The airline industry is pushing back against new CDC guidelines that fully vaccinated people should still avoid travel. In a new statement, industry group Airlines For America insists being on board a plane poses a low risk of coronavirus infection because of heavily filtered air and federally mandated mask wearing. "We remain confident that this layered approach significantly reduces risk," the group said. The announcement comes after the CDC said those who are vaccinated can meet with others who are vaccinated and even low-risk people who aren't vaccinated but should still avoid travel. "Every time there's a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country," said CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky during Monday's White House coronavirus response briefing. Health experts remain concerned that spring break travel will lead to an uptick in coronavirus infection rates.<br/>
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Both houses of the US Congress have passed the third comprehensive coronavirus relief package for the air transport industry, which would grant airlines $14 billion more in payroll support as the crisis drags on. The US Congress passed the legislation, called the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, early on 6 March. It now heads back to the House of Representatives for a final vote on 9 March and is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden shortly thereafter. The aid would come with the same conditions as included in the previous financial relief measures. It would prohibit airlines from laying off staff for another six months, until the end of September 2021, and restrict airline executive pay and share buybacks. The funds would provide about 60% of the airlines’ employee costs. <br/>
US airlines carried an average of more than 1m passengers a day in the past week, the highest non-holiday total since the Covid-19 pandemic began gutting travel demand in the countryalmost a year ago. Sunday’s total of 1.28m was the third highest since travel collapsed in mid-March 2020, according to data reported by the TSA. The airline industry remains severely depressed compared to before the pandemic erupted. Passenger volumes in the past week were 56% below the equivalent week in 2019, the most recent period that wasn’t depressed by the coronavirus, according to the Airlines for America trade group. That number has crept up, but only slowly. <br/>
US airlines, joined by travel groups and labor, urged the Biden administration to take the lead in developing standards for temporary Covid-19 health credentials that would help reopen global travel by documenting vaccinations and test results. The US “must be a leader” in efforts already underway in other regions to implement such travel passports, groups including Airlines for America said in a letter Monday to Jeffrey Zients, the head of President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 recovery team. It’s essential for the government to partner with carriers and the travel industry “to quickly develop” standards, they said. Increasing numbers of vaccinations and slowing rates of disease in many countries are expected to trigger a surge in travel after many consumers spent a year staying close to home to avoid contracting coronavirus. Covid-19 Health Certificates, or CHCs, are seen as essential to reopening many nations that have imposed quarantines or other restrictions on travelers from other countries. The US currently requires a negative Covid-19 test for those entering the country by airplane.<br/>
Amazon.com has scooped up a minority stake in a cargo airline that operates a portion of its fast-growing air-cargo division, the latest sign of the retailer’s long-term ambitions to expand its air-freight operations. Amazon spent $131m to acquire about 13.5m shares of Air Transport Services Group Inc., the air cargo operator said in a securities filing on Monday, exercising warrants Amazon had previously acquired. Amazon also acquired roughly 865,000 additional shares through an agreement in which no cash changed hands. The purchases are contingent upon approval by the US DoT, ATSG said. Following that approval, Amazon will own about 19.5% of ATSG, said Quint Turner, chief financial officer of the Wilmington, Ohio, company, a stake that gives Amazon the right to appoint one member of ATSG’s board of directors. If Amazon leases more aircraft and exercises all its warrants, the company could own as much as 39.9% of the cargo carrier, ATSG said in its annual report.<br/>
General Electric and AerCap Holdings have yet to announce any deals, but investors applauded reports that the two companies are discussing a combination that would create a giant of aircraft finance. AerCap gained the most in almost four months Monday while GE rose to the highest since May 2018. Already the world’s two biggest jet lessors, the companies are talking about getting even larger by joining their leasing operations, said people familiar with the matter. A deal may be reached as soon as this week, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing the talks. For GE, the negotiations spurred optimism that a transaction would accelerate CEO Larry Culp’s push to revitalize the once-mighty manufacturer. While details of the potential deal structure remain unknown, analysts said an agreement would be likely to diminish the risks of GE’s financial services arm, which nearly sank the company during the 2008 financial crisis and has remained a trouble spot in recent years. Investors have been cautious about GE Capital and other financial risks beyond the manufacturer’s core operations, Bank of America Corp. analyst Andrew Obin said in a client note. “A smaller GE Capital would simplify GE‘s story.”<br/>
More layoffs in Thailand's aviation industry will be seen this year as a result of no liquidity and a slow revival in international markets expected in the final quarter. Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth said all airlines are struggling with earnings as the domestic market has yet to regain positive momentum. Q4 of last year was the most prosperous period before the second outbreak ravaged the tourism industry from late December. The pandemic has seen all airlines to reduce their workforce by varying numbers, while one airline -- Nok Scoot -- had to permanently exit the market. The number of staff at seven airlines under AAT remain at just 16,000, a far cry from 25,000-30,000 prior to the outbreak. He said the smaller size was necessary for survival as they have to keep the operations costs in line with a more compact aircraft fleet. Puttipong, also a president at Bangkok Airways, said it slashed 20% of 3,000 employees over a year, flying only 30% of its 38 aircraft. He said aviation in Thailand might take four years to fully get back the 40m international arrivals seen in 2019. A cost-saving strategy will be the main target for airlines in terms of long-term plans.<br/>