The number of commercial jet aircraft accidents rose slightly in 2021 over the previous year, reflecting an increase in global flights as the airline industry rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. There were 23 commercial jet aircraft accidents in 2021, according to the 53rd edition of Boeing’s annually updated report on commercial aviation accidents – Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents: Worldwide Operations: 1959-2021. Only one accident was fatal – a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 that lost altitude shortly after take-off on 9 January 2021 and crashed into the ocean off the coast of Indonesia. Six crew members and 56 passengers died and the aircraft was destroyed. By comparison, there were 17 commercial jet accidents in 2020, three of which were fatal, according to last year’s report. The global commercial jet fleet logged about 46.9m flight hours in 2021, up 11% from 42.2m hours the previous year. Both years were down significantly from highs of more than 70m flight hours in 2018 and 2019. Including the Sriwijaya Air crash in Indonesia, four accidents in 2021 resulted in hull losses, meaning the aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair, says Boeing’s report. The other three were 737s transporting cargo, including a West Atlantic 737-400 that landed hard in Exeter, UK, on 19 January; a Trigana Air 737-400 that experienced a partial gear collapse and overran the runway following an engine failure and turn back on 20 March in Jakarta; and a Transair 737-200 that was ditched in the ocean on 2 July following an engine failure outside of Honolulu, causing one serious injury. Of the worldwide commercial jet fleet’s 307 total accidents between 2012 and 2021, 36 – or 12% – resulted in at least one death, the report says.<br/>
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Major US airlines told the US Transportation Department they will provide meals for customers delayed by three hours and hotel rooms for stranded passengers if prompted by issues under the airlines' control. American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and others detailed commitments in customer service plans they updated this week at USDOT's prompting. Many airlines have previously offered vouchers or hotel rooms for delays they caused but did not spell out commitments in customer service plans. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Aug. 19 that he would publish by Friday, ahead of the busy Labor Day holiday travel weekend, an "interactive dashboard" for air travelers to compare services each large US airline provides when the cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control. Buttigieg had written airline chief executives asking them "at a minimum" to provide meal vouchers for delays of three hours or more and lodging for those who must wait overnight because of disruptions within the carrier’s control. Buttigieg also warned USDOT is "contemplating options" to write new rules "that would further expand the rights of airline passengers." In the past, some airline customers had to know to ask for vouchers or hotels from airlines. Some airlines said in updated customer service plans that if they cannot find a hotel room, they will provide a voucher or reimburse stranded passenger if they find a reasonably priced room on their own and will reimburse them for transportation.<br/>
US states and federal agencies should have new powers to investigate airline passengers complaints, a bipartisan group of 36 state attorneys general said Wednesday sharply criticizing air carriers and the Transportation Department. Passenger airlines are exempt from Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversight and most state investigations for consumer complaints under a 1958 law. The state attorneys general are asking Congress to pass legislationgranting them new authority to holdair carriers accountable. In a letter to Congress led by Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Democratic Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and also signed by the District of Columbia and Guam, the states said they have received thousands of complaints from outraged airline passengers, and have relayed them to USDOT but seen little action. "Americans are justifiably frustrated that federal government agencies charged with overseeing airline consumer protection are unable or unwilling to hold the airline industry accountable and to swiftly investigate complaints," the letter said. A spokesperson for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not immediately comment. Buttigieg has been pressing airlines to improve consumer service and told Reuters earlier this month that USDOT had completed 10 airline investigations and is pursuing enforcement actions. Airlines for America, a group representing major airlines, did not immediately comment.<br/>
The number of people traveling for the US Labor Day holiday weekend is expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels and possibly set new records in some cases, according to several travel companies. US travel demand remains elevated for the final holiday weekend of summer as people are choosing to squeeze in one more trip despite higher airfares and rates, ongoing disruptions to flights and the squeeze on household budgets due to inflation, the travel companies said. "People are not deciding to stay home, they are still going, they are still finding a way to travel," said Paula Twidale, AAA senior vice president of travel. The weekend of Labor Day, which always falls on the first Monday in September, may be tied with Memorial Day weekend as the busiest travel weekend of the summer with flight bookings set to match those of the May holiday, according to travel booking app Hopper. That would allow it to surpass travel volumes of the Fourth of July weekend.Labor Day holiday travel spending is up 17% compared with 2019 levels, according to Adobe Analytics, which measures data across travel, leisure and hospitality sites. Domestic flight prices are expected to be 20% higher than the holiday weekend in 2019 and 2021, according to Hopper. United anticipates 2.6m people will travel with the airline from Thursday through Tuesday. The airline carrier said this would nearly match its Labor Day weekend volume of 2019.<br/>
With holiday travel planning in high gear, the US Department of Homeland Security is urging those who mostly fly domestically to apply for TSA PreCheck instead of Global Entry, despite shared benefits. Applications for Global Entry have been experiencing processing times of up to 18 months, according to an alert posted on the DHS’s Trusted Traveler Programs website. This is as a result of a surge in demand for memberships while US Customs and Border Protection continues to clear the backlog from the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. The agency said Trusted Travelers Programs of which Global Entry comprises 80%, surpassed 10m total members in March, and is expecting another 3.5m in 2022—the most ever to be received in one year. By contrast most TSA PreCheck applicants can schedule an appointment in less than two weeks, and can receive approval in three to five days, the website says. According to the alert, those who travel internationally less than two times are a year should consider TSA PreCheck. The service eliminates the need to remove shoes, belts, liquids, laptops, and light jackets and provides dedicated lanes at more than 200 airports and 81 airlines across the US. Children 12 and under are not required to obtain their own Known Traveler Number (KTN) and can join a parent or guardian in speeding through the screening process without one. PreCheck costs $85 for five years and involves fingerprinting and verification of citizen documents. Global Entry includes TSA PreCheck and is for travel by air, land, and sea into the US from international destinations. It offers self-service kiosks or E-Gates with facial recognition and allows travelers to skip customs paperwork and long immigration lines. Membership costs $100 and lasts five years. However, unlike TSA PreCheck, children regardless of age, including newborns, need their own separate membership and must attend an interview appointment.<br/>
The US government is seeking to seize a Boeing 737 aircraft owned by Russian oil company Lukoil PJSC for allegedly violating sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine. The Justice Department announced Wednesday it had obtained a warrant to seize the aircraft, which is valued at $45m and bears the tail number VP-CLR. The aircraft “flew into and out of Russia in violation of the Department of Commerce’s sanctions against Russia,” the US government said. According to the Justice Department, the jet last entered the US in March 2019 when it carried Lukoil executives, including an unidentified Russian oligarch, to Houston. The company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Vagit Alekperov, who has an estimated net worth of $19.4b, resigned as Lukoil’s chief executive officer in April after being hit by Western sanctions. More recently, billionaire Leonid Fedun stepped down as the company’s vice president of strategy. The US and its allies have been seizing luxury assets owned by wealthy Russians and corporations since the invasion of Ukraine.<br/>