Source: IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomes today’s decision by the government of Canada to further ease border restrictions for fully vaccinated* passengers. Eligible US citizens and permanent US residents arriving from the US will be permitted to enter Canada as of 9 August and foreign nationals arriving from all other countries will be allowed as of 7 September. Fully vaccinated Canadian citizens and residents have been able to enter Canada without the need for hotel quarantine since 5 July 2021. “Today’s decision by the government of Canada to gradually allow fully vaccinated foreigners travelers to enter the country is good news on various fronts. First and foremost, it restores the freedom of travel, which will be especially [...]

Source: Chair of the House Committee on Transportation The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) during today’s hearing titled, “Bridging the Gap: Improving Diversity and Inclusion in the U.S. Aviation Workforce.” Videos of DeFazio and Larsen’s opening statements are here and here. More information on the hearing can be found here. Chair DeFazio: Thank you, Chair Larsen, for calling today’s hearing on the need to improve the diversity of the aviation industry’s workforce. Unfortunately, we’re still a long way from attaining true equality for all in this country. And while the federal government and many [...]

Source: US FAA The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened a safety field office in Houston to increase its oversight of commercial space operations in Texas and New Mexico. From this location, FAA inspectors will be able to more effectively and efficiently monitor the ongoing testing programs and commercial space tourism operations of SpaceX and Blue Origin in Texas and Virgin Galactic in New Mexico, along with others in the region. “Keeping the public safe as the pace of commercial space operations increases requires the FAA to adapt, be agile, and remain vigilant,” said Wayne Monteith, the FAA’s associate administrator of commercial space transportation. “The Houston field office will help us achieve these important goals.” This is [...]

Source: US DOT The average U.S. domestic air fare declined in the first quarter of 2021 to $260, down 1.2% from the inflation-adjusted fare of $264 in the fourth quarter of 2020. The first quarter fare of $260 was up 5.0% from the lowest inflation adjusted fare of $248 in the third quarter of 2020.   Adjusted for inflation (constant 2021 dollars) the average 1Q 2021 air fare was: Down 24.0% from 1Q 2020 ($343) Down 1.2% from 4Q 2020 ($264) Down 34.7% from 1Q 2016 ($398)   Air fares declined as passenger demand decreased. U.S. airlines reported 33.4 million originating passengers in the first quarter 2021, down from 60.8 million passengers a year earlier.           [...]

Source: US Department of Transportation The U.S. Department of Transportation today released its July 2021 Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of May 2021. The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. The ATCR and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at http://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations in May 2021, although airlines scheduled and operated more flights in May 2021 than any month since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The total number of flights operated in May 2021 has reached 76% of pre-pandemic levels with [...]