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☆ Outage Causes Delays at U.K. Airports’ Immigration Checkpoints
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Orlando Mayorquín | More About Orlando Mayorquín | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

International airline passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport near London and at other airports in Britain were facing long lines at immigration checkpoints on Tuesday evening after the nation’s Border Force reported a nationwide computer outage, officials said. “Border Force is currently experiencing a nationwide issue which is impacting passengers being processed through the border,” Heathrow, the country’s largest airport, said on social media at 9:15 p.m. The problem was also affecting Manchester Airport, Gatwick Airport near London and Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland. The overall number of affected airports wasn’t clear. Officials said that the problem originated with the Border Force’s “eGates,” immigration checkpoints that process arriving passengers through the border.

Organizations: Airport, nation’s Border Force, Force, Manchester Airport, Gatwick Airport, Belfast International Airport Locations: London, Britain, Heathrow, Northern Ireland

☆ A British Airways jet came 'extremely close' to a drone that was flying 24 times above its legal maximum altitude, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A British Airways pilot said a drone flew "extremely close" to their aircraft at 9,600 feet. The Airbus A321 was flying at 250 mph when the drone was spotted, the MailOnline reported. An Airprox report said it was categorized as a high-risk incident. AdvertisementA British Airways jet had a close call with a drone flying more than 9,000 feet above its legal limit, safety investigators have said. In 2018, flights were halted at London's Gatwick Airport after drones were spotted close to a runway.

Persons: —, David Dunn Organizations: British Airways, Airbus, Service, London Heathrow Airport, Civil Aviation Authority, University of Dayton, Birmingham University, Gatwick Locations: London, Athens, Heathrow

☆ A 26-year-old Texas man took pictures of Delta passengers' tickets to sneak onto a flight, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man was arrested after boarding a Delta flight in Utah using a photo of another passenger's ticket. This is at least the third instance this year of passengers boarding planes without valid tickets. AdvertisementA man was arrested in Salt Lake City on Sunday after boarding a Delta Air Lines flight without his own ticket. He got on the plane by using a photo of another passenger's boarding pass, prosecutors say. He got on the flight "using his phone as a boarding pass," court documents said.

Persons: —, Wicliff Yves Fleurizard, Fleurizard Organizations: Delta, Service, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, FBI, Southwest Airlines, USA Locations: Utah, Texas, Salt Lake City, Nashville, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, London, Lake

☆ A man managed to board a flight at a London airport without a ticket by tailgating through checkpoints, the 2nd similar incident in 2 months
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA man boarded a plane without a ticket at the UK's second-busiest airport, a second such incident in under two months at London airports. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. In a statement shared with Business Insider, Sussex Police, which has jurisdiction over Gatwick, described the event as a "medical incident." The incident is the second time in under two months that a passenger has managed to board a plane at a London airport without a ticket. In December, a British man managed to fly without a passport from London Heathrow Airport to New York.

Persons: —, Craig Sturt, Sturt wasn't, Sturt Organizations: Service, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Business, Gatwick Airport, Police, Passengers, BI, Boeing, Sussex Police, Gatwick, Airport, British Airways, Sun, London's Metropolitan Police Locations: London, London Gatwick, Copenhagen, Denmark, Flightradar24, British, New York

☆ A passenger who caused fighter jets to flank an airliner after he privately joked about blowing up the plane was cleared and avoided a $120,000 bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Spanish judge cleared Aditya Verma of a public-disorder charge on Thursday. He had joked about blowing up a plane and faced paying $120,000 after fighter jets were scrambled. But the judge said Verma "could not even remotely assume" his Snapchat message would cause such drama. British security services flagged the message to Spanish authorities, who sent two F-18 jets to follow the plane until it landed. One question left unanswered in the case was how the security services saw Verma's Snapchat message.

Persons: Aditya Verma, Verma, — Organizations: Service, BBC, Spanish Defence Ministry, Gatwick, Reuters Locations: London, Spain, British

