general

A warning as the Northern Hemisphere summer travel season kicks off: air rage is rampant in the post-pandemic world. Recent unruly behavior includes a man allegedly pinning an American Airlines Group Inc. flight attendant to the cockpit door after an argument about vegetarian meals; an Air India Ltd. passenger being restrained after trying to open the aircraft door and attacking crew; and Qantas Airways Ltd. and its low-cost carrier Jetstar temporarily banning four drunk men in Australia for allegedly verbally abusing customers and staff. Globally, there was one disorderly incident reported for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021, the International Air Transport Association said in a statement this month, citing data collated from more than 20,000 reports submitted by around 40 airlines. Failure to comply with crew instructions — such as using e-cigarettes and vapes and not fastening seatbelts — increased by more than a third. Fraying passenger tempers can be put down to a few things. With lounge access easier than ever, more people are drinking alcohol before boarding. There’s also the general annoyance over high ticket prices and heightened anxiety in wake of Covid. Chaotic airports, lost luggage and flight cancellations as carriers struggle with a lack of planes and labor aren’t helping either. Now the aviation industry is calling for action. IATA wants more nations to prosecute offending passengers. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents US cabin crews, says flight attendants should be given mandatory self-defense training and security beefed up at airport screening points, boarding gates and on planes.<br/>

The world is traveling again. Summer air travel is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2023, according to the TSA, and airline revenues are back to near record levels. But for airline workers – who suffered the brunt of pandemic shutdowns and then the spike in air rage that followed – unresolved labor issues remain and many are warning that for passengers those issues, which have led to a surge in operational problems, remain and are likely to cause more concerns this holiday season. Dirty planes are just one of the issues travelers are likely to face, according to Rosa Sanchez, an airplane cabin cleaner for airline contractor Swissport, which provides service for several airlines at Logan airport in Boston. Understaffing and a lack of adequate protective equipment has driven high turnover rates and undermined the effectiveness of her and her co-workers’ ability to properly clean planes, she said. She said they are also constantly rushed and not given enough time to clean the planes. “Sometimes we don’t have enough supplies to clean, so we just use what we have or just use water. Sometimes we don’t have a mop, so we use the blankets left on airplanes by passengers to clean the floors,” said Sanchez. “Sometimes in the bathroom there will be blood on the floor, toilet, walls, and there is feces and urine on top of the toilet. When I don’t have enough gloves, I’ve had to wrap a blanket around my hand to clean the bathroom.” Sanchez and several workers at Swissport, the largest airport services provider in the US, have filed complaints against the company with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha). Swissport has refuted the claims, saying the company is in full compliance with labor regulations and that “the health and safety of all our employees is the highest priority for Swissport”.<br/>

Leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee on Monday introduced a bipartisan aviation policy bill that would boost runway safety, track high-altitude balloons and prohibit airlines from charging fees for families to sit together. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, top Republican Ted Cruz and the aviation subcommittee leaders -- Senators Tammy Duckworth and Jerry Moran -- proposed a $107b five-year FAA reauthorization bill. The committee will take up the bill on Thursday, while a House panel will consider its version on Tuesday and Wednesday. Cantwell said the bill "sets the first-ever clear ticket refund standards for delayed flights and will penalize airlines that sell tickets on flights that they don’t have the staff or technology to operate." Still, the bill would not set a minimum seat size for airline seats and does not adopt many consumer protections sought by President Joe Biden's administration including compensation for lengthy delays caused by airlines. Also, the proposals do not address some contentious issues like raising the maximum age for pilots or expanding the number of longer flights allowed from Washington National Airport. The NTSB is investigating six runway incursion events since January including some that could have been catastrophic. The Senate bill "requires the FAA to increase runway safety by deploying the latest airport surface detection equipment and technologies."<br/>

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday said he told Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last week any decision to reinstate the country's air safety rating would not be based on politics. "The rating as I emphasized to the president is a safety decision. It's independent of any economic, commercial or political consideration, but I did assure him that there would not be any unnecessary or improper delay in processing that," Buttigieg told Reuters on the sidelines of an event in Washington. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico to Category 2 in May 2021, citing safety deficiencies and restricting the ability of Mexican airlines to open new routes to the United States. After the meeting on Wednesday, Lopez Obrador said the U.S. and Mexico still have "differences" of opinion regarding Mexico's recovery of a coveted air safety rating. He said the U.S. was "bargaining" with Mexico over the rating and that a change to cargo flights was another sticking point between the countries. Lopez Obrador wants cargo flights to land at the new Felipe Angeles airport in Mexico City rather than the more centrally located Benito Juarez airport to free up space, but said some U.S. carriers are reluctant to move. Buttigieg raised concerns about the timing of the cargo move in his meeting. "From the perspective of our cargo carriers, it is very important to get some of that flexibility for the move and I really appreciate the (Mexican) president's willingness to extend the timeline," Buttigieg said on Monday. The FAA recently wrapped up one of a series of audits on Mexico. Mexican Transportation Minister Jorge Nuno on Wednesday had said the audit was Mexico's "last", implying a positive resolution. Mexico has revamped compliance with international standards on licensing, aircraft operations and airworthiness of craft, among other things.<br/>

