Pete Buttigieg travel tips

Traffic fatalities declined for the fifth straight quarter. About 19,515 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023, a decrease of about 3.3% compared to 20,190 fatalities in the first half of 2022.

Today, JetBlue became the fourth major U.S. airline to guarantee families can sit together when they fly. Following in the footsteps of Frontier Airlines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, JetBlue is now in compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation's plea that airlines adopt seating policies that allow families to sit together.

As the federal government inches closer toward a government shutdown, travel will remain largely the same for Americans if it indeed happens. However, in the event of a shutdown, travelers may feel the effects in various situations.

The Biden administration offered new warnings on Wednesday that a government shutdown could disrupt the nation’s air travel system, part of an effort to lay blame at the feet of House Republicans ahead of a possible funding lapse this weekend.

As a looming US government shutdown seems more and more likely to happen this week, many travelers are wondering how the closure of the federal government will affect their upcoming trips this fall.

If you have travel plans next month, be warned: a government shutdown could make flying even more miserable than it already is.

A government shutdown looms as Congress remains in gridlock over extending funding past a major deadline.

A U.S. government shutdown is looking more likely by the day as budget negotiations drag on in Congress. A shutdown would start next month, unless the government can reach a deal by the September 30 deadline. 

Last week, as weather and airline staffing woes roiled air travel yet again, fliers hoping for a post-summer respite got some unwelcome news: the air traffic controller shortage is so severe that it could hobble airline operations for the next five years—or more, according to industry officials.

Air traffic control staff shortages have plagued the air industry all summer, and now airline executives are warning travelers it could take years to fix.

United Airlines issued a ground stop on Tuesday afternoon, briefly pausing departures and disrupting flights across its network.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) just revealed that it has levied a $4.1-million fine against American Airlines (AA) for keeping thousands of passengers onboard planes that sat on airport tarmacs for several hours without the option to deplane.

Delays are an unpleasant but inevitable part of air travel, but delays on the tarmac after boarding the airplane can be especially frustrating — and potentially dangerous.

The Transportation Department fined American Airlines $4.1 million on Monday, saying the carrier violated federal rules by keeping passengers stranded on airport tarmacs for hours on dozens of occasions in recent years.

Southwest Airlines has put an initial number to the losses incurred during its holiday meltdown: a $725-825 million hit to its pre-tax income in the fourth quarter. That number includes both $400-425 million in lost revenue and added costs, for example reimbursing people for alternative travel costs.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.56 million air passengers on Sunday, the highest number since December 2019 and the busiest day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) said it planned to seek higher penalties for airlines and others that broke consumer protection rules, saying they were necessary to deter future violations.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian made a call to action for more funding and investment in the U.S. air traffic control system after an outage Wednesday disrupted more than 11,000 flights across the country.

U.S. airlines and airports are preparing for a surge in passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the number of travelers expected to hit the highest level in three years.

Southwest Airlines was up and running on a normal schedule on Friday after a massive winter storm crippled operations this week and exposed problems at the low-cost carrier.

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell on Wednesday said the panel intended to hold hearings after Southwest Airlines’ recent meltdown that led to nearly 16,000 flight cancellations in the week ending Dec. 29.