The United States reopened its borders for vaccinated foreign travelers on Monday, ending more than 18 months of restrictions on international travel that separated families and cost the global travel industry hundreds of billions of dollars in tourism revenue. Before dawn on Monday, thousands of excited passengers flocked into Heathrow Airport for the first flights to the United States out of London. They were welcomed by dozens of airline staff who beamed and waved American flags as they ushered guests toward designated areas for documentation and security checks. “New York, baby, here we come,” shouted one passenger as he high-fived a Virgin Atlantic staff member who was dressed as Elvis Presley. “God bless America,” yelled another. The policy shift has come in time for the holiday season, when the beleaguered tourism industry is eagerly awaiting an influx of international visitors, especially in popular big-city destinations. In New York alone, the absence of tourists in 2020 resulted in a loss of $60bin revenue and wiped out 89,000 jobs across retail, arts, culture, hotels and transportation, the state comptroller found. Under the new rules, fully vaccinated travelers are allowed to enter the United States if they can show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test taken within three days before departure. Unvaccinated Americans and children under 18 are exempt from the requirement, but must take a coronavirus test within 24 hours of travel. While the new entry requirements ease travel for vaccinated travelers, they restrict people who were previously permitted to visit the United States, including unvaccinated travelers from Japan, Singapore, Mexico and other countries. Those who have received vaccines that have not been approved by the WHO for emergency use, like the Russian Sputnik V, will also not be permitted to enter.<br/>
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Planes poured across the North Atlantic towards the United States on Monday, a boon for airlines after 19 months of travel restrictions - but that alone won’t be enough for carriers whose profits depend on filling the most expensive seats. Experts say the real battle of the transatlantic, the world’s most lucrative travel market, takes place at the front of the plane, in first, business, and premium economy class, where those paying the top prices help drive airline profits. Question marks remain over the pace and extent of the return of corporate travel budgets, after the pandemic showed online calls and virtual meetings offered a workable alternative. That’s mixed news for the likes of IAG and Lufthansa, whose profits have in the past been buoyed by corporates spending more by booking closer to departure and flying at more convenient times. Most experts believe that corporate travel will lag the recovery in leisure travel. US spending on corporate travel is expected to reach only 25%–35% of 2019 levels by Q4 2021, and 65%–80% a year later, according to a Deloitte survey of 150 travel managers.<br/>
The US Transportation Department will announce on Monday it is offering an additional $184m in payroll assistance to 158 more aviation manufacturing businesses. In September, the department offered $482.3 million to 313 aviation manufacturing businesses. The new offers include $17.5m to BAE Systems Controls and about $13m to both Airbus's US arm and Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. The department said it will reopen the application process a final time requiring applications by Dec. 13. Congress earlier this year created a $3b aviation manufacturing payroll subsidy program that will cover up to half of eligible companies' compensation costs for as long as six months. The offer requires companies to commit to not conducting furloughs without employee consent or laying off employees covered by subsidies during the six-month period. Companies eligible include aircraft, engine, propeller or component manufacturers and companies that repair or overhaul airplanes and parts. To qualify, a company must have involuntarily furloughed or laid off at least 10% of its total workforce, or have experienced a decline of at least 15% in 2020 total operating revenue.<br/>
Power is restored at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after a partial outage caused delays and flight cancellations at major airlines, a tweet from the TSA says. The outage affected services at two terminals, with American Airlines Group and Southwest experiencing “significant flight impacts,” the airport said on Twitter. Southwest Airlines, which carries the most passengers at Phoenix Sky Harbor, canceled more than 68 flights and diverted another 10 to other cities, the carrier said. American Airlines, the No. 2 carrier at Phoenix, canceled 17 flights, with another 95 delayed.<br/>
A judge ruled on Monday that 12 people who had been arrested following an emergency landing in Spain's Mallorca island will remain under custody without bond under preliminary charges of sedition and coercion. Two of them were also charged with favouring illegal immigration, the Balearic Island top court said. The Palma de Mallorca judge ordered their imprisonment pending trial three days after a group of passengers fled a plane onto the runway at the city's airport, causing it to close for over three hours. Authorities are looking for 12 other people who fled the plane. The Air Arabia Maroc flight from Casablanca to Istanbul made an emergency landing at Palma de Mallorca airport on Friday evening after reports of an ill passenger, police said. The 12 arrested included the ill passenger, who was taken to hospital with a companion. The companion then tried to flee the hospital and was also arrested.<br/>
Singapore and Malaysia will launch a vaccinated travel lane (VTL) between Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Nov 29. This was announced in a joint statement by PM Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob after both leaders spoke on the phone on Monday. "The Prime Ministers recognised that COVID-19 has disrupted people to people connections between the two countries, and separated families for many months," read the statement. "Given the significant progress that both countries have made in vaccinating their respective populations and managing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Ministers agreed that it is timely to progressively resume cross-border travel between both countries, in a safe manner." This is Malaysia's first VTL. The VTL will start with six designated services between Changi Airport and KLIA a day, said Transport Minister S Iswaran. Vaccinated Travel Pass applications for short-term visitors and long-term pass holders will open on Nov 22. Returning Singaporeans and permanent residents will not need to apply.<br/>
Brazil's Embraer Monday became the latest planemaker to unveil concepts for environmentally friendly air travel, including a dual-fuelled propellor plane, as aviation faces mounting pressure to tackle global warming. The world's third-largest planemaker unveiled the proposals to coincide with the COP26 climate gathering in Glasgow, calling them a "building block" towards reaching aviation industry targets of net-zero emissions by 2050. Environmental groups have said the goals are too timid. In a virtual presentation, Embraer outlined four concepts grouped under the family "Energia" with various combinations of range and technology like fuel cells or hydrogen power, adding it sees a potential maret for some 4,000 airplanes. The designs include a nine-seat hybrid-electric plane capable of reducing carbon emissions by 50% before 2030 and a shorter-range all-electric equivalent, also for nine passengers, that would have no carbon emissions and be ready by 2035. The two nine-seaters could be flown by a single pilot. Also on the menu is a 19-seater powered by hydrogen-based fuel cells by 2035 and a 35-50-seat plane by 2040 designed to use hydrogen on short routes, backed up by sustainable aviation fuel for extra range and emergency reserves. Embraer said its designs - the result of work kept under wraps for two years - would address a gap between the new eVTOL or flying-taxi industry and 50-seater turboprops or small jets. It believes small regional planes will be the first to embrace breakthrough technologies like hydrogen, ahead of the bigger narrowbody commercial jetliners. But experts say such schemes will seed technology that may become more widespread.<br/>