US flight cancellations eased on Sunday but federal officials warned that disruptions could continue after severe winter storms and bitter cold upended air travel across the country ahead of Christmas. US airlines have canceled more than 12,000 flights from Wednesday through Saturday, about 14% of their schedule, according to flight tracker FlightAware. The bad weather and resulting flight disruptions upended the holiday of hundreds of thousands of people during what airlines expect to be one of the busiest periods since before the pandemic. In addition to delays, customers complained on social media about missing luggage. Airlines and travelers were hard-pressed to find alternative flights before the holiday because planes were booked so full and schedules dropped sharply during the weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration said schedules peaked at 47,554 flights on Thursday, dropping to 30,875 on Saturday and just 27,997 on Sunday, Christmas Day. Airlines are required to provide cash refunds to travelers who decide to scrap their trips altogether if carriers cancel their flights. FedEx and UPS warned holiday packages could arrive late due to the storms. Airlines scrubbed about 5,600 flights on Friday alone, about a quarter of the schedule, when storms swept through cities from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast, bringing life-threatening cold to many areas. Federal forecasters warned of dangerous road conditions from ice and low visibility. Southwest Airlines was hit hard by the weather, canceling about a quarter of its flights from Wednesday through Saturday, according to FlightAware.<br/>
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To some at La Guardia Airport, it seemed as if the Grinch was in charge. At least 54 flights were canceled as of Saturday morning, the airport said on Twitter. Travelers were preparing to spend Christmas Eve at the airport or nearby hotels, or finding alternate ways to reach their holiday destinations. Misty and Dan Ellis arrived at the airport for check-in at 3 a.m. with their teenage children. Hours later, their flight was canceled and each member of the family was rebooked on a different flight over two days without being consulted, Ellis said. The family decided to rent a car and drive 14 hours to Nashville. But with no cars available nearby, the Ellises planned to take an Uber to rent one at Newark Liberty International Airport. The cost, Ellis said, was $1,100 for a one-way rental, but he did not mind paying it. “We’ll be home, together,” he said, “for Christmas.” A customer service agent for Southwest Airlines said on Friday that the company was completely out of flights. The wintry conditions were also complicating the jobs of workers at La Guardia. Michael Lliguicota, a baggage handler, said water had splashed inside the screen of the computer he uses to check in bags. “It would be nice if we had a heater and a partition against the wind, not only for us, but for the customers,” Lliguicota said. “When we are busy, that’s good because we are moving.” As wind gusts exceeded 30 miles per hour, John Rivera, a member of the airport’s maintenance crew, patrolled curbs with a stick, breaking up icy patches. He said he has to find them quickly to prevent workers and travelers from slipping. “It freezes right away,” he said. “Once you get it at the right angle, it’s easy to break up.”<br/>
FedEx and United Parcel Service warned that packages could arrive late this week as a massive winter storm brought high winds, bitter cold and snow to large swaths of the United States ahead of Christmas weekend. Severe weather was already snarling air travel during what is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods since before the pandemic. “FedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at our Memphis and Indianapolis hubs last night due to severe winter weather that has been moving across the United States,” FedEx said Friday. It said packages set for delivery on Friday and Saturday, which is Christmas Eve, could be delayed across the country. UPS said severe weather “across several regions of the US are impacting the UPS Air and Ground network, including UPS hubs in Louisville, Kentucky and Rockford, Illinois. As a result, some delivery and pickup services in these areas will be affected.” The warnings come during one of the busiest times for package delivery, ahead of Christmas Day on Sunday. The massive winter storm made getting home for the holidays a challenge for thousands of travelers. Airlines cancelled more than 7,000 flights and delayed more than 20,000 from Wednesday through Friday afternoon, according to flight-tracker FlightAware. The period includes some of what airlines expect to be the busiest days of the holiday period. Snow and sleet in the Pacific Northwest also disrupted flights. <br/>
Airlines for America, a trade group representing US carriers, has lodged a complaint with the US Department of Transportation alleging unjustifiable, unreasonably discriminatory, anticompetitive and unreasonable charges have been levied against its member airlines by the Bahamas that violates the Air Transport Agreement (ATA) between the two countries. A4A says the Bahamas is charging "astronomical" fees for air navigation services that far exceed the cost of providing those services. The trade group says that the Bahamas views air navigation charges as a way to exercise their sovereign right over their airspace but A4A says the excessive levies are a breach of its obligations under Article 10 of the US-Bahamas ATA. In addition to the Bahamian government, listed respondents include Bahamas-based Air Ambulance Services Ltd., Azure Aviation (Bahamas), Bahamasair, Cherokee Air, Golden Wings Charter (Bahamas), Inter Island Charters (Bahamas), Island Wings Ltd., KSA Charters Ltd., LeAir Charters Ltd., Performance Air (Bahamas), Southern Air Charter, Trans Island Airways, and Western Air Bahamas. Airlines party to the A4A complaint include American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, FedEx Express, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and United Parcel Service. "After significant engagement with the government of the Bahamas on this issue, the members have not seen or received any details that confirms that Bahamas’s air navigation charges are consistent with their treaty obligations," the complaint reads. "Accordingly, the members resort to requesting that the department exercise its authorities under IATFCPA (International Air Transport Fair Competitive Practices Act of 1974) to remedy the unjustifiable, unreasonably discriminatory, anticompetitive activities of the Government of the Bahamas."<br/>