☆ An airline passenger could face a $120,000 bill after fighter jets were scrambled when he joked about blowing up the plane
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Per the BBC, he sent a Snapchat: "On my way to blow up the plane (I'm a member of the Taliban)." He is currently facing public disorder charges in Spain after the country's air force scrambled jets. AdvertisementAn airline passenger who prompted the Spanish Air Force to scramble fighter jets after he joked about blowing up the plane he was on appeared in court on Monday, the BBC reported. Advertisement"The intention was never to cause public distress or cause public harm," Verma told the court. According to the Telegraph, Verma told the court he first thought the jets were flanking the plane as part of a military exercise related to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Persons: Aditya Verma, —, Verma, Aditya didn't Organizations: BBC, Service, Spanish Air Force, London Gatwick Airport, Facebook Locations: Spain, easyJet, London, Menorca, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Passengers wake up in the ‘wrong’ country as Storm Isha plays havoc with flight plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Thousands of airline passengers across Europe woke up this morning at the wrong destination – and even in the wrong country – after Storm Isha caused havoc with flights, with dozens of cancelations, diversions and go-arounds in western Europe. Quintupling flight timesThis flight from Shannon to Edinburgh ended up in Cologne. There were over 100 go-arounds at UK airports, according to NATS, the UK’s air traffic control operator. “We did see some diverted flights leaving Manchester and some diverted to Manchester because of conditions at other airports, particularly Dublin,” they said. London’s Gatwick airport saw 22 diversions, but was able to take five flights diverted from other airports, according to a spokesperson for the airport.

Persons: Storm Isha, Kevin Cullinane, FlightRadar, “ Isha, Steve Fox, “, ”, –, Jerry Dyer, – Dyer, Isha, Jerry, Big Organizations: CNN, Ryanair, Dublin Airport, FlightRadar, Paris Beauvais, Belfast, Dublin, Lufthansa, Cork, NATS, Gatwick, Stansted, Big Jet, Heathrow, Birmingham Airport, London Locations: Europe, Ireland, Dublin, daa, ’, Lanzarote, Canary, Bordeaux, France, Shannon, Edinburgh, Cologne, Manchester, Paris, What’s, Glasgow, Liverpool –, Belfast, Liverpool, Scotland, Germany, Munich, England, Deauville, Stansted, London, Antalya, Turkey, Lyon, Budapest, Cork, Mexico City

Even including the sale of Heathrow, this year is the slowest for airport transactions in the past decade, totalling $5.9 billion globally to date, according to Dealogic data. They have hired Mediobanca (MDBI.MI) and Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) to find a buyer for a sale of their 49% stake in the company, the people said. Heathrow's sale valued the airport at 14.3 times EBITDA, according to JP Morgan analysis published on Wednesday. UK's Esken (ESKN.L), owner of regional Southend Airport, said in June it had started a process for the sale of the airport. On Thursday, Hungary's state-owned Corvinus and Vinci Airports notified the European Commission of a proposed joint takeover of Budapest's airport, according to a document posted on the EU website.

Persons: Andras Kranicz, GIP, Australia's Macquarie, Spain's, Ferrovial, Agata Lyznik, Mediobanca, Gianni, Origoni, Nico Torrisi, Morgan, UK's, France's Vinci, Vinci, Corvinus, Emma, Victoria Farr, Andres Gonzalez, Elisa Anzolin, Joanna Plucinska, Mathieu Rosemain, Anousha Sakoui, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: LONDON, Heathrow, BNP, Global Infrastructure Partners, AGS Airports, Southampton, Australia's, International, ACI, Airports, Macquarie, Credit Agricole Assurance, 2i, Credit, SAC, Gatwick, Southend Airport, Global Infrastructure Fund, Vinci Airports, European Commission, EU, Thomson Locations: Edinburgh, Italy, FRANKFURT, Spanish, Europe, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Heathrow, France, Hungary's, Budapest's

LONDON (AP) — Gatwick Airport, London's second-busiest, is limiting flights this week, partly because of an outbreak of COVID-19 within air traffic control. In a statement late Monday, the airport said a daily 800-flight limit, affecting both departures and arrivals, has been imposed until Sunday. Gatwick said around 30% of staff in the division within air traffic control are off sick for a variety of reasons, including COVID-19. It said the daily cap will prevent last-minute cancellations and delays for passengers while National Air Traffic Services, or NATS, gets back to normal. NATS apologized to passengers but said that a variety of medical reasons meant it can't manage the normal flows in and out of the airport.

Persons: Stewart Wingate, NATS Organizations: —, Airport, Sunday, Gatwick, National Air Traffic Services Locations: London's, Britain

☆ Daniel Abed Khalife: UK government insists escaped terror suspect will be captured amid serious questions over rare jail break
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sugam Pokharel Niamh Kennedy Sana Noor Haq | Sugam Pokharel | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Authorities are hunting for 21-year-old Daniel Abed Khalife, who orchestrated a bold jail break from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday while dressed as a chef, according to London’s Metropolitan Police. Addressing the UK parliament on Thursday, Chalk said he had already ordered an internal probe into the decision to place Khalife in a lower-security jail. Who was on duty that morning, in what roles ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate, what protocols were in place,” Chalk said. Wandsworth prison is located in the southwest of the British capital. Staff shortagesLast year, the UK’s prison inspection watchdog warned staffing levels “remained a serious problem” at Wandsworth prison.

