The way Google calculates the climate impact of your flights has changed, the BBC has discovered. Flights now appear to have much less impact on the environment than before. That's because the world's biggest search engine has taken a key driver of global warming out of its online carbon flight calculator. "Google has airbrushed a huge chunk of the aviation industry's climate impacts from its pages" says Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist of Greenpeace. With Google hosting nine out of every 10 online searches, this could have wide repercussions for people's travel decisions. The company said it made the change following consultations with its "industry partners". It affects the carbon calculator embedded in the company's "Google Flights" search tool. If you have ever tried to find a flight on Google, you will have come across Google Flights. It appears towards the top of search results and allows you to scour the web for flights and fares. It also offers to calculate the emissions generated by your journey. Google says this feature is designed "to help you make more sustainable travel choices". Yet in July, Google decided to exclude all the global warming impacts of flying except CO2. Some experts say Google's calculations now represent just over half of the real impact on the climate of flights.<br/>
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President Joe Biden plans to announce a proposed new rule requiring airlines disclose more information about the fees they charge, such as those levied on passengers for canceling a trip or parents seeking to sit next to their children on a flight. Airlines, travel agents and online ticket portals would have to display all costs related to baggage options, flight changes and seat selection under the proposal, the Department of Transportation said in a press release. The regulation is part of Biden’s executive order promoting competition in the economy amid the highest inflation in decades. It will be announced at a White House Competition Council meeting, the DOT said. “Airline passengers deserve to know the full, true cost of their flights before they buy a ticket,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. “This new proposed rule would require airlines to be transparent with customers about the fees they charge, which will help travelers make informed decisions and save money.” Buttigieg and the airlines have sparred for months over a surge in flight delays and cancellations as travel resumed rapidly in the aftermath of the pandemic. <br/>
The US FAA said Monday it will work with countries when it sees early indications that civil aviation authorities are not meeting safety standards. The FAA previously would offer assistance only after the country had been downgraded. Now the agency will be able to work with a country to address developing safety risks before downgrading it. The FAA said if it notifies a country of a safety concern it will limit direct service and code sharing by foreign operators to current levels as it reviews whether to issue a downgrade. In May 2021, the FAA downgraded Mexico's aviation safety rating, an action barring Mexican carriers from adding new U.S. flights and limits the ability of airlines to carry out marketing agreements with one another. Over the objections of the Mexican government, the FAA downgraded Mexico - one of the most common international destinations for US air travelers - from a level called Category 1, which signifies compliance with international standards, to Category 2, the lowest level. Mexican authorities had promised that regaining the rating would be a "quick and easy process," but that has not been the case. The FAA did not immediately comment Monday on the status of Mexico's safety rating. In June, Mexico said it hoped to return to Category 1 in the coming months, after seven meetings with FAA officials including a review in June.<br/>
Canada will drop all Covid-19 restrictions for travelers from Oct. 1, including vaccination and masking requirements for flights and trains, the government said on Monday. The move is likely to boost the Canadian travel industry, already booming after months of lull during the pandemic. Canadian carriers were also pressing for an end to mask mandates on flights, citing thousands of incidents of non-compliance this year alone. “As Canadians and international visitors look to make travel plans, the long-awaited removal of all remaining measures effective Oct. 1, 2022 will further expedite recovery for our industry and the Canadian economy,” Canada’s second-largest carrier WestJet Airlines said in a statement. The decision to end restrictions was based on Canada’s vaccination rate, availability of newer vaccines and treatments and data showing the country had passed the peak of the latest wave of coronavirus infections, the government said. More than 90% of Canadians over 12 have taken the primary series of a Covid vaccine. This month, Canada authorized Moderna’s bivalent Covid-19 shots for adults, the country’s first Omicron-adapted vaccine. “Thanks largely to Canadians who have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated, we have reached the point where we can safely lift the sanitary measures at the border,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said. Duclos said the government was prepared to reinstate restrictions if needed. “Obviously we have no hope to reintroduce some of these measures but if we need to protect the safety of Canadians, we will have to,” he told reporters in Ottawa.<br/>
Airports Group Europe, an indirect subsidiary of IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, has sweetened its bid to obtain a majority stake in Vienna Airport. The group has raised its offer for up to 9.99% of shares in Flughafen Wien to E34 per share, including the dividend, from E33, it said on Monday. That would take its stake, which last stood just above 40%, to more than 50%. Flughafen Wien's management in August advised shareholders not to accept IFM's offer because it was too low in light of the expected further positive development of the company. IFM GIF, a long-time investor in Flughafen Wien, said the increase came in response to a better financial forecast from the operator of Vienna airport and was its "best and final price". Shareholders had the opportunity to accept the offer within an extended acceptance period of 10 trading days.<br/>
Mediterranean Shipping, the world’s largest container line, will expand into air cargo using four leased Boeing Co. wide-body freighters after missing out in a bid for Italy’s flag-carrier airline. The new business will led by Jannie Davel, a former managing director of cargo at Delta Air Lines who has also worked at Emirates and DHL, with the 777-200Fs to be provided by Atlas Air, which will fly them on MSC’s behalf. “This is our first step into this market and we plan to continue exploring various avenues to develop air cargo in a way that complements our core business,” MSC Chief Executive Officer Soren Toft said in a statement Monday. The Swiss firm joins French rival CMA CGM SA in establishing an in-house air-freight fleet. CMA began flying cargo jets in 2021 and in May, swollen with profits generated during the coronavirus pandemic, agreed an alliance with Air France-KLM that included a stake of as much as 9% in the debt-laden airline. A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S also agreed in 2021 to lease three Boeing 767 freighters and purchase two new 777Fs, to be operated and managed by cargo specialist Star Air. Still, the news from MSC comes as container shippers confront a downturn as weaker demand pushes prices to their lowest in more than two years. Air-freight volumes are also dipping and had returned to near pre-Covid levels as of July, down 10% from a year earlier.<br/>
Britain’s Doncaster Sheffield Airport will close due to a lack of “tangible proposals” for its future ownership and financial viability. Owner Peel Group Ltd. conducted a strategic review of the airport and will wind down services from Oct. 31, it said Monday. Peel pointed to high fixed costs and uncertainty over future income in saying it couldn’t responsibly accept an offer of public cash to keep the terminal running into next year. The closure will leave Leeds-Bradford as the only airport in Yorkshire, impacting travel in the region, though Manchester, East Midlands and Humberside airports are all no more than 50 miles away. New UK Prime Minister Liz Truss had promised to “protect this airport and this infrastructure” when questioned in the House of Commons after taking on the role. According to data from Cirium, Doncaster Sheffield was the 26th biggest airport in the UK pre-pandemic. More than 1,800 departing flights were scheduled last year, with Wizz Air Holdings Plc its largest operator, followed by TUI AG. Wizz closed its base at the airport in June.<br/>