Security lines at airports are getting longer — much longer — and wait times could reach epidemic levels when air travel peaks this summer, according to airlines, airports and federal officials. A combination of fewer TSA screeners, tighter budgets, new checkpoint procedures and growing numbers of passengers is already creating a mess at airports around the country. While federal security officials say they are hiring and training hundreds of additional screening officers, matters are not expected to improve anytime soon. Airline and airport officials have said they fear that the current slowdown will last through the year, and could cause a summer travel meltdown when more than 220m passengers are expected to fly during the peak travel months of July and August. “This is going to be a rough summer; there is no doubt about it,” said Gary Rasicot, who was recently appointed to a newly created position as the TSA’s chief of operations. “We are probably not at the staffing level we would like to be to address the volume. This is why we are talking about people getting to the airport a little earlier than planned.” To deal with the expected crowds, Rasicot said the agency planned to assign 768 new officers to the busiest airports by June 15. The agency is also allocating an extra $26m for overtime pay, and is looking for ways to move its explosive-sniffing dogs where they will have the most effect on reducing wait times.<br/>
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Cheap fuel prices juiced record profits for US airlines last year even as customer complaints soared over cramped flights and mounting fees. The 25 US passenger airlines logged a record $25.6b in profits in 2015, more than three times the industry's after-tax earnings of $7.5b reported in 2014, the Transportation Department said Monday. Fuel prices averaged 35% lower in 2015 than the previous year. The average fare of $377 in 2015 is down 3.8% from 2014 and down 19.2% from the inflation-adjusted average of $467 in 2000, Transportation Department records show. But baggage fees added $3.8b to the bottom line, and fees from reservation changes chalked up another $3b, the department said. Airlines do not report other fees to the department. While airlines' financial books look robust, passengers grumble about lost bags, deceptive ticket prices, poor customer service and shrinking seats and legroom. Travelers filed 20,170 formal complaints last year, up from 15,539 in 2014, according to the department’s Air Travel Consumer Report.<br/>
The US FAA has approved the Airbus A350 to fly further on one engine in the event of a breakdown, freeing the new aircraft to fly more direct routes over oceans and other deserted places. The decision by the FAA will allow the twin-engined A350 to fly up to 5 hours from the nearest airport on one engine, which is equivalent to about 3,700 km. Later this year, the aircraft will be granted up to 370 minutes or more than six hours, allowing it to fly almost any route and bringing it into line with European rules, Airbus said.<br/>
A new study suggests an unexpected trigger for these rare cases of air rage. It found that passengers in economy seating were 3.84 times more likely to have an incident of air rage if they were on a plane that had a first-class section. They were 2.18 times more likely to have an outburst if they had to walk through first class to board the plane, as opposed to boarding in the middle of the plane, directly into the economy section. "Psychology (research) tells us that when people feel a sense of deprivation and inequality, they are more likely to act out," said Katherine A. DeCelles, associate professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto. DeCelles is the lead author of the study, which was published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Passengers are probably not even consciously aware of the deprivation and inequality, and how much it is stressing them out, DeCelles said. However, she and her colleague were not able to talk with the enraged passengers to get a better idea what set them off. There was also a nearly 12-fold increase in the rate of air rage among first-class passengers on flights where all passengers boarded through the first-class section, compared with flights that had separate entrances for first class and economy.<br/>
The senior Canadian official looking at a request by Bombardier for aid to support its CSeries aircraft has indicated for the first time that Ottawa actively wanted to help the company. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains until now has said merely that the Liberal government would closely examine Bombardier's request for US$1b in aid and outlined some of the concessions he wants in return. But on Monday he went further, detailing how much help Ottawa had given the company over the last 40 years and stressing the number of aerospace jobs across Canada that depended on Bombardier continuing to operate. "We've been there with the company in the past, we've continued to remain engaged with the company and we want to be part of a solution," he told reporters. The CSeries is years late and billions of dollars over budget. The government has previously said it wants assurances on jobs, investment in research and the location of Bombardier's headquarters, which are in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec. Noting that Bombardier has 950 suppliers across Canada, Bains added: "This is not simply a Quebec issue. This is a Canadian issue. This is a strong Canadian brand. We believe in it."<br/>
Boeing is prepared to defend its rainmaker 737 jetliner as competition heats up at the top and bottom of the lucrative single-aisle market, CEO Dennis Muilenburg said. The threat to the US planemaker was underscored when Delta announced orders last week for Bombardier’s all-new C Series jets and Airbus Group SE’s largest narrow-body jet. The Airbus A321neo has grabbed 85% of orders versus its Boeing counterpart, the 737 Max 9, while the C Series is finally making inroads with its smaller jets. Boeing is weighing its potential response to the “middle of the market” segment once dominated by Boeing’s out-of-production 757, where the largest narrow-body aircraft overlap the smallest twin-aisle models. Among options: stretching the largest 737 Max and outfitting it with upgraded engines and new landing gear to counter the A321neo. “We’re going to continue watching the marketplace, having productive conversations with customers,” Muilenburg said at Boeing’s annual general meeting in Chicago on Monday. “If we need to make an additional move in that space, we’ll be ready.”<br/>
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 has completed high altitude flight testing in La Paz, Bolivia. Boeing noted the flight test marked the first international trip for its re-engined narrowbody, which began flight testing in January. “The airport’s 4,050m altitude tested the MAX’s capability to take off and land at high altitudes, which can affect overall airplane performance,” Boeing said. 737 MAX program VP and GM Keith Leverkuhn said the aircraft’s CFM International LEAP-1B engines and “other systems performed well, as expected, under extreme conditions.” Boeing said three 737 MAX 8 flight test aircraft have completed more than 100 combined flights so far. A fourth and final flight test aircraft is expected to achieve first flight “in the coming weeks,” Boeing said, adding that “the program remains on track for first delivery [to Southwest Airlines] in the third quarter of 2017.”<br/>