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☆ Flight disruptions continue on peak July Fourth travel day, with United faring the worst
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Flight delays and cancellations continued to mar thousands of Fourth of July travelers on Friday, with United Airlines passengers bearing the brunt of the problems. United Airlines has fared the worst with disruptions, with half of its mainline flights arriving late during that six-day period amounting to average delays of 106 minutes, according to FlightAware data. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called United out for the flight disruptions, saying the airline's disruptions were "elevated but moving in the right direction." United said late Thursday that it expected cancellations and delays to continue to improve into the holiday weekend. "It led to massive delays, cancellations, diversions, as well as crews and aircraft out of position," Kirby wrote in a staff note, which was seen by CNBC.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, United, schedulers, Ken Diaz, Garth Thompson, Scott Kirby, Monday, Kirby, Joanna Geraghty Organizations: JFK International, Airlines, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation, United Airlines, O'Hare, U.S, JetBlue Airways, Transportation, Association of Flight, Air Line Pilots Association, United, FAA, Newark Liberty International, New, CNBC, JetBlue Locations: New York City, Canada, East, Chicago , Illinois, U.S, New York, United, New Jersey

☆ Travel in America is a crasphoot, and it won't get better anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Passengers weave through JFK International airport on Friday, which is expected to be the busiest day for air travel since the start of the pandemic. Unfortunately, it’s not going to get better anytime soon. This summer, airfare is expected to remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, though a bit lower than their 2022 levels, according to travel research site Hopper. Demand for air travel roared back faster than airports and airlines could rehire staff. When demand for travel roared back faster than expected, the airlines couldn’t hire fast enough.

Persons: David Dee Delgado, it’s, Scott Olson, ” Biden, airfare, Hopper, Mario Tama Organizations: New, New York CNN, Transportation Security, JFK International, Biden, Amtrak, Jet, McKinsey Locations: New York, United States, Europe, Asia

☆ The Fed’s favorite inflation gauge shows prices rose just 0.1% last month
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Minneapolis CNN —The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge cooled off last month, and consumers reined in some spending as the economy slows, according to data released Friday by the Commerce Department. Personal spending ticked up by just 0.1%, a more moderate pace than April’s revised 0.6% growth rate. When adjusting for inflation, consumer spending was flat. Consumers refill the coffersThe data in recent months shows a gradual cooling in consumer spending, Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told CNN. “There were no fireworks within the Fed’s favorite inflation report today,” George Mateyo, chief investment officer for KeyBank, wrote in a statement.

Persons: Diane Swonk, ”, Gregory Daco, “ It’s, Friday’s, Abby Omodunbi, Janet Yellen, Yellen, ” Yellen, ” George Mateyo, KeyBank, Swonk, it’s, we’ve Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Commerce Department, CNN, “, PNC, Fed, Transportation Locations: Minneapolis, EY, New Orleans

New York CNN —Hundreds of thousands of US airline customers were stranded this week as severe weather grounded planes and led to canceled flights. As of 8:30 am ET, FlightAware tracking service reported there were 687 flights canceled and another 1,200 delays. Although that’s better than the 2,200 canceled flights in each of the last two days, or the more than 16,000 delayed flights between Monday and Tuesday, it’s hardly a smooth-running operation. Staffing shortageThe US air travel system is unable to recover quickly from widespread weather problems, because it doesn’t have the bodies to deal with the disruptions. The airline canceled 461 flights this past Saturday and Sunday and delayed another 1,972 flights, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware.

Persons: that’s, it’s, Ed Bastian, ”, Scott Kirby, Kirby, ” Kirby, United, “, Paul Thacker, ” Thacker, “ ”, ” Michelle Maciel, Pete Muntean, Gregory Wallace Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Aviation, Airport, Transportation, Administration, FAA, Newark Airport, United, United Airlines, CNN, Newark Liberty International Airport, Association of Flight, DC, Greyhound Locations: New York, Boston, New York City, Madrid, United’s, Newark, Toronto, Denver, Portland Oregon

☆ Severe weather, FAA shortfalls kick off rocky start to summer air travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Flight disruptions mounted Tuesday as severe storms and staffing issues kicked off a rocky start to summer. Some airline executives have also blamed some of the disruptions on shortages of air traffic controllers. "And that put everyone behind the eight ball when weather actually did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening." The Covid-19 pandemic derailed hiring and training of new air traffic controllers, and the agency is now trying to catch up. The Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General said in a report last week that air traffic control staffing shortfalls put air traffic operations at risk.

