DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

President Joe Biden will nominate a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew March after running into opposition from Republican senators. Whitaker's nomination had been expected for months, and Biden's announcement was praised by several industry and labor groups. The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nation's airspace, has been run by back-to-back acting administrators since March 2022. The first, Billy Nolen, who left FAA in June to join another air taxi company, Archer Aviation, praised Whitaker's nomination in a recent interview. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, urged the Senate to confirm Biden’s pick quickly.

Persons: Joe Biden, Obama, Biden, Michael G, Whitaker, Phillip Washington, Kyrsten Sinema, Sen, Ted Cruz, Biden's, Mike, ” Cruz, Stephen Dickson, Donald Trump, Billy Nolen, “, ”, ” Nicholas Calio, Sara Nelson, “ Whitaker Organizations: Federal Aviation Administration, Republican, FAA, Hyundai, TWA, American Airlines, United Airlines, Denver International Airport, Senate, Washington, GOP, Archer Aviation, Airlines for, Association of Flight Locations: InterGlobe, India, United States, Denver, Ted Cruz of Texas, Airlines for America

☆ Biden will nominate a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden will nominate a former Obama administration official to lead the Federal Aviation Administration after his first choice withdrew in the face of Republican opposition nearly six months ago. The FAA, which regulates airline safety and manages the nation's airspace, has been run by back-to-back acting administrators since March 2022. Whitaker was deputy FAA administrator – a job that does not require Senate approval – from 2013 to 2016. Last year, Biden nominated Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington, but he withdrew in March after his nomination stalled in the Senate Commerce Committee. Republicans and independent Kyrsten Sinema argued that Washington lacked adequate aviation experience — his background is mostly in city transit systems, having held the Denver airport job only since mid-2021.

Persons: Michael G, Whitaker, Joe Biden, Obama, Biden, Phillip Washington, Kyrsten Sinema Organizations: UAL Corp, Transportation, Aviation, United, European, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Hyundai, TWA, American Airlines, United Airlines, Denver International Airport, Senate, Washington Locations: United States, Washington ,, InterGlobe, India, Denver

Particle pollution is a “key ingredient” of wildfire smoke, Barrett told CNN. “Sometimes we can see, smell, and even taste the impacts of wildfire smoke,” Barrett said. Mountain ranges can shield some regions from worse air pollution by keeping smoke aloft when it travels, Mass said. Pittsburgh - June 29, 2023An MLB game between the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates is delayed as Canadian wildfire smoke descends on downtown Pittsburgh. San Francisco - Sept. 9, 2020Smoke from northern California wildfires casts a reddish glow in San Francisco, California.

Persons: ”, William Barrett, Barrett, ” Barrett, Clifford, Talat Odman, Mass, “ It’s, “ You’re, Lev Radin, Scott Olson, Kevork, Joe Robbins, San Diego Padres, Andrew McCutchen, Carr, George Rose, Ray Chavez, David Zalubowski Organizations: CNN, American Lung Association, University of Washington, Georgia Institute of Technology, Washington DC, ” CNN, Pacific Press, York City, MLB, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego, Pirates, MediaNews, Mercury, Environmental Protection Agency Denver, Denver International Airport, Denver Locations: Canada, United States, Northern Europe, New York City, York City, Chicago, Irvine, Santiago, Irvine , California, California, Santa, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sacramento, Sacramento , California, Shasta County , California, San Francisco, San Francisco , California, San Francisco Bay

☆ Mother, Accused of Human Trafficking While Flying With Daughter, Sues Southwest Airlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The mother and daughter had flown a Southwest Airlines flight to Denver for a funeral. Unbeknown to Ms. MacCarthy, a flight attendant had suspected Ms. MacCarthy, who is white, of human trafficking, Ms. MacCarthy said in an interview Monday. Moira, her daughter, is Black. The officers questioned them, Ms. MacCarthy said, adding that her daughter cried in her arms throughout the entire interaction. Ms. MacCarthy showed her driver’s license to the officers; they did not ask for identification for Moira, proving that they were related.

