In his latest recurring email communications with loyal customers, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian stressed that the carrier’s recent decision to join United in eliminating change fees will create more flexibility for fliers.“When planning travel, you want to easily book, change or cancel your plans with peace of mind. That’s why we’ve extended our change fee waiver for all tickets purchased through the end of the year,” Bastian wrote. “Beyond 2020, we’ve eliminated change fees permanently for tickets purchased for travel within the U.S., with the exception of Basic Economy. Know that we’re always evaluating our policies to deliver the flexibility and superior experience you expect.” Trending Now The CEO also talked about an elevated standard of care, from the moment you arrive at the airport to when you reach your destination. “You can rest assured that your belongings will be cleaner and safer than ever before as they pass through security at select Delta hub airports in new antimicrobial bins that prevent the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms,” he wrote.Delta is rolling out bins at automated screening lanes in Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia and New York-JFK starting this week and will continue to evaluate opportunities for expansion to other airports.A recent study conducted in partnership with Georgia Institute of Technology measured the number and concentration of fine particles in the air across a variety of locations in July 2020, including on board Delta aircraft at altitude and in other indoor spaces, The data showed that the air in flight is many times cleaner than the air sampled in other indoor locations, like restaurants, homes and grocery stores.“We’ve put more than 100 measures in place to ensure a safe experience for you and our employees, so you can feel confident when you’re ready to fly,” Bastian said. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Two United Airlines female flight attendants have filed a lawsuit against the carrier, saying United chooses young, mostly blond crews for working the best routes, including charters for sports teams.The plaintiffs – a black woman with 28 years experience and a Jewish woman with 34 years with the airline – allege that United makes the assignments based “entirely on their racial and physical attributes, and stereotypical notions of sexual allure,” according to a review of the lawsuit by Bloomberg News Service.Both women say they tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to get assigned to work the charter flights. United has contracts to provide air travel for about three dozen teams in the National Football League, Major League Baseball and National Collegiate Athletic Association, according to the lawsuit.MORE Airlines & Airports Attendants who work those flights earn more and are provided with premium accommodations. They also sometimes get tickets to games, including playoff and Super Bowl tickets, and “extremely valuable” infield passes, also according to Bloomberg.The flight attendants, Sharon Tesler and Kim Guillory, said they were told by supervisors that they were unable to get work on the charters because they weren’t on “preferred” lists. More damning is that the lists were allegedly based on team preferences, according to the complaint. They said they later discovered that young, white, blond attendants – with less seniority – were given the assignments.“United has created a despicable situation,” the women said in the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in San Mateo, Calif. (“It’s) as if decades of laws and policies preventing discrimination based on age, race and ancestry, and gender simply do not exist.”United Airlines didn’t respond to a request for comment. Let's block ads! (Why?)

While the airline industry is still waiting for Congress to discuss a proposed new round of grants and loans, the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday proposed a stop-gap measure.The agency is seeking an extension of temporary waivers of minimum flight requirements at some U.S. airports through late March 2021, according to Reuters News Service.Airlines are required to have a certain amount of flights flying out of airports as part of a mutual agreement for gate slots. If they don’t meet an 80 percent minimum usage requirement they can lose their spots at heavily congested airports to other airlines. The FAA is proposing extending the waiver for that minimum usage at New York’s John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports and at Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that was set to expire in October. Trending Now In addition, the FAA is proposing to extend credits to airlines for flights canceled due to the coronavirus at Chicago O’Hare, Newark-Liberty, Los Angeles International and San Francisco International. The pandemic has crushed the industry, with capacity down around 75 percent compared to what it was last year, although airlines did get a boost over Labor Day weekend.Delta Air Lines, for instance, told the FAA it projected only using 50-60 percent of its slots in New York and Washington airports in November.The FAA said its proposal “reflects a delicate balancing of the competing interests of carriers interested in conducting ad hoc operations... against the interests of incumbent carriers seeking maximum flexibility in making scheduling and operational decisions in an uncertain environment with ongoing COVID-19-related impacts.”Spirit Airlines opposed the move, saying that "public policy should be directed toward enabling the free market to reallocate the use of these slots/authorizations – a public resource – such that passengers receive greater choice among offerings in these key markets.” Let's block ads! (Why?)

