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☆ A Qantas flight was forced to turn back after the Philippines closed its airspace 3 hours into the journey on New Year's Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Qantas flight traveling from Sydney to the Philippines was forced to turn back on New Year's Day. The Philippines' airspace was closed after a power outage affected the air traffic control system. The Qantas flight was around three hours into the New Year's Day flight to Manila when the airspace was shut down, a Qantas representative confirmed to Insider. The pilots were forced to end the journey to the capital of the Philippines, which was due to last eight hours. The Philippines' transportation secretary, Jaime Bautista, apologized to passengers for the air traffic management issues caused by a power outage.

☆ U.S. FAA slows air traffic over Florida due to computer problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 2 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday said it had slowed flight volume over Florida as it worked to resolve a problem with an air traffic computer system. The problem hampered a system known as the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) used to control air traffic, according to a spokesperson at the U.S. regulator who did not provide further details. The issue emerged after a massive winter storm snarled air travel during the Christmas holiday season, crippling operations at low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines (LUV.N). reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Howard Goller and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Philippines main airport scrambles to restore normalcy after power cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A passenger wearing a face mask and face shield for protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks towards a counter in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines, January 14, 2021. The ageing Ninoy Aquino international airport was early on Monday handling a maximum 15 arrivals per hour compared to 20 during normal operations, said Cesar Chiong, general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority. The outage was the result of the unprecedented failure of both primary and secondary power supplies, he said. Chiong said the airport had introduced its own power system in 2018 but on Sunday, both the main and backup systems failed. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport has previously been ranked among the world's worst international gateways, with flight delays a regular occurrence, and a history of upgrades being delayed or abandoned due to disputes between the airport and contractors.

A worker on the ground at Alabama's Montgomery Regional Airport was killed in an industrial accident Saturday, leading to flights being temporarily stopped, officials said. The incident happened about 2:20 p.m. on an airport ramp near an American Airlines Embraer E175, which was was parked, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a preliminary statement. The worker was employed by Piedmont Airlines, an American Airlines regional carrier, the parent company said in a statement. "We are focused on ensuring that all involved have the support they need during this difficult time," American said. Air traffic was halted after the accident and the local ground stop lasted until 8:30 p.m., the airport said in a statement.

☆ Flights to and from Philippine capital suspended due to technical issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting around 56,000 passengers at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport operator said on Sunday. As of 0800 GMT, "the system has been partially restored thereby allowing limited flight operations," the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement. It offered passengers due to fly on Sunday free rebooking or the option to convert tickets to vouchers. Philippine Airlines (PAL.PS) said a number of flights were diverted, cancelled and delayed, and travellers should check the status of their journey before proceeding to the airport. Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Neil Fullick and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pete Buttigieg, Air Traffic Controller
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The scheduling meltdown at Southwest Airlines is one for the business record books, and the carrier will pay a price for months or years in damaged reputation. The only worse result for seething passengers would be to put Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in charge. Don’t laugh. Mr. Buttigieg’s department said Monday it will investigate Southwest’s “unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays.” It will also “take action” to hold the carrier “accountable,” as if the airline isn’t eager enough to make things right.

☆ Delta was the most on-time North American airline during a chaotic 2022, data shows. See which carriers made the top 10.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Aviation data analytics company Cirium has revealed its annual on-time performance review for 2022. Delta Air Lines led the pack with a rate of about 84%, while Air Canada came in last at just 55%. Travel data provider Official Aviation Guide says a score of at least 80% is considered "pretty good." Fortunately, aviation data analytics company Cirium has the answer. Here is a closer look at North America's best and worst airlines for on-time performance in 2022.

☆ Southwest says its travel meltdown was partially caused by a 'scheduling issue' and that it'll reimburse 'reasonable requests' for meals, hotels, and travel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Taylor Rains | Paul Squire | Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Southwest Airlines in part blamed a "scheduling issue" for thousands of flight cancelations during the holidays. Southwest said it would reimburse "reasonable" requests like meals, hotel stays, or other transportation. The company also said it'd honor "reasonable" reimbursement requests from customers for things like meals, hotel stays, or other ways to travel to their destination. Southwest captain Mike Santoro, vice president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA), told Insider that the airline's system is having so many issues, schedulers are sorting out flight crews by hand. Customers who want to rebook their flight or get a refund can go to the airline's "Travel Disruption" page.

☆ Why Southwest is melting down
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

By Monday, air travel was more or less back to normal – unless you booked your holiday travel with Southwest Airlines. More than 90% of Tuesday’s US flight cancellations are Southwest, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Southwest warned that it would continue canceling flights until it could get its operations back on track. Similar to this month’s service mayhem, Southwest fared far worse than its competitors last October. While Southwest canceled hundreds of flights in the days following the peak of October’s disruption, competitors quickly returned to normal service.

