not confirmed, LAWA's Assistant Chief, Erroll Southers, is headed to run to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), according to sources to the Associated Press. Despite funny names like Thousands Standing Around, the agency is one of the few that blogs and really takes their comment section to heart by implementing policy changes based on the public's complaints and suggestions. more ›

They say Los Angeles is best compared to Paris. Well, both cities share rankings in a report released yesterday showing the busiest airports in the world: Paris at 5th, Los Angeles, formerly at 3rd and 5th in recent years, now at 6th. At its peak in 2000, Los Angeles served 68 million passengers. In 2008, 59.5 million travelers. more ›

Another day, another suspicious package. Unattended luggage caused officials to evacuate a portion of LAX this morning. Shortly after 11 a.m., the bag sitting next to a Tom Bradley Int'l Terminal ticketing counter and bearing no name tags began emitting an alarm-type sound. Airport police cleared the area, moving about 500 travelers and employees into the streets. The LAPD bomb squad arrived and via an X-Ray machine, determined the sound was coming from a megaphone. 50 minutes later, operations were back to normal. LAX officials say there's a good lesson here: make sure all your bags, including carry-ons, are tagged with your name and info. Whoever's bag this was will likely never see it again. more ›

A minor 3.2 quake struck near Los Angeles International Airport at 9:14 p.m., but caused no reported damage as of a half hour later, according to the LA Times. The earthquake was also located in the same general area of a few quakes that struck in May. A 4.7 rattler struck on May 17 followed by a 4.1 on May 19. These little quakes are always a good reminder to get prepared: store water, take CERT and take other measures (.pdf) to help make one of the potentially worst days of your life--when the big one strikes--a little better. more ›

On July 1st, our taxes in LA County increased a half penny on the dollar to fund a mix of transportation projects, whether they be rail, highway or something else, thanks to Measure R, which was voted in by the public last November. This Thursday morning, Metro will hold a Measure R committee meeting (.pdf) to discuss aspects of that and part of that discussion will be the possibility of moving up the timelines of three projects. more ›