The White House’s ever-shifting economic relief agenda lurched in a new direction Wednesday as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tried to make a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to rescue the airline industry, just a day after President Trump abruptly cut off talks on a broader stimulus bill. Mnuchin and Pelosi (D-Calif.) had two conversations Wednesday -- one in the morning and another in the evening -- about the possibility of a stand-alone bill for the airline industry, which just began mass layoffs after federal aid expired. Pelosi also sounded out Democratic lawmakers on the possibility at a closed-door meeting Wednesday evening, according to three people with knowledge of the discussion who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe it. Two of these people said that Democratic members still would prefer a comprehensive bill but are sensitive to the many jobs at risk in the airline industry. The new effort to fast-track airline aid comes as negotiators appear to have largely shelved prospects for broader unemployment aid and other assistance. But the situation seemed somewhat fluid in the wake of a late-night change of heart from Trump on Tuesday, where he demanded piecemeal legislation on $1,200 stimulus checks and small-business assistance, in addition to airline aid. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the administration still held out hope for such one-off measures — even though Democrats have consistently rejected that approach — and Trump broke his coronavirus isolation Wednesday afternoon to go into the Oval Office, where a spokesman said he was being briefed on stimulus talks.<br/>
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Until recently, XpresSpa was known for offering manicures, pedicures, massages and waxing services at 25 airports in the US and around the world, where travelers with some time between flights could get themselves spruced up. But on Wednesday, the company began offering a rapid molecular coronavirus test, manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, that will return results within 13 minutes at Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International airports under the name XpresCheck. “We believe rapid Covid-19 testing at airports can play a major role in slowing the virus spread and decreasing the risk of new community outbreaks linked to travel as cases continue to rise throughout many states,” said Doug Satzman, CE of XpresSpa Group. The company’s move comes as the number of people flying remains low — on Tuesday the TSA screened about 590,000 people, compared with more than 2m on the same date in 2019. In recent weeks, airlines including United, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue, as well as airports, said they would begin offering coronavirus tests; with a negative test often meaning that the traveler can skip quarantine at their destination. As the travel industry grapples with how to get people traveling again, testing at the airport presents an opportunity to put people at ease about getting on a plane. Story has background.<br/>
The UK will study Covid-19 testing for arriving air passengers in a move aimed at providing relief to an airline industry desperate to return to some semblance of normal traffic levels. The government, which has previously resisted tests already being used in some other countries, has formed a task force to evaluate the idea along with other measures to support the travel sector, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Wednesday in a statement in Parliament. Britain will also cooperate with other countries to develop a global approach. Airlines have been clamoring for months for the UK to adopt a testing regime that would open up more destinations and give passengers increased certainty about flying. It currently mandates two weeks of quarantine for travelers from an ever-changing roster of high-risk locations. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also maintain their own lists, adding to the complexity and leading many consumers to avoid planes altogether. London’s Heathrow airport, together with Manchester Airports Group, EasyJet Plc and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., welcomed the development but said the task force must act fast. Testing should be implemented by early November, they said, with people checked for the virus on day five after arriving, slashing the self-isolation period. There should also be an examination of pre-departure testing, which would help remove the need for quarantines altogether, the companies said -- including rapid-test technology that can require a wait of an hour or less.<br/>
The owner of three major UK airports is planning to cut up to 900 jobs in response to a fall in passenger numbers and the end of the government furlough scheme. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has begun discussions with trade unions over the loss of up to 465 roles at Manchester airport, 376 at London Stansted and 51 at East Midlands airport. Additionally, it is looking to make other changes such as altering certain roles and staff roster patterns, in an effort to cut costs to ensure the future of the business following the pandemic. Aviation has been one of the sectors hardest hit by coronavirus, and the airport operator said it had seen a more than 90% fall in demand from passengers between April and August. Its three airports welcomed 2.8m passengers during that period, compared with 30.3 million the previous year. The group revealed that current monthly passenger demand was 75% below normal levels. MAG, which employs around 6,000 people, said it had taken steps to reduce its cost base since the start of the pandemic, including asking every employee to accept a year-long 10% pay cut, while it also paused investment and non-essential spending. The company said it had already reduced the size of its management team and made extensive use of the government’s furlough job retention scheme. It is understood to have furloughed at least 70% of its staff during lockdown. The furlough scheme finishes at the end of October, to be replaced by the less generous job support scheme, where the government will cover 22% of worker pay for six months.<br/>
There's been very little good news to report in the aviation industry over the past few months, with airplanes grounded or pushed into early retirement. However, Boom Supersonic is going all out to show that there will be light at the end of the tunnel in the future. More than 50 years after the world's first supersonic airliner took its maiden flight, the Denver based start-up has made history with the roll out of XB-1, the first independently developed supersonic aircraft. Dubbed Baby Boom, the 71-foot-long fuselage is a 1:3 scale prototype of Boom's upcoming supersonic commercial jet Overture, which is to have a maximum speed of Mach 2.2, making it capable of flying London to New York in just three hours and 30 minutes. "Supersonic [travel] has been promised for so long," Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic says. "What's different is that we now have history's first independently developed supersonic jet. We have an assembled aircraft with all the technology that we need to do what we're talking about here. And it's not a piece of paper, it's not a computer render, it's an airplane. An airplane designed to be safe enough for humans to fly on. So supersonic is here." XB-1, which has a wingspan of 6.40m, is equipped with three J85-15 engines, designed by General Electric, that supply more than 12,000 pounds of thrust, allowing it to fly at breakthrough supersonic speeds. According to the team at Boom, the aircraft's carbon-composite airframe will enable it to maintain its strength and rigidity "under the high temperatures and stresses of supersonic flight." The eagerly anticipated roll out of XB-1, specifically designed to "discover learnings" for Overture, was broadcast on October 7 in a live virtual presentation.<br/>