ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers may eliminate a tax break for airlines buying jet fuel at the world’s busiest airport, setting up a face-off with one of the state’s largest employers, Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.

The latest version of the bill from Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart would remove the break for all airlines, updating his original proposal to end only Delta’s. State officials estimate the exemption is worth about $23 million, and supporters of the bill said that money could be used for aviation-related upgrades throughout the state.

But the proposal also has become a political flashpoint. From the House floor early this session, Ehrhart accused one of Delta’s lobbyists of threatening members who had signed on. The company has denied that.

Ehrhart still bristled this week at the airline’s opposition to eliminating the perk while its CEO has been a prominent backer of more revenue to improve Georgia’s roads and other infrastructure.

“It’s been said that we need to step up and tax individuals in our district for transportation,” Ehrhart said this week in a subcommittee. “After you.”

The tax break was first approved in 2005 as Delta faced bankruptcy. Ehrhart himself voted for its creation and later for allowing it to continue indefinitely.

Wesley Tharpe, an analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said corporate breaks often remain on the books for years in Georgia without any review. He’s hopeful the bill will encourage lawmakers to take a look at other exemptions or credits.

A similar bill to eliminate the jet fuel credit went nowhere in 2014. But members of a subcommittee and a key committee chairman this week signaled their support, meaning the bill could receive a House vote in the coming days.

“Companies are looking for an airport that has a 5,000-foot runway or has taxiways or a radio control tower, all sorts of assets that these smaller communities can’t afford to do,” said Republican Rep. Jay Powell, a Camilla Republican who chairs the influential Ways and Means committee considering the bill. “Just like the internet has made rural Georgia accessible to companies, this also will make rural Georgia accessible to companies.”

Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter said Thursday that lawmakers risk the Atlanta airport’s competitive status.

“If approved, this measure would put Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at an economic disadvantage by making aviation fuel taxes in Georgia some of the highest in the industry,” Banstetter said, citing Georgia’s #11 jet fuel tax ranking by the Airlines for America trade organization.

Vaughn Jennings, a spokesman for the group, called the changes “unnecessary tax hikes.”

“We urge the legislature to enact a business climate which values air transportation, promotes travel and encourages airlines to further invest in the economic prosperity of the state,” Jennings said.

Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, indicated in a Thursday meeting that he was leaning in favor of the bill but asked the question on some members’ minds.

“Do you have any concerns that this would potentially cause Delta to move their corporate headquarters from here or potentially divert business assets because of the action we’re taking?” Peake asked Ehrhart.

Ehrhart said he wasn’t worried about that.

Moving an airline’s headquarters is no easy feat though companies sometimes threaten it during fights over expenses, said industry analyst Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann Company. Fuel tax exemptions add some competitive edge but commercial airlines worry more about per-passenger and landing fees set by airports, he said.

“But it’s a pile of money and people seeing a pile of money tend to want it,” Mann said.

img src=http://feed-media.cygnus.com/ap.png / Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Parts of California were getting a welcome dose of rain and snow from a storm system moving through the state, while late-winter weather dumped snow elsewhere in the Southwest.

The snow was well received by California and Nevada ski resorts.

It began snowing in the Sierra Nevada late Friday, and the resorts reported receiving 12 to 18 inches of snow at 8,000 to 10,000 feet, said Jim Matthews, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

“We are thrilled,” Melissa Matheney, a spokeswoman for Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski resorts, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We couldn’t be happier with this storm. It exceeded expectations, which is fantastic.”

The Sugar Bowl ski resort near Donner Summit reported up to 2 feet of snow by Saturday afternoon.

The storm system also brought scattered showers as it moved into the central and southern areas of California late in the afternoon. The weather service said around 7 p.m., light rain moved toward the wildfire-scarred hillsides above Glendora and Asuza east of Los Angeles, the site of the devastating Colby Fire in January 2014.

Up to a foot of snow could fall through Monday, including in the San Bernardino and Angeles national forests. That follows a spell of dry weather that had some ski resorts talking about closing.