While the average width of an aeroplane seat has been shrinking for decades, bodies are getting larger around the world, with experts predicting more than half of the global population will be overweight or obese by 2035. This ultimately means more and more passengers are likely to be finding it difficult to fit into aeroplane seats, and some may be hit in the pocket as a result. Policies around plus-size travellers tend to vary from airline to airline. While a number, including United Airlines, require "customers who require extra seating" to buy an additional seat in advance, some refund the purchase if one or more seats are available after takeoff. However, there is no universal standard as such. Different airlines have different guidelines. Some have no guidelines at all, meaning even well-informed travellers can have trouble keeping up. In April, plus-size travel influencer Jae'lynn Chaney launched a petition urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to mandate all airlines for a comprehensive customer-of-size policy that "prioritises the comfort and well-being of all passengers". "We need the policies to be a little bit more standardised," Chaney told CNN Travel. "At the bare minimum, we need every airline to have a policy that tells people of size how to navigate their airline." Charles Leocha, co-founder of airline consumer advocacy group Travellers United, shares this sentiment. "All plus-sized passengers are appreciative of knowing the rules," he adds. "It eliminates many misunderstandings." Outside of the US, the Australian Consumer Law prohibits airlines from charging passengers different amounts based on their body sizes. Meanwhile, the "one person, one fare" (1p1f) policy, which prevented domestic airlines Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz and WestJet from charging passengers requiring an extra seat for more than one fare, was passed by the Canadian Transportation Agency in 2008.<br/>

Passenger traffic at Aena’s Spanish airports exceeded pre-pandemic levels in May for the fifth consecutive month, while other European terminals still operate at a lower capacity than in 2019. More than 25m passengers transited Spanish airports in May, or 3.4% more than in the same period in 2019 and also 14% more than in the corresponding month last year. In the first five months of the year, Aena airports handled almost 103m passengers, or 28% more than in 2022, and 2.3% more than in 2019. Passenger traffic at European airports in April was the closest to a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic of any month yet despite sharp hikes in air fares, but still a bit lower, Airports Council International (ACI) Europe has said. May was also the busiest month for Britain’s Heathrow since the pandemic broke out, though passenger numbers are still slightly below those of four years ago<br/>

Spain could be the next European country to halt short-haul flights, as part of efforts to combat climate change. Madrid could follow the example of France whose ban on domestic flights on short routes that can be covered by train in less than two-and-half hours became effective last month, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. Authorities in Spain already unfolded plans to take similar steps, after the Spanish Prime Minister’s 2050 Agenda, introduced about two years ago, consisted of similar measures. According to the Murcia Today report, a study revealed that air travel in Spain generates twice the carbon footprint of high-speed trains. The research by travel experts Mabrian and Phocuswright revealed that there have been a total of 5,744 flights between Barcelona and Madrid over the past 12 months or a journey of just 630 kilometres that the train can make in about 2.5 hours. In addition, the study provided by Mabrian noted that the total CO2 emissions generated by the air service in 2022 amounts to about 54,000 tonnes, which accounts for a total 132 per cent increase in emissions in comparison to 27,000 tonnes that would be emitted by trains consisting on the same number of travellers.<br/>

Britain's Unite union said on Monday the first summer strike at Heathrow airport involving over 2,000 security workers had been postponed after an improved pay offer. Last week, the labour union had said employees would go on a strike for 31 days over low pay starting from June 24. "Following extensive negotiations last week, a new offer was put forward by HAL (Heathrow Airports Ltd). Members will now be balloted on the latest offer and they will decide whether or not it meets their expectations," Unite's regional co-ordinating officer Wayne King said in a statement. A spokesperson for Heathrow did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.<br/>

