Canada's transport regulator aims to beef up its passenger rights charter, placing more stringent rules around reimbursement by airlines - though some advocates say the rules fall short of frameworks in other countries. New regulations effective Sept. 8 will require carriers to either refund passengers or rebook them, at the traveller's choice, if a flight is cancelled or delayed by three hours or more, the Canadian Transportation Agency said Wednesday. Previously, the passenger rights regime only required refunds for flight disruptions that were within the airline's control, which excluded situations ranging from weather to war to unscheduled mechanical issues. “These regulations will close the gap in the Canadian air passenger protection regime highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that even when cancellations and lengthy delays occur that are outside the airline's control passengers will be protected if the airline cannot complete their itinerary within a reasonable period of time,” agency chair France Pegeot said. The regulations match policies implemented by Air Canada in 2021, said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick. Thousands of Canadians have faced a slew of long delays and flight cancellations as airlines and security and customs agencies struggle to handle a staffing shortage amid the recent travel surge. The problem is expected to leave summer travellers without protection from the new rules, which don't kick in until fall. The regulations will require airlines to offer a rebooking or refund within 30 days if they cannot provide a new reservation within 48 hours of a flight cancellation or three-hour-plus delay.<br/>
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The chaos afflicting American travel has continued as a shortage of pilots became the latest flashpoint for anger against the embattled airline industry. On Tuesday, more than 1,300 Southwest airline pilots picketed in Dallas, Texas, amid stalled contract negotiations. American Airlines, which flies to more than 350 destinations, also blamed pilot shortages for its decision to stop operations in three cities – Ithaca and Islip, both in New York, and Toledo in Ohio – after 7 September. The airline is the the only major one providing service out of Toledo. Staffing shortages persist at many airlines, even as travelers are eager to return to flying. “In response to the regional pilot shortage affecting the airline industry, American Airlines has made the difficult decision to end service,” a spokeswoman, Andrea Koos, said. Following the cancellation or delay of approximately 14,000 flights in the US on Friday and Saturday, the pilot shortages are exacerbating the airlines’ existing struggle to cope with the vast number of daily travelers. Many airlines have blamed the shortage and general staffing issues on increased travel demands following the easing of pandemic restrictions and the busy summer holiday season. Airline workers, however, counter that low wages and poor conditions are to blame. Pilots say that near-daily flight reassignments have added stress to their jobs, exacerbating existing fatigue. The picketing in Dallas is over related issues, said Capt Casey A Murray, a pilot and the president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, who said that almost 30% of pilots at Southwest are reassigned daily, sometimes on longer flights that leave them feeling overwhelmed.<br/>
For nonbinary and transgender travelers, it is a time of patchwork progress for broader gender inclusion. In the United States, the federal government has taken steps to recognize more gender identities, while most airlines are yet to implement change. Since April 11, US citizens have been able to select a nonbinary gender marker, “X,” when applying for a passport. The process only requires checking the box and does not require medical certificates, court documents or other paperwork; the gender chosen for the passport does not need to match the person’s other documentation. For travelers who identify as transgender or who do not conform to traditional gender roles, having more inclusive options is a recognition of who they are as people. Surveys have shown that having their pronouns respected leads to better mental health for nonbinary people, especially young people. “This is a simple, clear step many airlines should be taking,” said Keisha Williams, the director of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program. “All airline passengers deserve to fly comfortably without fear of discrimination or being misgendered.” Yet some travelers have expressed frustration that although they can now hold a nonbinary passport, and despite the airlines’ support of LGBTQ initiatives like Pride Month, only two major US airlines currently offer options other than male or female when booking airfares. <br/>
A drone-delivery company that has made thousands of medical drops in Africa, including distributions of Covid-19 vaccines, was approved by US regulators to operate as a small air carrier. Zipline International, which already is making deliveries with companies such as Walmart, said Tuesday that the FAA certification would allow it to expand by shipping heath-care products from its North Carolina headquarters. “We are one step closer to making safe, clean and quiet instant delivery a reality for communities across the US,” said Keller Rinaudo, CEO at Zipline. Several companies, including Alphabet Inc.’s Wing LLC, Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Air and United Parcel Service Inc.’s UPS Flight Forward, have received similar approvals, according to FAA’s website. While they and other companies are testing delivery systems, the FAA hasn’t written basic regulations and safety standards to allow for routine product drops by drones. Zipline’s approval as an air carrier occurred on Friday, the company said. Unlike most of its competitors that operate drones that can take off vertically, Zipline uses an aircraft that flies more like a traditional plane and is capable of traveling longer distances. The company says it has made more than 300,000 commercial deliveries, many of them medical supply drops in Africa.<br/>
Flights to and from Damascus International Airport will resume on June 23 after Israeli air strikes damaged the airstrip and a terminal, which resulted in halting operations there, state media reported on Wednesday citing a transport ministry statement.<br/>
