Airports
HURRICANE SANDY TRAVEL UPDATES
All major airlines with operations along the U.S. northeastern seaboard are offering waivers to change travel plans affected by the storm. Airports from Washington, DC north to Boston, closed on Monday and part of Tuesday are reopening. Carriers will be attempting to reschedule passengers from more than 19,000 cancelled flights for days to come. The shutdown of these major transit centers has affected air traffic globally. (Online.wsj.com, Oct. 28)
TSA REPLACES X-RAY SCANNERS AT SOME MAJOR AIRPORTS
The Transportation Security Administration has swapped out controversial X-ray body scanners with supposedly safer machines at several major airports. The new scanners, which rely on low-energy, cellphone-like radio waves, have been installed in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Orlando and San Francisco. The millimeter-wave scanners use a computer program to detect potential threats and display “a generic cartoon image” of a traveler’s body, while the X-ray machines have generated criticism due to radiation exposure and privacy concerns resulting from the “naked” outline of a person’s body that TSA screeners see. Pro Publica, 10/19/12
THE INFLUENCE OF TECH SAVY PASSENGERS
With the swift proliferation of mobile technology comes the demand from travelers to always be connected even in airports and in flight. Passengers want flight information readily available on smart devices prior to departure, alerts when boarding and real-time seat upgrade information. (FoxBusiness.com, Sept. 10)
The number of air passengers using tablet computers is about 37 percent and growing and now is equal to those using laptops. In a recent survey, more than 80 percent of polled passengers reported carrying a smartphone, the most popular mobile device by far. (USAToday.com, Sept.9)
Business travelers say they work twice as hard on the road than they do in the office and believe they are more successful at work due to their time traveling. Airline, car and hotel vendors make it a top priority to support road warrior productivity viewing them as core consumers. (TravelMarketReport.com, Sept. 10)
FAA FACES DEVASTATING BUDGET CUTS
Budget cuts up to $1 billion are hovering over the FAA, according to the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). The cuts could be forced as soon as January 2013 by the sequestration process for trimming the United States deficit. Sequestration could cause the closure of 246 airport control towers and the loss of 1,500 air traffic controllers, 9,000 security screeners and 1,600 customs officers, as well as delaying the implementation of NextGen, the new air traffic control system planned for 2025, according to the AIA. (TravelMole.com, Aug. 16)
MORE NONSTOPS FOR DCA
Reagan National Airport (DCA) is subject to both capacity and distance restriction controls so the number of flights is limited. A bill passed by Congress in February will allow eight new long-distance flights at the airport; four will be granted to carriers with current route slots and four will be brand new. See the new long-haul route requests proposed for DCA.
WORLD’S BUSIEST AIRPORTS
Global aviation organization Airports Council International’ (ACI) has released its World Airport Traffic Report for 2010, with London, Paris and Hong Long taking the first three places in terms of international passenger traffic. According to the report, worldwide airport passenger number increases 6.6% in 2010 to 5.04 billion. Worldwide domestic traffic increased by 5.8, while international traffic jumped by 7.7%. London’s Heathrow airport is still the busiest in the world. When it comes to overall passenger numbers, domestic and international, the ACI list shows Atlanta International Airport at the top with Beijing and Chicago following in second and third. (ETurboNews.com, Aug. 12)
BOSTON AIRPORT TESTS BEHAVIOR DETECTION PROGRAM
Air travelers departing from Boston Logan International Airport may experience something new during the screening process: a “casual conversation” with security at the checkpoint. On the job training began Tuesday for officers in the TSA’s expanded behavior detection program – a pilot initiative that will be in place in the airport’s Terminal A for 60 days. Logan is the only airport with the pilot program. As they talk with passengers, the officers will try to spot potentially high-risk travelers by looking for suspicious behavior and facial expressions of tension, fear or deception. The pilot initiative at Logan is different in that the officers will engage passengers in a conversation, rather than just observe them. (MSNBC.com, Aug. 2)
AIRLINE UPDATES
Malaysia Airlines has joined the oneworld frequent-flier alliance. Oneworld members can now redeem miles for travel to almost 950 destinations in 150 countries. (USAToday.com, June 7)
Delta Air Lines and United Continental have raised the $50 fee for checking a second bag on trans-Atlantic flights. Delta will charge $60 for online check-in and $75 for airport check-in and United Continental will charge $70. Delta is adding a fee of $30 for a second checked bag for flights to Mexico and Central America. (USAToday.com, June 6)
ST. LOUIS AIRPORT ON THE SLOW MEND
It could take up to a year to repair all the damage sustained by Lambert-St. Louis International Airport during a direct tornado strike April 22. Concourse C, in Terminal I was heavily damaged when soaring floor-to-ceiling windows were completely blown out. These windows will be replaced with ones conforming to new code for protection of the public and must be custom made. AirTran, American and Frontier are among the carriers forced to relocate to Concourses B and D while repairs are done. (USAToday.com, June 6)
