U.S. House of Representatives Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday that airlines and restaurants both need the kind of financial help that only another stimulus package can give.While talks in Congress about extending the CARES Act to offer more aid have stalled, Pelosi offered a ray of hope that a deal can be made by Oct. 1, the deadline for when airlines are free from the restriction from the previous government aid package that they could not lay off any employees for six months.It was a rare acknowledgment of agreement between Democrats and Republicans after Pelosi spoke at a weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol. Trending Now “There are more needs that have emerged (since May, when talk first started of an extension of the aid package),” Pelosi said. “The anticipation and hope at that time was that we would engage in crushing the virus. We didn’t. More deaths, more cases, more challenges in terms of jobs, and one of them being with the airlines. There, the bill that was there, the CARES Act, did good things until the end of September. So now that that emerges, again, as a challenge which we had hoped would have been addressed by crushing the virus.”The White House is on record saying it wants to help the airlines avoid mass layoffs in less than two weeks.With travel restrictions still in place in many countries, and demand for air travel generally still low, several airlines have said that without more aid they will have to resort to cuts in staff – which, combined, some industry experts say could approach 70,000 employees.Earlier in the week, a White House spokesman said President Donald Trump would support legislation to give more financial aid to airlines. Pelosi said she also wants to earmark $120 billion in aid to restaurants.“The restaurants have a big ask, a very big ask – they’ve taken a beating on this. And I think there’s bipartisan interest in helping restaurants,” she said. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Officials in Quintana Roo have announced several flights from Europe and the United States to Cancun will resume in October and November.According to The Riviera Maya News, the Comite de Aerolineas de Cancun revealed that Cancun International Airport would begin welcoming additional carriers from the U.S. on October 8 with the return of Alaska Airlines’ daily flights to Seattle.Alaska Airlines will also launch service from the popular Mexican destination to San Diego and Portland on November 20. Trending Now JetBlue also announced it would reactivate four routes to Cancun on November 19, including service from Newark International, Los Angeles International, Raleigh–Durham International and Tampa International airports.Cancun International Airport currently hosts around 200 incoming and departing flights a day.Airport executives said Lufthansa would resume flights from Frankfurt, Germany, on October 1 and Edelweiss Air will reconnect Zurich, Switzerland, to Cancun starting October 3. Officials said all flights from Europe are subject to change without notice due to COVID-19 restrictions.Air France also told officials in Quintana Roo the carrier plans to restart service from Paris in October, while Turkish Airlines planned two weekly flights from Istanbul beginning next month.British Airlines is also anticipating an October restart of flights from London, but no exact date was revealed.On Monday, Cancun mayor Mara Lezama said that all beaches which remained closed due to coronavirus shutdowns would be accessible again after four areas reopened last week. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Despite travel restrictions and diminished demand for air travel six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel as more borders reopen and travelers grow more and more comfortable returning to the friendly skies, with many set to launch new routes or resume suspended service this fall. Here are some of the notable new flight options travelers can look forward to in the coming months. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Airline CEOs are saying that the fact that there are lower rates of Covid-19 among its workforce than in the general population it is safe to fly.Data from airlines shows that flight attendants and other airline workers have lower rates of the virus, despite tight quarters on airplanes, and executives and union representatives believe this proves that safety measures to protect passengers and employees are working and that flying is safe, according to a report on Business Insider."At United, but also at our large competitors, our flight attendants have lower COVID infection rates than the general population," Scott Kirby, CEO of United, said on Wednesday at a forum hosted by Politico. "Which is one of multiple data points that speaks to the safety onboard airplanes." At the SAP Concur forum Delta CEO Ed Bastian shared similar sentiments."If the experience of flying was not safe, you'd expect our people to get sick,” said Bastian. "We track the health of our people. Our people are meaningfully less infected than the general population."American Airlines CEO Robert Isom also made note of the data."The actions we have taken to ensure the safety and well-being of our team and customers are working," Isom said. Trending Now The current rate of infection of the general population in the U.S. is around 2 percent, according to New York Times data. For flight attendants, who are working on airplanes daily, that number is about .8 percent, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Airlines have worked hard to make flying safe for passengers. They have put new cleaning procedures in place for planes and in terminals, adopted new boarding procedures and have required passengers to wear masks, something the Centers for Disease Control and prevention says could be even better than a vaccine.Airlines have also embraced and touted to the general public the use of new