The number of passengers making use of the airports of the Sultanate of Oman increased to more than 3m until the end of March 2023, Oman News Agency said. A statement issued by ONA said: “The number of passengers through the airports of the Sultanate of Oman increased by 88% until the end of March 2023, recording 3,287,015 passengers, compared to the same period in 2022, which numbered at 1,746,259 passengers, according to preliminary statistics issued by the National Centre of Statistics and Information". The number of passengers through Muscat International Airport at the end of March 2023 reached 2,959,829 passengers, compared to 1,473,818 passengers until the end of March 2022, an increase of 100.8%. The number of flights through the airport itself also increased by 93.9%, to reach 22,145 flights, compared to 11,419 flights by the end of March 2022. Additionally, the number of passengers through Salalah Airport increased by the end of March 2023 by 34.2%, to reach 304,538 passengers on board 2,184 flights. There has been an increase in the number of flights, amounting to 33.2%, compared to the same period in 2022. The number of passengers through Sohar Airport during the same period reached 5,401 passengers on 76 flights, while the number of passengers through Duqm Airport reached 17,247 on 152 flights.<br/>

Boeing announced on Monday that the company has signed an agreement with AirNav Indonesia to explore initiatives to further enhance the safety and efficiency of Indonesia's national air traffic management system. Improving airport and flight operations can help increase the safety and sustainability of Indonesia's aviation system through more efficient movement of aircraft and reduced fuel use, Boeing said. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) brings together Boeing's engineering expertise with the Indonesian government's key initiatives in airspace management, training and air traffic management strategic planning. Boeing and AirNav will work closely with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Indonesia, local airlines, airport operators and other aviation stakeholders in the country, according to the announcement. "Airspace capacity and air traffic management is a shared interest between Boeing and AirNav and a natural space where we need to cooperate. We look forward to this collaboration with Boeing," said Mdm. Polana B. Pramesti, president director of AirNav Indonesia.<br/>

The Bangladesh Bank, that country's state-owned central bank, has told seven domestic and international Bangladeshi banks to begin releasing funds belonging to foreign carriers after IATA's DG, Willie Walsh, called out the practice at the recent IATA AGM in Istanbul. Bangladeshi media are reporting that the banks have been told to pay out the funds, with Abul Bashar, a Bangladesh Bank director, saying they had sufficient hard currency reserves. "We've seen that these seven banks can pay with dollars. Some banks might make their payments by tomorrow," said Bashar. "We've asked them to swiftly release the funds as it involves the country's dignity." According to ch-aviation PRO airports data, 42 carriers operate into Bangladesh's busiest airport, Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International. Of that number, 38 are foreign operators. Bangladesh only ranks behind Nigeria as the world's worst offender when blocking airlines from repatriating funds. According to IATA, Bangladesh owes airlines US$214.1m. Reportedly, several airlines have cut services into Bangladesh because of this, including Turkish Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Batik Air. Turkish Airlines is reportedly owed US$24m and has restricted ticket sales in Bangladesh. "Airlines cannot continue to offer services in markets where they are unable to repatriate the revenues arising from their commercial activities in those markets," said Walsh earlier this week. "Governments need to work with industry to resolve this situation." But Bashar disputes the figure quoted by IATA, saying the amount withheld is US$177.8m. "Various newspapers have reported that foreign airlines will get US$214m from various banks in Bangladesh. However, we have gathered information from the banks and learned that the airlines will get US$177.79m, not US$214m," he said. "It may well be that the airlines have yet to submit the necessary documents against the dues, leading to the difference in the information on the sum between IATA and Bangladesh Bank." <br/>

Flight turbulence has increased as climate change has warmed the planet, researchers say. Scientists at Reading University in the UK studied clear-air turbulence, which is harder for pilots to avoid. They found that severe turbulence had increased 55% between 1979 and 2020 on a typically busy North Atlantic route. They put the increase down to changes in wind speed at high altitudes due to warmer air from carbon emissions. "Following a decade of research showing that climate change will increase clear-air turbulence in the future, we now have evidence suggesting that the increase has already begun," said Prof Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading who co-authored the study. "We should be investing in improved turbulence forecasting and detection systems, to prevent the rougher air from translating into bumpier flights in the coming decades." Flight routes in the USA and North Atlantic saw the largest increases. Europe, the Middle East, and the South Atlantic also saw significant increases in turbulence. Prof Williams said the increased turbulence was due to greater wind shear - or differences in wind speed - in the jet stream, a strong wind system blowing from west to east, about five to seven miles above the Earth's surface. It exists largely due to a difference in temperature between the world's equator and poles.<br/>