Latest news with #Cirium
Mint
20 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
It's summer vacation time. Tourists are saying no to America.
The summer vacation season has officially begun. Missing this year: the Canadians, Europeans and other foreign travelers who have flocked to America's tourist hot spots in recent years. 'There used to be thousands of people from Canada. They would give me Canadian dollars and I would change it at the bank," said Omar Tallat, 35 years old, who runs a corn dog stand near Times Square. 'This year, business is very bad." About 1.9 million foreigners arrived at the U.S.'s main airports in the past four weeks, down 6% from the same period last year, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Airline bookings data for the summer suggest things won't be picking up soon. Flight bookings to the U.S. from Europe are down by about 12% through August. San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles are seeing even larger declines, according to an analysis of online travel-agency booking data from Cirium. Overseas travelers say they are swapping U.S. vacation plans for trips to Europe or in their own countries. Some cite the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and reports of foreign visitors being detained or deported from the U.S. Others say they want to signal their discontent with the White House's policies, echoing boycotts of American-made products by Canadians and Teslas in Europe. 'There's not a lot politically I can do, but what I can do is not spend my money in the U.S.," said Marc Toews, a 53-year-old Canadian long-haul truck driver. He was planning a road trip through the U.S. that would take him to North Dakota, a Chicago Cubs game, and the Statue of Liberty. 'I was very excited about it. I've been talking about this trip for a few years," he said. He said President Trump's comments about annexing Canada changed his mind. Instead, he plans to do a road trip through Canada in the fall. Canadians are the largest group of international visitors to the U.S., historically making up around a quarter of arrivals. They are now the largest weakness. Air travel from Canada to the U.S. in April dropped 20%, while land crossings dropped 35%, according to the Canadian government. Flight bookings to the U.S. for the summer are down 22% compared with last year, according to Cirium's data, with Los Angeles and Miami down by a third. In Plattsburgh, N.Y., about 25 miles south of the border with Canada, John Parmelee, the manager of American restaurant Naked Turtle, said he has seen a drop off in Canadian visitors since opening at the start of May. The city is in the North Country region of the state, where roughly 70% of summer visitors are Canadian. To try to counter the trend, Parmelee recently put up a 'Bienvenue Canadiens!" sign in front of the restaurant and plans to put up a giant Canadian flag next. He is also considering offering discounts to Canadian visitors. 'We are very concerned about what's ahead of us," he said. 'It's a bit analogous to Covid. We don't know where this is going to go." Businesses in the region are rolling out discount deals for Canadians on everything from lodging to bike rentals, according to Kristy Kennedy, vice president of marketing and tourism at the North Country Chamber of Commerce. The travel and tourism industry makes up about 3% of overall U.S. gross domestic product, and foreigners only contribute a sliver of that. A pullback would likely have a marginal impact on wider economic activity, according to a JPMorgan analysis. But some areas could get hit hard. That includes towns near the Canadian border like Plattsburgh and beach towns along the Jersey Shore or along the south Atlantic, or in Maine, where generations of families from Canada and elsewhere have summered. The tourism industry is dominated by small businesses, which are less able to absorb swings in demand, according to Aran Ryan, director of industry studies at Tourism Economics. Tourism Economics initially expected the U.S. to see a 16% rise in international visitor spending in 2025. It now expects it to fall by about $8.5 billion, a decline of roughly 5%. Many businesses say there is little they can do to reverse the tide. Some are hoping domestic tourism can fill the gap, but Americans have grown concerned about the economy and are also scaling back their vacation plans. Foreign tourists also are more lucrative, as they tend to stay for longer and spend more than Americans. Palm Springs, Calif., temporarily hung red 'Palm Springs 'loves' Canada" street banners around the city in April. A banner in support of Canada is seen in Palm Springs, Calif. David Byrne, a retired executive who lives in London, had expected to spend about $7,000 for a trip to New York for the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in late summer. But he said he called it off, citing what he sees as antagonism from the Trump administration toward visitors. He's booked a two-week trip to the Greek island Santorini. 'We end up spending quite small fortunes on holidays," he said. 'We exercise our choice by going to other places. We'll spend our money in Europe." Scott Mills, general manager at the Garland Hotel in North Hollywood, Calif., said international visitors are down about 30% this year. Bookings for the coming months have fallen, too. The hotel counts Britons, Australians and Canadians among its customers. 'Part of it is the politics, part of it is the fear of visa issues, and part of it is the optics of the fires," said Mills, referring to the January wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes. Some international tourists mistakenly believe the whole city burned to the ground, he said. Achim Diergarten, a 67-year-old lawyer who lives outside of Munich, had planned to spend about two weeks driving around the West Coast with his wife this summer, with stops in San Diego, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Diergarten is critical of Trump on social media and canceled his trip after reading about Europeans who were deported or detained in the U.S. and had their phones searched. 'I have to worry about being stopped at immigration or even arrested," he said. Diergarten said he plans to go to Vancouver, British Columbia, instead. 'The U.S.A. is off limits for me for at least the next four years," he said. Write to Chelsey Dulaney at and Chao Deng at
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
How Southwest's new baggage fee could backfire
