general

Winter weather brought ice to a wide swath of the United States on Tuesday, canceling more than 1,700 flights nationwide and snarling highways. At least two people died on slick roads in Texas and two law officers in the state were seriously injured, including a deputy who was pinned under a truck, authorities said. As the ice storm advanced eastward on Tuesday, watches and warnings stretched from the western heel of Texas all the way to West Virginia. Several rounds of mixed precipitation — including freezing rain and sleet — were in store for many areas through Wednesday, meaning some regions could be hit multiple times, the federal Weather Prediction Center warned. Emergency responders rushed to hundreds of auto collisions across Texas and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to stay off the roads. Authorities said one person in Austin was killed in a predawn pileup Tuesday. A 45-year-old man also died Monday night after his SUV slid into a highway guardrail near Dallas in slick conditions and rolled down an embankment, according to the Arlington Police Department. More than 900 flights to or from major US airport hub Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and more than 250 to or from Dallas Love Field were canceled or delayed Tuesday, according to the tracking service FlightAware. At Dallas-Fort Worth, more than 50% of Tuesday’s scheduled flights had been canceled by Tuesday afternoon. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines canceled more than 560 flights Tuesday and delayed more than 350 more, FlightAware reported.<br/>

Two Senate Democrats on Tuesday reintroduced legislation to strengthen airline passenger protections following a year of travel disruptions that was capped by chaos that stranded thousands of people over the December holidays. Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts are trying to get traction on two bills that aim to speed up passenger refunds during flight disruptions and tamp down on airline fees that range from seating assignments to checked bags and brought in billions for the airline industry. The Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also calls for minimum compensation of $1,350 for travelers bumped off of oversold flights. Currently airlines can cap compensation for those delays at $1,550, according to the Transportation Department. Their attempt to get the legislation approved comes a month after Southwest canceled some 16,700 flights from Dec. 21 through Dec. 31 after its internal crew rebooking systems were unable to handle numerous flight changes from bad weather, prompting executives to slash the schedule. Southwest last week said it has processed nearly all reimbursement requests but declined to provide further detail. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is planning to hold a hearing on the latest airline disruptions in the coming weeks. The bills also follow a push by the Biden administration for stricter airline passenger rules, including for traveler refunds. Airlines for America, said its members, the largest US carriers, “abide by — and frequently exceed – all DOT regulations regarding consumer protections.”<br/>

From pandemic-related travel restrictions to extreme weather events, Canada's travel industry has navigated an unprecedented amount of uncertainty of late. And now, just as demand for travel has returned to its 2019 level, airlines are navigating their next patch of turbulence: a lack of qualified pilots. According to Transport Canada, in a typical pre-pandemic year, roughly 1,100 pilot licences were issued. When complemented by foreign-trained pilots, that was generally more than enough to satisfy the needs of carriers as large as WestJet and Air Canada, all the way down to regional, charter and cargo airlines. But as demand for flying collapsed in 2020, so did the number of new pilots getting their paperwork. Government data shows less than 500 licences were awarded in 2020, a figure that fell to less than 300 in 2021 and just 238 last year. The department said that while labour shortages in the airline sector has been "identified as a priority area for action," there are no current plans to loosen regulations. But the agency says it's doing what it can to "increase the competitiveness of the Canadian flight training industry as well as improve the viability of aviation careers to address any shortages." Whatever changes do come will do little to help anyone in the short term, and travellers are already seeing the impact of the industry's current labour crunch. Staff shortages were a factor in charter airline Sunwing's cancellation of 67 flights over the last two weeks of December, along with extreme weather. Salaries for experienced pilots generally go up faster and higher at the major airlines than they do at most others, they are so typically able to have their pick among those available. That causes shortages just about everywhere else. The head of the Air Transport Association of Canada says it's a problem that had been brewing for many years, even before the pandemic. "We haven't had enough pilots for a long time, mostly at the regional level," John McKenna said.<br/>

Italy will loosen its anti-COVID controls for travellers arriving from China, making swabs random rather than mandatory at its airports, a document seen by Reuters on Tuesday showed. Under a new order signed by Health Minister Orazio Schillaci, Italy will require those flying from China to test negative within 48 hours of departure and may carry out additional swabs "on a random basis" upon arrival at the airport. On Dec. 28, Italy imposed mandatory COVID tests and virus sequencing for passengers coming from China. Tuesday's order will come into force on Wednesday and will be valid until the end of February. Italy's stance contrasts with that of France which on Saturday extended mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China until Feb. 15. <br/>

The expansion of Bristol Airport will be allowed to go ahead, the High Court has ruled. Campaigners have been appealing against the Planning Inspectorate's decision to allow the expansion. North Somerset Council rejected the expansion in 2020 on environmental grounds but that decision was later overruled by the government agency. Expansion would see the airport increase its capacity from 10m to 12m passengers per year. Campaigners have said they are "extremely disappointed" after Tuesday's hearing result but have said they are already planning on challenging the ruling. A spokesperson for the airport said: "Bristol Airport welcomes the High Court Judge's decision to dismiss the claim and uphold the planning permission to increase Bristol Airport's capacity". They added the decision will create 5,000 new jobs and will see millions of pounds invested in improving customer experience.<br/>

