unaligned

The explosive device built into a laptop computer that detonated last week on a Somali passenger jet was "sophisticated" and got past X-ray machines at the Mogadishu airport, a source close to the investigation said, raising concerns about security measures at airports. The device blew a hole in the skin of the Daallo Airlines plane on February 2 but did not down the aircraft, because it detonated 20 minutes into the flight, before it reached cruising altitude. Investigators suspect Abdullahi Abdisalam Borleh, a Somali national, carried the laptop computer with a bomb in it onto Daallo Airlines Flight 159, the source said. The bomber knew precisely where to sit and how to place the device to maximize damage, the source told CNN. Given the placement, the blast likely would have set off a catastrophic secondary explosion in the fuel tank if the aircraft had reached cruising altitude, the source said. But an hour delay in the departure of the flight may have saved everybody on board, the source sai The source said two airport workers, who became suspects in the plot, put the laptop on an X-ray belt and then handed the device to the suspected bomber in the departure lounge. Authorities released surveillance video showing the handover. A military grade of the explosive TNT caused the explosion on the Somali airliner, two other sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN, citing an initial analysis of residue recovered from the aircraft.<br/>

JetBlue Airways is launching a subsidiary in Silicon Valley to find and help develop new technology ventures in the travel and hospitality sectors. The New York-based carrier claims JetBlue Technology Ventures is the first corporate venture-capital unit in Silicon Valley backed by a US airline. The unit, which JetBlue plans to disclose in its 2015 annual report in the coming days, plans to work with three startup incubators, and will be based in the Redwood City, Calif., campus of one of them, GSVlabs. The two others are Plug and Play Ventures of Sunnyvale, Calif., and San Francisco-based RocketSpace.<br/>JetBlue, the fifth-largest U.S. carrier by traffic, declined to specify exactly how much the unit will invest, but it is being launched with millions of dollars in capital, said Bonny Simi, the unit’s president, who is a JetBlue captain and most recently served as vice president of talent. JetBlue could add money if a particularly promising idea comes along, she said. Simi said the initiative is focused on using technology in three areas: making passenger and employee experiences smoother, better using the massive amounts of data airlines acquire, and improving airline operations and logistics. She said potential technologies include geolocation, virtual reality, big data, connectivity and artificial intelligence.<br/>

Southwest has submitted an application to begin daily service out of Long Beach Airport starting later this year. If the application is approved by the city of Long Beach and the FAA, the Dallas carrier would join only JetBlue, American and Delta in serving one of the smallest commercial airports in Southern California. Southwest officials said they have applied to operate nine daily flights but did not disclose the destinations the carrier plans to serve. Still, Southwest officials noted that air travel demand in California is strong for service between Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. The slots became available when noise studies confirmed that Long Beach Airport could add nine daily flights without violating the city's noise ordinance.<br/>

Southwest announced a record employee profit share of $620m for 2015 on Thursday, equivalent to about eight weeks of pay for each eligible employee. The profit sharing, which is added to employee retirement plans, is equal to 15.6% of each employee's eligible compensation. The amount will be funded on April 29 and brings the company's cumulative profit share over the last five years to $1.4b. The announcement comes on the heels of a record year of profits for Southwest, which saw the company post $2.2b in net income in 2015, driven in large part by massive savings on jet fuel costs as oil prices have plunged. It also comes at a time when the company's retirement compensation is being debated as part of ongoing labor negotiations with pilots that have stretched for nearly four years. Southwest was the first in the industry to offer profit sharing with pilots, tying their fortunes to the broader trajectory of the company. In return, the company offered a smaller maximum retirement contribution than competitors while also requiring pilots to make matching contributions.<br/>

Norwegian Air Shuttle reported a Q4 profit and kept its outlook for growth in capacity this year, while costs were seen lower. The low cost carrier swung to an operating profit before leasing and depreciation of NOK295m Norwegian kroner (US$34.52m) from a loss of NOK380m a year earlier. Norwegian, Europe's third-biggest budget airline by passenger numbers after Ryanair and easyJet, has launched flights to the Middle East, southeast Asia and the United States, bringing low-cost offers into the long-haul segment, as well as expanding in its core European market. "We enter 2016 with favourable fuel costs and one of the youngest fleets in Europe, which presents a significant competitive advantage," CE Bjørn Kjos said. "The market in Norway is influenced by the slowdown in the economy and there is increased competition in the Danish market. The demand for travelling with Norwegian and advance bookings have been satisfactory entering the first quarter of 2016," the company added.<br/>

New Cypriot low-cost carrier Cobalt plans to start operations at the end of March, once its air operator’s certificate (AOC) is finalized, according to CEO Andrew Pyne. Cobalt is “90% through the AOC process” and just needs to complete a facilities inspection and proving flight, Pyne said. Financing for the new company comes from local entrepreneur Gregory Diacou, together with a Hong Kong-based organization that Pyne declined to name, but whose identity would be made public shortly, he said. Cobalt will operate from Larnaca Airport, using an initial fleet of three leased Airbus A320s, powered by V2500 engines and in a single-class 180-seat layout, “but we’re looking to supplement that with ACMI [aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance] aircraft,” Pyne said. “Cyprus is a very seasonal market, so ACMI is a very attractive option.”<br/>