☆ U.S. deep freeze forecast to break Christmas Eve records
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Rich Mckay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Dec 24 (Reuters) - An arctic blast that has gripped much of the United States this week, disrupting daily life and holiday travel for millions of Americans, was expected to produce the coldest Christmas Eve on record in several cities from Pennsylvania to Florida. Temperatures are forecast to top out on Friday at just 8 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 Celsius) in Pittsburgh, the largest city in western Pennsylvania, surpassing its previous all-time coldest Christmas Eve high of 13 F, set in 1983, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The capital cities of Florida and Georgia - Tallahassee and Atlanta - were likewise expected to record their coldest daytime Christmas Eve high temperatures, while Washington, D.C., was forecast to experience its chilliest Dec. 24 since 1906. Extreme winter weather was blamed for at least five deaths on Friday. The NWS said its map of existing or impending meteorological hazards "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever."

☆ Airlines cancel 2,000 U.S. flights on Saturday over winter storm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Airlines canceled nearly 2,000 U.S. flights as of Saturday morning following a massive winter storm that snarled airport operations around the United States and frustrated thousands of holiday travelers. The flight cancellations on Saturday morning included over 450 from Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) and nearly 400 from Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N). The flight disruptions came as an arctic blast gripped much of the United States on Saturday, causing power outages and car wrecks. An NBC News affiliate reported that inclement weather canceled over 130 flights as of Saturday morning at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Passenger railroad Amtrak also canceled dozens of trains through Christmas, disrupting holiday travel for thousands.

☆ Deep freeze grips U.S. as winter 'bomb cyclone' looms ahead of holiday weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Numbing cold intensified by high winds was expected to extend as far south as the U.S.-Mexico border. The NWS map of existing or impending wintry hazards, stretching from border to border and coast to coast, "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever," the agency said. The bomb cyclone could unleash snowfalls of a half inch (1.25 cm) per hour driven by gale-force winds, cutting visibility to near zero, the weather service said. Power outages were expected from high winds, heavy snow and ice, as well as the strain of higher-than-usual energy demands. The weather service said relief from the deep freeze was in sight for the northern Rockies and High Plains, where the arctic blast first materialized on Thursday.

With the deep freeze stretching from Montana to Texas as it crept eastward, some 240 million people - more than two-thirds of the U.S. population - were under winter weather warnings and advisories on Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. The map of existing or impending wintry hazards "depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever," the NWS said. [1/5] A driver makes their way through a flooded street at high tide during a winter storm in Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S., December 23, 2022. Their plight has added to local agencies scrambling to get people off the streets as the arctic blast arrived. While some areas downwind from the Great Lakes received a foot or more of snow on Friday, "the big story wasn't so much the falling snow but the blowing snow," weather service meteorologist Brian Hurley said.

☆ Transportation Sec. Buttigieg on holiday disruptions: Stay informed and check if airlines offer ticket changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTransportation Sec. Buttigieg on holiday disruptions: Stay informed and check if airlines offer ticket changesPete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation Secretary, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss his message to travelers this holiday season, airline employment levels and insights into airline air traffic radar systems.

☆ Turbulence causes injuries on two flights, prompts U.S. safety board probe
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Meanwhile, two passengers and three crewmembers on a United Airlines (UAL.O) flight from Rio de Janeiro were injured early on Monday by turbulence en route to Houston, Texas. Medical personnel brought them to a local hospital with "minor injuries," United Airlines said in a statement. It reported that the flight hit turbulence while passing over Cancun, Mexico, citing air traffic radio scanners. Of the 20 people hospitalized after the Hawaiian Airlines flight, 11 were brought to emergency rooms in serious condition, according to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. Hawaiian Airlines said in its statement on Monday that it was conducting a thorough inspection of the Airbus A330 aircraft before returning it to service.

☆ Turbulent Hawaiian Airlines flight seriously injures 11 people
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In all, 36 people received medical treatment following Sunday's turbulent Hawaiian Airlines flight for bumps, bruises, cuts and nausea, said Jim Ireland, director of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. Passenger Kaylee Reyes told Hawaii News Now that her mother had just sat down when the turbulence hit and had not had a chance to buckle her safety belt. There was some internal damage to the aircraft during the turbulence, Snook said. In 2019, 37 passengers and flight crew members were injured when an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Sydney hit intense turbulence about two hours past Hawaii. Over the Atlantic, a 2017 American Airlines flight from Athens hit severe turbulence along the New York coastline.

☆ Elon Musk and Donald Trump are trying new ways to dodge jet tracking — but it's not a 'silver bullet'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Taylor Rains | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault is one: He recently sold his private aircraft so "no one can see where I go," and he now rents jets instead. The program allows private aircraft owners to block their planes from being publicly shown on websites like FlightAware and FlightRadar24, which use FAA data. Puma/Jay Z's jet tracked on ADS-B Exchange with LADD indicator. Sweeney's Elon Jet Twitter bot also recorded the flight. Elon Musk's private jet flight with PIA flag, tracked by Jack Sweeney.