technologies such as electrostatic sprayers and fogging devices to clean aircraft. Planes also employ the use of high-tech HEPA filters that capture 99.9 percent of particles between 0.1 and 0.3 microns in diameter which can help prevent the spread of Covid-19.However, while travel on an airplane may be safe, people still don’t feel comfortable traveling just yet, and airlines are continuing to feel the pinch, calling on the White House for more relief in order to avoid massive layoffs.The tides could be turning. While many spent the summer alone, the travel industry has identified the fall as “stretch season,” during which many people who do feel more comfortable traveling seven months into the pandemic are looking to this typical shoulder season to take a trip.Many luxury travelers are taking work-from-anywhere and learn-from-anywhere vacations.Travel is also gaining confidence among the general public, and many luxury travelers are taking work-from-anywhere and learn-from-anywhere vacations for several weeks or even months. With the advent of the "workation" and the "schoolcation," travelers have a new reason to consider flying again. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Southwest Airlines temporarily grounded 115 Boeing 737-800 on July 16 because of inconsistencies in aircraft weight data.“Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily ceased flying the respective aircraft to enter the correct weights of the aircraft in question into the system and reset the program," said Chris Mainz, Southwest on July 16. “As of Thursday morning, we are making steady progress resolving the discrepancy tail by tail, and we have returned roughly half of the aircraft and counting back into service."MORE Airlines & Airports By the afternoon of Thursday, July 17, the carrier said that approximately 50 percent of aircraft have been put back into service, according to Reuters.Southwest said the discrepancy in weight was 75 pounds.In January, the FAA proposed the carrier with $3.92 million fine after concluding that Southwest operated 44 planes that flew more than 21,000 flights between May 1 and Aug. 9, 2018, with incorrect baseline weights, according to USA Today.` Starting weights are important so that airlines can determine everything from how much fuel to load the plane with and how luggage and cargo are placed. Let's block ads! (Why?)

The airline industry is desperately seeking another $25 billion in payroll support ahead of October 1, the first day carriers can begin laying off employees under the terms of the CARES Act.Airlines, including American, Delta and United, are expected to cut tens of thousands of jobs this fall as demand for air travel remains way down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The Hill, airlines and unions are urging the Trump administration and congressional Democrats to extend the payroll support program for another six months to avoid any layoffs until April 2021 at the earliest."We expected and hoped that the virus would have abated, and demand for air travel would have rebounded, by [October 1]. Unfortunately, that has not been the case, and demand is still historically low," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and the heads of major unions wrote in a letter to COVID-19 relief bill negotiators on this week. Trending Now Without additional relief, Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Nick Calio warns that massive job cuts are inevitable."There’s no way for us around it. We can't just wait to see if the government acts. While we’re hopeful that Congress might act...there are probably some executive actions that could be taken," Calio said. "If there are and Congress is not going to act, we would encourage them.""The number of jobs down-economy driven by a single airline job is significant. We believe that we are uniquely positioned to help empower a recovery if we can survive," he added via The Hill.Last month, Trump said that it's "very important that we keep the airlines going" and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said the president is considering executive action if Congress doesn't act to help the industry avoid mass layoffs. Let's block ads! (Why?)

A pair of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are being credited with preventing a potentially "tragic outcome" at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport earlier this month.According to a release published Wednesday, officers discovered an unusual suspicious item inside of a passenger's carry-on bag eventually determined to be two large electronics wired to a tampered power source.Officers called in a TSA explosives expert who examined the item and deemed the power component hazardous due to multiple exposed lithium batteries. Trending Now The passenger claimed he constructed a solar panel wired to the batteries to power his device because it's difficult to find batteries in the country he was traveling to. He ultimately agreed to voluntarily leave the altered batteries with TSA, which disposed of them safely."This type of incident demonstrates the skill of our TSA officers in identifying possible dangerous items that could potentially cause a catastrophic event," said John Essig, TSA’s Deputy Federal Security Director for the airport, in a statement. "We saw critical thinking on the part of two TSA officers in knowing that the components of the device they detected could have resulted in a tragic outcome and contacting one of our explosives experts to confirm their suspicions. This was a good catch and goes to the point that our workforce is skilled at identifying prohibited items and items that should not be carried onto aircraft."This month's critical discovery at JFK comes just after Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Miami International Airport prevented nearly $500,000 in unreported currency hidden in furniture from being smuggled out of the United States. Let's block ads! (Why?)