Caribbean destinations will receive a significant airline service capacity boost this fall following JetBlue’s initiation of new service to regional islands beginning in November.The routes include new flights from Newark International Airport to six Caribbean countries and new service from North Carolina’s Raleigh–Durham International Airport to Montego Bay, Jamaica.Beginning November 19, JetBlue will begin daily flights from Newark to Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport and twice-daily departures to Jamaica’s Sangster International Airport. The added flights represent a significant regional development as Caribbean destination stakeholders have identified flight increases as instrumental to restarting tourism activity across the region. The same day, JetBlue will launch daily flights from Newark to Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas; the Turks & Caicos’ Providenciales International Airport; Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic and Sint Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport. Trending Now Select Sint Maarten flights will feature JetBlue’s MINT premium service. JetBlue will also unveil twice-daily flights between Raleigh–Durham International Airport and Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on November 19. In addition, beginning December 18 the airline will begin twice-weekly departures to San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport from Raleigh–Durham International Airport.“This is the latest example of JetBlue’s ability to be nimble and play offense as we quickly adjust to new customer behaviors and booking patterns,” said Scott Laurence, JetBlue’s head of revenue and planning.The company will “reactivate some temporarily parked aircraft” to support the flight increases. The new routes will be “regularly evaluated” and JetBlue “will remain flexible, allowing market demand to determine how long a particular route continues to operate,” said officials in a statement.The new flights will also connect “a variety of new city pairs across the Southeast, Florida, the West Coast and the Caribbean and Latin America,” said officials. Let's block ads! (Why?)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) hosted a 9/11 commemoration event on Friday at the agency’s headquarters in Virginia.The ceremony marked the 19th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, with the TSA being created shortly after the catastrophic events to secure the nation’s transportation systems.TSA Administrator David Pekoske was on hand to reiterate the importance of the screening officers, Federal Air Marshals and other employees in keeping the traveling public safe, especially during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. “September 11 was a traumatic day and a tragedy that continues to be felt by all Americans, including many TSA employees who were directly affected by the attacks and subsequently joined the newly-formed agency,” Pekoske said.“We continue to commemorate this day to comfort each other, to strengthen our resolve and to recommit ourselves to the mission entrusted to us by our fellow Americans,” Pekoske continued. “We also continue to aggressively adapt and mature as an agency in the face of new challenges. The pandemic has given us a renewed urgency in our pursuit of new solutions to enhance transportation security.”The ceremony also showcased spotlighted several TSA employees and their personal stories, showing how 9/11 impacted their personal and professional lives. The semi-virtual event closed with participants standing together and reciting their recommitment to TSA’s mission to protect the nation’s transportation systems.Last week, the TSA announced it would continue operating pilot programs for its new touchless “self-service” technology at airports. The initiative will use technology to match a traveler’s live photo with the photo on their ID and confirms their flight information in real-time. Let's block ads! (Why?)

A dispute over a child wearing a mask on a plane caused an airline to cancel a flight in Canada this week.According to CBC.ca, Safwan Choudhry and his family boarded a WestJet flight from Calgary to Toronto early Tuesday when he was confronted by the cabin crew about his child being required to wear a mask.Choudhry was on the plane with his wife and two children, a three-year-old daughter and a 19-month-old daughter. WestJet claims he was asked repeatedly to make sure his older child was wearing a mask, as the Canadian government requires all passengers two and older to wear facial coverings. Trending Now Choudhry disputes the claims, though, saying flight attendants were complaining about his younger daughter not wearing a mask, since his three-year-old actually wore her facial covering.Due to the family refusing to put a mask on one of their children and then denying requests to leave the plane, the “crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently canceled,” according to a WestJet spokesperson.WestJet officials also told CBC News the family had been flying with the airline using employee travel passes and would no longer be able to board the carrier’s flights. In addition, the employee who provided them with the benefits also lost travel privileges.The airline issued an apology to the other passengers, saying it was “disappointed this issue ended ultimately in a flight cancellation for all guests on board.”Last month, WestJet announced a zero-tolerance mask policy that went into effect on September 1. Any passengers who violate the rules face consequences, including being offloaded from a flight and a one-year ban. Let's block ads! (Why?)

Officers at a Miami airport seized almost $500,000 being smuggled out of the United States in furniture.A United States Custom and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson revealed that security officials Miami International Airport discovered $491,280 in unreported U.S. currency concealed inside the bottom of a chair that was part of a crate containing furniture. Trending Now The shipment was destined to the Dominican Republic and was selected for examination during outbound enforcement operations. The failure to report cash is a violation of U.S. currency reporting requirements and carries penalties that include the seizure and forfeiture of most or all of the currency and potential criminal charges.“Criminal organizations will attempt to export large sums of cash to launder their ill-gotten gains,” CBP Acting Port Director at the Miami airport Robert Del Toro said. “This is a significant seizure and represents the impact we can make on criminal’s profits and was the direct result of our officer’s vigilance and watchfulness.”CBP officers seize an average of about $207,000 in unreported or illicit currency every day.SEAT FULL OF CASH—CBP officers in Miami seized almost half a million dollars in cash that was being smuggled out of the U.S. hidden inside a chair.Details via @CBPFlorida: https://t.co/QPUPJlVHOK pic.twitter.com/W9P6c3VyBj— CBP (@CBP) September 10, 2020Last month, officials in the U.S. ordered the closure of several entry points with Mexico and added more secondary checks to curb non-essential travel between the countries. Let's block ads! (Why?)