Meanwhile, sections of central and northern New Mexico received a record-breaking snowfall Friday and Saturday with more expected throughout the weekend, weather officials said.

The snow eased up somewhat Saturday in Albuquerque after hitting the area hard. “Most of Albuquerque has had anywhere from 4 to 10 inches of snow. It’s really kind of crippled the city,” meteorologist Todd Shoemake said.

At some point during the storm, Albuquerque and Santa Fe received as much as 1 inch of snow per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

The wintry weather brought driving problems and numerous accidents in many areas, but things appeared to be improving by late Saturday afternoon with transportation officials giving the all clear for several problem highways.

In the Midwest and central part of the U.S., various states, including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas, experienced a mix of freezing rain and snow on Saturday.

The arctic winter weather system had led to several record-breaking cold temperature readings in Iowa. Mason City, Iowa, hit a record low of 18 degrees below zero at 6 a.m. Friday, shattering its 115-year-old record for Feb. 27 of 12-below, set in 1899, the National Weather Service said. Waterloo also reached a record low of 24-below zero on Friday. The previous record of 14-below was set in 1897.

A dusting of snow could be seen starting Saturday afternoon overnight into Sunday for central and parts of eastern Nebraska, with some heavier snow in the southern portions of the state. That light snow was expected to quickly move into Iowa, with heavier amounts near the southern border with Missouri.

According to the National Weather Service, freezing rain would be possible on Sunday in the southern parts of Illinois, Missouri and Ohio. Snow was forecast for parts of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

In other parts of the country, flights were canceled because of ice on the runways, snow collapsed a skating rink roof in Massachusetts, and local governments readied for what was to come.

In Texas, freezing rain for the second consecutive day left highways slick and forced the cancellation of nearly another 1,000 flights Saturday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one of the nation’s biggest airline hubs.

Freezing rain coated an area stretching from about 40 miles north of Austin up to the Dallas area, said Anthony Bain, a weather service forecaster based in Fort Worth. Temperatures were expected to be above freezing by late Saturday afternoon and into the upper 40s on Sunday, Bain said. Rain was expected on Sunday for much of Texas, as well as Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Also Sunday, New York City’s sanitation department has issued a snow alert set to start in the afternoon. Snowplows, salt spreaders and staff are ready to go into action to clear a possible few inches.

By Kathleen Foody, The Associated Press

ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers may eliminate a tax break for airlines buying jet fuel at the world’s busiest airport, setting up a face-off with one of the state’s largest employers, Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.

The latest version of the bill from Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart would remove the break for all airlines, updating his original proposal to end only Delta’s. State officials estimate the exemption is worth about $23 million, and supporters of the bill said that money could be used for aviation-related upgrades throughout the state.

But the proposal also has become a political flashpoint. From the House floor early this session, Ehrhart accused one of Delta’s lobbyists of threatening members who had signed on. The company has denied that.

Ehrhart still bristled this week at the airline’s opposition to eliminating the perk while its CEO has been a prominent backer of more revenue to improve Georgia’s roads and other infrastructure.

“It’s been said that we need to step up and tax individuals in our district for transportation,” Ehrhart said this week in a subcommittee. “After you.”

The tax break was first approved in 2005 as Delta faced bankruptcy. Ehrhart himself voted for its creation and later for allowing it to continue indefinitely.

Wesley Tharpe, an analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said corporate breaks often remain on the books for years in Georgia without any review. He’s hopeful the bill will encourage lawmakers to take a look at other exemptions or credits.

A similar bill to eliminate the jet fuel credit went nowhere in 2014. But members of a subcommittee and a key committee chairman this week signalled their support, meaning the bill could receive a House vote in the coming days.

“Companies are looking for an airport that has a 5,000-foot runway or has taxiways or a radio control tower, all sorts of assets that these smaller communities can’t afford to do,” said Republican Rep. Jay Powell, a Camilla Republican who chairs the influential Ways and Means committee considering the bill. “Just like the internet has made rural Georgia accessible to companies, this also will make rural Georgia accessible to companies.”

Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter said Thursday that lawmakers risk the Atlanta airport’s competitive status.

“If approved, this measure would put Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at an economic disadvantage by making aviation fuel taxes in Georgia some of the highest in the industry,” Banstetter said, citing Georgia’s #11 jet fuel tax ranking by the Airlines for America trade organization.

Vaughn Jennings, a spokesman for the group, called the changes “unnecessary tax hikes.”

“We urge the legislature to enact a business climate which values air transportation, promotes travel and encourages airlines to further invest in the economic prosperity of the state,” Jennings said.

Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, indicated in a Thursday meeting that he was leaning in favour of the bill but asked the question on some members’ minds.

“Do you have any concerns that this would potentially cause Delta to move their corporate headquarters from here or potentially divert business assets because of the action we’re taking?” Peake asked Ehrhart.

Ehrhart said he wasn’t worried about that.

Moving an airline’s headquarters is no easy feat though companies sometimes threaten it during fights over expenses, said industry analyst Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann Company. Fuel tax exemptions add some competitive edge but commercial airlines worry more about per-passenger and landing fees set by airports, he said.

“But it’s a pile of money and people seeing a pile of money tend to want it,” Mann said.

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia lawmakers may eliminate a tax break for airlines buying jet fuel at the world’s busiest airport, setting up a face-off with one of the state’s largest employers, Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.

The latest version of the bill from Republican Rep. Earl Ehrhart would remove the break for all airlines, updating his original proposal to end only Delta’s. State officials estimate the exemption is worth about $23 million, and supporters of the bill said that money could be used for aviation-related upgrades throughout the state.

But the proposal also has become a political flashpoint. From the House floor early this session, Ehrhart accused one of Delta’s lobbyists of threatening members who had signed on. The company has denied that.

Ehrhart still bristled this week at the airline’s opposition to eliminating the perk while its CEO has been a prominent backer of more revenue to improve Georgia’s roads and other infrastructure.

“It’s been said that we need to step up and tax individuals in our district for transportation,” Ehrhart said this week in a subcommittee. “After you.”

The tax break was first approved in 2005 as Delta faced bankruptcy. Ehrhart himself voted for its creation and later for allowing it to continue indefinitely.

Wesley Tharpe, an analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said corporate breaks often remain on the books for years in Georgia without any review. He’s hopeful the bill will encourage lawmakers to take a look at other exemptions or credits.

A similar bill to eliminate the jet fuel credit went nowhere in 2014. But members of a subcommittee and a key committee chairman this week signaled their support, meaning the bill could receive a House vote in the coming days.

“Companies are looking for an airport that has a 5,000-foot runway or has taxiways or a radio control tower, all sorts of assets that these smaller communities can’t afford to do,” said Republican Rep. Jay Powell, a Camilla Republican who chairs the influential Ways and Means committee considering the bill. “Just like the internet has made rural Georgia accessible to companies, this also will make rural Georgia accessible to companies.”

Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter said Thursday that lawmakers risk the Atlanta airport’s competitive status.

“If approved, this measure would put Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at an economic disadvantage by making aviation fuel taxes in Georgia some of the highest in the industry,” Banstetter said, citing Georgia’s #11 jet fuel tax ranking by the Airlines for America trade organization.

Vaughn Jennings, a spokesman for the group, called the changes “unnecessary tax hikes.”

“We urge the legislature to enact a business climate which values air transportation, promotes travel and encourages airlines to further invest in the economic prosperity of the state,” Jennings said.

Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, indicated in a Thursday meeting that he was leaning in favor of the bill but asked the question on some members’ minds.

“Do you have any concerns that this would potentially cause Delta to move their corporate headquarters from here or potentially divert business assets because of the action we’re taking?” Peake asked Ehrhart.

