The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday asked the CEOs of American Airlines, United Airlines, Visa and Mastercard to testify at an April 9 hearing on credit card competition, according to letters seen by Reuters. Senator Dick Durbin said in a statement to Reuters that American Airlines and United Airlines have "aggressively opposed efforts to bring competition to the credit card market in order to protect the billions of dollars in windfall profits their companies collect through their co-branded credit cards. These airlines have become credit card companies that fly planes." The airlines and credit card companies did not immediately comment. Durbin said it was critical for the CEOs to testify "in defense of a status quo that allowed Visa and Mastercard to levy a total of $93 billion in credit card fees on consumers, small businesses, and others in 2022 alone." Major airlines heavily lobbied Congress last year to reject legislation co-sponsored by Durbin and Republican Senator Roger Marshall they say threatens their ability to offer rewards credit cards that give consumers frequent flyer miles for making transactions. Durbin's letter said United's Scott Kirby and American's Robert Isom had previously rejected requests to appear. In December, Reuters first reported the US Transportation Department is scrutinizing the frequent flyer programs of major US airlines for potential deceptive or unfair practices. In October, Durbin and Marshal asked the Transportation Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about "troubling reports" of unfair and deceptive practices in airlines’ frequent flyer and loyalty programs.<br/>
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Parts of the Northeast were preparing Monday for a coastal storm that was expected to pack high winds and dump a foot or more of snow in some areas, leading to school closures, warnings against road travel and the possible disruption of flights. The nation’s largest school system in New York City said it was switching to remote learning and closing its buildings Tuesday because of the impending storm. “With several inches of snow, poor visibility on the roads, and possible coastal flooding heading our way, New Yorkers should prepare in advance of tomorrow’s storm and take the necessary precautions to remain safe,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “If you do not have to be on the roads tomorrow, please stay home.” Some of the highest snowfall totals were forecast for the northern suburbs of New York City and southwestern Connecticut, where 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 centimeters) were possible, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts could hit 60 mph off the Massachusetts coast and 40 mph in interior parts of southern New England. “It will make for a messy commute tomorrow morning,” Christina Speciale, a meteorologist for the weather service in Albany, New York, said Monday. “This is a fast-moving storm, so things should be cleared out by tomorrow afternoon.” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey told all non-essential Executive Branch employees to not report to work Tuesday. Boston schools were closing and a parking ban was in effect. Similar closures and bans were put in place in other cities and towns. Emergency officials had equipment in place to help keep roads clear.<br/>
An investigation is under way after dozens of bag-scanning security staff at Birmingham Airport were found to have missed vital training. At least two managers were sacked by contractor Mitie for "allowing untrained staff" to screen luggage before it was loaded onto aircraft. The managers were accused of falsifying training records and failing to supervise exams, but one told the BBC he had been made a scapegoat. Mitie said workers had been retrained. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is understood to be investigating the allegations, which relate to about 40 out of 120 Mitie staff members. The ground security operatives, who screen hold luggage that is checked in by passengers, failed to attend refresher training they are required to do every 13 months. The BBC has seen internal emails showing concerns were raised about training requirements by supervisors at Mitie as early as May 2022. The CAA carried out an unplanned inspection of the airport in January 2023 and took files away. Days later, Birmingham Airport instructed Mitie to deliver full re-training to agents, supervisors and duty managers. Emails seen by the BBC show managers discussing the rapid training of 30 people at a time and fears of non-compliant agents impacting the airport's security operation.<br/>
Abu Dhabi International Airport has been renamed to Zayed International Airport, as of February 09 2024. The change was announced by President Sheikh Mohamed last year and was made to honour one of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) founding fathers, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Abu Dhabi Airports, attended a ceremony on 09 February 2024 to rename Abu Dhabi International Airport as Zayed International Airport.<br/>
Two air traffic controllers who didn’t show up for work at Sydney airport on Monday caused cascading flight delays and cancellations across the country, while the head of the agency responsible for airspace management defended his almost $1m salary, Senate estimates heard on Monday. Officials from Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for air traffic control and airport firefighting services, appeared before the transport and infrastructure Senate estimates. Its CEO, Jason Harfield, was grilled about his personal pay, concerns of organisational bullying, and stubborn staff shortages resulting from a retirement program that saw 140 controllers leave the workforce in 2021. The opposition senator Bridget McKenzie opened questioning of the agency about active operational disruptions at Sydney airport’s control tower on Monday. Airservices requested a ground delay program from 3pm Monday until the airport’s curfew at 11pm, which is done to avoid planes holding mid-air. The delay restricted arrivals at Sydney airport to 26 an hour, down from the normal cap of 80 take-offs and landings an hour (roughly split between 40 of each). McKenzie said this had led to Qantas cancelling flights and an average delay of 72 minutes on Monday, while Virgin had already delayed 47 flights and had an average delay of 95 minutes. This had flow-on effects to airports around the country, as aircraft for onward flights between different cities were delayed or didn’t arrive. Harfield said the disruptions had nothing to do with weather but were solely related to two air traffic controllers based at Sydney airport’s control tower who were absent from work on Monday, as none of Airservices’ 948 controllers around the country could replace the absent staff. Air traffic controllers are entitled to unlimited sick leave under their terms of employment.<br/>
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said rival Boeing’s mishap with a 737 Max-9 model early January is a lesson for the entire industry to double down on safety, even as accidents become an increasingly rare occurrence in commercial aviation. “It’s never good when an incident happens, whatever the type of plane,” Faury said at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday. “And this incident makes us very humble.” The accident on the Alaska Airlines aircraft last month, whereby a fuselage panel came off during flight and left a gaping hole in the almost-new jet, has made the European company think over “what should we be doing to not be in that situation,” Faury said. While investors have said Airbus stands to benefit from Boeing’s mishap and the ensuing tighter regulatory scrutiny on the US company, Faury has been careful not to appear as profiting from his arch-rival’s crisis. Still, the European planemaker is looking for ways to potentially win over customers loyal to Boeing as the US company is forced to slow production to improve quality. Airbus, based in Toulouse in southern France, is set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. Some analysts expect the company to raise its planned delivery target for this year by about 10% to around 800 aircraft. Airbus has gained about 7.3% this year, while Boeing has lost about 20% since the start of 2024.<br/>