general

A4A is suing Massachusetts over its paid sick time law, saying it is unconstitutional and should not apply to airlines. In a complaint filed in federal court against attorney general Maura Healey the group says that much of the work done by locally based flight crews takes place outside Massachusetts, in federally regulated airspace. They also contend that the law violates the Constitution by putting a burden on interstate commerce. The airlines argue that the state’s sick leave law hurts carriers’ business by leading to more employee absences, which cause flight delays and cancellations, angering passengers and damaging their brands. One airline has closed a flight attendant base after a paid sick time law led to an increase in the number of employees calling in sick, according to the complaint. <br/>

An airline trade group says it's setting safety standards for pets shipped on planes. The move follows several recent incidents including the death of a puppy in an overhead bin on a United Airlines flight. IATA said Thursday it's starting a program in which airlines will be able to certify that they meet standards for safe handling of animals. The group says airlines ship millions of animals safely every year. When things go wrong, however — as when a United flight attendant told a passenger to put her dog carrier in the overhead bin last month — it hurts the industry's image. The US DoT says that of about 500,000 animals shipped as cargo on US planes last year, 24 of them died, including 18 on United. <br/>