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Oil prices were largely unchanged in early Asian trade on Thursday as traders weighed optimism over China's demand outlook against the possibility of further interest rate hikes from global central banks. The market was bolstered by projections from the International Energy Agency seeing Chinese oil demand recovering next year after a 400,000-bpd contraction in 2022. The agency raised its 2023 oil demand growth estimate to 1.7 million bpd for a total of 101.6 million bpd. The U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark overnight interest rate by 50 basis points on Wednesday, a downshift from the 75-basis-point hikes it had delivered at its previous four policy meetings. The central bank signalled that more interest rate hikes were to be expected.

☆ Goldman Sachs names Boeing its top aerospace stock, says orders should increase as air travel rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A resurgence in air travel, and the need for new aircraft to meet growing demand, should benefit Boeing into the new year, according to Goldman Sachs. "We see substantial cyclical and long-term secular upside at Boeing and much of its supply chain," Poponak wrote. Against this backdrop, large commercial aircraft demand should remain strong as new orders hover near record levels. Boeing should also benefit from normalization in free cash flows within the $20-a-share range by the middle of the decade, according to Poponak. Goldman Sachs' $242 price target suggests another 29% rally in store from Tuesday's close.

☆ Oil prices rise amid forecasts of 2023 demand uptick
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brent crude futures last rose $2.17, or 2.69%, to $82.85 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up $2.08 at $77.46. Looking into 2023, OPEC said it expects oil demand to grow by 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) over next year to 101.8 million bpd, with potential upside from China, the world's top importer. The IEA, seeing Chinese oil demand recovering next year after a 400,000 bpd contraction in 2022, raised its 2023 oil demand growth estimate to 1.7 million bpd for a total of 101.6 million bpd. Oil prices have been supported by a leak and outage of TC Energy Corp's Keystone Pipeline, which ships 620,000 barrels per day of Canadian crude to the United States. Sending bearish signals, U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose by more than 10 million barrels last week, the most since March 2021, buoyed by releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and as refiners reduced activity.

Brent crude futures settled up $2.02, or 2.4%, to $82.70 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled up $1.94 to $77.28. Both contracts rose on a surge in diesel futures ahead of cold weather expected towards the end of the year. Sending bearish signals, U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose by more than 10 million barrels last week, the most since March 2021, buoyed by releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and as refiners reduced activity. Looking into 2023, OPEC said it expects oil demand to grow by 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) over next year to 101.8 million bpd, with potential upside from China, the world's top importer. The IEA, seeing Chinese oil demand recovering next year after a 400,000-bpd contraction in 2022, raised its 2023 oil demand growth estimate to 1.7 million bpd for a total of 101.6 million bpd.

☆ U.S. Congress creeps toward deadline to pass $1.5 trillion funding bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A man walks past the U.S. Capitol building as a government shutdown looms in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2021. Over the weekend, behind-the-scenes efforts made progress toward a deal on an "omnibus" spending bill. That prompted Senate Appropriations Chairman Patrick Leahy to pull back from a plan to introduce a Democratic-written funding bill this week. "Chairman Leahy feels that sufficient progress in negotiations took place over the weekend to delay the introduction of the omnibus appropriations bill for the time being. But it was promptly attacked by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

The NDAA is expected to get a vote in the Senate this week and be approved with bipartisan support. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the ranking Republican member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has told reporters the two sides are roughly $26 billion apart. Or it could extend the shutdown deadline into the next Congress, which will convene on January 3, and when Republicans take control of the House. That change in majority in the House would dramatically alter the dynamic for negotiations and likely make it far harder to reach a broader funding deal. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, outlined the argument for his party in his own floor remarks on Thursday.

☆ Federal agencies formally warned to prepare ahead of government shutdown deadline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Betsy Klein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —While congressional leaders continue to negotiate a spending deal, the federal government has begun the process of preparing for a potential shutdown, participating in the mandatory but standard process of releasing shutdown guidance to agencies ahead of this Friday’s funding deadline. That standard guidance was circulated last Friday, marking seven days before a shutdown could occur absent congressional action. It’s not the first time the government has been on the brink of a shutdown, and it has happened on multiple occasions. The government also shut down for three days over deadlock during the Trump administration in January 2018. And in 2013, then-President Barack Obama presided over a 16-day partial government shutdown caused by a dispute over the Affordable Care Act and other budget disagreements.

☆ A sneaky photo taken the last time a stealth bomber was unveiled shows why some parts of the new B-21 are still under wraps
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

On December 2, the US Air Force revealed its new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider. That may have been an effort to avoid what happened the last time a stealth bomber was unveiled. One reason for that may be what happened the last time the Air Force unveiled a stealth bomber. Scott told Aviation Week in an article about the photo scoop published on the same day as the B-21's rollout. A US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber.

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