Airport tips

In the latest no-confidence vote on the TSA’s ability to effectively manage security at the country’s airports, Delta today announced “up to $4 million” in additional staffing at 32 airports to augment TSA checkpoint personnel. The Delta workers will assist with non-security tasks, like managing lines and screening bins, freeing up TSA staff to open more lanes and process more passengers.

On the heels of news that it will debut “bare fares” in early 2017, USA Today reports American will also add a seating class at the other end of the spectrum.

This summer, Norwegian plans to fly from New York to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Shannon—and for these flights, “New York” means Stewart International Airport (SWF), also called Stewart Field.

At this week’s J.P. Morgan Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference, American Airlines chief Doug Parker spent a full 40 minutes detailing his vision for American’s future and expressing full confidence that his airline would come to be regarded as “best in class.” Implicit in his remarks, however, was the recognition that the airline currently falls well short of that goal, and that a key impediment to the company’s success is its strained relations with workers.

There’s no shortage of new airlines servicing North America right now: Norwegian, WOW, Primera, XL Airways, Level, Flair, and Joon have recently sprung up or expanded. But none of these new carriers is based in the U.S.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be able to sleep on command. As a frequent traveler, passing out at the exact moment I’d like to is easily the one super power I would pick if had the chance.

United’s forcible ejection of a paying passenger from flight UA3411 earlier this month was a perfect storm of bad decisions, both leading up to the incident and in its subsequent handling by company chief Oscar Munoz. The airline’s image, less than sterling to begin with, was deeply tarnished.

As reported last week, the U.S. is seeking to expand its current electronics ban on laptops and other devices on international flights. The current, controversial electronics ban covers flights to the U.S. from 10 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco. An expanded electronics ban would include flights from Europe as well.

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but the airport security lines at our nation’s TSA checkpoints have been growing even longer of late, and now one airline is finally fed up enough to do something about it.

Depending on your point of view, busier airports are either a blessing or a curse. For the Airports Council International, which just released its ACI World Airport Traffic Report, busy airports are a sign of economic vitality and consumer vigor.

Pilots from Southwest and American Airlines are rallied at the White House today in the hopes of blocking Norwegian Air’s planned expansion in the U.S., reports the Dallas Business Journal.

As reported by USA Today, lawmakers in Missouri are expected to pass a bill that will amend the state’s liquor law to allow travelers to take alcoholic drinks with them to their boarding gates.

The more Facebook swallows up entire businesses (read: Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus VR) and expands its own capabilities, the more it seems like the social media giant truly wants to take over the world. And in an age when smartphone apps that serve just one function rarely survive, Facebook’s messaging app appears to be stepping into yet another realm: travel.

You probably saw (or experienced) the airport protests and delays this weekend following President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban nationals traveling to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority nations. But what do the American people think of the new travel measure?

It was only a handful of months ago that we were posting headline after headline bemoaning the seemingly sudden onslaught of schedule-and soul-crushing lines at TSA security checkpoints. Back in May it seemed as if travelers might be in for a prolonged quagmire of unknown duration at the country’s airports.

When it comes to lie-flat luxury on planes, transatlantic long-haul airlines like Emirates, Qatar, and Virgin Atlantic dominate the market. But now JetBlue is upping its flatbed seat count on short-haul flights, raising the question: Could the airline be readying for its own transatlantic routes?

When a planned $32 billion expansion is completed, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will be the world’s largest.

For the average flyer, squeezed into a cramped coach-class seat and nickel-and-dimed to distraction, air travel has never been worse. But flush with outsized profits, and under fire for keeping airfares high even as fuel costs have plummeted, the full-service carriers are taking steps to stem the rising tide of anger and frustration.

Airlines for America, the primary trade group representing U.S. airlines, is expecting a record rise in air travelers this spring—4% compared to last year. That nets out to roughly 145 million travelers through April 30, or 2.4 million travelers per day.

There’s a mounting possibility of a big shake-up in how you purchase your airfare, some travel outlets report: Major airlines might soon employ a new technology called dynamic pricing to assign different fares to different types of air passengers without their knowledge.

If you didn’t believe the old adage that fear is contagious, the details of this weekend’s false-alarm evacuation of JFK Airport might change your mind. According to a New Yorker reporter who experienced the incident, unfounded reports of gunfire at New York City’s busiest air hub caused stampedes and panic that spread rapidly across terminals Sunday night.