Author: Metropolitan Airport News
Metropolitan Airport News
Produced by a team of aviation professionals and enthusiasts, our mission is to inform and update the more than 68,000 employees who work on the metropolitan New York airport properties, as well as the many others that provide goods and services in the surrounding communities.
A customer service crisis that has swept the aviation world reached a boiling point in the US in April, when the Department of Transportation recorded 25,000 complaints, a level 15 times above the norm. As COVID-19 spread around the globe, airlines were forced to cancel flights on a massive scale. Would-be travelers needed information and customer service on a level heretofore unseen. “Right message, right person, right time” is a mantra APEX/IFSA CEO Dr. Joe Leader alluded to during the second installment of the IATA Aviation Data & Digital Webinar Series that has taken on a new degree of importance…
JetBlue Airways announced its “Safety from the Ground Up” program that will offer layers of protection for passengers and crewmembers when traveling. In June, the airline will start to introduce wellness checks that include taking crewmember temperatures and electrostatic aircraft fogging in June. Inside the aircraft, the airline already requires that crewmembers and passengers wear face coverings. In addition, the airline will block seats to ensure that no one is seated directly next to someone who is not in their travel party. JetBlue will block middle seats on all Airbus aircraft and aisle seats on Embraer 190 regional jets. Passengers can…
This past March, Be The Match enlisted Air Care Alliance’s (ACA) vast network of volunteer pilot organizations to deliver life-saving blood stem cells to patients with blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—nationwide. At that time, it was thought that a decrease in commercial flights and volunteer availability would disrupt distribution of the blood stem cells. ACA was able to quickly mobilize member organizations around the country that stand ready to help. However, a different problem emerged. Volunteer couriers delivering blood stem cells from Canada faced challenges getting into the United States. “While we initially thought there would be a great need…
Following Portugal’s completion of its three phases of re-opening next week, TAP Air Portugal is recommencing air service from North America from June 4, with twice weekly flights between Newark Liberty and Lisbon. TAP plans to recommence additional service in July with flights to Lisbon from Boston, Miami, and Toronto, each with two flights per week. In addition to reinstating previous routes, TAP is inaugurating three new routes this summer. On July 1, TAP will start three flights per week between Boston and the Azores’ Ponta Delgada. On July 2, TAP will add twice weekly service from Toronto to Ponta…
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has extended the temporary closure of Trusted Traveler Program enrollment centers until at least July 6, 2020. CBP is taking this precautionary measure to minimize the exposure of the public and CBP personnel to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The temporary closure applies to all public access Global Entry enrollment centers, NEXUS enrollment centers, SENTRI enrollment centers and FAST enrollment locations. Global Entry mobile enrollment events are also paused until further notice. Conditionally-approved Trusted Traveler Program applicants who seek an interview at an enrollment center will need to reschedule their appointment using the online scheduling tool…
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are planning to restart passenger flights to mainland China in June, four months after all routes were suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19. Delta intends to offer daily service to Shanghai Pudong from both its Detroit and Seattle-Tacoma hubs, subject to government approval. OAG Schedules Analyser data shows flights from Detroit will begin on June 1st using Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with Seattle resuming the same day on board A330-900neo. The network additions mean the SkyTeam alliance member will operate 7,350 two-way weekly seats between the US and China. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic Delta operated…
United Airlines is giving out face masks as part of a new amenity kit for passengers in the age of Covid-19. “Starting today, we are providing a little amenity kit,” United Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz said on Bloomberg Television’s Leadership Live. “It will be a little amenity kit that has a snack, a water and some hand wipes for you as you enter the aircraft, along with a mask if you need it.” The package is branded as “United Clean Plus,” said Munoz, who will become executive chairman after handing the CEO job to United President Scott Kirby this…
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), along with civic and business leaders from across the New York City region, is requesting $3 billion in direct federal assistance to offset the authority’s estimated losses over the next two years due to the coronavirus crisis. The request, which noted air travel to New York area airports is down 97 percent, came in a letter outlining the need to add a “multi-state agencies” category to the list of state and local entities eligible for direct federal financial assistance. The Port Authority said it does not rely on funding from…
William J. McShane of Babylon, a respected statewide aviation leader, who was instrumental in helping bring the Bethpage Air Show to Jones Beach over 15 years ago, has died at the age of 61 after a long illness. Prior to his passing, Bill was Vice President of Business Development & Special Projects for Sheltair Aviation which provides general aviation services at the region’s major airports. His tenure was the capstone to a lifelong career in aviation that included serving as past president of the New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA), where he remained a board member. For the last dozen years he…
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has tentatively picked 10 locations across the country, which include mostly airports, for its reimbursable services program. The program allows private sector and public agencies to reimburse CBP for expanded services for incoming cargo traffic and international traveler arrivals. The agency expects this program to assist with the supply chain upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “Reimbursable services agreements help CBP facilitate the cross-border movement of food, fuel, workers and life-saving medicines that are needed to protect our nation,” said Todd Owen, executive assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of Field Operations, in a statement.…