A study to examine the benefits of a space-based system to allow pilots to talk to air traffic controllers will see Singapore involved in the launch of a communication satellite into space. It is the first such study of its kind and if successful, will help to shape international aviation laws and make air travel safer, said the four organisations involved. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Economic Development Board's Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn) will work with two firms to launch a purpose-built satellite carrying communications equipment into space next year. CAAS and OSTIn signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday (June 21) with air transport IT firm Sita and satellite platform Startical for the one-year study to improve communications in air traffic control. In a joint statement, the organisations noted that as current Very High Frequency (VHF) stations are ground-based, there is limited or no VHF voice communications coverage over oceanic, mountainous or remote areas beyond the range of ground-based stations. Pilots and air traffic controllers communicate via VHF voice communications in instances such as aircraft landing or change in flight paths. "Space-based VHF voice communications will have more comprehensive coverage, which helps to enhance the safety and efficiency of air traffic management," they added.<br/>
South Korea on Wednesday confirmed its first case of monkeypox virus and pledged to strengthen monitoring and response systems as it raised the alert level to "caution" for the infectious disease. A Korean citizen, who is receiving treatment at the Incheon Medical Center after showing symptoms while entering the country from Germany on Tuesday afternoon, has tested positive, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. It did not provide details of the individual. The agency raised the alert level for the infectious disease to "caution", the second of the country's four levels, upon confirmation of the virus case. It said it will step up monitoring by designating areas that require strengthened quarantine management, mainly among people from countries where monkeypox occurs frequently. "The KDCA has been pushing for utilising secured (monkeypox) vaccines and treatments ... and additional introduction of those, while the agency is continuously expanding its diagnostic testing capabilities," KDCA Commissioner Peck Kyong-ran said.<br/>
Australia’s air traffic control agency is relying on hundreds of hours of overtime as it struggles to fill shifts in airport towers, a union analysis of internal rostering documents shows. The staff union representing the nation’s air traffic controllers, Civil Air, has warned that understaffing problems at Airservices Australia are so severe they threaten to undermine its ability to provide air traffic services. “The consequences ultimately are a reduction of air service provision, which could mean airspace closures, potentially, or a restriction of services or hours,” Peter McGuane, the union’s executive secretary, said. “The potential for that to happen is quite real.” The claim has been strongly denied by Airservices, which says there is no shortage of air traffic controllers. It says there have been no airspace closures and no reduction in its ability to manage airspace safely and efficiently. The organisation said it had more than 900 air traffic controllers, with another 65 in training, and requires about 800 to fully staff the air traffic management system. “Like most industries, we are experiencing the impacts of Covid-19 and one of the worst flu seasons seen in years, leading to high levels of short-notice, unplanned absences of our staff,” an Airservices spokesperson said. “We are managing these short-term, unplanned absences safely through overtime shifts, governed by our Fatigue Risk Management System.” Last week, Airservices brought on a new service for air traffic in and out of Rockhampton and Mackay airports. A union analysis of rosters for that service, seen by the Guardian, shows the scale of the overtime.<br/>
As wireless headphones become increasingly omnipresent, standard-issue airline headphones with their tangled cables and multi-pronged jack plugs seem increasingly outdated. Sure, you can now link up personal headphones with some airplane inflight entertainment systems, but will your batteries last the length of a long-haul flight, and are you willing to risk losing your expensive earbud in the seat mechanism, never to be seen again? Enter Euphony, a new airplane seat concept from French aircraft interior designer Safran Seats, produced in collaboration with audio technology company Devialet. Euphony does away with the need for a personal headset. Instead, speakers are installed in each individual seat's headrest, with sound levels perfected so passengers can enjoy their choice of inflight entertainment without being overheard or disturbed by their neighbor. Safran premiered the concept this month at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg. At first glance, the AIX prototype looks similar to a regular business class airplane seat. Safran has made only minor aesthetic adjustments to the headrest design. But the difference is apparent as soon as the inflight entertainment is switched on. Sound starts blasting out of the headrest, droning out the pre-recorded airplane engine sounds already echoing through the experience room. The screen plays the booming trailer for the recent Marvel movie "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Atmospheric music blares through the headrest, before the system switches to a couple of different audio experiences, including a podcast, for comparison.<br/>
Boeing expects supply chain problems to persist almost until the end of 2023, led by labour shortages at mid-tier and smaller suppliers, partly due to the faster-than-expected return of demand, its chief executive said on Wednesday. Boeing said last month that production of its 737 aircraft had been slowed by shortages of a single type of wiring connector, while some of its airline customers had been forced to cancel flights due to a lack of staff in the post-pandemic recovery. "The shift from demand to now supply issues ... is remarkable, the speed with which it happened," Boeing CE David Calhoun said. He said Boeing had a big, complicated supply chain with lots of fragility in it, leading to problems when there were delays. "It's been a real issue for both manufacturers and will probably stay that way in my view almost to the end of next year," Calhoun said. "And the biggest restraint of all for that mid-tier set of suppliers and sub-tier set of suppliers is labour availability, do we have a workforce," he said. Reuters last month reported engine maker CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Safran, was facing industrial delays of six to eight weeks in the wake of supply-chain problems. Airbus last month said it saw growing short-term risks in its supply chain but voiced confidence that its global network of suppliers would ill be able to keep up.<br/>