The number of Americans who will fly this summer could eclipse the prepandemic high from 2019. That would be great news for airlines, but it could also cause a backlash against the industry if it fails to keep up with demand and delays or cancels thousands of flights. The recovery from the pandemic has been punctuated by several major travel meltdowns, stranding millions of travelers and angering lawmakers and regulators. In recent months, the Transportation Department has proposed requiring greater transparency around airline fees and requiring companies to more fully compensate people whose flights are delayed or canceled. A major misstep could increase political pressure on lawmakers and regulators to take a harder line against airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration, which directs air traffic and has also had notable failures in recent years. “I don’t think they can afford to have a summer like they did last year,” said William J. McGee, a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, a research and advocacy group that has criticized consolidation in the airline business. “This pattern they had last year of canceling flights at the last minute, in many cases due to crew shortages, that’s just unacceptable. They’re not going to be able to do that again, I don’t think, not without some serious repercussions.” Industry executives and FAA officials say they made changes after recent disruptions and meltdowns that should make air travel less chaotic and more pleasant this summer than in recent years. Nearly every major airline and the air traffic control system have suffered a meltdown at some point during the recovery from the pandemic. Early on, when coronavirus vaccinations were still being developed and tested and restrictions prevented people from traveling, carriers encouraged thousands of employees to take buyouts or retire early even though the federal government had provided airlines with billions of dollars to pay employee salaries. When air travel quickly rebounded, airlines, like every other business, struggled to hire and train employees, including pilots, flight attendants and baggage handlers. Even when companies got a hold on hiring, airlines remained particularly susceptible to disruptions. Story has more.<br/>
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More than $100m will go to airports across the country to reduce potential runway incursions, the Federal Aviation Administration told ABC News exclusively. The funding, announced Monday, will be allocated to 12 airports in the wake of a series of close calls involving passenger planes earlier this year. Runway incursions occur when an aircraft, vehicle or person is incorrectly on the protected areas at an airport designated for takeoff. This round of grant money from the agency -- as part of its annual distributions -- will fund projects that will reconfigure taxiways that cause confusion, install better airfield lighting and construct new taxiways to provide more flexibility on the airfield, the FAA said. "It's a matter of perspective for pilots most of the time because when you land at a large or small airport, while you can make out the runways and taxiways pretty easily looking at a paper diagram, when you're down on the surface it becomes a lot more difficult, especially at night or especially at night in rain," ABC News contributor and former commercial pilot John Nance said. Grant recipients include Miami International Airport, which will receive $6m to shift one taxiway and fix an intersection between two other taxiways, the FAA said.<br/>
Teenagers from 13 to 17 years old will be allowed to use the TSA PreCheck lane at US airports with their parents who are enrolled in the screening program, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. Teens must be traveling on the same reservation as parents, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said at a news conference at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Previously only children 12 and younger could routinely accompany their parents through the PreCheck lane, TSA said. The change was revealed at a media event detailing expectations for the summer travel season. Pekoske said TSA anticipates about 10m airline passengers from May 25 through May 29 for the Memorial Day holiday.<br/>
The roll out of hydrogen planes in Europe will need E300b of investment and require a tax on traditional jet fuels, a new study by a clean energy group finds, showing the scale of the challenge for policymakers in driving green aviation. Airbus, the world’s largest plane maker, has said it aims to fly a zero-emissions hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035 but has cautioned about the pace of development of the necessary infrastructure. The study published by the NGO Transport & Environment on Monday, found that the cost of developing the hydrogen supply chain in Europe would be E299b between 2025 and 2050, largely made up of the cost of green hydrogen production, liquefaction and distribution. The high cost would make hydrogen planes 8% more expensive than jet-fuelled aircraft in 2035 unless kerosene was taxed, it estimated. If jet fuel was taxed and a price on carbon emissions introduced, however, hydrogen planes could be 2% cheaper to operate, the study found. The research factored in a carbon price of E127 per tonne of carbon dioxide by the year 2035. Carbon is now priced at just under E85 per tonne, after touching a high of just over E100 a tonne in February, on the EU exchange traded system that allows companies to trade carbon emission permits. Kerosene taxation has not yet been introduced but the T&E group based its calculations for a tax in line with current proposals put forward by the European Commission. This estimates a tax of about E0.37 per litre. The price of jet fuel, which roughly tracks crude oil, is now about E0.55 per litre. “If we want Airbus to walk the talk, we’ll need to create a market for zero emission aircraft, by taxing fossil jet fuel and mandating zero emission planes in the future,” said Carlos López de la Osa, aviation technical manager at T&E. Airbus said it was “committed to bringing to market the first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035 but taxation is not the solution to get there”. “Incentives which promote investment in technologies and infrastructure, as well carbon pricing and market-based measures, provide a more cost-efficient way to deliver the necessary reduction in aviation emissions,” it added.<br/>
Mexico's Puebla airport suspended flights on Monday due to falling volcanic ash on its runways, the state's Governor Sergio Salomon wrote on Twitter, as activity from the nearby Popocatepetl volcano intensifies.<br/>
Europe's business jet sector is putting its greenest foot forward at its flagship annual conference this week as it faces a downturn in flights on the back of commercial aviation's rebound and growing pressure to become more sustainable. The European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), hosted in Geneva, kicks off on Tuesday, bringing together everyone from brokers and planemakers to engine producers. Many have come under harsh scrutiny in Europe for their role in an industry seen as producing outsized emissions for global elites. "Flying a private jet is one of the worst things you can do for the climate," said Jo Dardenne, aviation director at green advocacy group Transport and Environment. CO2 emissions from private jets in Europe grew by 31% between 2005 and 2019, the organization has said. Pressure on the industry is increasing both from European regulators, who are keen to advance their green agenda, and also from activists who have targeted the sector in protests at airports, sector specialists said. "Business jet bashing has been a bit of a sport in Europe," said Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation. Protesters are expected to gather on Tuesday outside the conference location in Geneva to highlight the rising number of private jet flights amidst a worsening global climate crisis. Consumers are also trying to limit their impact. "You do see many more clients nowadays asking their operators, can I get sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), can we offer an offset in the flight," said Roman Kok, a spokesperson for the European Business Aviation Association. The conference will look to strike a positive note by showcasing innovations in the sector, with a particular focus on areas like electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) and sustainable aviation fuel, which emits much less carbon than traditional jet fuel.<br/>