An historic January storm dumped more deep snow along the U.S. Gulf Coast on Wednesday after bringing Houston and New Orleans to a near standstill over the past two days and burying parts of Florida's Panhandle with accumulations more typical of Chicago. Another 4 inches (10 cm) of snow, combined with sleet and freezing rain, piled up in some spots in northern Florida, southern Georgia and southeast South Carolina as the storm crawled through the region on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. Airports, including Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport were temporarily closed overnight and early on Wednesday because of the storm. More than 1,400 flights were canceled in the U.S., many in the southeast and another 1,200 were delayed, according to the tracking site, Flightaware.com.<br/>
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Three U.S. senators said they want Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines to disclose whether they are manipulating seat fees by using customers' personal information to charge different fees to passengers on the same flight. Senators Maggie Hassan, Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal cited on Wednesday the carriers' decision to ask for personal information before revealing seat fees, adding the airlines were apparently "using customers' personal information to charge different seat fees to passengers on the same flight" despite having the same fare. The senators said the carriers could be using consumers' ZIP codes, search history or other information "to influence pricing." In a letter, they called on the airlines to stop collecting personal information before showing fees, saying it undermines consumers' confidence, reduces competition and prevents customers from accurately comparing prices." Frontier declined to comment. Spirit did not respond to a request for comment. The senators also wrote to Amadeus-owned software firm Navitaire asking if the airlines had asked it collect data and use it in their pricing algorithms. The company did not immediately comment.<br/>
President Donald Trump's nominee to head the U.S. Transportation Department said he will keep in place a cap on production of Boeing 737 MAX planes put in place after a mid-air panel blowout last year until he is satisfied it can be safely raised. "The cap will be maintained and will be lifted when I, in consultation with the career safety experts at FAA and the Administrator, have confidence that a production increase will not reduce the quality of the aircraft being produced," said former Representative Sean Duffy in written comments submitted to the Senate Commerce Committee. In January 2024, then FAA chief Mike Whitaker imposed the 38 planes per month production cap after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. Duffy, whose nomination was approved by the committee on Wednesday on a 28-0 vote, said last week that Boeing needed "tough love" to get back on track. In his written responses to questions from senators on Wednesday, Duffy said he planned to meet with Boeing's leadership at the "earliest feasible moment" so he could "make clear that the Department and the FAA will continue to hold them accountable to the action plan they developed, and which was accepted by the department."<br/>
Economic growth is more important to the UK government than net zero, Rachel Reeves has said, dropping a heavy hint that she intends to shrug off climate concerns and reaffirm her backing for a third runway at Heathrow. The chancellor is expected to give her firm support to the expansion of Britain’s busiest airport – as well as bringing a second runway at Gatwick into full-time use and increasing the capacity of Luton – in a speech later this month. The climate secretary, Ed Miliband, is understood to be opposed to Heathrow expansion, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has gone public with his concerns about the plan. But speaking to reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Reeves appeared to dismiss such objections, repeatedly emphasising that growth, not net zero, was the government’s “No 1 mission”. Asked about the Heathrow decision, which is expected as soon as next week, and the potential clash with the government’s climate commitments, the chancellor said: “Growth is the No 1 mission of this government, because growth underpins everything else, whether that is improving our schools and our hospitals, or indeed being able to get to net zero.” Pressed on what she would do if forced to choose between net zero and economic growth, Reeves said: “Well, if it’s the No 1 mission, it’s obviously the most important thing.” With gross domestic product data indicating that the economy barely grew in the latter part of 2024, the government has been stressing its pro-business credentials, believing private sector investment is the key to kickstarting growth. Asked about how the government would meet its climate goals if it allowed air travel to significantly increase, Reeves said: “We have a commitment in statute passed by the previous government to get net zero by 2050. There are lots of things that contribute to carbon emissions."<br/>
Belfast International Airport has announced the closure of its airside smoking gallery due to "persistent vandalism". The external area, located in the airport's departure lounge after security, was accessible at a charge of £1. However on Wednesday, the airport said it has been left with "no option" but to close the area due to attacks. "We will be keeping the situation under review as we progress with our building works," a spokesperson said. The airport added that smoking will only be permitted in designated areas and in front of the terminal building. It was the last airport in Northern Ireland to have a smoking area within the terminal, with no facilities available at Belfast City Airport or City of Derry Airport.<br/>
South Korea's transport ministry said on Wednesday that it would remove the concrete embankment installed at Muan International Airport following last month's Jeju Air crash, its deadliest domestic air disaster. While investigators are still probing what caused Jeju Air flight 7C2216 to crash, including reported bird strikes, experts have said the massive berm that supported navigation antennas at the end of the runway likely made the disaster more deadly than it might have been otherwise. In some of the first widespread reforms announced since the crash, authorities said they will make new foundations or other adjustments for similar antennas at seven airports including Muan and Jeju International Airport - one of South Korea's busiest - that are either below ground level or easy to break. The decision came after reviewing the structures housing the antennas that guide landings at the airports across the country known as Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), or a "localiser". "Muan International Airport plans to completely remove the existing concrete and reinstall the localiser in a fragile structure," the ministry said in a statement. The Dec. 29 crash killed 179 people, with only two crew members seated near the rear of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft surviving. Video footage showed the passenger jet slamming into the structure and exploding after landing at high speed without gear down and skidding past the end of the runway.<br/>