Persons: Daniel Abed Khalife, Alex Chalk, Chalk, ” Chalk, ”, “, Khalife, Rishi Sunak, Shabana Mahmood, Yui Mok, Gareth Fuller, Yvette Cooper, wasn’t, ” Cooper, ” HMIP, Michelle Donelan Organizations: London CNN, Metropolitan Police, UK’s, Media, PA Media, British, Labour, Tory Government, Port, Press Association, Shadow, Labour Party, BBC Radio, Staff, of Prisons, Government, Met, Gatwick Airport, CNN Locations: Wandsworth, ” ‘ State, Britain, Dover, Kent, England, Wales, London

☆ UK air traffic control failure: Disruption to last for ‘days’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Travelers have been warned that the chaos brought about by a UK air traffic control failure earlier this week will continue for days. After waiting at the airport for an update, Palladino, who lives in the UK, was informed that the flight was canceled. “Due to yesterday’s technical issues suffered by UK Air Traffic Control, there may be some continuing disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations,” reads a statement from London’s Heathrow Airport on Tuesday. Passengers are however advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before travelling to the airport. “Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing.

Persons: Mark Harper, ” Harper, NATS, Rosa Palladino, Palladino, ”, Lee Vanstone, “ Organizations: CNN — Travelers, Transport, BBC, Air Traffic Services, CNN Travel, Gatwick Airport, Pisa Airport, UK Air Traffic Control, Gatwick, Gatwick LGW, British Airways Locations: Naples, Italy, Pisa

London CNN —Air passengers across Europe faced delays on Monday on one of the summer’s busiest travel days after the UK’s air traffic control system suffered a “technical issue” resulting in restrictions on flights. “Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption this is causing. A spokesperson for Manchester Airport, in northern England, told CNN: “We are aware of a nationwide air traffic control issue that is affecting flights in and out of airports across the country. Ireland’s air traffic control service provider AirNav had said that there were “significant delays” to flights traveling within UK airspace on Monday. “Flights between Ireland and UK airports, and flights traveling to or from Ireland that travel through UK airspace are experiencing significant delays,” it said.

Persons: NATS, Lee Vanstone, ike W, ingle Organizations: London CNN — Air, Air Traffic Services, ”, Pisa Airport Locations: Europe, Pisa, Pisa Airport

☆ Video shows a man stealing a taxi after being refused a ride by another one, sparking a 130mph police chase
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows the moment a thief stole a taxi from outside Gatwick Airport near London. Mohammed Ahmed had been denied a ride by a taxi when he saw another left unattended with the keys. He sparked a police chase and was "swerving in the road and reaching dangerously high speeds," police said. A video shows the moment a thief stole a taxi from an airport and sparked a 130mph police chase. The Sussex Police spokesman said they were alerted to the situation as Ahmed was driving dangerously, "swerving in the road and reaching dangerously high speeds."

Persons: Mohammed Ahmed, Ahmed, Det Insp Darren Lillywhite, NPAS, Warwickshire Police RPU Organizations: Gatwick Airport, Morning, British, Mercedes, Sussex Police, The Sussex Police, Warwickshire Police, Telegraph Locations: London

☆ Passengers flying from Italy to the UK took a detour to northern Africa because the airline had to deliver a part for another plane
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A TUI plane was meant to fly from the south of Italy to the United Kingdom. But an unscheduled diversion meant it took a detour and stopped off in northern Africa. Passengers had to wait on the runway in Tunisia while the airline delivered a part for another plane. TUI passengers on board a flight from Italy to the UK found themselves unexpectedly diverted to northern Africa, where they remained on a runway for an hour while the airline delivered a plane part. Last December, TUI passengers were left stranded in the wrong country overnight, after their plane made an unscheduled stop due to staff scheduling issues.

