American’s canceled flights portend messy holiday travel
The razor-thin staffing that contributed to thousands of canceled U.S. passenger flights in October doesn’t bode well for smooth holiday travel.
Airlines
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American Airlines cancels more than 1,600 weekend flights
The disruptions were similar in their initial cause and size to problems suffered in early October by Southwest Airlines, and they raised ominous questions about whether major airlines are prepared for the busy upcoming holiday travel period.
Republic Airways to launch aircraft dispatch training program
Indianapolis-based Republic Airways announced plans Thursday to start what it says is the state’s first aircraft dispatch training program.
FAA proposes giving flight attendants 1 more hour of rest
The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Thursday that flight attendants get 10 consecutive hours of rest between shifts. The proposal does not change the current 14-hour limit on a flight attendant’s work day.
Southwest cuts flight schedule again to smooth operations
The decision to pare service highlights the difficulty that Southwest and other carriers have had adding workers since the summer, when demand surged more than expected after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
Unsupported ‘sickout’ claims take flight amid Southwest woes
Neither the company nor its pilots’ union has provided evidence to back up their explanations for why nearly 2,400 flights were canceled from Saturday through Monday.
Southwest cancels hundreds more flights, stranding passengers
Southwest Airlines canceled more than 350 flights Monday following a weekend of major disruptions that it blamed on bad weather and air traffic control issues.
Southwest Airlines flight cancellations continue into Monday
By late morning Monday, Southwest had canceled about 365 flights—10% of its schedule for the day—and more than 600 others were delayed.
Southwest Airlines cancels more than 1,000 Sunday flights
The airline canceled more than 1,000 flights in total, or 29% of its schedule, as of 7 p.m. Sunday, according to flight tracker FlightAware. That was the highest rate by far of the major U.S. airlines.
Southwest latest airline to mandate vaccines for workers
Southwest said it has to mandate vaccines because of new rules from the Biden administration requiring companies with federal contracts to have vaccinated staffs.
United Airlines say 97% of U.S. employees have been vaccinated
Last month, United set a deadline of Sept. 27–next Monday–for its 67,000 U.S.-based employees to get vaccinated or face termination.
Feds, states sue to stop deal between American Airlines and JetBlue
The Justice Department said Tuesday that the agreement between the airlines will eliminate important competition in New York and Boston and reduce JetBlue’s incentive to compete against American in other parts of the country.
Updated: Republic Airways to move HQ, training facilities to struggling retail area in Carmel
Republic, which provides passenger flights that operate under the flags of major airlines, plans to move about 1,900 jobs to Carmel, the city said in a news release. Its headquarters is now at 8909 Purdue Road.
U.S. easing virus restrictions for foreign flights to America
The travel bans had become the source of growing geopolitical frustration, particularly among allies in the United Kingdom and European Union.
Biden easing foreign travel restrictions, requiring vaccines
The new policy replaces a patchwork of travel restrictions first instituted by President Donald Trump last year and tightened by Biden last year that restricted travel by non-citizens to the United Kingdom, European Union, China, India and other countries.
U.S. investigating airlines over slow refunds during pandemic
The Transportation Department says in a new report that it investigated 20 airlines over failures to issue prompt refunds to customers, and 18 of those probes are still going.
TSA doubles fines for refusing to wear masks at airports, other transportation settings
People who refuse to comply with a federal mandate that requires them to wear masks in airports, and on trains, buses and in other public transportation settings will face stiffer penalties from the Transportation Security Agency.
Virus variant batters airline bookings for Labor Day weekend
After a surge in bookings early this summer, U.S. airline passengers are planning fewer trips as the spread of the coronavirus delta variant continues to discourage travel.
Southwest trims schedule in effort to solve flight problems
Southwest Airlines said Thursday it will cut its September schedule by 27 flights a day, or less than 1%, and chop 162 flights a day, or 4.5% of the schedule, from early October through Nov. 5.
Delta Air lines to impose monthly surcharge on unvaccinated employees
The airline plans to impose a $200 monthly surcharge on employees who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19, becoming the first major U.S. company to levy a penalty to encourage workers to get protected.