general

Airports and commercial airlines across the United States registered one of their busiest days since before the pandemic on Wednesday as millions of Americans traveled to visit loved ones for the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving-eve usually tends to be the busiest day for travel. This year, however, working from home allowed many people to travel early and avoid the last day rush. "So far, so good," said Lani Emanuel, who was traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle to see her daughter. "It was a little tricky finding parking, but it doesn't seem too crazy busy just yet." At Newark Airport, too, passengers did not have to wait long to pass through the security checkpoints. Some of the restaurants at the airport were not packed, either. Yet, the TSA advised passengers to arrive early to allow extra time for security. U.S. carriers also ramped up capacity, anticipating higher demand on Thanksgiving-eve, data from Cirium showed. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of what was shaping up as the busiest holiday season in two years. Rising COVID-19 vaccination rates have made people more confident about travel, leading to a surge in bookings. US consumers also enter the holiday season flush with spending power, thanks to a still-hefty pile of leftover savings from multiple rounds of government pandemic relief and now double-digit year-over-year wage increases as businesses compete for scarce workers. Data out Wednesday showed consumer spending overall grew by a greater-than-expected 1.3% in October. Spending on big-ticket items like automobiles lifted the headline figure, but the data also showed broad-based increases in spending on services like travel and eating out that had been sharply curtailed during much of the COVID-19 pandemic.<br/>

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday directed US attorneys to prioritize the prosecution of federal crimes on commercial aircraft as the holiday travel season kicks off. In a memo, Garland urged federal prosecutors to directly communicate with law enforcement about incidents on commercial flights that violate federal laws, and to encourage reporting crimes in a “complete and timely” way. Garland’s directive comes amid an uptick in reports of criminal behavior on flights. The FAA Tuesday said it has received approximately 5,338 reports of unruly passenger behavior since the start of the year. Of those reports, 3,856 were mask-related. The Transportation Security Administration doubled fines for passengers who refuse to comply with the federal mask mandate for air travel in September. However, flight attendants enforcing the mandate onboard commercial flights were still worried about physical attacks from travelers. In October, President Joe Biden instructed the Justice Department to “deal” with the rising number of violent incidents reported onboard commercial flights. Garland said Wednesday, the travel-heavy day before Thanksgiving, that he is concerned about the rise in criminal behavior that threatens the safety of flight attendants, flight crews and passengers. “Passengers who assault, intimidate or threaten violence against flight crews and flight attendants do more than harm those employees; they prevent the performance of critical duties that help ensure safe air travel,” the attorney general said. “Similarly, when passengers commit violent acts against other passengers in the close confines of a commercial aircraft, the conduct endangers everyone aboard.” In Wednesday’s memo, Garland also discussed the establishment of an information-sharing protocol between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Justice Department. It has already resulted in the referral of dozens of incidents to the FBI for investigation, he noted.<br/>

AT&T and Verizon Communications Wednesday agreed to adopt new precautionary measures to address air safety concerns raised from the planned use of C-Band spectrum for 5G wireless. The FAA and the aviation industry have raised concerns about potential interference caused by the 5G deployment with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters.AT&T and Verizon said they had committed for six months to take "additional steps to minimize energy coming from 5G base stations – both nationwide and to an even greater degree around public airports and heliports," and said that should address altimeter concerns. Earlier this month, AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay commercial launch of C-band wireless service until Jan. 5 after the FAA issued a Nov. 2 bulletin warning that action may be needed to address the potential interference caused by the 5G deployment. The FAA said Wednesday it would review the telecoms proposal, calling it "an important and encouraging step... The FAA believes that aviation and 5G C-band wireless service can safely co-exist." The FCC said "these technical mitigations represent one of the most comprehensive efforts in the world to safeguard aviation technologies." The FAA may issue an emergency directive to airlines by early December, and two House Democrats warned it could include "draconian but necessary restrictions on many types of critical flight operations."<br/>

Authorities on the Spanish island of La Palma on Wednesday lifted lockdown on three coastal towns as toxic fumes from the lava flowing into the sea partly dissipated, but the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano showed no signs of abating. The red-hot molten rock continued to gush along the western flanks of the volcano, which has been erupting since Sept. 19, and the pace of daily earth tremors is yet to slow down. La Palma airport remained closed since the weekend, and footage released by airport operator Aena showed staff shovelling tonnes of black ash from the runway. "If the eruption intensity doesn't diminish, it is most likely to keep affecting La Palma airport," said Carmen Lopez, who heads the National Geographic Institute's geophysical monitoring programme. The cloud is less dense now, said Miguel Angel Morcuende, technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan. "However, we recommend that people living near where the lava flow reaches the sea to wear the FFP2 masks and stay protected to prevent any problem," he told reporters.<br/>

The United Arab Emirates has held talks with the Taliban to run Kabul airport, going up against Gulf rival Qatar in a diplomatic tussle for influence with Afghanistan's new rulers, according to four sources with knowledge of the matter. UAE officials have held a series of discussions with the group in recent weeks to discuss operating the airport that serves as landlocked Afghanistan's main air link to the world, the foreign diplomats based in the Gulf region said. The talks demonstrate how countries are seeking to assert their influence in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan even as the hardline Islamist group largely remains an international pariah and its government not formally recognised by any country. The Emiratis are keen to counter diplomatic clout enjoyed there by Qatar, according to the sources who declined to be name due to the sensitivity of the matter. The Qataris have been helping run the Hamid Karzai International Airport along with Turkey after playing a major role in evacuation efforts following the chaotic US withdrawal in August, and have said they are willing to take over the operations. Yet the Taliban has not yet formalised an arrangement with Qatar, the four diplomats said. A senior Emirati foreign ministry official said the UAE, which previously ran Kabul airport during the US-backed Afghan republic, "remains committed to continuing to assist in operating" it to ensure humanitarian access and safe passage. Abu Dhabi also aided recent evacuation efforts. The Taliban and Qatari authorities did not respond to requests for comment.<br/>

Dubai Airshow 2021, which was held last week, was officially the biggest edition of the event since it first began in 1989, with an incredible $78b worth of deals announced during the week. The mega event welcomed more than 104,000 attendees and witnessed a 50% increase in trade visitors which included global senior executives from 148 countries. The airshow was bigger than the pre-pandemic 2019 edition in terms of visitor numbers and deals announced. It was also a significant milestone for the defence and space sectors which saw a range of deals and agreements declared, a statement said. Some of the notable deals which took place during the event included Airbus who announced orders and commitments totalling 408 aircraft (269 firm orders and 139 commitments). The agreements covered the full range of commercial aircraft families, including a first commitment for the A350F freighter derivative. Airbus launched its latest global market forecast outlining progressively shifting demand from fleet growth to accelerated retirement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft resulting in a need for some 39,000 new-build passenger and freighter aircraft. Of these,15,250 aircraft (around 40%) are for replacements.<br/>