The end of Southwest's much-loved free checked bags policy could have two unintended consequences. The budget airline, which announced it would be charging customers for their checked luggage earlier this year, could now face delayed departures due to longer check-in and gate lines. Gate-checking lines will also grow as Southwest planes have limited overhead locker room for carry-on bags, and will be unlikely to meet new demands. Southwest has the lowest cancellation rate among its US rivals so far this year and its on time rate is over 80 percent, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. If the airline is unable to mitigate the knock-on effects of its new policy then fliers could see a significant reduction in timely departures just as the summer travel season kicks off. Checking passengers' bags as they board the plane is a time-consuming activity and may cause flight delays as the airline and its passengers get used to the new system. On the airline's smallest planes, there tend to be five or six carry-ons that need to be checked, Justin Jones, executive vice president of operations at Southwest, told the Wall Street Journal. But as bag fees go into effect, he predicts this could surge to 25. The airline has begun deploying new technology to speed up check-in and gate waiting times. This includes an AI 'Lobby Awareness Tool' that predicts airport wait times based on flight schedules and passenger-arrival patterns. This will help the airline know when to deploy extra employees to help deal with a bottleneck and minimize delays. Another tool is the Baggage Estimation Based on Passengers, or Bebop, which will help to predict how many carry-ons will have to be checked at the gate. 'It was a curve ball that we were thrown,' Jones previously told the Airlines Confidential podcast. 'We always carry more bags than anyone else out there,' Jones said. Indeed, customers have famously taken advantage of Southwest's generous policy to transport kitchen sinks and toilets across the country. 'We're going to need to do several things,' but 'we want to make sure the customer experience is still very high,' Jones told the podcast. 'So we're going to be extremely hesitant to go out and do heavy policing on bag size like some other carriers do.' However, the policy change 'will result in more gate checked bags and fees.' 'We're dependent on everything kind of flowing,' Jones said of Southwest's business model which relies on keeping aircraft in the skies rather than wasting time on the ground. Long-term Jones said the answer will be in the introduction of new planes to Southwest's fleet with more cabin bag capacity. Customers have criticized he new rules. 'The only reason people put up with no assigned seating was because they could check free bags. This is no better than a bus, now,' one wrote on Reddit. The fees are part of Southwest's efforts to boost its bottom line.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Axing of Southwest's 'bags fly free' will backfire in two major ways: 'No better than a bus'
The end of Southwest's much-loved free checked bags policy could have two unintended consequences. The budget airline, which announced it would be charging customers for their checked luggage earlier this year, could now face delayed departures due to longer check-in and gate lines. Customers must now pay $35 for one bag and $45 for the second, after the new policy went in to effect on May 28. Southwest estimates a 30 percent drop in checked baggage volume and a surge in carry-on as hard-pressed consumers try to evade the fees. But experts point out two problems. Check-in lines will grow as fliers take time to pay for bags at the airport. Gate-checking lines will also grow as Southwest planes have limited overhead locker room for carry-on bags, and will be unlikely to meet new demands. Southwest has the lowest cancellation rate among its US rivals so far this year and its on time rate is over 80 percent, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. If the airline is unable to mitigate the knock-on effects of its new policy then fliers could see a significant reduction in timely departures just as the summer travel season kicks off. Checking passengers' bags as they board the plane is a time-consuming activity and may cause flight delays as the airline and its passengers get used to the new system. On the airline's smallest planes, there tend to be five or six carry-ons that need to be checked, Justin Jones, executive vice president of operations at Southwest, told the Wall Street Journal But as bag fees go into effect, he predicts this could surge to 25. The airline has begun deploying new technology to speed up check-in and gate waiting times. This includes an AI 'Lobby Awareness Tool' that predicts airport wait times based on flight schedules and passenger-arrival patterns. This will help the airline know when to deploy extra employees to help deal with a bottle-neck and minimize delays. Another tool is the Baggage Estimation Based on Passengers, or Bebop, which will help to predict how many carry-ons will have to be checked at the gate. 'It was a curve ball that we were thrown,' Jones previously told the Airlines Confidential podcast. 'We always carry more bags than anyone else out there,' Jones said. The airline has introduced fees for checked luggage after 50 years Southwest bosses predict they will now need to take five times more bags at the gate and put them in the hold Indeed, customers have famously taken advantage of Southwest's generous policy to transport kitchen sinks and toilets across the country. 'We're going to need to do several things,' but 'we want to make sure the customer experience is still very high,' Jones told the podcast. 'So we're going to be extremely hesitant to go out and do heavy policing on bag size like some other carriers do.' However, the policy change 'will result in more gate checked bags and fees.' 'We're dependent on everything kind of flowing,' Jones said of Southwest's business model which relies on keeping aircraft in the skies rather than wasting time on the ground. Long-term Jones said the answer will be in the introduction of new planes to Southwest's fleet with more cabin bag capacity. Customers have criticized he new rules. 'The only reason people put up with no assigned seating was because they could check free bags. This is no better than a bus, now,' one wrote on Reddit. The fees are part of Southwest's efforts to boost its bottom line. In February the airline announced plans to cut 15 percent of its corporate workforce in a bid to cut costs. The layoffs - a first in the airline's 53-year history - will slash around about 1,750 jobs.
