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A year ago this week, Doug Parker, the CE of American Airlines, flew to Washington to begin what became a yearlong lobbying campaign for a series of taxpayer-funded bailouts during the pandemic. He wasn’t alone. The campaign also included leaders from Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, United, SkyWest and Southwest — all with their hands extended. The flight attendant and pilot unions were also part of the lobbying. A year later, as the stock market cruises to new heights, questions should be asked about the $50b in grants that were used to prop up the airline industry. Was it worth it? And was it necessary? The good news is that the rescue money likely saved as many as 75,000 jobs, most remaining at full pay. And that money also kept the airlines from filing for bankruptcy, and in a position to ferry passengers all over the country to jump start economic growth as the health crisis subsides. The bad news is that it is also likely that taxpayers massively overpaid: The original grant of $25b in April meant that each of the 75,000 jobs saved cost the equivalent of more than $300,000. And with each additional round of bailout money, that price has grown. Story has more. <br/>

The EU wants to work with the US government to curb aviation’s contribution to climate change, including through possible pollution standards on jet fuel, a senior European Commission official said on Tuesday. The EU has said every sector must contribute to its goal of eliminating its net emissions of the greenhouse gases causing climate change by 2050. That includes aviation, whose global emissions increased over the past two decades until the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights and caused a temporary drop in pollution last year. As well as emitting carbon dioxide, flights contribute to climate change by producing nitrous gases, soot and water vapour contrails that can cause an amplified warming effect. “Historically ... these non-CO2 impacts haven’t really been taken into account, and maybe we could work with the US administration to encourage them to be taken into account,” said Damien Meadows, acting head of the Commission’s department for aviation climate policy. An EU study in November found non-CO2 emissions are responsible for about two thirds of the global warming caused by aviation. “If we worked with the United States we could try to raise fuel standards to diminish the amount of soot elements causing non-CO2 impacts,” Meadows told the European Parliament.<br/>

A recovery in UK travel bookings appears undimmed by the suspension of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine elsewhere in Europe, airlines said on Tuesday, as the setback threatens to delay immunisation campaigns in affected countries. France, Germany, Italy and 10 other EU states have paused vaccinations with the AstraZeneca shot pending the investigation of unusual cases of cerebral thrombosis in a small number of people who had received it. If sustained, the suspension could hamper efforts to bring the pandemic under control and exit lockdowns, particularly in countries such as France whose vaccination plans rely heavily on supplies from AstraZeneca. But a steady improvement underway in summer flight bookings from the UK, which is ahead of the EU on vaccination and has not suspended the AstraZeneca jab, so far shows little sign of abating. “There’s been no dent whatsoever” in ticket sales, said a spokesman for low-cost airline Jet2, which on Monday announced additional flights to destinations including the Canary Islands, Spain, Greece and Turkey. “If anything the numbers that we saw to Turkey over the last 24 hours are strengthening.”<br/>

The Philippines will limit foreign arrivals in its main Manila airport to 1,500 passengers a day for a month starting March 18, the Civil Aeronautics Board said, as coronavirus infections surged anew. Philippine Airlines, in a Facebook post, said it may cancel some international flights. Some passengers will also have to postpone travel to Manila to comply with immigration directives, the carrier also said. Most foreigners are still barred from entering the country. The Philippines, which has Southeast Asia’s second-worst outbreak, reported daily cases above 4,000 for the fifth day on Tuesday, bringing total infections over 631,000. Its daily count has hit the highest since August in the past days, but the surge is seen to have limited impact on the economy.<br/>

Authorities are advising foreign airlines to provide passengers flying to Laos with “out-smart” bracelets that monitor their temperature, as part of continuing efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Monday instructed the Lao Public Works and Transport Ministry to notify foreign airlines of this requirement. According to local daily Vientiane Times on Tuesday, foreign airlines are required to inform passengers before they board a flight that they may be refused permission to enter Laos if they do not wear an “out-smart” bracelet. The committee is also requiring all foreign citizens entering Laos to purchase Covid-19 insurance through the Lao Health Ministry. Covid-19 insurance is now mandatory in addition to other travel documents and requests for permission to enter the country, which must be submitted to the ministry.<br/>

Boeing is scrutinising the flight-deck windows of some of its 787 Dreamliners as the beleaguered planemaker expands its search for potential manufacturing flaws that have delayed deliveries of its marquee jetliner, according to people briefed on the matter. Boeing has been testing the cockpit windows in a limited batch of aircraft after learning a supplier modified its production process, two of the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is sensitive. Boeing wants to ensure the windows still meet its requirements after the change, but the testing isn't expected to affect March deliveries, one of the people said. The emergence of yet another potential glitch comes as Boeing's mechanics and engineers work furiously to try and restart 787 Dreamliner deliveries by the end of this month, in line with what executives promised during a January earnings call. The US manufacturer hasn't handed over any of the jets since October after discovering more of the tiny dimples in the inner lining where the carbon-fiber fuselage barrels are fused to form the jet's frame. New issues with the plane could pose problems for shipments beyond this month, making it more difficult for Boeing to meet its delivery target for the year.<br/>