David Seymour’s job over the next few weeks is making sure that American Airlines flights take off on time and fly safely during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Seymour is American’s chief operating officer, which means he oversees flight and airport operations for a carrier that figures to make about 6,500 flights a day between now and New Year’s Day. A West Point graduate and former U.S. Army infantry officer, Seymour joined America West Airlines in 1999. America West became US Airways, then merged with American in 2013. Seymour has held a variety of operations-related jobs and was promoted to his current post in 2020. Seymour spoke with The Associated Press recently about managing huge passenger numbers during the holidays and preventing people from getting on a plane before their boarding group is called. Story is a transcript of the interview.<br/>
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The US State Department announced a slew of sanctions on Monday to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and the eve of Human Rights Day, targeting individuals from multiple countries, including the former CEO of SriLankan Airlines over Airbus purchases. Also targeted were North Macedonia's former deputy prime minister, Artan Grubi, as well as Enver Bexheti, a judge from that country's appeals court and Kevin Kedi, a councilman from the Marshall Islands, for allegedly accepting bribes. The State Department said the United States was redesignating UK resident Fawaz Akhras, father of the British-born wife of the deposed Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, for providing him with material support. A State Department statement said Kapila Chandrasena, the former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, was designated for sanctions along with immediate family members, for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for ensuring Sri Lanka purchased Airbus aircraft for over market value. Sri Lanka's former ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, meanwhile, was accused of benefiting from a corrupt scheme involving the procurement of MiG aircraft for the Sri Lankan Air Force. He and immediate family members were designated, the statement said. In 2020, Sri Lanka ordered a probe into allegations of bribery by European planemaker Airbus over the sale of aircraft to state-run carrier SriLankan Airlines, after Airbus agreed to settle a corruption probe with regulators. A senior official at SriLankan Airlines said at the time that a Colombo court had issued orders to arrest Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali Wijenayake as suspects of money laundering.<br/>
Fiji Airways first ever non-stop flight between Fiji and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas takes wing on Tuesday evening. The 13-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean will provide a new route for New Zealanders to get to the US, linking up with regular flights to Fiji from Auckland. The Fiji to Texas route will be flown by Fiji Airways’ new Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft with 33 business and 301 economy class seats. The first flight from Nadi International Airport in Fiji to Dallas Fort Worth will take off at 9.15pm local time on Tuesday (10.15pm New Zealand time), December 10, and is scheduled to touch down down at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at 3.20pm Dallas time on December 10. It will operate three times a week every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Andre Viljoen, Fiji Airways CE and managing director, said the take-off was a milestone for Fiji Airways.<br/>