Source: IATA   The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a revised Emergency Response Best Practices Handbook which, for the first time, includes detailed guidance on family assistance. Family assistance has long been an IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) requirement. Since 2022, the requirements for family assistance are included as a standard in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO’s) Annex 9 (Facilitation) while ICAO’s Document 9973 provides clear responsibilities for airlines, airports and ground handlers, turning international standards into care for affected families. The family assistance chapter in the revised manual provides guidance and practical tools to help operators meet both the IOSA and ICAO requirements. Putting Families First “Accidents are rare. But when they happen people are affected—not [...]

Source: US DOT   U.S. airlines carried 92.2 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in July 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, July enplanements are up 0.5% from June and down 1.7% from the all-time high reached in June 2024. BTS reported 78.9 million domestic passengers and 13.3 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in July, not adjusting for seasonality. U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for summary data since 2016 (Tables 1-24) and complete data since 2000. Trends (not seasonally adjusted) in U.S. airlines passenger enplanements July unadjusted  Systemwide enplanements (92.2M) reached a new all-time [...]

Source: IATA   The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched ‘Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries’, a global safety campaign that gives travelers seven simple rules for carrying mobile phones, laptops, power banks, and other lithium-powered devices safely when they fly. The campaign will run on IATA’s website and social channels and is available as white-label assets for airlines, airports, and other partners across the travel ecosystem. “Lithium-powered devices are safe when handled properly, but they can pose a risk if damaged or packed incorrectly. As more travelers fly with these devices, our Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries campaign will help airlines educate their passengers on the simple rules they must keep in mind when traveling with the electronic devices [...]