Latest news with #FAA
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Ground stop at Denver airport amid storms; hundreds of flights delayed
DENVER (KDVR) — A ground stop was issued at the Denver International Airport amid thunderstorms on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday is a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day as storms could be strong to severe and produce large hail or tornadoes in the Eastern Plains. According to the Federal Aviation Administration website, a ground stop was issued through 5 p.m. at DIA due to thunderstorms. Additionally, a ground delay was issued through the evening with an average delay of 71 minutes due to thunderstorms, according to the FAA website. Layover, delayed flight at DIA? Unique things to see in every concourse According to the online flight tracking tool FlightAware, 537 flights out in and out of the Denver airport are delayed as of 4:30 p.m. The good news is that only three flights in or out of DIA were canceled. Each of the canceled flights were arrivals from other cities on Southwest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Aerium Summit looks to bridge workforce gap in aviation industry
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The 2025 Aerium Summit in Johnstown is bringing aviation and government leaders together to bridge the gap in the aviation workforce. 'PennDOT, FAA personnel, leaders in aerospace and aviation, leaders in education. This actually is a world-class group of people right here in Johnstown,' John Eberhardt, Managing Director of ATA Aviation, said. The summit is taking place at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. Leon Haynes, III, is a Board Member for Aerium and the Founding CEO of Hosanna House. He spoke with WTAJ about the state of workforce development. 'When I think about workforce development, I think about all the areas, whether there's a shortage of pilots or whether it's a shortage of traffic control, maintenance, all of the things that we're saying, what are the things that are going to keep the industry moving. And so people who are aging out of that industry, too, as well,' Haynes said. Cambria County celebrates success of mental health treatment court That's where programs like the one the AOPA Foundation has come in. AOPA stands for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. They give students the tools they need to succeed in the industry. 'Two rural communities, in fact, rural communities, have really embraced this program. We wanted to create it to make sure that there were opportunities for folks who might not otherwise have them. And so we made the program completely free, and that has made it really appealing to schools and smaller districts,' Elizabeth Tennyson, Senior Vice President at AOPA Foundation and Programs, said. The Summit includes information about new initiatives like the one launching in Cambria County next week. 'We're actually right on schedule. So next week, the week of June 2nd, we're going to be conducting test flights in Westmont and Southmont. So if you see a drone with medical supplies, don't panic. It's us. And then we're going to use that information to finalize any procedures to get the rest of the sensors installed and be up and flying in July and August,' Eberhardt said. The Aerium Summit ends on Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Flights disrupted? This app promises to get you paid
With the app, travellers will be able to track an unlimited number of flights, and receive alerts for gate changes and baggage claim carousel numbers. PHOTO: REUTERS Flights disrupted? This app promises to get you paid WASHINGTON - At the onset of 2024's busy summer travel season, air passengers in the US had reason to feel optimistic. The FAA Reauthorisation Act had just passed on May 16, which meant that within a year, the government would be required to define several overdue consumer protections. Among them: compensation for long-delayed or cancelled flights. Fast forward to the start of summer 2025, and that optimism has nosedived. Delays and cancellations are occurring at what may be a record clip as FAA officials deliberately slow the flow of traffic through some of the nation's busiest hubs. And those long-promised consumer protections got watered down, as legislation often does. The final rule, enacted in October, mandates refunds for customers who end up not flying at all–either because of cancellations or because the delay is too long. Unless you're willing to count a free meal at the airport as payment, cash compensation remains almost entirely off the table. Helping travellers deal with this broken system is AirHelp Inc. The Berlin-based company, long known for its ability to successfully advocate and litigate on behalf of air travellers with customer service claims – be they flight disruptions or lost luggage – is launching a new app on May 28 to help travellers get payouts from their myriad travel pains. AirHelp's track record is strongest in Europe, where customer protections are far more comprehensive, though it operates worldwide. Since its founding in 2013, it's helped some 2.7 million travellers get compensated for denied boardings, flight cancellations, missed connections and a range of other issues. Generally, the process of filing a claim through the company has started through its website and required a series of phone calls and follow-ups. Now, with its new namesake app, which is free on both the Apple and Google Play app stores, that process will be entirely digitised and made more seamless–even in countries like the US where less-favourable regulations make it hard to deliver significant results. With the app, travellers will be able to track an unlimited number of flights, and receive alerts for gate changes and baggage claim carousel numbers. They'll also get an instant notification if their flight disruption warrants potential compensation. Travellers need not lift a finger. If the circumstances of their trip fit the criteria for a claim, the appropriate paperwork will be automatically submitted. Within 10 hours, they'll get a follow-up notification containing a link to get the ensuing payout, via PayPal or bank transfer, in the currency of their choice. AirHelp keeps 35 per cent of the total compensation as a service fee. Payouts happen more often than you might think, says Mr Tomasz Pawliszyn, AirHelp's chief executive officer. Any traveller with an airline ticket, for instance, can get paid back their full fare for delays of more than three to six hours on domestic and international flights, respectively, or for cancellations. And those who are flying internationally with a foreign carrier may be able to secure cash payouts for delays according to more generous European Union or UK regulations. It's not the first time that AirHelp has tried making its services available on an app. In 2017 the company released a simpler version of the product, which struggled to gain traction because it lacked adequate flight data. Then Covid-19 ground usage to a halt. Mr Pawliszyn says now is the perfect time to try again, with increased anxiety and media frenzy around delays and air traffic control issues. 