Ehrhart said he wasn’t worried about that.

Moving an airline’s headquarters is no easy feat though companies sometimes threaten it during fights over expenses, said industry analyst Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann Company. Fuel tax exemptions add some competitive edge but commercial airlines worry more about per-passenger and landing fees set by airports, he said.

“But it’s a pile of money and people seeing a pile of money tend to want it,” Mann said.

Next year Delta Airlines flyers will start noticing their sluggish inflight internet connections getting a lot faster. Delta announced on Wednesday that it is upgrading more than 250 planes that fly its long-haul domestic, Latin America and Caribbean routes with Gogo’s new 2Ku connectivity, boosting overall broadband capacity on its planes to 70 Mbps.

I say capacity, not speed, because 70 Mbps is the connection to the airplane, which Gogo in turn divides up among passengers who pay for the service, just as your home Wi-Fi router splits your broadband connection to all of your devices. Still, 70 Mbps is a huge improvement over Gogo’s current service, which essentially uses a meager 3 Mbps 3G connection to serve an entire cabin full of passengers.

2Ku supplements Gogo’s ground-to-air network – essentially a CDMA network pointed at the sky – with satellite capacity from SES and Intellisat. Upgrading to 2Ku requires an aircraft retrofit, however, so the airlines are only gradually moving over to the new service. Gogo says it now has six airlines either trialing or committed to deploying 2Ku on a total of 300 planes.

Virgin Atlantic has already signed up for 2Ku, but Delta is the first major domestic airline customer to hop on board. The airline will upgrade its first aircraft in 2016, though overhauling all 250 planes will take several years. Delta said it plans to equip new international aircraft with 2Ku as they enter its fleet.

Gogo hasn’t revealed any details on pricing yet, and it may choose to charge a premium over its already expensive rates to tap the faster network. That might be a turn-off for some people, but the typical Gogo user tends to be a business traveller whose company foots the bill.

Delta Airlines plans to end its daily flight from Rochester, Minnesota to Detroit, Michigan.

The airline says it will re-route the crew to Minneapolis and end service between Rochester and Detroit April 9. Service between the two cities began last September.

Rochester International Airport executive director John Reed says a flight from Rochester to Atlanta also launched in September will not be affected.

Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1Arf2lB) reports shifting the Detroit crew to Minneapolis will provide three daily flights from Rochester to Minneapolis.

ALBANY, GA (WALB) –
Delta Airlines is cutting flights at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport.

When the airport opened the new terminal a year and a half ago, airport and city leaders hoped that might lead to more flights.

Instead, the only airline that serves Southwest Georgia Regional Airport has decided to cut back.

Southwest Georgia Regional Airport will see less activity in two and a half months.

Delta Airlines plans to reduce the weekly flight count from 20 to 18.

“As of May 5th, there will be one less flight per day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only.”

The midday flight for both days would cut, leaving only two departures at 6 am and 5:30 p.m.

Airport Director Yvette Aehle, said Delta hasn’t told them any plans beyond the summer.

“They only do their flight plans three months in advance. So, we could only find until the end of August. It’s when we show they end. They could pick back up again in the fall, we’re not quite sure,” said Yvette Aehle, Airport Director.

Within those three months, frequent flyers between Albany and Atlanta would have a limited amount of flight choices.

“Oh it will affect us when we’re coming down here and we can’t get a flight until later in the day. That means we’re going to have to sit in Atlanta for a longer period of time,” said Aehle.

Ahele worries some travelers may even choose other airports, which would hurt the airport that has made improvements such as a new terminal and expanded parking to accommodate Delta better.

“It’s unfortunate for us because what they would say is, ‘that’s a local decision that you all made. If you all want to build a terminal that’s up to you.’ They did not ask us to do that. However, they did ask us to expand the ramp where they park,” said Aehle.

Aehle knows that with big business their bottom line is all that matters. But she hopes Delta will at least listen.

“We’re just saying that we want them to reconsider because, losing ten percent of your seat capacity to any market does hurt, said Aehle.

