Latest news with #FAAReauthorizationAct
The Star
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Flights disrupted? This app promises to get you paid
A screen displays delayed flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, US on May 9, 2025. — Reuters At the onset of 2024's busy summer travel season, air passengers in the US had reason to feel optimistic. The FAA Reauthorization 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-favorable 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% of the total compensation as a service fee. Payouts happen more often than you might think, says 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. 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 (RM182) for three trips a year or US$100 (RM424) 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 (RM424) or US$200 (RM848) 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 canceled 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.) 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
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Officials: Texas A&M to manage FAA's advanced technology aviation site
April 23 (UPI) -- The FAA's new Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies (CAAT) will be managed by the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), federal officials announced Wednesday. "From drones delivering your packages to powered lift technologies like air taxis, we are at the cusp of an aviation revolution," stated U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The Federal Aviation Administration's CAAT, a facet to the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, "will ensure we make that dream a reality and unleash American innovation safely," Duffy, 53, added. Last year in May, then-President Joe Biden signed the sweeping $105 billion bipartisan bill to improve aviation safety and invest in airport infrastructure. "Texas is the perfect place for our new Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies," the secretary said, adding that the Lone Star State has "already established itself as a leader in commercial drone safety testing." It was one of site proposals from multiple states and will include research and testing sites throughout Texas and in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. "I'm confident this new research and testing center will help the private sector create thousands of high-paying jobs and grow the Texas economy through billions in new investments," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who wrote the language in the FAA reauthorization creating the CAAT. The facilities also will include an airspace laboratory, flight demonstration zones and testing corridors. According to officials, the purpose of instituting the CAAT is to focus on testing and safety integrating of new and emerging aviation technology, including its Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) program. Department of Transportation officials say it signals a driving of innovation as a collaboration between government, academia and industry. Cruz, 54, said he's "grateful" to see Texas A&M leading the initiative and "cultivating the next generation of aviation leaders." TAMUS was ultimately picked to manage the center, according to officials, due to its proximity to major international airports and a FAA regional headquarters, existing infrastructure for advanced aviation technology testing and "strong academic programs and industry partnerships." "This is a significant win for Texas that will impact communities across our state," Cruz continued.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Families gather for vigil to remember loved ones 16 years after Flight 3407 crash
CLARENCE CENTER, N.Y. (WIVB) — Wednesday marked 16 years since Flight 3407, which was heading from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, crashed into a home in Clarence Center. 50 lives were lost. Friends and family members remembered their loved ones at the site of the crash during the vigil Wednesday night. Marilyn and John Kausner lost their daughter Elly in the Flight 3407 crash. Not a day goes by without them thinking of her. 'The way that she lived her life with so much passion — I believe that it's because God had put within her some kind of knowledge that she was only going to have 24 years, so she lived her life with a lot of gusto,' Marilyn said. 'She was very passionate about her family, she was very passionate about her friends, she had a tight knit group or friends and they're still very close.' Following the tragedy, many families of the victims waged their Herculean battle with airlines and the federal government to make the skies safe, advancing the FAA Reauthorization Act. John said he has traveled to D.C. over 100 times. Two weeks ago marked the first time in the United States since Flight 3407 that a major commercial airline crash had occurred when an Army helicopter collided with a commercial jet, killing everyone on board. 'That trauma is still there and when we saw it, it came back,' Marilyn said. Ron Aughtmon lost his uncle, John Fiore, 16 years ago to the crash. 'He was the hit of a party, he spent 30 years in the military and retired chief master sergeant of the Niagara Falls Air Force Base and was getting ready to retire from his civilian job as a plant manager in Niagara Falls when the plane crashed,' Aughtmon said. Their family setup a charitable foundation in his name to raise money for various local organizations. 'It helps me reflect and keep a purpose of my life too,' Aughtmon said. He finds solace visiting the Flight 3407 Memorial in Clarence Center. 'It means everything, it's humbling, you cry, you remember the good and the bad,' Aughtmon said. Joe Pettys also remembered his sister Mary and all the victims at the vigil. 'They're all in a better place and like I said, I have nine brothers and sisters and we all, we get through it,' Pettys said. Flight 3407 families said they deal with their grief by relying on friends, family and other 3407 families. The FAA Reauthorization Act, which was approved last year, runs through 2028. The families have pledged to always fight for aviation safety. Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
