Air Pacific Media Monitoring, Take Four (January 27th-31st, 2014)

It's that time again, a recap of all things in the airline industry during the week--by way of San Diego.

"Alaska Air Group, Inc. Is Flying into Headwinds"
By Adam Levine-Weinberg, The Motley Fool
DailyFinance.com
January 27th, 2014
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/01/27/alaska-air-group-inc-is-flying-into-headwinds/

In a nutshell: Alaska Airlines is going to be challenged financially this year due to heightened competition and the possibility of becoming a victim of its own five-year successes.

Why this matters: When Air Pacific finally launches, and we get a good evaluation of our first year in business, we'll need to see what kind of challenges await that could make or break us.

"San Diego International Airport Breaks International Passenger Record"
KUSI San Diego
January 28th, 2014
http://www.kusi.com/story/24566346/san-diego-international-airport-breaks-international-passenger-record

In a nutshell: San Diego International broke a record for the number of internationally-traveling passengers for the second year in a row in 2013.

Why it matters: Think about the potential number of passengers we could bring in should we expand our routes to locations outside the United States.....

"Fog prompts LAX to divert flights to Ontario, San Diego"
By Brian Sumers
The L.A. Times
January 29th, 2014
http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/20140129/fog-prompts-lax-to-divert-flights-to-ontario-san-diego

In a nutshell: Morning fog caused a series of delays and divergences for many flights to and from LAX, Ontario International Airport, and San Diego International.

Why it matters: As a newcomer to the airline industry, we ought to showcase how much we are prepared for any and all varieties of weather conditions that could affect our passengers' travel plans.

"San Diego Airport Figures Show Passengers Putting Recession Behind Them"
By City News Service
KPBS San Diego
January 30th, 2014
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/jan/30/san-diego-airport-figures-show-passengers-putting-/

In a nutshell: Figures released by the San Diego Regional Airport Authority have shown that passengers are no longer hasty about flying more for travel, as the amount of international travelers has gone up significantly.

Why it matters: This affords us an opportunity to take advantage of this newfound sense of consumer confidence in getting people in our soaring seats.

"Southwest Airlines International Routes Begin July 1; Three Flights to Tropical Locations"
By Justin Stock
The Franchise-Herald
January 31st, 2014
http://www.franchiseherald.com/articles/4720/20140127/southwest-airlines-international-routes-begin-july-1-three-flights-to-tropical-locations.htm

In a nutshell: Southwest has set a start date for three new international routes, all tropical vacation spots: Aruba, the Bahamas, Montego Bay, and Nassau.

Why it matters: Should our airline successfully make it off the ground (no pun intended), it would be in our interest to consider the possibility of international destinations as well as domestic--especially for vacationers.