Pre-pandemic sized crowds descend on US airports for holiday
The July Fourth holiday weekend is off to a booming start with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]
sanmarcosrecord.comAmerican Airlines ending service to three cities due to pilot shortage
American Airlines will eliminate service for three cities following the Labor Day holiday weekend as a result of staffing shortages, marking the latest hiccup for the airline industry amid thousands of cancellations and cuts in recent months. An airline spokesperson said the company will drop service to Toledo, Ohio; Ithaca, N.Y.; and Islip, N.Y., on…
news.yahoo.comA California mom says she felt 'humiliated' after the TSA barred her from bringing ice packs on a plane to keep her breast milk cool during a 5-hour flight
Emily Calandrelli said she wanted to pump before her flight to avoid breast pain. She needed the ice packs to preserve the milk for her baby.
news.yahoo.comTSA is expanding use of screeners to help at busy airports
COPPELL (AP) — The chief of the Transportation Security Administration said Thursday that his agency has quadrupled the number of employees who could bolster screening operations at airports that beco[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]
sanmarcosrecord.comCDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains
U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation. Americans age 2 and older should wear a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends. For months, the Transportation Security Administration had been enforcing a requirement that passengers and workers wear masks.
news.yahoo.comJustice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]
sanmarcosrecord.comPassenger wait times increase at VIA
HARLINGEN — The huge increase in seats available to airline passengers at Valley International Airport is, perhaps predictably, creating new issues at the facility. All in all, the sleepy days of arriving 30 minutes before your flight takes off from VIA are over. The airport also reconfigured the TSA checkpoint area in an attempt to use the space more efficiently and speed the process along. So far, the longest wait time for transiting the TSA checkpoint has been 25 minutes. “A lot of times in the past, especially over the last couple of years, it’s been no-wait.
myrgv.comAir travel industry in dark about mask mandate renewal
The federal Transportation Security Administration is weighing whether to extend the mask mandate for airports, commercial aircraft, buses and rail systems, which expires March 18. The mandate designed to stem the spread of COVID-19 has been extended three times since it was put in place in February 2021. “As per the mask mandate in the terminal building and airlines, it’s set to expire on March 18 unless it’s renewed,” Marv Esterly, director of aviation at Valley International Airport, told the airport board last week. Esterly said local TSA officials gave no indication what course of action TSA officials in Washington would take on the mandate. The Federal Aviation Administration admits the mask mandate has contributed to a large number of onboard incidents among passengers and crew.
myrgv.comBad behavior won’t fly: Flight attendants learn to fight back in self-defense classes
We are just three months into 2022 and already the Federal Aviation Administration has received hundreds of reports of passengers acting aggressively in the air. Last year, 2021 was a record-setting year for the number of incidents involving disruptive passengers on planes. Because of this, flight attendants are enrolling in the Transportation Security Administration’s Crew Member Self-Defense training course.
Airlines, cruise lines and hotel stocks fall on virus fears
Air travel in the United States hit another pandemic-era record over the weekend as vacationers jammed airports, but shares of airlines, cruise lines, hotels and almost anything else related to travel are tumbling on growing concerns about highly contagious variants of coronavirus.
Air travelers top 1.5 million for first time in over a year
FILE - In this Friday, March 19, 2021 file photo, an airliner lands at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla. On Sunday, March 21, more than 1.5 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints, the largest number since the pandemic tightened its grip on the United States more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)More than 1.5 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Sunday, the largest number since the pandemic tightened its grip on the United States more than a year ago. It marked the 11th straight day that the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1 million people, likely from a combination of spring break travel and more people becoming vaccinated against COVID-19. The TSA said Monday that it screened about 1.54 million people on Sunday, which appeared to be the largest number since March 13, 2020. Still, the number of people passing through airport checkpoints Sunday was about one-fourth below the number on the closest Sunday in 2019.
US air travel rises to highest levels yet since pandemic hit
Across the United States, air travel is recovering more quickly from the depths of the pandemic, and it is showing up in longer airport security lines and busier traffic on airline websites. "Our last three weeks have been the best three weeks since the pandemic hit, and each week has been better than the one prior,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Monday. Shares of the four biggest U.S. carriers hit their highest prices in more than a year. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Monday that bookings began picking up five or six weeks ago. Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down.
The Latest: All Duke University undergrads must quarantine
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential punishments for “flagrant or repeat violators.”Over the past week, the school has reported more than 180 positive coronavirus cases among students. AdItaly has now tallied some 3.2 million cases in the pandemic. The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations.
TSA lists fines for people who refuse to wear a mask while traveling
HOUSTON – The Transportation Security Administration said Friday that it has changed language in its face mask requirement to include specific fines -- which could range from $250 to $1,500 or more -- for people who refuse to wear a mask while traveling. Based on substantial aggravating or mitigating factors, TSA may seek a sanction amount that falls outside these ranges. TSA has provided transportation system operators specific guidance on how to report violations so that TSA may issue penalties to those who refuse to wear a face mask. The requirement extends to wearing masks in airports, bus and rail stations, as well as while on planes, public transportation, passenger railroads, and buses. Read more in the news release from TSA.