Persons: Biden, Scott Kirby, Kirby, General, Don Uselmann Organizations: Newark Liberty International Airport, Transportation Security Administration, United Airlines, FAA, Newark Liberty International, CNBC, Transportation's, reassignments, The Association of Flight, CWA, Union, JetBlue Airways, JetBlue Locations: New Jersey, United States, U.S, New York

☆ Consumers keep traveling despite recession fears and inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Prices for airline tickets, for example, were down 0.9% in April from a year ago, according to the latest federal inflation read. A round-trip domestic flight is averaging $306 this summer, down 19% from last year, though still 6% higher than in 2019, according to travel site Hopper. Lodging also has been more expensive this year, even within the U.S. Hotel occupancy averaged 60.6% from January though April, with per-night average rates of $152.68, according to hotel data firm STR. That's up from 63% occupancy and average nightly rates of $130.05 during the same period in 2019, and up from 58.4% occupancy and average rates of $141 a night last year. Nightly hotel rates for Maui, Hawaii, have increased more than 53% since 2019 to $535.90, the biggest percentage increase in the U.S., according to STR.

Persons: Francesco Riccardo Iacomino, Jason Gaughan, Hopper Organizations: Deloitte, Transportation Security Administration, American Airlines, Bank of America, U.S Locations: U.S, Europe, Airfare, Maui, Hawaii, San Jose, Santa Cruz, California

☆ U.S. holiday air passenger travel tops 2019 pre-COVID levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - U.S. holiday air passenger travel topped 2019 pre-COVID levels over the Memorial Day weekend, which typically marks the start of the busy U.S. summer air travel season, figures from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) showed on Tuesday. The TSA said nearly 9.8 million passengers were screened or passed though security checks over the four-day weekend, about 300,000 more than over the same holiday period in 2019, the agency said on Tuesday. The agency said it screened 2.74 million passengers on Friday alone, the highest number in a single day since November 2019. Friday's traffic topped the recent high that had been set on Thursday and the entire weekend topped pre-COVID traffic levels. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US holiday air passenger travel tops 2019 pre-COVID levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 9.8 million passengers over the four-day Memorial Day weekend - about 300,000 more than over the same holiday period in 2019, the agency said on Tuesday. The agency said it screened 2.74 million passengers on Friday alone, the highest number in a single day since November 2019. Friday's traffic topped the prior recent high that had been set on Thursday and the entire weekend topped pre-COVID traffic. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Memorial Day air travel tops 2019 levels as consumers keep shelling out for trips
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Travelers arrive for flights at O'Hare Airport on May 25, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Memorial Day air travel surpassed pre-Covid pandemic levels, showing how consumers continue to shell out for trips despite persistent inflation. The Transportation Security Administration screened 9.79 million people from Friday through Monday, up slightly from the holiday weekend in 2019. Relatively clear weather helped air travel over the weekend, and 16% of flights arrived late from Friday through Monday, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking site. Delays fell from the holiday weekend last year.

☆ Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Elaine Glusac | The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +27 min

Illustration by Yukai Du Strikes, Delays and Lost Luggage: How to Survive Air Travel This Summer With the travel season in full swing, we compiled a guide to help you navigate the year’s most hectic time in the skies. If you don’t care which beach, shop around.” If you haven’t booked summer flights, do it now. For one, avoiding the airports with the highest levels of delays and cancellations last summer may be a good idea. They’re also getting longer inside airport lounges, longtime havens from the masses clogging the terminals at peak times. Standard membership in Priority Pass, a network of 1,300 airport lounges, starts at $99 a year, with each visit costing $35 at that level.

Persons: Yukai Du, we’ve, haven’t, Hopper, What’s, ”, Laura Lindsay, Ted Rossman, Priceline, Mr, Rossman, Charlotte Douglas, Toronto Pearson, it’s, “, Carter Langston, Rhonda Lawson, C.B.P, you’ve, you’re, You’ll, Lawson, Emmanuel Macron, Tomasz Pawliszyn, Jamie Larounis, Larounis, they’re, SITA —, They’re, Eric Goldmann of Atlanta Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Google, Miami, JetBlue, Heathrow Airport, Amsterdam Schiphol, Gatwick, Air Canada, Labor, Newark Liberty International, La Guardia Airport, Kennedy Airport, Reagan, Miami International, Orlando International, Boston Logan International, Charlotte Douglas International, Toronto Pearson, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington , D.C, Customs, Western, Gulf, Phoenix, Transportation Security Administration, Global, Border Protection, Clear, PreCheck, Heathrow, Air, SNCF, U.S . State Department, Smart, Union, Travelers, New Tech, Airlines, Lufthansa, Siemens, Alaska Airlines, KLM, U.S . Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Apple, The Department of Transportation, American, Venture, Dallas Fort Worth International, JPMorgan Chase, Club, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Americas Locations: Europe, United States, Asia, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Fla, Miami, London, Amsterdam, U.S, La, New York, Washington, Charlotte, N.C, Newark, Orlando, Toronto, Sydney, Jakarta, Frankfurt, Munich, Heathrow, Washington ,, States, Denver, Seattle, Reno, Nev, Gulf Coast, Atlantic, Houston , New Orleans, Atlanta, Luton, T.S.A, ’, noncitizens, France, Britain, Italy, Germany, Berlin, Dutch, Swiss, Delta, United, Hong Kong, Dallas, Boston, North, Central, South America, Dallas , Newark