Persons: Mary MacCarthy, Moira, MacCarthy’s, Unbeknown, MacCarthy Organizations: Denver International Airport, Denver, Southwest Airlines Locations: Denver

☆ A mom is suing Southwest Airlines for 'blatant racism' after being accused of trafficking her biracial daughter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A California mom is suing Southwest Airlines for racial profiling after an incident in October 2021. A mother sued Southwest Airlines for "blatant racism" after she said she was accused of trafficking her 10-year-old biracial daughter, court documents seen by Insider show. Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. A spokesperson for the company told Newsweek: "We don't have anything to add right now on this pending litigation." A lawyer for MacCarty told Newsweek they hope the lawsuit causes Southwest Airlines to re-examine its training and policies around potential human trafficking.

Persons: Mary MacCarthy, Moira, MacCarthy's, Unbeknownst, MacCarthy, –, MacCarty Organizations: Southwest Airlines, Newsweek, Denver International Airport, Southwest, Denver Police Department, Police, Insider Locations: California, Colorado, San Jose, Denver, Southwest, —

The One World trace Center and the New York skyline are seen while United Airlines planes use the tarmac as pilots from United Airlines take part in an informational picket at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoAug 4 (Reuters) - United Airlines (UAL.O) on Friday said it is spending $33 million to buy 113 acres (46 hectares) in Denver as part of its growth strategy. Asked if United could use the land to move its corporate headquarters, a United spokeswoman said, "The land in Denver gives us options for the future as we implement our big plans to grow." United is acquiring two parcels, including one just outside Denver International Airport with access to its Flight Training Center. In June 2022, United broke ground on a new four-story building at the flight training facility.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, United, David Shepardson, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Mark Porter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Airlines, Newark Liberty International Airport, REUTERS, Denver, Airport, Flight Training Center, United, Training, Boeing, Caterpillar, Thomson Locations: York, Newark , New Jersey, U.S, Denver, Chicago, Illinois, Arlington , Virginia, Dallas, Deerfield , Illinois

☆ Pittsburgh's major airport is opening a child care center in a terminal to retain airport employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Airports are providing child care for airport employees to keep them in the business. As airports try to retain employees, they've turned to providing child care for workers to entice them to stay in the business. The child care center, which is due to open in August, has 61 spaces available, NBC reported. It's available to the 6,000 employees at the airport, though the 475 airport authority employees will get first dibs, the outlet reported. Denver International Airport and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport are considering following suit, the outlet reported.

Persons: they've, we'll, Thomas Romig Organizations: NBC News, Pittsburgh International, NBC, International, Reuters, Denver International Airport, Northern, Northern Kentucky International Locations: Pittsburgh's, California, Arizona, Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky

☆ 6 reasons why the Capital One Venture X is worth the annual fee
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Holly Johnson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Still, I decided to keep the Capital One Venture X when the annual fee was charged again in December. The $300 annual travel credit is easy to useYou can book airfare on most major airlines with the Venture X's travel credit. The Venture X offers lots of airport lounge optionsThe Capital One Lounge at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) airport. Getty ImagesThe Capital One Venture X offers some solid earning rates for travel booked through Capital One Travel. Anyone with am eligible rewards-earning Capital One credit card — including no annual fee cards like the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card — are also eligible to use the platform.

Persons: Emily McNutt, I’ve, Taylor, Taylor Swift Organizations: CNN, American Express, Capital, Venture, Getty, Venture X, Dallas Fort Worth International, Chase, Denver International, Dulles International, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Air France, KLM, Blue, British Airways Executive Club, American, 55,000, Air, Ticketmaster, Capital One Entertainment, Entertainment Locations: Bruges, Belgium, DFW, Dallas, Denver, Washington, airfare, Newark, Budapest, Paris, Air France

☆ Archer Aviation hires former acting FAA administrator
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - Air taxi maker Archer Aviation (ACHR.N) said on Tuesday former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acting administrator Billy Nolen had joined the company as chief safety officer. California-based Archer said in May it had completed final assembly of its first "Midnight" electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. In March, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington withdrew his nomination to serve as FAA administrator after Republican criticism. Last week, the U.S. Transportation Department announced Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg was taking over as acting head of the FAA. She is also retaining her role as USDOT but focused on FAA, a department spokesperson said.