Persons: TUI Organizations: Passengers, London Gatwick Airport, Boeing, Google, Independent, Gatwick Airport Locations: Italy, United Kingdom, Africa, Tunisia, Lamezia Terme, Terme, London, Enfidha, Hammamet

☆ Some strikes at UK airport Gatwick cancelled, suspended - union
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Passengers wait in the queue for check-in in the South Terminal building at Gatwick Airport, in Gatwick, Britain, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoLONDON, July 24 (Reuters) - Some of the strikes planned by baggage handlers and other workers at Britain's no.2 airport Gatwick in the peak summer travel period have been suspended or cancelled, the Unite trade union said on Monday. But improved pay offers mean that DHL workers, who provide services to easyJet, have cancelled their walk outs completely after they voted to accept a 15% pay rise, the union said. Currently ASC workers have not yet suspended their walk outs, while Menzies have suspended some of them. A fourth set of workers, who are contracted by GGS, have suspended strikes between July 28-Aug.1 to allow negotiations to continue but are still due to walk out Aug. 4-8.

Persons: Toby Melville, Menzies, Sarah Young, Eva Mathews, Savio D'Souza, Kylie MacLellan Organizations: Gatwick Airport, REUTERS, Gatwick, British Airways, DHL, Workers, Menzies, ASC, GGS, Thomson Locations: Gatwick, Britain, Britain's, TUI, easyJet, Rhodes, Greece, London, Bengaluru

☆ Some workers suspend strikes at London's Gatwick -union
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - A first round of strikes planned by baggage handlers working with easyJet (EZJ.L) at London's Gatwick airport has been suspended after a better pay offer, their union said on Tuesday, warning that other walkouts will still go ahead. Around 600 DHL workers who fulfil contracts for Gatwick's biggest airline easyJet (EZJ.L) have called off strikes planned for 28 July to 1 August and will now be balloted on the new pay offer, trade union Unite said in a statement. "As an act of good faith, Unite’s Gatwick DHL members have agreed to suspend their first set of strikes while they are balloted on the new offer," Unite Regional Officer Dominic Rothwell said. If members were to reject the deal, the union said it would set out fresh strike dates. Strikes planned by around 450 ASC, Menzies Aviation and GGS staff, who work for other airlines including British Airways, are still scheduled to take place from July 28 to Aug. 1 and from Aug. 4 to Aug. 8.

Persons: Dominic Rothwell, Sarah Young, Muvija, William James Our Organizations: London's Gatwick, Gatwick, DHL, Gatwick's, Gatwick DHL, Menzies Aviation, British Airways, Thomson Locations: London's, London

European travellers are already on high alert over worries about air traffic control problems arising from both the reduced air space available due to the Ukraine war, plus staffing issues and industrial action at some locations. "Given the scale of the industrial action, disruption, delays and cancellations are inevitable across the airport," Unite said in its statement. Concerns over air traffic control delays already prompted easyJet to axe 2% of its summer flight schedule, mostly from Gatwick, on Monday. On the strike-affected days, 4,410 flights are due to depart from Gatwick, equating to over 840,000 potential passengers, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Britain's busiest hub, Heathrow Airport, agreed a pay deal with security workers in June, avoiding multiple days of walk-outs throughout the summer which had been planned by Unite.

Persons: EasyJet, easyJet, William James, Sarah Young, Sachin, Mark Potter Organizations: Gatwick, Menzies Aviation, DHL Services, Gatwick's, British Airways, DHL, Airlines, Financial Times, Heathrow Airport, Unite, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, London, TUI, Gatwick, Europe

☆ People are trashing a budget airline and saying it put them up in 'disgusting' cockroach-infested hotel rooms in Cyprus and Spain after their flights were canceled
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The UK-based budget airline canceled 1,700 flights between July and September, per Reuters. Disgruntled passengers stranded by a budget airline's flight cancellations are blasting the "disgusting" hotels the carrier put them in. Of the 90,000 flights scheduled for the rest of July and August, British budget airline EasyJet has canceled around 1,700 flights, predominantly from London's Gatwick airport, Reuters reported on Monday. Twitter user @angeldelight28 shared pictures of the hotel room she said EasyJet had put her up in after her flight to Liverpool was canceled, leaving her stranded in Larnaca, Cyprus. The pictures showed a barebones hotel room with unidentified stains over the patio and bathroom floors.

Persons: EasyJet, Clare, Zoe Wright, Mark Buntin, Insider's Hannah Towey, honeymoons Organizations: Morning, EasyJet, Reuters, Twitter, Liverpool, Daily, Sky News, Gatwick Locations: EasyJet, London's Gatwick, Larnaca, Cyprus, lanzarote, Bristol, Luton, Dalaman, Turkey, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Amsterdam's

