Latest news with #airtravelers
Forbes
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Forbes
Over 5,000 Flights Disrupted In U.S. As Americans Travel Home From Holiday Weekend
Over 5,000 flights in the United States were delayed Sunday, primarily due to inclement weather, as Americans travel following the Independence Day weekend. Thunderstorms in the Midwest delayed flights at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Travelers at Chicago-O'Hare faced the worst delays Sunday as thunderstorms moved across the region, with the Federal Aviation Administration estimating inbound flight delays could last more than an hour and 15 minutes. Nearly 800 flights to and from O'Hare were delayed by 5 p.m. EDT on Sunday, according to FlightAware data. Inbound flights to Reagan Washington International Airport were also delayed by an average of 40 minutes due to staffing shortages, the FAA said in an alert. The rest of the weekend also saw considerable flight delays across the country, peaking at over 9,100 on the Fourth of July. 54,706. That's how many air travelers the United States saw on Thursday, June 26—the busiest air travel day of the year so far, the FAA reported last week. The agency also predicted busy air travel days for the entire extended holiday weekend, with an expected 51,000 flights on July 3, before Independence Day. The FAA said it was expecting roughly 47,966 flights on Sunday—meaning if these predictions are correct, over 10% of all flights on Sunday were delayed as of early evening. The pace of flights being delayed accelerated throughout Sunday afternoon, according to FlightAware. Flight delays can compound later in the day due to planes not reaching their destinations on time earlier, which is often the case when there is widespread bad weather, with summertime being particularly notorious for the formation of thunderstorms that can disrupt air travel.
Arab News
26-05-2025
- Business
- Arab News
US Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes
WASHINGTON: The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading US regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday. Under the 'agreement in principle,' which still needs to be finalized, Boeing would pay or invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for the crash victims' families, the Justice Department said. In return, the department has agreed to dismiss the fraud charge against Boeing, allowing the manufacturer to avoid a possible criminal conviction that could have jeopardized the company's status as a federal contractor, according to experts. 'Ultimately, in applying the facts, the law, and Department policy, we are confident that this resolution is the most just outcome with practical benefits,' a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. 'Nothing will diminish the victims' losses, but this resolution holds Boeing financially accountable, provides finality and compensation for the families and makes an impact for the safety of future air travelers.' Boeing on Friday declined to comment. Some relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes, which took place off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, have been pushing for a public trial, the prosecution of former company officials, and more severe financial punishment for Boeing. The Justice Department noted that the victims' families had mixed views on the proposed deal. 'This kind of non-prosecution deal is unprecedented and obviously wrong for the deadliest corporate crime in US history,' said Paul Cassell, an attorney for many of the families in the long-running case. 'My families will object and hope to convince the court to reject it.' Javier de Luis, whose sister, Graziella, died in the Ethiopia crash, said the Justice Department is walking away 'from any pretense to seek justice for the victims of the 737Max crashes.' 'The message sent by this action to companies around the country is, don't worry about making your products safe for your customers,' he said in a statement. 'Even if you kill them, just pay a small fine and move on.' Boeing was accused of misleading the Federal Aviation Administration about aspects of the Max before the agency certified the plane for flight. Boeing did not tell airlines and pilots about a new software system, called MCAS, that could turn the plane's nose down without input from pilots if a sensor detected that the plane might go into an aerodynamic stall. The Max planes crashed after a faulty reading from the sensor pushed the nose down and pilots were unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned MCAS to make it less powerful and to use signals from two sensors, not just one. The Justice Department charged Boeing in 2021 with deceiving FAA regulators about the software, which did not exist in older 737s, and about how much training pilots would need to fly the plane safely. The department agreed not to prosecute Boeing at the time, however, if the company paid a $2.5 billion settlement, including the $243.6 million fine, and took steps to comply with anti-fraud laws for three years. Federal prosecutors, however, last year said Boeing violated the terms of the 2021 agreement by failing to make promised changes to detect and prevent violations of federal anti-fraud laws. Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to the felony fraud charge instead of enduring a potentially lengthy public trial. But in December, US District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth rejected the plea deal. The judge said the diversity, inclusion and equity, or DEI, policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in picking a monitor to oversee Boeing's compliance with the agreement. The plea deal had called for an independent monitor to be named to oversee Boeing's safety and quality procedures for three years. Under the agreement announced Friday, Boeing must retain an 'independent compliance consultant' who will make recommendations for 'further improvement' and report back to the government, according to court papers.
Fast Company
23-05-2025
- Fast Company
Memorial Day weekend will see a surge in road trips with record-breaking travel expected
The number of domestic travelers in the U.S. is expected to break a record for Memorial Day weekend that was set in 2005. AAA anticipates that 45.1 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year. Those traveling by car see the biggest difference, with more than a million extra travelers expected on the roads compared to last year. While 87% of travelers choose to take road trips during Memorial Day weekend, this year, they're also aided by the lower crude oil prices making gasoline cheaper nationwide. (Typically, gas prices will peak in the summer as the busy travel season commences. You can avoid price hikes by staying away from the gas stations closest to the interstate, and optimizing your fuel economy.) As for traffic, AAA expects peak congestion in the afternoons all weekend, with the best travel times in the mornings. Get out early if you can, and on Monday, try to get back home before 2 p.m. Airports will also see a more crowded weekend than last year, with AAA projecting 3.61 million air travelers. In 2024, 3.55 million passengers chose flight as their preferred mode of travel, a difference of nearly 2% compared to the projection for this year. However, flights are more expensive than last year, with the average roundtrip ticket price costing $850. Popular destinations include Chicago, New York, Orlando, Denver, and Seattle. (If you're planning to travel by air, follow the recommended airport arrival time of at least two hours before your domestic flight.) Other modes of transportation travelers are utilizing this weekend include trains, buses, and cruises. Those have increased 8.5% compared to last year's numbers, with cruises seeing a high demand for Alaskan destinations for Memorial Day weekend, including Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau.
