Travellers flying to the US from nearly 300 international airports, including those in Mexico and Canada, are now subject to stepped-up security measures that include stricter screening for electronic devices larger than cellphones. The regulations could include asking passengers to present larger electronic devices for inspection and prove that they can be powered on. The Homeland Security Department demanded last month that airlines around the world step up security measures for international flights bound for the United States or face the possibility of a total electronics ban for planes. The deadline for some of those changes to take affect was Wednesday. Airlines and aviation authorities responded by warning passengers to expect longer security screenings at airports. "Enhanced screening measures are in effect," read an alert on the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority's website. It said that passengers flagged randomly for additional screening will be asked to remove electronic devices from protective cases for inspection, and possibly show they can be powered on. Mexico's aviation authority advised passengers on flights bound for the US to arrive at the airport three hours early to comply with the new screening measures.<br/>
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As airlines flying into the US adjust to new, tighter security rules designed to catch bombs or explosives hidden in electronic devices, the DoT is weighing in on the safest place in a plane for laptops, tablets and other devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. It is not in the cargo hold, according to the FAA. The agency's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety says portable electronic devices pose less of a fire threat when carried on-board instead of being packed into checked bags. In a notice the agency issued earlier this week, the FAA said, "devices containing lithium metal or lithium ion batteries (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.) should be transported in carry-on baggage and not placed in checked baggage." The primary reason laptops are safer in the passenger cabin is because the flight crew or passengers at least have a chance to put out a fire if one is sparked by the batteries in an electronic device. That conclusion is not an edict banning airlines from allowing passengers to put their electronics in checked bags. In fact, the agency says if devices are packed in bags that will go in the cargo hold of flights, they "should be completely powered down to the OFF position (they should not be left in sleep mode), protected from accidental activation, and packed so they are protected from damage."<br/>
A plan to privatize the nation's air traffic control operations has hit turbulence in the House, raising questions about whether one of President Donald Trump's infrastructure priorities can survive. The concept of splitting off air traffic control from the FAA faces even longer odds in the Senate, but supporters were counting on backing from the president and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to move the legislation forward and keep prospects for privatization alive. The bill to extend federal aviation programs was expected to come to a vote in the House as early as this week. But leadership has not yet scheduled a vote. The question is why. "I think it's on life-support personally," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., disagrees. He said lawmakers are just now beginning to focus on the legislation and need some time to wade through the bill's many provisions that would affect airports and the traveling public in their home districts. "So now they're sitting down and talking to us, trying to understand what they're hearing, what they're seeing, what's true and what's not true," Shuster said. "It's a process and the process always happens this way."<br/>
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the next step in his plan to redevelop John F Kennedy Airport at a cost of US$10b. The Request for Proposals is for preliminary engineering and design work “to reimagine the airport's terminals, roadways, AirTrain, parking, cargo facilities, airside and aeronautical improvements, and support infrastructure,” a statement from the Governor’s office said. The plan is based on recommendations from the Airport Master Plan Advisory Panel set up by Cuomo to bring area airports up to international standards. “JFK International Airport is an international gateway to New York and a powerful economic engine with the potential to grow even stronger,” Cuomo said. The plan will develop JFK into “a centre of economic activity and a world-class airport of the calibre that New York deserves,” he added. The redevelopment “will transform JFK into a unified, interconnected, world-class airport, improve road access to the airport and expand rail mass transit to meet projected passenger growth,” the statement said.<br/>
Chinese carriers transported 263m passengers in the 2017 H1, up 13.4% over the year-ago period. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), passengers carried on international routes rose 6.1% year-over-year (YOY) to 26.7 million. The CAAC did not disclose the numbers for domestic passengers carried. Average load factor grew 0.2 point YOY to 83.3%. Cargo traffic volume increased 5.1% YOY to 3.3m tonnes. As of June 30, Chinese airlines operated 3,065 aircraft, up 115 aircraft from Dec. 31, 2016. Air China transported 49.2m passengers in the 1H, up 5% YOY when domestic passenger boardings increased 6.3% to 40.6 million and international boardings were up 1.5% to 6.5m passengers. Average load factor rose 1.3 points YOY to 81%. China Eastern Airlines transported 53.3m passengers in the 1H, up 9.2% YOY, when domestic passenger boardings grew 10.7% to 44.5 million and international boardings were up 1.7% to 7.14m passengers. Average load factor increased 0.44 point YOY to 81.3%.<br/>
On the eve of the busiest departure day for record numbers of British holidaymakers, unprecedented travel deals are available due to a ferocious fares war during the peak month of August. From Leeds/Bradford to Ibiza, return fares of GBP40 are available on Ryanair for a wide range of dates in August, such as 1-4 August or 8-17 August. For a round-trip journey of over 2,000 miles, such a fare would normally only be available at times of lowest demand — not the summer peak. Between Southend and Milan Malpensa, Flybe is offering the same return fare — GBP40 — for departures on 8 August for a fortnight. Further afield, Thomson Airways is selling flights to Preveza in western Greece for a week, departing 2 August, for only GBP69 return from Gatwick. The same airline has flights from Manchester to Pula in Croatia for £69, travelling out on 1 August for a fortnight. While most budget airlines would rather fly with a few empty seats rather than cut fares to lower than the cost of a cab to the airport, Ryanair has long had a “yield passive/load factor active” model which means it will sell seats at whatever level is necessary to fill the plane.<br/>
Is it the end of the line for the Boeing 747 as a commercial passenger plane?<br/>It sure looks that way for the original jumbo jetliner. Once the largest passenger plane on Earth, the 747 has defined the company more than any other. Boeing earlier this month flew a 747-8 Intercontinental back to the company's base in Washington state from a paint shop in Portland. It was wearing the colors of Korean Air Lines and it is extremely likely that it is the last passenger 747 to ever be built. The airliner, which extends 250-feet and 2-inches long, will be delivered to Korean Air Lines in the coming weeks. Boeing doesn't expect the jumbo jet to make a big comeback. As part of its 20 year forecast, released annually, Boeing said there's no appreciable demand left for building new passenger 747s or for the rival Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger plane. Instead, it believes airlines will continue to prefer big twin-engine aircraft like its Boeing 777X or Airbus A350. Those smaller planes can now fly just as far as the huge jumbo jets while using less fuel. They also have fewer seats, which makes it easier for airlines to book them up. "Frankly we really don't see much demand for really big airplanes," said Randy Tinseth, Boeing VP of marketing in June. "There will just be a handful moving forward. Things we do for VIPs, things we do for the president, military operations, but we don't see a significant demand for passenger 747-8s or A380s."<br/>