A record number of passengers are expected to pass through US airports this holiday travel week. You’d think this would be a great time to run an airline. You’d be wrong. Airlines face numerous problems, including higher costs, such as fuel, wages and interest rates. And problems at Boeing mean airlines have too few planes to expand routes to support a record numbers of flyers. Strong bookings can’t entirely offset that financial squeeze. The good news for passengers is they will be spared most of the problems hurting airlines’ bottom lines — at least in the near term. Airfares are driven far more by supply and demand, not their costs. But in the long run, the airlines’ difficulties could mean fewer airline routes, less passenger choice and ultimately a less pleasant flying experience. Industry analysts expect airlines to report a drop of about $2b in profit, or 33%, when they report financial results for the April to June period this year. That would follow losses of nearly $800m across the industry in Q1. Labor costs and jet fuel prices, the airlines’ two largest costs, are both sharply higher this year. Airline pilot unions just landed double-digit pay hikes to make up for years of stagnant wages; flight attendant unions now want comparable raises. Jet fuel prices are climbing because of higher demand in the summer. According to the International Air Transport Association’s jet fuel monitor, prices are up 1.4% in just the last week, and about 4% in the last month. Adding to the airlines’ problems is the crisis at Boeing, as well as the less-well-publicized problems with some of the jet engines on planes from rival Airbus. Since an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet lost a door plug on a January 5 flight, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane 10 minutes after takeoff, the Federal Aviation Administration has limited how many jets Boeing can make over concerns about quality and safety.<br/>
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All three of Jamaica’s international airports closed late Tuesday as Hurricane Beryl churned toward the island, leaving some travelers stranded and others scrambling to adjust their plans. Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Norman Manley International Airport in Port Royal (near the capital, Kingston) and Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel — which together serve approximately 1.7m visitors each year — will remain closed at least through Wednesday, according to Jamaica’s tourism board. “All necessary precautions are being taken to ensure a swift and safe resumption of operations once the hurricane has passed,” MBJ Airports, which operates Sangster International, the country’s largest and most popular hub for tourists, said in a statement. Travelers staying on the island should remain in the safety of their accommodations or evacuation point, the tourism board said, adding that, if possible, they should register with their home country’s embassy to receive specific guidance and support. For travelers whose plans had them arriving in Jamaica during the closures, some airlines are offering to rebook flights for a different date, free of charge. American Airlines, for example, is working to reschedule flights to numerous places in the storm’s path, including several Caribbean islands, Belize and Mexican destinations like Tulum, Cancún, Cozumel and Mérida through July 5. JetBlue Airways said it would waive change or cancellation fees, as well as the cost of fare differences, for customers scheduled to travel to affected Caribbean destinations between July 1 and July 5.<br/>
Norwegian airports operator Avinor is to expand its remote-tower programme to another seven regional sites. Avinor has identified the additional airports as Batsfjord, Vadso, Sorkjosen, Sandane, Mosjoen, Orsta Volda, and the new facility for Mo i Rana. The organisation formally opened a remote-tower centre in Bodo in October 2020, through an initial phase which would bring 15 airports under its control. Bodo currently controls 11 towers and Avinor says the last towers in this initial phase will be absorbed in March next year. “At the same time, the remote towers system will be upgraded so that each work position will be able to operate up to three airports at the same time,” it adds. Avinor states that the seven additional airports will be covered under a second phase, designated ‘2a’. It has reached an agreement with supplier Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace involving purchase of the cameras and other technical infrastructure with which to equip these facilities. The airports will be placed under Bodo’s remote-tower operation during 2027. Avinor adds that a separate installation has been ordered for the new Bodo airport, which will be put into operation in August 2029. This will be controlled from a separate operations room established as part of the construction.<br/>
Much has changed in Belfast since the 1930s. Yet through the second world war, decades of Troubles and the steep decline of heavy industry, the Short Brothers factory has continued to make planes and parts. Yet now a takeover by US planemaker Boeing of the factory’s owner, Spirit AeroSystems, has raised questions over its future. Workers and politicians fear a new ownership structure could lead to steep job cuts at one of Northern Ireland’s main manufacturers, which has about 3,500 employees. Boeing announced the $4.7bn takeover of Spirit on Monday, as it tries to regain control of parts of its supply chain after safety failures. However, Spirit is also a key supplier to its bitter rival Airbus as it makes wings and fuselage for the small A220 passenger jet. There was little prospect of Boeing supplying its European competitor, so Spirit will hand Airbus its factories in Belfast, France, Morocco and in Kansas and North Carolina in the US. Alan Perry, senior organiser at the GMB union, which represents workers at the plant, says about 40% of the factory’s revenue comes from making parts for Airbus. (The remainder is from companies such as Bombardier, Rolls-Royce and Honda Aircraft.) “The genuine fear is over the other 60%,” he says. “We’re very much still in limbo. Even if Airbus remains on site, we’re looking at the break-up of the factory.”<br/>