Changes are afoot for when you arrive by air in Tel Aviv next year.Officials with the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) have announced that Israel’s main international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, will become a digital airport in 2023.ADVERTISINGBen Gurion is actually located in the city of Lod, about nine miles from Tel Aviv. MORE Airlines & Airports Airport observers have certainly seen enough of the worldwide congestion at airports caused by staffing shortages and pent-up traveler demand to know what a disheartening spring and summer it has been. To that end, going digital is expected to cut down on long lines at check-in and security.That’s a good thing considering Ben Gurion is one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. The IAA estimates that 18 million passengers will pass through the airport in 2022, rising to 24 million next year. The IAA says that due to the planned digitalization process, times will be shortened for passengers doing an online and in-person check in.The IAA added that digitization will make it possible to turn procedures for a flight overseas into an independent "touch and play" process. Passengers will be able to weigh their suitcases at new kiosks, pay for excess weight as necessary according to the requirements of the different airline procedures, and print baggage labels and stickers. The suitcase sticker will be scanned next to conveyor belts and baggage will go from there to the aircraft hold. Adblock test (Why?)

Icelandic-owned, low-cost airline Play today announced that it will be adding a fourth U.S. city to its route map with service to Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), scheduled to start on April 23, 2023."We're just really looking forward to starting it and taking the next step in the U.S. market, which has been very good to us so far," Play CEO Birgir Jonsson told USA Today.ADVERTISING Trending Now The discount carrier currently serves three U.S. destinations: Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport, Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and New York Stewart International Airport (SWF), located just north of the Big Apple.Jonsson told the outlet that Play has had particular success with its BWI service and he hopes the addition of a Washington-Dulles route will capture even more of the existing demand.In the pre-pandemic “normal” of 2019, about 27 million total passengers passed through BWI annually, while IAD roughly saw 24 million. IAD is just over 60 miles by car from BWI, a drive time of around an hour and 40 minutes."It's a big area. I'm sure at some point there might be some passengers that would prefer to go from one airport over the other," he said. "I would rather cannibalize myself than let someone else do it."Paul Bobson, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s vice president for airline business development, said in a statement, "As a low-cost airline operating flights to Iceland and the rest of Europe, PLAY will add significant capacity in the low-cost international market segment." Reykjavik, Iceland. (photo courtesy of Collette) Once the new route commences, its scheduled flight frequency will be one roundtrip daily operating between Dulles and Play’s home base in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. In the trio of U.S. cities that Play presently serves, it also operates one roundtrip flight per day.The budget carrier is focused on connecting U.S. cities with popular European destinations. All of Play’s U.S.-to-Europe flights are routed through its headquarters in Iceland, with flights departing U.S. cities in the evening and arriving in Reykjavik in the early morning hours. Then, those same planes in its relatively small fleet fly roundtrip itineraries around Europe before setting off for the U.S. again later that day.The airline serves more destinations across the pond than in America, but only the most popular cities on the Continent (e.g., London, Paris, etc.) enjoy daily roundtrip service, while the rest are only served on select days of the week.Jonsson also revealed that Play will be adding four more aircraft to its fleet in the approaching months and, as a result of that increased capacity, he expects the airline will add even more North American cities to its route map. He said he anticipates introducing about three more destinations in the near future.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here. Adblock test (Why?)

