A recent study found that catching the flu or other similar respiratory infections is more difficult for airline passengers sitting at least 2 seats away or in a different row from a sick fellow airline passenger. According to a report about the study, “an infectious passenger with influenza or other droplet-transmitted respiratory infection will most likely not transmit infection to passengers seated farther away than 2 seats laterally and 1 row in front or back on an aircraft.” According to a Georgia Tech website, the “FlyHealthy” study, conducted by researchers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, developed a model “that combines estimated infectivity and patterns of contact among aircraft passengers and crew members to determine likelihood of infection.” <br/>
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A preview from the authors of the upcoming Airline Quality Rating report indicates that US carriers are improving on 3 of the 4 factors tracked by the annual study. The study, which tracks the 12 largest airlines in the US, found improvements in 2017 on the metrics of involuntary denied boardings and mishandled bags. as well as charting fewer customer complaints year over year. “There is improvement in key factors that is noticeable by consumers and that directly impacts the quality of the traveling public’s experience with airlines,” says Dean Headley, who co-authors the report. “Despite what we’re all seeing in the news lately — in particular about mishandled baggage with pets — overall, the report shows airlines are taking steps to acknowledge and address problems,” co-author Brent Bowen says. <br/>
China’s HNA Group’s subsidiary HNA Airport Group has won a 35-year concession to operate Plovdiv Airport in Bulgaria to facilitate its European market expansion. HNA Airport Group will invest at least E79m (US$97.4m) on the reconstruction and expansion of the Plovdiv Airport. Plovdiv—which is 150 km from the capital’s Sofia Airport—can be operated 24 hours a day without a flight curfew. “Plovdiv Airport will become the second European airport operated by the HNA Airport Group...indicating HNA has further deepened its cooperation with European countries and played an active role in the construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative. We will take advantage of Plovdiv Airport’s geographical position to promote the exchanges between China and Central European countries and Eastern European countries,” HNA Group said. <br/>
The Latin American & Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) has spoken out against a national air passenger travel tax—which would charge a COP8,000 (US$2.86) fee for Colombian passengers and COP13,935 fee for international passengers—proposed by Bogota, Colombia mayor Enrique Peñalosa, who said the tax is necessary for road infrastructure investment. In its April newsletter, ALTA warned the proposed increase in taxes and fees could damage the competitiveness of Colombia’s primary air terminals, particularly Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG). ALTA member airlines represent over 90% of the Latin American-Caribbean region’s commercial air traffic. ALTA said its concerns are backed up by IATA and ATAC (Asociación de Transporte Aéreo en Colombia). <br/>