The United States Government announced Thursday it would end enhanced screening of some international passengers for COVID-19 starting on Monday, September 14.According to Reuters.com, officials are implementing the changes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it changed requirements due to the limited effectiveness of symptom-based screening. Trending Now The enhanced screening was required for travelers who had been in Brazil, China, Iran, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Schengen region of Europe. The government is also dropping requirements that travelers coming from the targeted countries arrive at 15 designated U.S. airports. Airlines for America told Reuters its members “no longer believe that it makes sense to continue screening at these 15 airports given the extremely low number of passengers identified by the CDC as potentially having a health issue.”Data shows that of 675,000 passengers at the 15 airports who underwent the enhanced screening, fewer than 15 had been identified as having a confirmed coronavirus case.The airports ending enhanced screening include Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Atlanta, New York JFK, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington-Dulles, Newark, Seattle and San Francisco. Let's block ads! (Why?)

JetBlue announced it would launch 24 new, nonstop routes, including several services never before operated by the airline.The new routes were added to generate cash and capture traffic in markets JetBlue anticipates an increase in demand for leisure travel. Tickets for all flights scheduled to take off in November and December are now on sale.The new markets also maximize revenue potential across JetBlue’s existing domestic and international network by introducing all-new nonstop destinations from four focus cities, plus expanded Mint service in Newark and Los Angeles. Trending Now In addition, JetBlue is growing its New York City presence in Newark with more than a half dozen new routes to the Caribbean, expanding domestic and international service at LAX, offering nonstop western U.S. destinations from Fort Lauderdale and more.“This is the latest example of JetBlue’s ability to be nimble and play offense as we quickly adjust to new customer behaviors and booking patterns,” JetBlue head of revenue and planning Scott Laurence said. “This latest series of new routes – even in the current environment – advances our revised network strategy, returns more aircraft to the skies and doubles down on our ability to generate more cash sooner.”JetBlue is connecting a variety of new city pairs across the Southeast, Florida, the West Coast, the Caribbean and Latin America. The airline is also working to advance its position as the transcontinental leader with new markets never served coast-to-coast by the airline.As a result of the increase in demand and the added routes, JetBlue will reactivate a portion of its temporarily parked aircraft fleet. Let's block ads! (Why?)

American Airlines has banned a female passenger after the woman allegedly left a nasty, derogatory note for a flight attendant who asked the traveler to properly wear her face mask.It included calling the crew member a “mask Nazi.” The incident, first reported by TMZ, apparently happened at some point last week. The flight attendant, also female, alerted her superiors. The note somehow wound up in the hands of a fellow traveler, who tweeted out its content with a picture. Trending Now Several people who replied to the tweet questioned the veracity of the note, apparently written on the waste/vomit bag in the seatback. But American Airlines confirmed the incident to TMZ, saying it is investigating the note and it has already suspended the customer's ability to travel on its planes.“Our flight attendants are professionals who play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of our passengers, and we will not tolerate mistreatment of them,” an airline spokesperson said.So far, since instituting the mandatory mask policy on flights, airlines have suspended the flying privileges of more than 700 people.The passenger was apparently triggered by the flight attendant asking her to properly wear her mask up over her nose. There didn’t seem to be a big brouhaha at the moment, but after the flight landed the passenger handed the flight attendant the note.In part, it read, “You mean (redacted) in life. You are nothing but a glorified maid who needs to jump down off her high horse and learn how to speak to ppl. Nobody cares about your stupid seat policies or your nose issues. We pay your salary and your attitude is unnecessary. … The very fact that we have to listen & kowtow to a nobody who does (redacted) except collect our trash and serve crappy food makes me absolutely ill. You are a mask nazi and a 4 eyed (redacted) and if it wasn’t for this job, you would be cleaning motel rooms for $2 tips and meth."Here is the tweet from the fellow flier and a picture of the note.WARNING: The note contains curse words and harsh language.today a passenger handed this to a flight attendant upon deplaning. the flight attendant had asked her to wear her mask over her nose. incredibly done with the general public. pic.twitter.com/wDUVqxkyKH— (@hibiscuslacroix) September 3, 2020 Let's block ads! (Why?)