Rapper Ice Cube had a bit hit with the song “It Was A Good Day,” but it’s likely not going to be adopted by the airline industry anytime soon.For much of the spring and summer, airlines have had a bad day, and Sunday and Monday were no exceptions.ADVERTISING Trending Now Bad weather has only fueled the fire already started because of a pilot and staffing shortage, and the last two days have seen tens of thousands of flight issues – 8,049 delays and 900 cancellations into and out of the United States on Sunday, August 21, according to the aviation tracking service FlightAware, and 5,295 flight delays and 879 cancellations today, Monday, August 22. The disheartening news came just days after Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg – who has taken the airlines to task all summer – again scolded the industry over the mounting problems. Buttigieg said that as of September 2, the government will debut an “interactive dashboard” for air travelers to compare “services or amenities that each of the large U.S. airlines provide when the cause of a cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline’s control.”Airlines have tried to make inroads by cutting, trimming, and slashing the number of flights from its route schedule. But, so far, it hasn’t worked very well during the summer which gives pause to similar plans being enacted for the last fall as we approach the holiday season. American Airlines, for instance, is eliminating a whopping 31,000 flights just in November alone.The pent-up demand for travel couple with a low supply of aviation workers – including Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers – has spelled disaster for the industry. Bad weather has only exacerbated the situation. Adblock test (Why?)

WHY IT RATES: The new hire will help define the role technology will play in driving customer and team member experiences.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.American Airlines announced that Ganesh Jayaram has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), effective Sept. 1. Jayaram will report to American’s CEO Robert Isom.“Ganesh has a proven ability to drive innovation in large, complex global organizations that are focused on operational reliability,” said Isom. “His leadership style, global expertise and success in building and implementing both business and technology strategy will serve him incredibly well as he steps in to lead our technology team. We look forward to having him join our senior team early next month.” Trending Now In his role as CDIO, Jayaram will provide leadership, vision, and direction for American’s technology organization supporting both technical and business strategic objectives. This includes leading and shaping the roadmap for defining the role technology will play in driving customer and team member experiences.Jayaram joins the airline from Deere & Company where he has led the information technology organization since 2016 and served as its Chief Information Officer. He spent more than 15 years at Deere, holding several key leadership roles, including Vice President of Information Technology, and Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Business Development.Prior to Deere, Jayaram worked at Danaher Corporation and Canon USA Inc. He began his career at Boston Consulting Group. Jayaram earned a Bachelor of Technology from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi and a doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University.Jayaram will succeed Maya Leibman, who previously announced she will be relocating to the United Kingdom for family reasons. Leibman will assist with leading the transition through the end of the year and take on new international responsibilities in 2023. Leibman joined American in 1994 and has served as the airline’s Chief Information Officer since January 2012.“Maya has been a central leader in American’s evolution over the past decade,” added Isom. “Her leadership has left an imprint on our entire organization, and we are thankful for all that she has done. She has set us up well for this transition and we look forward to her continued leadership at American.” SOURCE: American Airlines press release. Adblock test (Why?)

Airlines haven’t taken a scissors to their respective fall schedules; they’ve taken a machete.Domestic carriers have apparently seen enough this summer with the numerous delays and cancellations and are trying to balance their workload with a reduced staff and the correct number of flights. In many instances, that has meant eliminating routes from the fall schedules – as American Airlines did by cutting 31,000 flights in November alone.ADVERTISING Trending Now But American isn’t the only carrier making those decisions. Others have followed suit, and it’s going to force air travelers to juggle their schedules and make some decisions prior to the holidays.United has cut flights. JetBlue has eliminated a modest number of fall flights. Delta asked for, and received, permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce the number of flights into and out of the three major New York City airports to help alleviate congestion.“The recent cuts appear to impact routes between smaller cities to hubs and in some cases less flights between major hubs,” Mike Arnot, an airline industry commentator and spokesman for the flight data service Cirium, told Travel+Leisure. “Does the airline really need 15 flights a day when 9 might do?”Air travel in September and October is not believed to be impacted, but the all-important holiday season will be upon us shortly. The number of flights, and the airfare, will almost certainly be impacted.“It means generally the flights that do fly this holiday season will be fuller, with less opportunities to upgrade, for example, and higher fares,” says Cirium’s Arnot.In turn, limited capacity is akin to less demand, which means higher costs and a decreased chance to rebook a flight if you are delayed, canceled or, worse, bumped.“As always, book early,” Arnot says. “The airlines will try hard to fly their schedules. They don’t make money cutting back for peak periods.” Adblock test (Why?)

