El Al Israel Airlines swung to a loss in Q4 as revenue dropped, due in part to a pilots protest that led to costly flight disruptions and a squeeze from exchange rates. Israel's flag carrier reported on Wednesday a quarterly loss of $2.4m, down from a $12.2m net profit a year earlier. Revenue fell to $460.8m from $476.3m during the same period in 2015. The airline in December signed a deal with its pilots to end a year of protests that led to flight cancellations, delays, higher costs and angry passengers. El Al said revenue was also hurt in Q4 by "the erosion of exchange rates of currencies in which the company's sales transactions are conducted against the dollar." The company said it saved $9.6m on jet fuel expenses.<br/>
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Emirates aims to let passengers take their laptops past security gates at Dubai International Airport and collect the devices only before boarding as the world’s largest international carrier seeks to minimize the impact of an electronics ban on routes to the US. The state-owned carrier is planning to permit devices affected by the ban within the security perimeter to allow passengers, particularly those flying in premium seats, to use laptops and tablets until the last possible moment, it said in an email. The airline will then take the items for storage in the cargo hold until arrival. Additional staff will be deployed to avoid disruptions to the flow of passengers, especially in the first few days of implementing the new rules, which come into effect on March 25. The US ban, announced Tuesday, prevents passengers on non-stop flights from 10 Middle Eastern airports from bringing large electronics into the aircraft cabin. “This new security measure is disruptive and operationally challenging in several regards,” Emirates President Tim Clark said. “We are closely monitoring the business impact of this new security measure, and we will decide on our strategies and interventions accordingly.”<br/>
Virgin America, the California-based carrier with the blue mood lighting and high-tech entertainment system, will be fully absorbed by Alaska Airlines by the end of 2019 as Alaska strives to become the West Coast’s dominant airline. Only three months after Alaska Airlines’ parent company completed the $2.6b acquisition of the popular upstart airline launched by billionaire Richard Branson, Alaska Air Group says it will retire the Virgin America brand. Since the purchase, Alaska Air Group has operated the two carriers as separate subsidiary airlines, with the ultimate goal of combining their forces to compete against bigger air rivals. “We are going to be able to create a real, strong, integrated airline for travelers on the West Coast,” said Andrew Harrison, CCO for Alaska Airlines. With Alaska Airlines based in Seattle and Virgin America headquartered in Burlingame, the combined operation has a fleet of 286 planes, flying to 118 destination. The carriers employ 19,000 people. Combined, the airlines represent the nation’s fifth-largest carrier, behind American, Delta, United and Southwest airlines. Even though Virgin America will cease operations in 2019, Alaska Airlines plans to incorporate many of Virgin America’s most popular features.<br/>