Source: TSA Transportation Security Officers intercepted 4,312 firearms at checkpoints in 2022 During the Labor Day holiday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 8.76 million travelers between Friday, Sept. 2 and Monday, Sept. 5. The weekend travel volume represents 106% of volume for the same pre-pandemic holiday weekend in 2019 and is the first time that a holiday weekend passenger screening volume exceeds that of 2019. In 2019, Labor Day was on Monday, Sept. 2, and TSA screened 8.24 million passengers. The Labor Day weekend represents the conclusion of the summer travel season. This year, Friday marked the heaviest travel day. Transportation Security Officers screened 2.48 million passengers. Over the course of the long weekend, 94.9% of TSA PreCheck® passengers [...]

Source: ACI-LAC Airports Council International (ACI) held on Tuesday, September 6 the first ACI AIRPORT DAY COLOMBIA, a free event open to the public that brought together airport CEOs and key industry executives in the country, national civil aviation authorities and experts on topics related to airports, the environment, circular economy, SAF, among others. Airports Council International (ACI) held on Tuesday, September 6 the first ACI AIRPORT DAY COLOMBIA, a free event open to the public that brought together airport CEOs and key industry executives in the country, national civil aviation authorities and experts on topics related to airports, the environment, circular economy, SAF, among others. The event, held at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel Aeropuerto, in Bogota, Colombia, addressed the [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced passenger data for July 2022 showing that the recovery in air travel continues to be strong. Note: We have returned to year-on-year traffic comparisons, instead of comparisons with the 2019 period, unless otherwise noted. Owing to the low traffic base in 2021, some markets will show very high year-on-year growth rates, even if the size of these markets is still significantly smaller than they were in 2019. Total traffic in July 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was up 58.8% compared to July 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 74.6% of pre-crisis levels. Domestic traffic for July 2022 was up 4.1% compared to the year-ago period and is now driving the [...]

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for July 2022 global air cargo markets showing that demand continued to track at near pre-pandemic levels in July (-3.5%), but below July 2021 performance (-9.7%). Note: We have returned to year-on-year traffic comparisons, instead of comparisons with the 2019 period, unless otherwise noted. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), fell 9.7% compared to July 2021 (-10.2% for international operations). Demand stood at -3.5% compared to July 2019. Capacity was 3.6% above July 2021 (+6.8% for international operations) but still 7.8% below July 2019 levels. Several factors in the operating environment should be noted: New export orders, a leading indicator of cargo demand, decreased in all markets, except China [...]

Source: US DOT After Secretary Buttigieg wrote letter to airline CEOs, airlines made significant improvements to customer service plans Throughout 2022, Americans have experienced an unacceptable level of flight delays and cancellations. When these disruptions occur, airlines are required to support passengers based on commitments made in their customer service plans, but too often passengers find those plans are difficult to understand and do not guarantee services – such as meals or hotel accommodations when they must wait overnight at an airport – even for flights that are delayed or canceled because of the carrier. To ensure the traveling public has easy access to this information, the U.S. Department of Transportation today rolled out a new airline customer service dashboard, [...]

Source: FAA The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $231,000 in grants to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) outreach. "If kids can dream it, they can do it. It's up to us to light the path for them," said FAA Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims. Three grants are for universities to facilitate STEM outreach to students, especially those who are under-represented in STEM and aviation fields. The schools will design and conduct drone-centered immersion programs, summer camps, after-school programs and community outreach efforts that will educate and inspire youth from elementary, middle, and high schools. The STEM outreach grants are awarded to the following universities: North Carolina State University $125,000 Kansas State University $100,000 Sinclair Community College in Ohio $6,000 [...]

Source: ALTA Brazil will host a new edition of the ALTA/IATA Joint Fuel Committee. The city chosen was Rio de Janeiro, where representatives of airlines, fuel suppliers, service providers and governments will meet between September 15 and 16 to discuss the future of aviation fuels in our region, with a strong focus on the production, distribution, and use of SAF, in line with the commitment to work for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly aviation. Created in 2004, the Committee is responsible for identifying and developing synergies between airport operators, fuel suppliers, governments, and airlines. It also promotes dialogue and best practices to ensure greater transparency, open access, consistency, and predictability in jet fuel prices in the region; adequate, safe, [...]

Source: US DOT The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of June and for the second quarter of 2022 for on-time performance, consumer complaints received, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters. There was a 34.9% increase in air travel service complaints from May to June, and complaints are nearly 270 percent above pre-pandemic levels. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and is concerned about recent flight cancellations and flight disruptions. The Department's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) is monitoring airlines' operations to [...]