American Airlines earlier this week joined United Airlines in announcing it would make an investment in the Boom Supersonic 2.0 Overture jets, the wave of the future for air travel.American said it would order 20 of the Boom planes with an option for 40 more.ADVERTISINGBut the third member of the Big Three of U.S.-based carriers is not quite ready to make the same commitment to supersonic travel. Delta Air Lines has not invested in Boom Supersonic.In an interview with Fox Business News, as recounted by Business Insider, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said "has a lot more questions than answers still. Until we are confident that we could actually generate a reliable return from the aircraft, that's not where we're investing.”It is not known how costly the 2.0 Overture jets are – by way of comparison, Business Insider noted that United has deposited $10 million for 100 of Archer Aviation's "Midnight" eVTOL jets – but it is known that they only carry about 65 to 80 passengers at a time. A profitable return on investment will likely mean a high cost in airfare.Henry Harteveldt, travel analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Insider that Delta is to be credited for taking a cautious approach."There's an opportunity cost for an airline when they're buying airplanes, and it doesn't matter what type of aircraft because there's only so much money that a carrier has available to invest," he said. "Airlines want to invest wisely to get the best possible return, so I don't see any problem with Delta choosing not to order the Overture or eVTOLs." Adblock test (Why?)

American Airlines pilots are looking for a 20.4 percent pay increase over the next three years – that figure is non-negotiable, says the president of the Allied Pilots Association union.“If it’s less than 20 percent, I don’t think our pilots would accept it,” Captain Ed Sicher told Forbes Magazine.ADVERTISING Trending Now Sicher said he is also seeking a steady, more uniform schedule at a time when the pilot shortage is hitting all airlines and pilot fatigue is becoming more and more of an issue. “They’ve been running my pilots ragged,” Sicher said. “In order to create schedule certainty and reliability in the fall and winter holiday schedules, management needs to get a tentative agreement in the next 30 to 60 days. Right now, things are moving.”Forbes noted that, currently, pilots with at least 12 years’ experience flying narrowbody equipment and flying an average of 80 hours a month earns a little more than $267,000 a year. A pilot working the same number of hours with the same amount of experience flying a widebody makes $329,000 annually.It appears to be a situation of who will blink first, as the two sides do not see to be too far apart. The union wants 20.4 percent. Forbes said an American Airlines spokesman revealed that the airline “offered base pay increases of 16.9 percent through 2024, as well as increases to many other pay components such as per diem and training pay, and a 50 percent premium on all reassignments.” Adblock test (Why?)

As a stipulation of the $50 billion federal government grants and loans package for airlines two years ago at the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, carriers agreed not to buy back its own stock to invest more in its own company and employees.The moratorium on that pledge is scheduled to end on September 30, 2022, however, and aviation unions are calling on airline to continue its agreement not to make any stock buybacks.ADVERTISING Trending Now "We paused the greed in aviation for a little while with legislative constraints tied to COVID relief," Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said in the unions' press release according to Fox News Business. "But the greed that ran rampant before COVID created a system that was already stretched thin with minimum staffing and high overtime hours.” Purchasing shares of your own stock strengthens the shares for stockholders. Instead, the unions want to see the airlines re-invest money back into the company – especially at a time when carriers are suffering major delays and cancellations caused in part by staffing shortages.Most airlines offered early retirements and buyouts for employees two years ago when the pandemic hit and nearly ruined the airline industry. The offers were thought to be, at the time, another way for airlines to increase the cash flow of the government relief funds with saving monies on payroll.But when the travel surge returned earlier this year, airlines were caught flat-footed with a lack of staff needed to serve all its passengers."We can’t allow executives to send one dime to Wall Street before they fix operational issues and conclude contract negotiations that will ensure pay and benefits keep and attract people to aviation jobs,” said Nelson, who has been a critic of the airlines’ stance on the relief program, known as the CARES Act, almost since the beginning two years ago.In addition to Nelson and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, other unions are also onboard in calling on airlines not to return to stock buybacks after September 30, including the Air Line Pilots Association Int’l, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Communications Workers of America, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Transport Workers Union of America and Service Employees International Union. Adblock test (Why?)