TSA looking into adding Capitol rioters to US no-fly list
Federal safety officials are investigating people who took part in last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol to decide whether they belong on the federal no-fly list. The assessments are one of several steps federal agencies are taking to increase security before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. The assessments could result in rioters being added to the federal no-fly list, the person said. The FBI said earlier this week it was considering adding Capitol rioters to the federal no-fly list but stopped short of saying that individuals were being scrutinized. Airlines and Washington-area airports also have promised tighter security after last week’s riot at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
VIRUS TODAY: Huge study on another COVID vaccine is underway
Administrative worker Sander Edmondson, left, hands a COVID-19 testing kit to a woman at a testing site in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Here’s what’s happening Monday with the pandemic in the U.S.:THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY— A huge study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate is getting underway Monday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the nation’s first shots. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if this vaccine — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe. — Homicides in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other U.S. cities have topped 2019 numbers as violence surged during the coronavirus pandemic. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
The Latest: China tests millions in port over virus cluster
(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.
Bush airport named TSA’s 2020 Airport of the Year for the second consecutive year
HOUSTON – George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston is the 2020 Airport of the Year, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA team in Houston consists of more than 1,100 employees, which includes TSA officers, inspectors, canine handlers, explosives experts, managers and program analysts. The award recognizes team achievements in key operations and mission support functions, such as measurable improvements, superior performance, notable innovation and significant operational improvements in support of TSA’s mission. “We are honored to be named TSA’s 2020 Airport of the year,” Houston Airports Director Mario Diaz said. “On behalf of the entire team at Bush Airport and the traveling public, I also congratulate the George Bush Intercontinental Airport TSA team for their invaluable commitment to safety and efficiency throughout this challenging year.
Holiday air travel surges despite dire health warnings
The Transportation Security Administration screened at least 1 million people on four of the last 10 days through Sunday. That's still half the crowd recorded last year at airports, when more than 2 million people were counted per day. With new reported cases of coronavirus spiking across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued a warning against Thanksgiving travel just a week before the holiday. On Monday, JetBlue Airways said “booking trends remain volatile,” and a recovery in travel demand will be uneven into next year. Those are slightly deeper reductions in flying and revenue than the New York carrier had expected before the recent spike in infections.
TSA officers at Houston’s IAH find 6 loaded, 2 unloaded guns over one-week period
HOUSTON – The Transportation Security Administration at George Bush Intercontinental Airport found eight guns inside luggage over the course of a week, according to a news release. Those eight were part of 92 that have been found in 2020, meaning 11.5% of guns found at IAH were found in just a week, the release revealed. Here is a breakdown:9/20/2020: .40 loaded9/20/2020: 9mm loaded9/22/2020: .380 loaded9/23/2020: .380 loaded9/23/2020: .357 loaded9/24/2020: .380 unloaded9/24/2020: 9mm unloaded9/27/2020: 9mm loaded“Guns are prohibited in the cabins of airplanes. This law has been in place long before TSA existed,” said Juan Sanchez, TSA’s Federal Security Director for IAH. Go online to see the rules for transporting firearms.
Air traffic is down, gun seizures up at US airports
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)With air traffic nearing a five-month high, airport security is finding guns in passenger carry-on bags at three times the rate recorded before the pandemic. There has been a significant increase in loaded guns at checkpoints, said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. Last year, 4,432 guns were found in carry-on bags, or about 12.1 per day, and 87% were loaded. TSA's public appeal to follow gun rules came the same day that it reported screening 831,789 people on Sunday. It was the first time checkpoint traffic in U.S. airports has topped 800,000 since March 17.
Reports: TSA insider faults agency's response to coronavirus
The top TSA official in Kansas, Jay Brainard, says the TSAs actions amount to gross mismanagement." The special counsel has ordered TSA's parent agency, the Homeland Security Department, to conduct an investigation. Brainard filed his whistleblower complaint on June 3, and the special counsel on Thursday ordered the Homeland Security Department to investigate the allegations. By law, the special counsel only takes that step when it believes there is a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing. The special counsel will review Homeland Securitys findings and issue a report to the White House and Congress.
Businesses ramp up operations as nations prep for tourists
Five restaurants continue to operate with enhanced off-premise service only, while nine restaurants remain temporarily closed. Transactions at fast food restaurants were down 17% the week of May 24, while transactions at sit-down chains were down 49%. CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS & BANKS: Spains national statistics office said that it received zero international tourists in April. That compares with 7 million tourists that spent 7 billion euros ($7.8 billion) in Spain in the prior-year period. Istanbuls 15th century Grand Bazaar, museums, gyms, child care centers and nurseries, were among other venues allowed to resume operations.
TSA: IAH among top 5 airports where most guns found in 2019
HOUSTON – George Bush Intercontinental Airport is among the top five airports where Transportation Security Administration officers found the most guns in 2019. IAH officers detected 138 guns in carry-on bags or on passengers last year, authorities announced Wednesday. NEWS: TSA officers caught more firearms at checkpoints nationwide in 2019 than ever before in the agency’s 18-year history. Read the full press release: https://t.co/n3Zqyfpcnx pic.twitter.com/Qejm69lzwy — TSA (@TSA) January 15, 2020The IAH information was part of a news release that also announced that TSA officers found more firearms at checkpoints nationwide in 2019 than ever before in the agency’s 18-year history. The top five airports where TSA officers detected guns at checkpoints in 2019 were:1.