'There is also a lot of worry about travelling, and people are not really as comfortable flying,' he says. That apprehension, he adds, contributed to some 5,000 customers downloading the app and using it to track some 20,000 flights during a five-day test phase last week. The new AirHelp app provides better data than its predecessor–and also a slew of new, premium features. As part of its AirHelp+ tiered annual membership option, users can buy additional insurance coverage for their flights at a rate of US$43 (S$55) for three trips a year or US$100 for nine. Members are exempted from the company's service fees on payouts. And in addition, they are eligible for extra reimbursement of either US$100 or $200 directly from AirHelp in the event of significant disruptions, which include delays beyond three hours, lost or delayed luggage, cancellations and diversions. But perhaps its most valuable perk is free lounge access, which gets granted automatically if a flight is delayed for more than 60 minutes or cancelled within six hours of departure time. (If it isn't helpful in the moment, the vouchers remain valid for 90 days and can be used at any of 1,300 participating lounges worldwide.) Mr Pawliszyn says it's a way to offer travellers something of a security net in regions where consumer protections fall short–the US included. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says $12.5bn for air safety upgrades isn't nearly enough: ‘We need it now'
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Wednesday that his department is in dire need of funding for air safety upgrades mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Duffy insisted the FAA allocation in the spending package recently approved by the House of Representatives is not enough. 'They put $12.5 billion into the 'big, beautiful bill' that's going to go towards this infrastructure project. That won't be enough,' the secretary said at a press conference. 'I know the Senate is going to look, can they find money to put into this bill, but we are going to need them to fully fund this project,' he urgently added. The secretary also spoke about improving Newark Liberty International Airport following significant delays and cancellations that led to chaos in the midst of outages and a shortage of air traffic controllers. Duffy clashed with Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year as they targeted for cuts already inadequate numbers of air traffic controllers. They were offered buyout letters the day before the deadly air crash at Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people. Musk later pleaded with retired controllers to return to work. Investigations into aviation accidents have followed a series of fatal air crashes and communication failures. On several occasions, Duffy has argued that understaffing and outdated technology are behind the recent rash of incidents, and that significant funding is needed. 'We need it all up front. That's a big ask for the Congress to give us the money all up front. That is necessary if we're going to be successful at this project,' he said. 'And again, you can't make us go through years of permits for laying new fiber. We need it now. ' Duff added: 'I think Democrats and Republicans are going to agree that, yes, with certain guardrails around giving you relief on permitting, and giving you the money up front with those guardrails, I think they're going to buy into that idea.' President Donald Trump has stated that he supports an overhaul of the U.S. aviation sector, as well as a restructuring of the requirements for air traffic controllers. Duffy said he hopes to install new equipment, including new telecom, radar, and radio systems, as well as updates to the front and back ends of the operations. Earlier this month, Duffy outlined a plan to recruit and retain air traffic controllers, which includes retirement incentives for eligible employees to remain in their posts longer as policies change.
CBS News
5 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Newark Airport air traffic control system improvements may take longer than hoped, officials say
The United States Department of Transportation revealed new details Wednesday about its timeline to improve Newark Liberty International Airport's air traffic control system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy previously said he hoped to activate a new fiber line to improve Newark's air traffic controller communication by the end of May. He now says the Federal Aviation Administration is using an abundance of caution in their testing process to make sure all goes smoothly, and he's expecting the line to be active at the start of July if all goes well. On the other hand, Duffy says Newark's new runway could be open a bit earlier the target date of June 15. Right now, the FAA is planning to add more flights per hour at Newark when that daily construction is done, but the airport will still remain below its capacity. FAA will reassess staffing levels this fall, Duffy says Duffy says there are 16 controllers in training at the Philadelphia facility that handles Newark flights. They'll become fully certified at various points in the coming months, which will help staffing. He said the FAA will reassess in October whether the staffing will allow them to ramp up the flight limits at Newark. Duffy says despite the recent troubles, travelers shouldn't avoid Newark Airport. "Some have asked, is the airspace safe? Is it [safe] to travel by airplane? And the answer to that is absolutely yes, of course it is, because we've slowed things down," Duffy said. He says the flight schedule there is now manageable because the FAA has slowed the number of flights to 56 per hour for the time being. In past years, the average has been around 77 per hour.