Persons: Billy Nolen, Archer, Billy, ” Adam Goldstein, Nolen, Phil Washington, Polly Trottenberg, Joe Biden, Katie Thomson, Bradley Mims, David Shepardson, Aishwarya Nair, Anil D'Silva, Emelia Organizations: Air, Archer Aviation, Aviation Administration, FAA, Reuters, Denver International, U.S . Transportation Department, Thomson Locations: California, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ Deputy US Transportation chief expected to be FAA’s interim leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg is expected to be named Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) next interim leader, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. Acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen is expected to leave the agency on Friday, officials told Reuters last week. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating six runway incursion events since January including some that could have been catastrophic. Reuters earlier reported that Nolen is expected to take a position with electric air taxi firm Archer Aviation (ACHR.N) after he leaves the FAA. The FAA, White House and Transportation Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Polly Trottenberg, Billy Nolen, Trottenberg, Nolen, Barack Obama, Charles Schumer, Phil Washington, David Shepardson, Kanjyik Ghosh, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S, Transportation, Federal Aviation, FAA, Sunday, Street Journal, Reuters, United, National Transportation Safety, Archer Aviation, New York City’s, U.S . Senate, Denver International, White House and Transportation Department, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, New York, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ United Airlines adds more flights, new lounges in fast-growing Denver
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A row of United Airlines passenger planes parked at gates at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado. United Airlines plans to beef up its schedule and add new lounges at Denver International Airport, the carrier's bet that demand for flights at its fastest-growing hub will keep rising. United said Tuesday that it will add 35 flights at the Colorado airport this year. The airline's Denver service this summer will average 450 daily departures, a spokeswoman said. Last year, United opened a grab-and-go mini lounge at Denver aimed at travelers connecting to other flights.

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.

☆ 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.

☆ A Towering, Terrifying Demon Horse Isn’t Even the Weirdest Part
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Tiffany Hsu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Equine art lives in many airports: Seattle and San Francisco have bronze horses shaped like driftwood, Central Illinois has wire horses suspended from the ceiling, Tucson has a winged horse and Barcelona has a burly horse. None of them have a horse like Blucifer. Rearing 32 feet tall in a median outside Denver International Airport, the cobalt-colored, demon-eyed, vein-streaked steed has terrified travelers and mobilized conspiracy theorists since it arrived 15 years ago. First, though, it killed its creator. The horse came to stand for something darker: In 2006, as Mr. Jimenez was finishing the 9,000-pound cast-fiberglass sculpture, a piece came loose and fatally severed an artery in his leg.

☆ Top F.A.A. Official Says He Will Depart, Aggravating Leadership Void
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Mark Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Billy Nolen, on Friday said he will depart this summer, worsening a leadership void at the agency. The departure of Mr. Nolen, a former pilot and airline industry group executive, was announced in a letter to F.A.A. The aviation regulator has been without permanent leadership since Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, stepped down a year ago. Last month, President Biden’s pick to lead the F.A.A., Phillip A. Washington, withdrew his name from consideration after a series of attacks from Republicans on his qualifications to hold the post. They had argued that Mr. Washington, the chief executive of Denver International Airport, lacked sufficient aviation experience, and raised questions about his connection to a corruption investigation in Los Angeles.

☆ These are the top 10 busiest airports in the world—5 of them are in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Airports Council International , the trade association of the world's airports, recently released its annual ranking of the busiest airports in the world. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Denver International Airport (DEN) Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) Dubai International Airport (DXB) Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Istanbul Airport (IST) Heathrow Airport (LHR) Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson international airport topped the list as the world's busiest airport for the second year in a row. The only year that Atlanta hasn't been the busiest airport in the last four years was 2020 when ATL came in second behind Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in southern China. DFW is the second-largest airport by land area in the United States after Denver International Airport, according to the Department of Transportation. Denver International Airport has also been among the top 20 busiest airports in the world every year since 2000, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

☆ Biden FAA nominee who withdrew cites 'cheap and unfounded partisan attacks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who withdrew from consideration said on Monday he did not see a path forward for winning approval. Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington said in a statement that he had written to Biden on Friday to withdraw. "I no longer saw a respectful, civil, and viable path forward to Senate confirmation," Washington said on Monday. "I faced cheap and unfounded partisan attacks and procedural obstruction with regard to my military career that would have further lengthened the already delayed confirmation process." Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an Independent, said on Monday: "The administration should quickly nominate a permanent FAA administrator with the necessary, substantial aviation safety experience and expertise."