☆ Microsoft-backed identification verification startup Onfido acquires US counterpart Airside for undisclosed fee
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

British digital identity startup Onfido has made its second acquisition. The TPG Growth-backed firm has purchased US counterpart Airside for an undisclosed sum. British digital identity company Onfido has made its second acquisition to date, snapping up US counterpart Airside for an undisclosed fee. Onfido boss Tuchen said Airside solved a "critical problem" that will change how people prove their identities. "To date, digital identity has evolved by digitizing the process of identity verification in the physical world," he said.

CNN —A passenger who was asked to leave a Frontier Airlines plane departing from Denver was later cited for striking an airline employee with an intercom phone, according to the airline and police. While Frontier Airlines Flight 708 awaited an early Sunday departure to Tampa from Denver International Airport, the airline’s main hub, the female passenger “became belligerent onboard and was asked to deplane,” the statement said. “As she was deplaning, she picked up an intercom phone and struck a flight attendant with it.”In a statement to CNN, the Denver Police Department said the passenger was cited for assault in connection with the incident. The flight left for Tampa around 5:30 a.m. local time, after the woman was removed from the plane, according to Frontier. The Federal Aviation Authority has received reports of at least 670 unruly airline passengers in 2023 as of May 14, the US transportation agency’s statistics showed.

☆ U.S. forms team to set national strategy on flying air taxis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The Biden administration said Tuesday it has formed an interagency team to develop a national strategy on advanced air mobility efforts like flying taxis. Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) have been touted as the future of urban air mobility. The low-altitude urban air mobility aircraft has drawn intense interest around the world as numerous eVTOL companies have gone public. The U.S. Transportation Department said the team includes NASA, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission. Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US airlines thrown a curveball as consumer habits change post-pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Even as the thirst for travel remains strong, the changing trends are driving up airlines' operating costs and hurting revenue. Travel demand has also softened on days in the middle of the week, but has strengthened on peak days. Frontier Airlines (ULCC.O) decided to slash flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays by about 20%, citing weak demand. Delta Airlines (DAL.N) reported that bookings for trips inside 30 days were declining, while those outside 30 days were stronger. Last year, it denied boarding to more customers than American Airlines (AAL.O) and United, U.S. Transportation Department data shows.

☆ Madison Cawthorn pleads guilty in case over bringing a loaded handgun through TSA checkpoint
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn pleaded guilty Friday to bringing a loaded handgun through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport last year, according to his attorney. Cawthorn’s weapon was “secured at the airport and he retrieved it after his flight,” the newspaper reported, citing the airport spokesperson. In July 2021, when the story was published, a Cawthorn spokesperson told the Citizen-Times that the congressman had brought the gun “by mistake.” He was not charged in the incident. Despite having Trump’s endorsement, he lost in the Republican primary to Chuck Edwards, who had the backing of several top North Carolina Republicans. Edwards easily went on to win the general election for the western North Carolina seat.

☆ TSA is rolling out a new facial recognition technology to check IDs at airports across the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

TSA's new technology snaps a real-time picture of a passenger and matches it with their scanned ID. A new facial recognition technology is automatically matching passengers' real-time pictures to their IDs at Baltimore-Washington International/Thurgood Marshall Airport. The Transportation Security Administration has started using 36 new credential authentication technology units at the airport, according to a recent press release. If someone doesn't want their picture taken, they can proceed with a standard ID check with a TSA officer, a TSA spokesperson previously told Insider. TSA started using the technology in 2022, and similar units are also being used at Denver International Airport, and Salt Lake City International Airport, among others.

☆ U.S. DOT says Republican budget plan would cut rail inspections, shut air traffic towers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Wednesday said a Republican budget cut proposal would shut down 375 federally-staffed and contract-run air traffic control towers around the country and result in 7,500 fewer rail safety inspection days. Overall, it said the Republican plan, which would sharply reduce budget spending in exchange for a short-term increase in the debt ceiling, would reduce funding for U.S. transit and highway infrastructure projects by nearly $5.2 billion. The White House has said President Joe Biden would veto the legislation, and has called on Congress to raise the debt limit without conditions. "House Republicans’ proposal would slash funding for programs the American people depend on in their everyday lives, including funding that’s vital for ensuring transportation safety and improving our country’s infrastructure," DOT said in a factsheet. It said the plan would also shut down services at some 375 of about 550 air traffic control towers, potentially increasing security wait times at Transportation Security Administration check points by over two hours.

