Tuesday, December 28, 2010

JetBlue cancels flights to/from LGB

Yesterday JetBlue cancelled two inbound and two outbound flights going to JFK and IAD. There were about 300 people that had to be reaccomidated. Five additional inbound flights were cancelled including a FLL-LGB flight that the Long Beach Airport Director Mario Rodriguez had been scheduled on Monday. Things should be returning back to normal now that things have quieted down on the weather front.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Thursday, December 23, 2010

LGB Terminal Ground Breaking Ceremony Photos

Below are some photos I took at the ground breaking cermeony for the new LGB Terminal that will be built.





Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Long Beach Airport Groundbreaking Ceremony -- LOCATION CHANGE

Due to inclement weather the groundbreaking ceremony has been moved to the west side of the airport at the Toyota AirfFlite Hanger located at 3280 AirFlite Way. The hangar is located just east of Cherry Avenue and just south of East Wardlow Road.

General Parking: available in the lot located at 2750 East Wardlow Road. A map is attached for your reference.

The ceremony will begin at 10 A.M. Because this is a large hanger, it will be quite cool inside; please dress warmly.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Long Beach Airport Public Affairs office at (562) 570-2678.

JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger Extends Employment Agreement to 2015

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2010 -- JetBlue today announced the extension of Dave Barger's employment agreement two years, to 2015. Mr. Barger serves as the company's President and Chief Executive Officer.

"Celebrating our 10th anniversary this year with the crewmembers who create and deliver the JetBlue Experience every day has given me a renewed sense of how different JetBlue is," Mr. Barger said. "I think our future is full of opportunities and potential, and I am honored to have been asked to remain as CEO through the next five years."

"On behalf of JetBlue's board of directors, I want to applaud Dave for his tireless commitment to the airline and thank him for committing to leading our crewmembers well into our second decade," said Joel Peterson, chairman of JetBlue's board of directors. "I look forward to seeing Dave's people-first leadership style strengthen all that makes JetBlue unique as we grow and evolve."

Mr. Barger joined JetBlue in 1998, before the airline was named or had a single aircraft. He succeeded founder David Neeleman as Chief Executive Officer in 2008. Prior to joining the JetBlue team, Mr. Barger had risen from a frontline airport customer service representative with New York Air to Vice President of the Newark hub for Continental Airlines.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday 12-16-10

National Cargo DC-8-63 arrived at 9:57am from Willow Run (KYIP) as NCR865 and parked at Signature.

MP Aviation LLC 727-21 N30MP (c/n 18998/239) arrived from Ontario Intl (KONT) at 10:50am and parked at AirFlite.

A C-17 took off at 11:54am on a test flight.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Wednesday 12-15-10

Another Travis AFB C-17 did three missed approaches between 12:39pm and 1:05pm.

The Coast Guard C-130 that was parked at Signature departed at 1:38pm.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tuwsday 12-14-10

A C-17 from Travis AFB did 3 missed approaches between 12:45pm and 1:17 pm.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Long Beach Airport work will finish early

LONG BEACH — Work is progressing faster than expected on Long Beach Airport's new $58 million parking garage, which is now expected to open by September 2011, three months earlier than anticipated.

The early finish date will save the city about $85,000 per month for round-the-clock shuttles carrying passengers to a leased remote parking lot, which costs the airport about $1.8 million annually.

Meanwhile, the new structure is expected to generate $350,000 for the airport per month, said Long Beach Airport Director Mario Rodriguez.

"So we're going to be saving a lot of money on those shuttles and the remote parking lease, which is leased from Boeing, and it's going to be a much-improved parking situation for passengers, who will be able to park just a few feet from the main terminal," Rodriguez said.

The project's contractor, ARB Inc. of Lake Forest, began work in December 2009 on roadway and infrastructure improvements, then began building the five-level, 1,989-space parking structure in April.

Solar panels are being integrated into the garage's superstructure.

Upon completion, engineers expect the new roadway to Lakewood Boulevard, coupled with more lanes in and out of the parking areas, to significantly ease traffic flow and passenger congestion around the airport.

The garage is also expected to accommodate the airport's growing passenger volumes, which have surpassed 3 million annually, more than double the figure just five years ago.

Work on the garage is supporting 450 jobs and is being financed wholly through airport bonds, passenger and parking fees and federal stimulus grants.

The airport has pledged to pay the bond off within 30 years and without pulling money from the city's ailing general fund, which supports public safety, libraries, street repairs and other critical needs.

The garage update comes as airport officials prepare to begin work on a new passenger concourse, runways, aircraft ramps and terminal modernization.

Those projects, with a combined cost of roughly $75 million, include simple upgrades like new paint, lights and restrooms, along with more complex environmental measures.

Solar panels, for example, will eventually provide between 15 and 20 percent of the airport's total power usage, while engineers will electrify airplane parking slots to allow jets to "plug in" after landing, eliminating the need for diesel auxiliary motors to handle such tasks as baggage handling and air conditioning.

By electrifying the slots, the level of toxic jet exhaust wafting into nearby neighborhoods and schools will be slashed.

(Kristopher Hansen - Press Telegram)

USAF releases C-17 crash report, video

The USAF has release the crash report and video to the only C-17 fatal crash. C-17A 00-0173 (P-73) "Spirit of the Aleutians" crashed on July 28, 2010 killing all crew members on board. The report can be seen here: http://www.pacaf.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101211-002.pdf

Here is the video:

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday 12-5-10

United States Air Force C-20H 90-0300 (c/n 1181) landed at 10:55am and parked on the Gulfstream ramp. The plane is overall grey with the titles and USAF serial number on the tail both in black.