Spirit Airlines announced its operational performance ranked among the industry’s best this summer.During the period between June 5 and August 5, Spirit operated more than 44,000 domestic and international flights and delivered a completion factor of 99.2 percent that ranked No. 3 in the United States airline industry.ADVERTISING Trending Now In addition to setting a company record for its highest-ever completion factor performance for July, the airline outperformed all major legacy airlines, including 25 days of 100 percent completion factor.“These great results are among the best in the industry and are due to the relentless dedication of our Spirit Family,” Spirit Chief Operating Officer John Bendoraitis said. “Our team rose to the occasion to serve record numbers of summer travelers and work through industry challenges to deliver a high value experience for our guests.”In total, 77.5 percent of Spirit flights arrived within 14 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, which is the standard "A14" industry metric, which helped the carrier rank No. 4 among U.S. carriers.Last month, JetBlue Airways announced it would purchase Spirit, a deal struck less than 14 hours after Spirit shareholders rejected a merger deal with Frontier Airlines. JetBlue had been trying to acquire Spirit since April.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here. Adblock test (Why?)

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), together with the government of the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, will hold Caribbean Aviation Day in the Cayman Islands on September 14th, 2022. Cayman Islands flag at sunset. (photo via iStock/Getty Images Plus/dbvirago) Under the theme, "Recover, Reconnect, Revive," the Caribbean Aviation Day will bring together industry experts, senior aviation executives, and government authorities to discuss the sector's most significant opportunities and critical challenges across the Caribbean region, as well as how to rebuild a more competitive air transport sector in a post-COVID world.ADVERTISING Trending Now Aviation sustainability, multi-destination tourism, necessary investments in the region's infrastructure, the importance of implementing global regulatory best practices while reducing aviation-related fees and taxes are some of the subjects that are part of the program of the fourth edition of Caribbean Aviation Day. "This year's Caribbean Aviation Day will address various topics such as aviation sustainability and multi-destination travel in the region," said Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism and Transport of the Cayman Islands. Airplanes lining up to land at sunset. Photo via: AndrewSoundarajan/iStock/Getty Images Plus). "After two years of challenges brought about by the global pandemic, my colleagues and I, tourism ministers across the Caribbean and senior aviation officials, will work to determine how to rebuild a more competitive transport sector," the government representative added. Mr. Peter Cerdá, Regional Vice President the Americas, from IATA. In the event will participate also Mr. Peter Cerdá, Regional Vice President the Americas, from IATA, which is a trade association for the world's airlines, representing some 290 airlines or 83 percent of total air traffic, supporting many areas of aviation activity and helping to formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.In the panel "Challenges and Priorities for Air Transport in the Caribbean," will speak Mr. Nicholas Reyes, Director Western Hemisphere, Federal Aviation Administration, along with Mr. Rafael Echevarne, director general of Airport Council International - Latin America, as well as Dr. John-Paul Clarke, Deputy Chair, Cayman Airways Board of Directors.In the discussion regarding Multi-Destination Tourism will contribute Hon. Kenneth Bryan, MP, Minister for Tourism and Transport from Cayman Islands Government, as well as Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism Jamaica.Caribbean Aviation Day also will gather Minister of Tourism Jamaica; Hon. Lisa R. Cummins, Minister of Tourism and International Transport Barbados; Hon. Henry Charles Fernandez, Minister of Tourism and Economic Development, Antigua and Barbuda, and Mrs. Annaleen Lord, Area Manager Caribbean, IATA.The closing remarks of the program will be in charge of Mrs. Annaleen Lord, Area Manager Caribbean from IATA.To register you can visit https://www.iata.org/en/about/worldwide/americas/regional-events/Caribbean-aviation-day/ Adblock test (Why?)