United Airlines announced it would resume daily nonstop service to Key West from Chicago O’Hare and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty international airports on October 1.MORE Airlines & Airports The airline is also launching new, nonstop service five times weekly between Washington Dulles International Airport and Key West, beginning November 6. These flights will operate every day of the week except Tuesdays and Wednesdays.Beginning December 17, United will increase its service to offer daily flights to Key West from Dulles.“Key West is a very, very exciting and safe destination within the boundaries of the United States. Our demand is strong,” said Richard Strickland, director of airports for the Florida Keys & Key West. “We’re anticipating that airline seats for fall into Key West will exceed the number of seats we had in fall 2019.”This announcement to expand its service comes after the airline announced two weeks ago that it would resume eight more flights to Hawaii and bump up its service from 34 percent to 46 percent of its full schedule beginning October 1, the same day that United plans to furlough 16,000 of its employees after the government aid bill expires. For more information, please visit United.com. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Alaska Airlines today announced its latest promotional sale in concert with Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson, who has been a longtime spokesman for the airline.To celebrate the return of the NFL season, which kicked off this past weekend, Alaska Airlines announced a season-long sale based on Wilson’s performance on the field."Even though football season looks a little different this year, we're still excited to get in on the action with one of our hometown favorites," Natalie Bowman, Alaska's managing director of advertising and marketing, said in a statement. "We can't wait to see how Russell's passion and talent translates into great deals for fans." MORE Airlines & Airports Wilson, dubbed the airline’s “Chief Football Officer,” has been associated with the carrier since 2013.For every touchdown he throws or runs in during home games this season, fans will also score discounts on air travel – up to 40 percent off in some cases. Immediately following the game, Alaska will announce via social media and on Alaskaair.com/Russell, the sale, which will be available for a limited time after the end of the game."As if game-day pressure wasn't already sky-high, now I have to make sure Alaska Airlines fans are getting a discount on flights, too?! Sounds like a fun challenge!" Wilson said in a statement.Over the past seven years, Alaska and Wilson have partnered to support youth and education programs, and numerous events and marketing activities. Among them is the Russell Wilson Passing Academy, which provides youth an opportunity to attend football camp for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Let's block ads! (Why?)

United Airlines announced it is adding an EPA-registered antimicrobial coating to its already rigorous safety and cleaning procedures.The carrier is currently applying the Zoono Microbe Shield to seats, tray tables, armrests, overhead bins, lavatories and crew stations each week on more than 30 aircraft stationed at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.The process will be added to each of United’s six other hubs and approximately 200 airports in the United States where the airline’s planes remain overnight before the end of the year. Trending Now The antimicrobial coating will serve as an added layer of protection that complements United’s existing, daily electrostatic spraying regimen before departing flights.“This long-lasting, antimicrobial spray adds an extra level of protection on our aircraft to help better protect our employees and customers,” United Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist said. “As part of our layered approach to safety, antimicrobials are an effective complement to our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration system, mandatory mask policy for customers and daily electrostatic spraying.”“We've overhauled our policies and procedures and continue to implement new, innovative solutions that deliver a safer onboard experience,” Enqvist continued.During an aircraft’s deep cleaning, employees will use the NovaRover designed to apply a fine mist of the antimicrobial that coats all surfaces in a 12-foot radius with a single spray. United will apply the antimicrobial to aircraft overnight every seven days to refresh the protective layer.Last week, United CEO Scott Kirby appeared on national television to lobby for an extension of the CARES Act stimulus package with a dire warning.“Anything to do with leisure, hospitality, meeting, convention services [and] restaurants are all hurting and, frankly, are (at) near-Depression levels,” Kirby said. Let's block ads! (Why?)