Strong winds, freezing rain and heavy snowfall closed schools, cut power to homes and cancelled flights across Canada on Friday as a powerful winter storm swept across the country, prompting authorities to warn people to stay indoors ahead of worsening conditions. The storm is connected to the same freezing weather system that has enveloped much of the United States ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend, thwarting travel plans and leaving more than a million homes and businesses without power. The storm was expected to affect about two-thirds of all Canadians as it moves across Canada's two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec, toward Atlantic Canada, said Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Flisfeder in Toronto. "Every winter we expect storms (but) this one is significant," he said. "We're seeing differing weather types that are all leading to different impacts ... affecting a very large population base in a short time span." Canada's second-largest carrier WestJet Airlines proactively cancelled all flights at airports in Toronto, Ottawa and the province of Quebec, citing bad weather. The largest carrier, Air Canada, also warned of delays and cancellations.<br/>
Passengers at British airports were warned of delays after passport control staff walked out on Friday on the first day of a strike due to last until New Year, though London's Heathrow and Gatwick reported no major disruptions. The Public and Commercial Services Union said more than 1,000 Border Force staff, who are employed by the government, were expecting to strike. They are following nurses, paramedics, and workers in the rail and postal sectors in the biggest wave of industrial action over pay and conditions in Britain for decades. The union said its Border Force members had been offered a 2% pay rise, far below inflation that stood at 10.7% in November. Border Force apologised for any disruption for travellers entering Britain and said it was working with partners across the travel industry to support the inflow of passengers and goods. "During the periods of industrial action, travellers should be prepared for disruption," COO Steve Dann said. Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, reported "minimal queuing" in its arrivals halls. "Immigration halls are free flowing ...with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good service," a spokesperson said. Gatwick, Britain's second busiest, said passengers should expect longer wait times at passport control between Friday and the end of the year. "We ...anticipate some disruption, but flights are operating normally, arrivals and departures, and we expect that to continue," Adam Jones, head of passenger operations, told Sky News.<br/>
Strikes by Border Force staff at UK airports could go on for months unless the government enters talks over pay, the head of the PCS union has said. Mark Serwotka said the union had a "mandate" for walkouts up until May. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "sad" about disruption caused by strikes, but said he had acted "fairly and reasonably" over public sector pay. Thousands of travellers arriving in the UK had been told to expect delays but so far disruption has been minimal. On the roads, however, there was "severe congestion" in some areas, according to the AA as the Christmas getaway gathered pace. It said that rail strikes, which are due to restart on Saturday, had added to the larger number of cars on the road, while accidents on the M1 and a partial closure of the M25 due to flooding had caused major traffic jams. Around 1,000 Border Force staff - many of whom check passports - are staging the first of a series of strikes from Friday to 26 December and from 28 to 31 December. Employees are walking out at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports, as well as the Port of Newhaven. Military personnel and civil servants have been drafted in to cover strikers. A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said on Friday afternoon that operations were going "smoothly" and the airport is running as normal. "The Immigration halls are free flowing with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good level of service for arriving passengers," the spokesperson added. Glasgow Airport also experienced "no issues" resulting from the strike action, a spokesperson told the BBC. There have been no reports of delays in the other airports either.<br/>