☆ Biden Nominee to Run FAA Withdraws After GOP Criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Micah Maidenberg | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration’s nominee for the top job at the Federal Aviation Administration has taken himself out of the running for the position following criticism from Republicans over his credentials for the job. Phil Washington , currently chief executive of Denver International Airport, withdrew his name from consideration to serve as FAA administrator, a White House official said Saturday.

☆ Exclusive: Biden nominee to head FAA withdraws after Republican criticism
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is withdrawing his nomination after Republican criticism that he was not qualified to serve as the top aviation regulator. Last year, Biden nominated Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington to serve as FAA administrator. A White House official had earlier told Reuters "politics must not hold up confirming an administrator to lead the FAA, and we will move expeditiously to nominate a new candidate for FAA administrator." Some industry officials think the White House could name acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen as a new nominee. Nolen, who was named head of the FAA's aviation safety office, has been the acting FAA administrator since April 2022 and has received backing from many Republicans in Congress.

☆ Exclusive: Biden nominee to head FAA withdraws after Republican attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last year, Biden nominated Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington to serve as FAA administrator. One of the sources, a White House official, told Reuters that "an onslaught of unfounded Republican attacks on Mr. Washington’s service and experience irresponsibly delayed this process, threatened unnecessary procedural hurdles on the Senate floor, and ultimately have led him to withdraw his nomination today." The White House official added "politics must not hold up confirming an Administrator to lead the FAA, and we will move expeditiously to nominate a new candidate for FAA Administrator." Some industry official think the White House could name acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen as a new nominee. Nolen, who was named head of the FAA's aviation safety office, has been the acting FAA administrator since April 2022 and has garnered wide support from Republicans in Congress.

☆ Biden’s pick to lead FAA withdraws amid shaky Senate support
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Phillip A. Washington speaks at a nomination hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill on March 01, 2023 in Washington, DC. Democrats and allied independents still might have pushed the nomination through, but key senators on their side balked at supporting Biden's pick. "The FAA needs a confirmed Administrator, and Phil Washington's transportation & military experience made him an excellent nominee," Buttigieg tweeted Saturday night. He has strong ties to the administration, however — he led Biden's 2020 transition team for the Transportation Department, which includes the FAA. "Given the significant challenges facing the FAA, this wasn't the time for an administrator who needed on-the-job training," he said.

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.

☆ USDOT defends 'fully qualified' Biden aviation nominee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - The Biden administration told Congress on Thursday its pick to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is fully qualified and does not violate a law requiring civilian leadership. Republicans question whether Denver International Airport Chief Executive Officer Phil Washington has the required aviation experience needed to serve as top U.S. aviation regulator. Cruz said on Wednesday that Washington was "unable to answer basic safety questions about the 737 MAX crashes, aircraft certification, and how a pilot might react when a system malfunctions." "Surveying the leadership of the aviation field supports this fact overwhelmingly. Washington this week won backing of three former FAA administrators and the chief executive of Frontier Airlines (ULCC.O).

☆ Consumers keep spending. That might not be good news for them or the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And by November and December, those predictions appeared to be materializing, when data showed consumers had pulled back during the holiday shopping season. During a month chock full of suprisingly strong economic data, the Commerce Department’s retail sales and consumer spending reports far surpassed expectations. “It’s not sustainable to keep spending above their means.”Eyes on the FedHearty consumer spending at a time like this is a double-edged sword, said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst for Bankrate and CreditCards.com. “The resilience of consumer spending is probably the biggest thing that’s pushed this recession timetable out,” Rossman said. The Home Depot (HD) warned of flat sales for 2023 as consumers continue shift spending from goods to services.

☆ Biden Pick for FAA Chief to Field Questions on Aviation Experience
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Micah Maidenberg | Andrew Tangel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Phil Washington, the nominee for FAA chief, is a retired U.S. Army command sergeant major and current CEO at Denver International Airport. The Biden administration’s pick to run the Federal Aviation Administration is slated to face questions from senators Wednesday in a long-delayed effort to confirm a new leader for the air-safety regulator. The White House last year nominated Phil Washington, a retired U.S. Army command sergeant major who is currently chief executive at Denver International Airport, to lead the FAA for a five-year term.

Search resuls for: "Denver International Airport"

25 mentions found