A new vending area is now open at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport.

They call it the recharge and refuel center.

Airport officials decided against having a full-time restaurant.

The vending area is place where passengers can relax or grab a snack.

It also includes plenty of USB ports so travelers can charge their phone, tablets, and laptops.

Copyright 2015 WALB. All rights reserved.

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) – Delta Airlines plans to end its daily flight from Rochester, Minnesota to Detroit, Michigan.

The airline says it will re-route the crew to Minneapolis and end service between Rochester and Detroit April 9. Service between the two cities began last September.

Rochester International Airport executive director John Reed says a flight from Rochester to Atlanta also launched in September will not be affected.

Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1Arf2lB ) reports shifting the Detroit crew to Minneapolis will provide three daily flights from Rochester to Minneapolis.

Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ALBANY, GA (WALB) –
Delta Airlines is cutting flights at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport.

When the airport opened the new terminal a year and a half ago, airport and city leaders hoped that might lead to more flights.

Instead, the only airline that serves Southwest Georgia Regional Airport has decided to cut back.

Southwest Georgia Regional Airport will see less activity in two and a half months.

Delta Airlines plans to reduce the weekly flight count from 20 to 18.

“As of May 5th, there will be one less flight per day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only.”

The midday flight for both days would cut, leaving only two departures at 6 am and 5:30 p.m.

Airport Director Yvette Aehle, said Delta hasn’t told them any plans beyond the summer.

“They only do their flight plans three months in advance. So, we could only find until the end of August. It’s when we show they end. They could pick back up again in the fall, we’re not quite sure,” said Yvette Aehle, Airport Director.

Within those three months, frequent flyers between Albany and Atlanta would have a limited amount of flight choices.

“Oh it will affect us when we’re coming down here and we can’t get a flight until later in the day. That means we’re going to have to sit in Atlanta for a longer period of time,” said Aehle.

Ahele worries some travelers may even choose other airports, which would hurt the airport that has made improvements such as a new terminal and expanded parking to accommodate Delta better.

“It’s unfortunate for us because what they would say is, ‘that’s a local decision that you all made. If you all want to build a terminal that’s up to you.’ They did not ask us to do that. However, they did ask us to expand the ramp where they park,” said Aehle.

Aehle knows that with big business their bottom line is all that matters. But she hopes Delta will at least listen.

“We’re just saying that we want them to reconsider because, losing ten percent of your seat capacity to any market does hurt, said Aehle.

A new vending area is now open at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport.

They call it the recharge and refuel center.

Airport officials decided against having a full-time restaurant.

The vending area is place where passengers can relax or grab a snack.

It also includes plenty of USB ports so travelers can charge their phone, tablets, and laptops.

Copyright 2015 WALB. All rights reserved.

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) — Delta Airlines is ending its Rochester-Detroit flights at Rochester International Airport this spring.

The new Airport Director at RST, John Reed, said the final flight to Detroit will be on April 9. A new Minneapolis flight will take the Detroit flight’s place after that date.

Reed said Delta informed him via email last Tuesday, his second day on the job, that the change was happening. Delta says the change is partly due to a pilot shortage. Delta told Reed it was reallocating its resources. Reed said this change is a simple business decision on Delta’s part, and that ultimately these kinds of changes are up to each carrier.
Reed looked at the numbers, and said the load levels on the Detroit flight weren’t that bad. He says flights were 75% full on average.

Delta Airlines launched the Detroit flight out of RST in early September. It was the first time Delta offered a direct flight from Rochester to Detroit since 2011. It was that November when Delta last canceled its Rochester-Detroit flights.

Despite the change coming so early in the new director’s time at RST, Reed is keeping his head high. He is encouraging the community to reinforce support for the Atlanta flight that Delta started offering in conjunction with the Detroit flight this past September. He says loads on that flight are around 79% on average. He also voices the importance of having a flight from Rochester to another major hub in the country.