Source: ALPA The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) today issued the following statement on the U.S. government’s announcement that it will ease restrictions on nonessential international travel this November: “ALPA supports opening the country’s doors to international travelers with the implementation of the government’s new requirements for international travel, which will help ensure the safety and health of flight crews, passengers, and the public, and protect the aviation industry’s path to economic recovery. “Since the pandemic’s onset, ALPA has been a proponent of mandating compliance with federal health guidelines to prevent the needless loss of life and careers to COVID-19. Vaccines are a key part of a multilayered approach that is critical to the world’s recovery from this deadly [...]

Source: US FAA The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded more than $431.8 million in grants to build safer, more sustainable and more accessible airports across the United States. The funding from the final round of Fiscal Year 2021 Airport Improvement Program grants will pay for projects at 60 airports in 31 states plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. View an interactive map with all the awards. “To get passengers where they need to be safely and sustainably, we must make ongoing investments in our aviation system. These grants will help fulfill our commitment to build a safer, more equitable and more sustainable future,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Thanks to President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the projects announced today will not [...]

Source: ACI NA Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, today released the following statement from ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke welcoming the Biden administration’s announcement that fully vaccinated, non-U.S. citizens will be permitted to travel to the U.S beginning in November. “America’s airports applaud the Biden administration’s announcement that it will soon begin to allow fully vaccinated passengers to travel to the United States,” said Burke. “We are encouraged by this latest step that responds to our request for a plan to restore international travel, which is so critical in ensuring a robust economic recovery across the aviation industry. By requiring strict safety protocols [...]

Source: A4A We applaud the Administration for identifying a path to begin safely reopening international travel by implementing individual risk-based measures effective November 2021. U.S. airlines have been strong advocates for a stringent, consistent policy and are eager to safely reunite the countless families, friends and colleagues who have not seen each other in nearly two years, if not longer. Today’s announcement marks a positive step in our nation’s recovery, and we look forward to working with the Administration over the coming weeks to implement this new global system.

Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the decision by the Biden Administration to enable vaccinated travelers to enter the US with a negative COVID-19 test result prior to travel from early November. Importantly, this supersedes the so-called 212f restrictions which prevented anyone from entering the US if they had been in 33 specific countries including the UK, Ireland, all Schengen countries, Brazil, South Africa, India, and China within the last 14 days. “Today’s announcement is a major step forward. Allowing access to the US for those vaccinated will open travel to the US for many who have been locked out for the past 18 months. This is excellent news for families and loved ones who have suffered [...]

Source: US DOT The 23 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.1% more full-time equivalents (FTEs) in July 2021 than in June 2021: July’s total number of FTEs (402,561) was up 8,263 from June (394,298) and down 54,699, a 12.0% drop from the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 (457,260) and a 10.5% drop from the most recent pre-pandemic corresponding month, July 2019. July 2021 was the lowest FTE total for the month of July since 2015 (396,503). The largest increase in passenger airlines employees came from Delta Airlines adding 6,413 FTEs. In July 2021, scheduled passenger airlines employed 56% of the total airline industry FTEs, which includes cargo and charter carriers. In pre-pandemic March 2020, scheduled passenger airlines employed [...]

Source: US DOT Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) issued a notice to the Federal Register of its intention to identify a single low-cost or ultra-low cost carrier to operate 16 peak afternoon and evening runway timings at Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR). The action comes on the heels of a DC Circuit Court ruling and President Biden’s Executive Order Promoting Competition in the American Economy that instructs federal agencies to take action to lower prices for families, increase wages for workers, and promote innovation and faster economic growth. “Opening up more slots at Newark to lower cost carriers will provide air travelers with more choices and lower prices,” Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg said. “DOT’s action today is part of [...]

Source: US DOT   U.S. airlines carried 207% more scheduled service passengers in July 2021 than in July 2020 (preliminary) but 15% fewer passengers than in pre-pandemic July 2019, according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 24 airlines that carry more than 90% of passengers.   The large airlines carried 73.4 million passengers in July 2021 (preliminary), compared to 23.9 million passengers in July 2020, which was the lowest monthly total in BTS records dating back to 1974.  The previous low was 14.6 million passengers in February 1975. In the most recent corresponding month before the COVID-19 pandemic, July 2019, U.S. airlines carried 86.5 million passengers.     Preliminary July 2021 passenger numbers (22 carriers [...]

Source: ALPA The JetBlue Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today announced it has elected officers to lead the more than 4,100 JetBlue pilots. The voting members of the JetBlue MEC elected Capt. Chris Kenney, chair; Capt. Brian Dirlam, vice chair; and Capt. Justin Houck, secretary-treasurer to two-year terms starting Nov. 1, 2021. This slate of officers will lead the pilot group as it enters into negotiations for its second collective bargaining agreement. The pilots’ current contract, signed in August 2018, becomes amendable in July 2022. Since 2018, the pilot group has grown by more than 500 pilots and the airline has expanded to overseas destinations as its first flights to London from New [...]