China, grappling with a new wave of COVID-19 infections, took another step towards loosening its pandemic-related restrictions on Saturday when Hong Kong's leader announced it would aim to re-open its borders with the mainland by mid-January. Speaking at a news conference upon returning from Beijing, Hong Kong CE John Lee said authorities would aim to "gradually, orderly, and fully" re-open all entry points between the two sides, and coordinate with the government of nearby Shenzhen to manage the flow of people. At present, individuals hoping to enter the mainland through Hong Kong can only do so through the city's airport or two checkpoints - Shenzhen Bay or the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. Entrants into the mainland must also undergo a period of hotel quarantine before they can move about freely. Hong Kong and Beijing shut their borders in early 2020 as COVID first surfaced and they have remained closed since then, as China has capped inbound travellers as part of its strict "zero-COVID" policy. Beijing loosened China's domestic zero-COVID restrictions earlier this month, dropping mandatory testing requirements and travel restrictions. While many have welcomed the easing, families and the health system were unprepared for the resulting surge of infections. Hospitals are scrambling for beds and blood, pharmacies for drugs and authorities are racing to build clinics.<br/>
India is planning to make a COVID-19 negative test report mandatory for passengers arriving from countries with a high number of cases, the country's health minister said during an interview with broadcaster NewsX on Friday. "In the next one week, selected countries will be identified where the caseload is higher today," minister Mansukh Mandaviya said. "People from there who come to India will have to upload their (COVID-19) RT-PCR reports and only then come." The passengers will have to upload their reports on a government website and undergo thermal screening upon landing, Mandaviya said. India, which has reported the second highest number of confirmed COVID cases in the world till date, will start randomly testing 2% of international passengers arriving at its airports for COVID-19, Mandaviya told the parliament on Thursday. Earlier this week, the country's government asked the Indian states to look out for any new variants of the virus and urged people to wear masks in crowded areas, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases in China and other parts of the globe.<br/>
Singapore and Japan will enhance air connectivity as part of an arrangement inked on Friday, which may mean more flights for travellers to look forward to. Both countries have committed to a comprehensive framework arrangement covering key areas such as aviation sustainability and safety, air traffic management, and airport innovation and technology. Announcing the signing of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) on Friday with its Japanese counterpart, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said Japan is a popular destination for Singapore travellers. CAAS and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) said: “Prior to the pandemic in 2019, passenger movements between Singapore and Japan reached a historic high of 3.4m, with over 200 weekly passenger services between Singapore and seven Japanese cities.” Passenger traffic has recovered to about 50 per cent of the level before the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to further increase in 2023. The MOC is the first of its kind inked between Japan and a South-east Asian nation, CAAS and JCAB said. Japan and Singapore will collaborate and share expertise in areas such as airport and airline development and consumer protection, as well as foster greater cooperation between the airlines of both countries. Both countries will also exchange knowledge on the skills needed to create new jobs in sustainable aviation. They are also looking into developing a green lane to encourage the gradual uptake of flights powered by sustainable fuels. Japan and Singapore will also share knowledge on innovative technologies at airports as part of efforts to meet service, manpower and sustainability goals. <br/>
Boeing Friday said it slowed production of its 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina after a parts delay, but said previously its delivery and production outlook is unchanged Boeing in October said it was continuing to produce 787s at a low rate, and "will gradually return to five airplanes per month over time." Boeing in August delivered its first 787 since May 2021 after facing production problems. The Federal Aviation Administration cleared the way for deliveries to resume after approving Boeing's inspection and retrofit plan needed to meet certification standards in July.<br/>
Amazon.com is trying to sell excess space on its cargo planes, according to people familiar with the matter, its latest effort to adjust from a rapid pandemic-era expansion to a slowdown in online growth. The e-commerce retailer, which has a fleet of about 100 planes in the US and Europe, in recent months has hired executives with experience marketing cargo space for airlines. Possibilities include filling empty jets returning from Hawaii and Alaska with pineapples and salmon, according to two of the people. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the plans. The long-term plan for Amazon Air hasn’t changed despite the current turmoil, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are confidential. The pressure to make money from unused space aboard its jets is increasing as the company looks to boost profits in a period of slower revenue growth, another person said. Amazon unveiled the air cargo service in 2016, prompting speculation that it would ultimately create an overnight delivery network to rival United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. Amazon Air operates out of smaller regional airports close to its warehouses around the country, helping the Seattle-based company quickly move inventory to accommodate one- and two-day delivery. The company’s ultimate goal has befuddled industry experts, who have written conflicting reports about Amazon’s ambitions. Fast growth in its earlier years and a $1.5b investment in a hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport fueled speculation that the company was ramping up to be an overnight parcel service. <br/>