☆ A man had $40,000 cash seized by police at Phoenix airport and had to go to court to get it back
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A man who had $40,000 cash seized by police had to wait almost three years to get it back. Jerry Johnson arrived at Phoenix Airport in August 2020 when detectives took his savings. The nonprofit represented Johnson in his appeal after a trial court ruled that he could not even contest the forfeiture of his money. Johnson, who proved ownership of the money according to the court documents, was not charged with any crime. Insider previously reported that the FBI seized $40,000 a couple held in a deposit box more than two years ago but refused to say why or return their cash.

☆ US lawmakers make new push to bar convicted violent passengers from flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday will make a new push for legislation to bar passengers fined or convicted of serious physical violence from commercial flights after a series of recent high-profile incidents. Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union opposed creating a no-fly list for unruly passengers, saying the U.S. government "has a terrible record of treating people fairly with regard to the existing no-fly list and other watch lists that are aimed at alleged terrorists." Despite the end of the airplane mask mandate in April 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated 831 unruly passenger incidents in 2022, up from 146 in 2019, but down from 1,099 in 2021, the lawmakers noted. The FAA received 2,456 unruly passenger reports in 2022 and proposed $8.4 million in fines, down from 5,981 reports in 2021, which included 4,290 mask-related incidents. In February 2022, Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) CEO Ed Bastian urged the U.S. government to place passengers convicted of on-board disruptions on a national no-fly list that would bar them from future travel on any commercial airline.

Illustration by Gene KimAs weed becomes legal in more states, how and if travelers can bring their stash on board remains up in the air. Traveling between states where marijuana is legal in both the origin and destination may sound straight-forward, but with overlapping jurisdictions and hard-to-enforce guidelines, it gets complicated. Under federal law, the possession and sale of marijuana is illegal. Despite President Joe Biden's recent pardons for anyone convicted of a federal crime for simple possession and his directive to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I substance. And even though airports are locally owned and operated, air travel still falls under federal law.

☆ New Uber app features photo guides to lead users from gates to pickup areas at world's busiest airports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Uber announced new features designed to improve transit from airports for its users. One feature will guide riders through a step-by-step route from gates to pickup areas outside. Others include expanded availability for Uber Reserve and estimated times to walk from gates to baggage claim. On Tuesday, the rideshare app announced several new tools designed to help users better plan trips and increase efficiency. An Uber photo guide at San Francisco International Airport UberAccording to Uber, the new tools are intended to help riders find drivers faster, ultimately reducing traffic congestion in airport pickup areas.

☆ Uber is making it easier to find your ride at the airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Uber on Tuesday unveiled some new product features that aim to make it easier for you to find your ride at the airport. The ride-hailing company said it was adding step-by-step instructions in the app to guide people through the airport and get them smoothly from the gate to their Uber pick-up location. Some of the US airports where this feature will be available include all three of New York City’s main airports (John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty), as well as Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Miami International Airport. “Our new series of products and features will help you plan for your upcoming trips and make your airport travel smoother than ever.”Uber wants to make it easier to find your ride at the airport. Finally, the company said it was expanding its Uber (UBER) Reserve offerings (which lets users reserve a ride up to 90 days in advance) so that travelers can book flights, hotels and Uber (UBER) rides for upcoming trips all at once.

☆ US arrests man with explosive device in luggage at Pennsylvania airport
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Mark Muffley walks at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, U.S., in this handout picture provided by the FBI and obtained by Reuters on March 1, 2023. FBI/Handout via REUTERSWASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - A man was arrested and charged with attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft after his bag triggered an alarm at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Pennsylvania, U.S. authorities said on Wednesday. The FBI said that Mark Muffley, 40, from Lansford, Pennsylvania, checked a suitcase on Monday for a flight that was heading to Sanford, Florida. "FBI and local law enforcement bomb technicians determined that the item was indeed a live explosive device," a TSA spokesperson said. The airport said it had closed a part of its main terminal briefly on Monday while authorities probed the suspicious package.

☆ The TSA caught more guns at airport checkpoints in 2022 than any other year. Here are the top 5 airports where the most firearms were found.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The TSA caught 6,542 guns in carry-on bags last year. Six airports in Texas and Florida contributed to the top 10 airports with firearm incidents. The TSA attributed the uptick in caught guns from increases in Americans owning and traveling with guns. Eighty-eight percent of the guns caught last year were loaded, according to a graphic released by the TSA. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: 196 firearmsTwo states contributed to six of the top 10 airports with firearm incidents last year.

At Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), a set of tire chains and a taxidermy rat landed in lost-and-found. The aptly named Lost and Found Software serves many U.S. and international airports as well as public transportation systems. Despite their differences, each provider promises to help customer service workers not only connect more lost items with their owners but to speed up returns as well. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, Delta Air Lines and others use NetTracer, which has been operating since 2004. Boomerang recently landed two airport customers: Savannah/Hilton Head (SAV) and New York’s Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR).

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