Tausi Insider

Get ready to fly across the Atlantic on fuel made from used cooking oil and fats. Virgin Atlantic just announced that it will operate a net zero carbon transatlantic flight from London to New York in 2023, using safe aviation fuel (SAF). The Boeing 787 flight is part of the company's efforts to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. In a statement, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shari Weiss said, "The research and results will be a huge step in fast-tracking SAF use across the aviation industry and support the investment, collaboration, and urgency needed to produce SAF at scale. Our collective ambition of Net Zero by 2050 depends on it." The company aims to become the world's first net zero carbon airline by offsetting all its carbon emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, Virgin Atlantic will work with its suppliers and partners to reduce its carbon footprint, invest in renewable energy and carbon capture technologies, and offset its remaining emiss...

American Airlines flight information screens at O'Hare International Airport, in Chicago, on Dec. 22. Nam Y. Huh/The Associated Press Airlines cancelled more than 2,000 U.S. flights, disrupting holiday travel for thousands, as a powerful winter storm hit the United States. The extreme weather coincided with the start of a holiday travel season that could be one of the busiest ever. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that the winter storm was bringing blizzard conditions to the Midwest with major travel disruptions expected in Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul. More than 1,500 U.S. flights had been cancelled Thursday and another 761 flights for Friday were scrapped, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. So far, 21 per cent of departing flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and 37 per cent of flights at Chicago Midway were cancelled Thursday. In the seven days ending Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration said it screene...

Holiday travellers crowd the Detroit Wayne County Metro Airport on Christmas Eve following Winter Storm Elliot in Detroit on Dec. 24. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images Thousands of flight cancellations and delays coupled with long lines and missing luggage at airports frustrated U.S. travelers over the Christmas weekend after a massive winter storm snarled airport operations around the country. The travel disruptions continued into Monday when airlines canceled over 2,500 flights as of early afternoon, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. The hardest hit was Southwest Airlines with about 1,700 cancellations while Delta Air Lines Inc had over 250 cancellations. Flight delays within, into or out of the United States totaled over 4,500 as of early afternoon, FlightAware showed. Kyle Goeke, a 29-year-old Alaska Airlines customer, said he would be stuck in Seattle for days because the airline canceled his flight, scheduled for early Monday, from Seattle to Missoula, and the next a...

A worker drives pass an Air Canada aircraft parked at a gate at Vancouver International Airport after operations returned to normal after last week's snowstorm, in Richmond, B.C., on Dec. 26, 2022. DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press This holiday travel season will be remembered for cancelled flights, lost bags and stranded or abandoned passengers, people whose winter getaways were dashed by storms and the responses of the airlines they entrusted with their plans. Canada’s aviation industry and flyers had hoped the December break would mark a recovery from nearly three years of the pandemic, and the summer of 2022, which featured airport chaos amid staff shortages. Instead, the turmoil resurfaced with scores of cancelled flights condensed in the busiest travel days of the year. Sunwing Airlines’ collapse was the worst, with customers stranded for days in Mexico and other destinations complaining of poor communications from the carrier. WestJet Airlines, Air Canada and others cancelled...

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday it is proposing a requirement that passenger and cargo aircraft in the United States have 5G C-Band-tolerant radio altimeters or install approved filters by early 2024. Concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which give data on a plane’s height above the ground and are crucial for bad-weather landing, have led to recent disruptions at some U.S. airports. The proposed airworthiness directive, which would take effect in February, 2024, is similar to one that took effect in December, 2021, prohibiting passenger and cargo flight operations in the vicinity of 5G C-Band wireless transmitters unless the FAA specifically approved them. The FAA is also proposing a requirement that airlines revise airplane flight manuals to prohibit low-visibility landings after June 30 unless retrofits have been completed on that airplane. Verizon and AT&T in June voluntarily agreed to delay some C-Band 5G usage until Ju...

American Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at LaGuardia airport, in New York, on Jan. 11. ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images American Airlines Group Inc AAL-Q on Thursday forecast a higher fourth-quarter profit on strong demand for travel during the key holiday season, sending its shares up more than 5 per cent in premarket trading. The upbeat forecast comes at a time when a worsening economic outlook coupled with high inflation has sparked concerns about consumer demand. Shares of other airlines including Delta Air Lines Inc DAL-N, Southwest Airlines Co LUV-N and United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL-Q were also up between 1 per cent and 3 per cent premarket. The fourth quarter was difficult for several U.S. carriers as an industry-wide pilot shortage made it tougher for carriers to ramp up capacity and capitalize on a booming travel demand. During the fourth quarter, American Airlines’ capacity was down 6.1 per cent versus the fourth quarter of 2019, and near the midpoint of its prior guidance o...

Luggage bags are amassed in the bag claim area at Toronto Pearson International Airport, as a major winter storm disrupts flights in and out of the airport, in Toronto, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. Cole Burston/The Canadian Press Federal politicians grilled executives of Canadian airlines and airports Thursday regarding the holiday travel disruptions, calling the wave of cancelled and delayed flights a “disaster” that ruined winter getaway plans and kept families apart at Christmas. Members of the transport committee called company representatives to a meeting to explain why so many travellers endured long delays, cancellations and lost luggage over the Christmas break. Hundreds of Sunwing Airlines customers were stranded in resorts for days with little or no communications from the carrier. “This holiday season was a complete disaster for my constituents and Canadians across the country,” said Calgary MP George Chahal. The airlines said snow and cold weather in much of the country groun...

Photo : XArtProduction ( Shutterstock ) With airline prices predicted to remain high for the rest of 2023, even the most basic economy tickets will feel like a (financial) splurge. But many airlines now have programs in place that allow passengers to bid on upgraded tickets in premium economy, business, or first class. Here’s what to know. How to bid on flight upgrades The process differs from airline to airline, but here’s a general overview of how it works: Eligibility In order to bid on an upgrade, you first must book a ticket. These auctions are available to ticketed passengers only. Some airlines will email ticketed passengers if they’re auctioning off upgrades, but many don’t . Your best bet is to check the airline’s website to see if they’re taking bids for your flight. Bidding typically opens between two and seven days ahead of a scheduled flight. Bidding If there’s an upgrade auction for your flight, keep in mind that it only applies to that specific leg of your trip...

A Flair Airlines plane takes off from Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Oct. 28, 2022. Bayne Stanley/The Canadian Press With their promise of cheaper fares and no unnecessary frills, a flurry of so-called discount airlines has burst onto the Canadian scene in the last few years. But experts say the low-cost airline model is exacerbating an already existing pilot shortage that could become an even bigger problem for this country’s aviation industry in the years to come. Start-up discount airlines – such as Edmonton-based Flair Airlines, Calgary-based Lynx, and WestJet subsidiary Swoop – have been rapidly expanding across Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic, gambling that there’s enough pent-up demand from budget-conscious travellers to support additional capacity. While each operates slightly differently, the basic premise of a low-cost airline is that travellers receive stripped-down service in exchange for low basic fares. Things like carry-on and checked bags, s...

Photo : EQRoy ( Shutterstock ) Starting next month, if you board a Delta flight, you may no longer have to choose between exorbitant wifi fees or sheer boredom: The company has announced that passengers will be able to get free wifi on hundreds of U.S. domestic Delta aircraft starting in February. A Delta press release says the free wifi will be “on board most domestic mainline flights.” The service will be launched on more than 500 aircraft starting next month and will be available on more than 700 aircraft ( out of their 1,280 fleet ) by the end of the year , so don’t expect every flight to have the service right away. How to get free wifi on a Delta flight Once you’re onboard your flight, select the “Deltawifi.com” network in your device’s settings. You will then need to enter your SkyMiles number and password. ( If you don’t have a SkyMiles account , you can make one for free directly from the login page during the flight.) You can log in to multiple devices with your ...