South Korea’s prime minister suggested on Tuesday that COVID visa restrictions on travellers from China could be lifted earlier than scheduled if infections ease, as the travel and tourism sectors hope for a rebound in visitors. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Seoul could consider lifting the restriction on short-term visas for travellers from China before the end of February if the number of COVID infections in China is manageable, Yonhap news agency reported. “If (the situation) is endurable given the PCR COVID-19 test results, the lifting (of restrictions) could be considered earlier,” Han said. His comment comes as the tourism and aviation sectors have been hit by both countries’ decision to suspend issuing short-term visas. “China used to account for 20 to 25% of Korean Air’s passenger and cargo businesses before COVID,” Korean Air Deputy General Manager Kim Ah-hyun said. “We hope travel restrictions between the two countries are eased soon to allow more routes and flights.”<br/>

Asia-Pacific airlines enjoyed a strong international travel recovery during 2022, as travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic were largely abandoned. During 2022, Asia-Pacific airlines carried 105m international passengers, compared with 17.4m in 2021, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). International ASKs during 2022 nearly tripled from 2021, while RPKs grew fivefold. Load factors for 2022 jumped 39.9 percentage points to 72.8%. “2022 marked the start of a long-awaited recovery in international travel markets as governments across the region eased travel restrictions over the course of the year in a bid to welcome back visitors,” says AAPA DG Subhas Menon. “The release of pent-up travel demand drove a 507% annual increase in the number of passengers carried for the year. However, demand in 2022 averaged just 27% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, underscoring the significant progress still required towards full recovery.” AAPA’s traffic results reflect the performance of 40 Asia-Pacific airlines. Underscoring how much things improved during 2022, in December the region’s airlines carried 16.1m international passengers, up from 2.6m a year earlier. December’s international ASKs nearly tripled year on year, while RPKs grew nearly fivefold. International air cargo saw softening demand in 2022 following notable strength in 2020-21. <br/>

The giant jet that has been compared to the Parthenon, name-checked in a Joni Mitchell song and nicknamed Queen of the Skies is flying off into the sunset. The last Boeing 747 was delivered on Tuesday after a ceremony at the US company’s factory in Washington state, to cargo carrier Atlas Air. The plane, when it was introduced at the Paris Air Show in 1969, captured the spirit of the jet age and through its capacity, efficiency and range helped make commercial flight affordable to the masses. “It democratised air travel,” said Boeing corporate historian Michael Lombardi. “The 747 shrank the world.” Over five decades Boeing built 1,574 747s for more than 100 customers. The tail is as tall as a six-storey building, and it travels the length of three football fields per second. The largest version could transport more than 500 passengers. Boeing has cut back production of the four-engine 747 for years. The market gradually shifted to favour more efficient twin-engined jets for even the longest routes, after aviation regulators approved such aircraft for transatlantic flights in the 1980s. Boeing delivered the last 747 designed to carry passengers to Korean Air in 2017, though the ability to load cargo through the plane’s nose kept carriers ordering freighters for longer. Yet Boeing continued to produce the jets, largely because of a single prestigious contract: Air Force One. The US president has flown on a customised 747 since 1990. The sprawling plant in Everett, Washington, where the 747 was built will add a fourth line to build the narrow-body 737 Max, according to a memo from Stan Deal, president of the company’s commercial plane business. The 747 grew from a 1965 conversation between former Boeing CE Bill Allen and Juan Trippe, the head of Pan American World Airways. Pan Am had launched the first successful commercial jet service using the Boeing 707, but eventually Trippe approached Allen about building a larger plane. Story has more.<br/>

British billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, who was inspired to start an airline with a single Boeing 747 after getting stuck on a delayed flight, paid tribute to the Queen of the Skies on Tuesday as Boeing delivered its final jumbo jet. "It gave America and Boeing the leadership role in aviation," said Branson, the son of a flight attendant who founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984 after cold-calling Boeing as a successful record publisher to ask about a second-hand 747. The first aircraft, named Maiden Voyager, became part of a fleet of 30 Boeing 747s that challenged British Airways and U.S. carriers for a slice of the lucrative transatlantic market. Branson's latest aerospace venture, Virgin Orbit, aims to launch satellites from a rocket released from under the wing of a 747 dubbed Cosmic Girl, formerly part of the same airline. "It's okay for the occasional mission for space but the fuel costs flying daily backwards and forwards across the Atlantic are just too expensive now," Branson told Reuters. "So farewell to a wonderful beast." Thousands of Boeing employees – including some of the so-called "Incredibles" who developed the jet in the 1960s – gathered near Seattle on Tuesday to watch the last delivery of the 747, which brought affordable air travel to the masses. Boeing said on Monday it would expand production for the single-aisle 737 into the huge Everett plant that housed the 747 for over 50 years, reflecting the ability of much smaller models to serve medium routes and now even cross the Atlantic.<br/>