Could airline boarding policies help spread communicable diseases? A new study suggests this may be the case. Researchers at Arizona State University released findings showing airlines help spread disease by shuttling people from diverse origins in close quarters for hours at a time. Making the problem worse is the common practice of loading passengers in front-to-back order. ASU researchers said dividing the plane into two lengthwise sections and letting passengers seat themselves randomly would lead to fewer potentially disease-spreading bottlenecks during boarding. The research shows disease is less likely to spread on smaller planes, such as those with 150 or fewer seats. Those planes are likely to have fewer potentially sick people on board for travellers to interact with — and they board faster. <br/>
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Just 52% of travellers said they fully understand how to redeem miles from their airline loyalty program, according to a survey published Wednesday by J.D. Power and Associates. Travellers would be forgiven for not grasping the increasingly complicated formulas airlines use to earn or redeem miles. Overall, it's become more difficult to earn miles on some of the largest airlines, which now reward passengers based on how much travellers spend on a ticket. Previously travellers could rake in the points based on how far they travelled. It has also become more difficult to earn higher statuses on airlines, which grant automatic upgrades and other perks. The survey also found that travellers are more satisfied with their frequent flyer programs when they can redeem points for things other than flights. <br/>
Boeing isn’t buying Bombardier’s assurances that it will build an assembly line in Alabama under a partnership with Airbus on Bombardier’s marquee jetliner. “Bombardier and Airbus are extremely unlikely ever to actually establish a C Series assembly line in Alabama,” Boeing said in a letter to US Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross. Plans for the new facility, which would probably be located next to an existing Airbus plant in Mobile, “would make no economic sense,” Boeing said. The letter, dated Nov 13, is part of Boeing’s case before US authorities, which are investigating whether duties should be imposed on US sales of the C Series. Boeing accused Bombardier of selling the jet to Delta Air Lines at “absurdly low prices.” The Commerce Department so far has sided with Boeing. <br/>
The civil aviation ministry has started the process of rationalising the block time of scheduled flights amid slot constraints at various airports. The ministry's move assumes significance against the backdrop of slot constraints at various airports, especially those in metros, and disputes over OTP claims made by airlines. "The process of block time rationalisation has started. It is a process that will be taken up every time a slot allocation happens or when a schedule has to be approved," Civil Aviation secretary R N Choubey said Tuesday. He noted that the DGCA has issued guidelines, that are free from "ambiguity", with respect to block time. The ministry has asked the DGCA as well as authorities related to slot allotments and schedule approval to constantly push for harmonisation of airlines' block time with the real block time. <br/>