Mint
6 days ago
- Business
- Mint
A promising May has gone sour for airlines in India
As May comes to an end with the onset of an early monsoon, it is a month that has gone sour for the airline industry in India. The Indian domestic aviation had an unprecedented February, as the once-in-a-lifetime Maha Kumbh spurred traffic to Prayagraj with most airlines cashing in on the opportunity, even as it meant facing the ire of the public. The high fares have been in the news more frequently now than ever. The issue was raised in Parliament and also in front of the parliamentary committee with concerns being raised on affordability for the common man. As the exam season came to an end and stock markets fluctuated between extreme turbulence and growth, Indian domestic aviation was staring at the best-ever summer in history. However, the terrorist attack at Pahalgam on April 22 changed the whole equation. Data shared by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, exclusively for this article shows that airlines are planning to operate 23,216 weekly departures this May, offering 39,90,579 seats each week. This would have been truly past pandemic with 16 per cent more departures planned in May 2025 compared to May 2019, the last full year of operations before the pandemic hit. . Days leading up to the beginning of Operation Sindoor and days after the stop of action have seen passengers stay away from flights due to the uncertainty of the situation and the possibility of the escalation of hostilities. Moreover, one-fifth of the airports were out of operation for civilian flights as a precautionary measure. This led to average flights per day dropping in the 200-300 range for the early part of the month, with an impact ranging in the 4,200-4,550 flights in May. In terms of frequencies, the maximum capacity is being increased between Chennai-Madurai, Hyderabad-Varanasi, Chennai-Pune, Bengaluru-Patna and Hyderabad-Kochi. Mumbai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Goa Dabolim, Mumbai-Jaipur, Mumbai-Goa Mopa and Delhi-Lucknow are the routes which are losing maximum frequencies as compared to last May. Both Jaipur and Lucknow are due for runway works, leading to long hours of closure for the airports. The action was shifting from Prayagraj to Srinagar, where capacity was being added from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata. For the first time in history, Srinagar was getting ready to handle 50 domestic departures a day and over 350 domestic departures a week. This, along with flights to other popular summer destinations like Bagdogra and Dehradun, which are gateways to hill destinations, were being added by airlines. As passengers moved from one destination to another, there was limited scope to add flights at the last minute to other destinations. The events of April 22, and the Indian tri-services response in the form of Operation Sindoor, saw passengers cancel their plans and over 20 airports being closed for services for a handful of days, taking its toll on the tourism industry. While last year, the holiday quarter was impacted by general elections and heat wave conditions, this year it was different. A traditionally good month saw sharp cuts until over the mid of the month recovery, with the 4.9 lakh passengers per day being breached only towards the last week of May. There has been a lull in fares and also the passenger numbers over the last few weeks. This has also meant that there are no complaints about high fares. Airlines blamed last May for being impacted by the long general elections in the country. This May, it was the unfortunate events of April which led to an impact. The school holidays in India are scattered. The northern part sees holidays in June, while the western and southern parts start and end early. As things normalise, will last-minute travel pick up in June? Airlines would be hoping that it does. Cirium data suggests that June is seeing a drop of about 2 per cent departures over May and tapers down towards the end of the month as the industry enters the leanest season, which is the July-September quarter. In all probability, Q1-FY26 has been a dud quarter and airlines would hope for a better year ahead.
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Business Standard
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Business Standard
Heavy rainfall batters Delhi airport's T1 canopy; 49 flights diverted
The canopy at the arrival forecourt of the Delhi airport's Terminal 1 was damaged due to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms on Sunday, causing 49 flight diversions. Videos widely circulated on social media showed the tensile fabric tearing as water gushed through. The incident comes less than a year after the collapse of a steel-and-concrete canopy at this terminal, which killed a cab driver and injured eight others. A subsequent investigation by a DGCA-appointed panel attributed the collapse to flawed design, poor workmanship, and inadequate maintenance. 'This sudden and concentrated downpour led to temporary water accumulation in and around IGI Airport, briefly impacting operations. As a part of the design's natural response to extreme conditions and to prevent excessive water retention, a section of the external tensile fabric at the T1 arrival forecourt adjusted under pressure, thereby aiding in water dispersal,' DIAL said. 'There was no structural compromise or impact to other parts of the terminal. Swift action was taken by the ground teams to restore normal conditions, ensuring safety and continuity of operations with minimal disruption,' the operator noted. A total of 49 flights — including 17 international services — were diverted between 11:30 pm Saturday and 4:00 am Sunday. According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, the airport saw 196 delayed arrivals and 453 delayed departures between 12:00 am and 6:30 pm on Sunday, a sharp rise from 100 arrival delays and 351 departure delays on Saturday. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the IGI Airport, the country's largest and busiest airport, handles 1,265 flights per day.