☆ Factbox: Europe's ongoing strike-related travel disruptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The travel industry is on high alert for disruption after Europe's peak season last year was hit by cancellations, causing chaos at airports. This summer, air traffic control issues are likely to be the weak spot, according to warnings from Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace. Heathrow Airport security workers on June 23 called off 31 days of strikes planned at Britain's busiest hub. At Birmingham Airport, around 100 security officers and terminal technicians will begin continuous strike action from July 18. The strikes will severely impact the airport's security and terminal maintenance, leading to flight delays, the Unite union said.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Tiago Brandao, Pierre John Felcenloben, Antonis Triantafyllou, Milla Nissi Organizations: British Airways, Heathrow Airport, REUTERS, BELGIUM Ryanair, BRITAIN, Heathrow, Birmingham Airport, Glasgow, FRANCE Air, ATC, Nantes, Ryanair, Reuters, SPAIN Pilots, Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, Air Nostrum, Air Europa, Swedish Transport Workers, Union, Geneva, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, BELGIUM, Belgium, Charleroi, Europe, Gatwick, France, Paris, Orly, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, ITALY, PORTUGAL, Portugal, Iberia, Spain, SWEDEN

☆ Air travel chaos in Europe could be over — but higher ticket prices are here to stay
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON – Travelers to and within Europe this year should be able to avoid the levels of disruption experienced during last year's summer of chaos, but higher ticket prices look set to stay. A number of European airlines limited ticket sales, canceled flights, and adjusted timetables, as airports imposed passenger traffic caps. But the unique circumstances of last year's travel chaos are "largely behind us," according to Airports Council International (ACI). Heathrow Airport, Europe's largest airport by passenger volume, said it is "well prepared to serve demand over the summer peak" this year. While Gatwick Airport, the U.K.'s second-largest, told CNBC via email that it's "not anticipating the same issues airports encountered last summer."

Organizations: Council International, ACI, Heathrow, Gatwick Airport, CNBC Locations: Europe, Europe's

☆ Travel chaos on holiday weekend as passport gates fail at UK airports, causing long delays for passengers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Passengers faced long delays at British airports Saturday after electronic passport gates failed. Many passports were being checked manually by UK Border Force officers until the problem was resolved. A representative for Heathrow tweeted: "We are aware of a nationwide issue impacting the eGates, which are operated by Border Force. A representative for Gatwick airport said some passengers may experience delays at immigration due to the nationwide issue with the e-gates. A Home Office representative told Insider: "We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals into the UK.

☆ UK airports face nationwide border system issue, causing major delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 27 (Reuters) - Passengers flying into Britain faced major delays after landing at airports on Saturday due to a nationwide issue affecting the automated border control gates that scan passports upon arrival. Images posted on social media showed long queues with hundreds of people at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports with frustrated passengers complaining of having to wait several hours in line. "We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals into the UK," said a spokesperson for the British government's interior ministry, which has oversight of border control. "We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and are liaising with port operators and airlines to minimise disruption for travellers," they told Reuters. Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, said it had deployed extra staff to manage the queues and was working with Border Force to help resolve the problem.

☆ I tested a private jet simulator. It was like playing a video game — but way more stressful.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I tried out a private jet simulator at a BAE Systems location in England. I tested its latest head-up display (HUD) technology, which is designed to make flying easier. I visited a BAE Systems base to try out its latest private jet simulator and experience what it's like to fly celebrities or the superrich around the world. My visit also gave me the opportunity to use one of BAE's most powerful tools — its head-up display (HUD). According to Charles, BAE is working on proposals for airlines, private jet operators, and prospective military clients to use the equipment.

☆ Air India's plans to modernise under new owner Tata
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

2022June 15 - Campbell Wilson, the New Zealand-born former CEO of Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI) budget offshoot Scoot takes over as Air India CEO. July 4 - Air India signs a deal to adopt Amadeus IT Group's (AMA.MC) Altea software, including for revenue management. Nov. 2 - Air India completes a deal to acquire 100% of AirAsia India and begins to integrate it with Air India Express as part of a broader restructuring of Tata's airline business. Nov. 29 - Tata says it will merge Air India with Vistara, its joint venture with Singapore Airlines. Feb. 13 - Air India resumes non-stop service between Mumbai and New York, weeks after the launch of non-stop Mumbai-San Francisco.

Online searches by Americans for flights to Europe trips are surging despite soaring air fares, a worsening economic outlook and risks of gridlock at some of the airports in Europe. The travel boom is promising record profit margins at some U.S. carriers, which are ramping up transatlantic capacity to cash in on Americans' thirst for travel to Europe. Travel website Kayak said searches for travel to Europe this summer are up 77% from last year. There is still untapped travel demand for Europe even after a busy summer last year, said Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. Average fare for a round-trip flight to Europe, meanwhile, has risen 31% from last year, Hopper data shows.

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