In air travel news this week, federal officials and airlines are imposing strong new security measures on flights to the Washington D.C. area after several incidents of rowdy flyers before and after the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon require a negative COVID test result from all international passengers headed to the U.S.; the Transportation Department issues a new regulation covering airline overbooking practices and passenger rights; more airlines ban emotional support animals; Emirates sets a date for its return to San Francisco; United delays its SFO-JFK service and JetBlue pushes back San Jose flights; Norwegian scraps its plans to revive low-cost transatlantic flights; government approves JetBlue/American partnership in the northeast; and JetBlue reveals cabin details of its new A33-200s.
Anyone flying to or from the nation’s capital in the coming days better be on their best behavior. In the days just before and after the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a series of incidents involving some Washington D.C. travelers has resulted in a crackdown on unruly or disruptive activity, both in flight and at airports. Flight attendants have complained about politically motivated passengers chanting, shouting, getting into arguments with other travelers and refusing to wear masks, while airports have seen several incidents of angry partisans denouncing members of Congress trying to get to their flights. Alaska Airlines told 14 passengers on a Washington D.C. to Seattle flight that they were being banned from future travel. An American Airlines captain flying from D.C. to Phoenix reportedly warned unruly passengers that if they didn’t sit down and shut up, he was going to land in the middle of Kansas and throw them off the plane.
The head of a major flight attendants’ union complained about its members having to deal with a “mob mentality” displayed by some customers. As a result of those problems and the threat of more extremist actions planned for Washington in the coming days, the Transportation Security Administration said this week that its officers at airports are on “high alert” watching for travelers carrying prohibited items, and its in-flight air marshals will be cracking down on bad behavior. TSA also said travelers will see “additional law enforcement and canine presence” at Washington Reagan National, Washington Dulles and Baltimore-Washington Airport. Several airlines are temporarily banning Washington-bound passengers from checking luggage that contains firearms and taking other steps like not serving alcohol and ordering passengers to remain seated for an hour after takeoff.
And Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson signed a zero-tolerance order this week warning travelers the FAA will take strong enforcement action against anyone who disrupts a flight or disobeys flight crew. “Historically, the agency has addressed unruly-passenger incidents using a variety of methods ranging from warnings and counseling to civil penalties,” the FAA said. “Effective immediately, however, the FAA will not address these cases with warnings or counseling. The agency will pursue legal enforcement action against any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members. This policy will be in effect through March 30, 2021.” Penalties could include fines of up to $35,000. Some politicians have called for the creation of a new “no-fly list” to keep known political disrupters off commercial flights indefinitely.
In late December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started to require proof of a negative COVID test result from all passengers flying into the U.S. from the United Kingdom after researchers discovered a contagious new strain of the virus in the London area. And this week, the CDC went a huge step further, expanding that test requirement to “all air passengers entering the United States,” effective starting Jan. 26. That applies to U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike, no matter where they’re coming from. So if you’re planning a getaway to a resort in Mexico, you’ll have to find a clinic there where you can get a viral COVID test no more than three days before you board your return flight. If you can’t show the negative result at the airport, your airline won’t be allowed to let you on board. In fact, the CDC wants you to do even more than that: “Before departure to the United States, a required test, combined with the CDC recommendations to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and stay home for 7 days post-travel, will help slow the spread of COVID-19 within U.S. communities from travel-related infections,” the agency said. Delta, United and American are waiving change fees and fare differentials for customers who want to change their travel plans in order to get back to the U.S. before the new testing rule takes effect. You can see the CDC’s order here.
Remember that 2017 incident where a distraught doctor was injured as he was violently dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight – an incident caught on video that quickly went viral? That led Congress to pass a law ordering the Transportation Dept. to review its regulations on airline overbooking and denied boarding compensation, and a new final rule came out this week, to take effect April 13. The new rule allows DOT to take enforcement action against airlines that attempt to remove a passenger who has already boarded and taken their seat. It also increases the minimum amount of compensation an airline must pay to someone who is denied boarding against their will due to overbooking. “Bumped” passengers who are delayed from reaching their destination by one to two hours on domestic flights or one to four hours on international flights will be entitled to compensation of $775, a $100 increase; longer delays will require compensation of $1,550, up from $1,350. The new rules note that airlines are allowed to compensate delayed passengers by higher amounts if they want to. And if an airline loses a passenger’s checked bag, its maximum liability will increase from $3,000 to $3,500. You can see the full rule here.
As expected, more airlines have come out with new regulations banning so-called “emotional support animals” from their aircraft. After the Transportation Dept. made a rule change that gave carriers the freedom to set their own rules for animals, Alaska Airlines was the first to ban customers from bringing emotional support animals on board, followed quickly by American and Delta. This week, United, JetBlue, Frontier and Hawaiian Airlines all followed suit and stopped taking reservations for emotional support animals. Only service dogs – i.e. those specially trained to provide support for disabled individuals – are now permitted in the passenger cabin (exception: airlines generally allow passengers to bring a pet into the cabin – for a fee — if it is small enough to fit into a cage that can go under the seat). Check with individual airlines for specific rules.
In route news, Dubai-based Emirates, which suspended service to San Francisco in October, has now set a return date as it expands flights to the U.S. The airline is scheduled to put a 777-300ER into service between San Francisco International and Dubai starting March 2, operating four flights a week. Emirates is also slated to resume Seattle-Dubai flights four times a week beginning Feb. 2 and Dallas/Ft. Worth-Dubai service three days a week as of March 3. Emirates already flies to New York JFK, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Houston and Washington D.C. Emirates’ Gulf rival Qatar Airways started San Francisco service last month and is due to launch new Seattle service later this month. But as a sign of the changing times, Qatar also revealed this week that it plans to get rid of half of the 10 Airbus A380 super-jumbos currently in its fleet.
In other Bay Area route news, United’s big plan to bring back service between San Francisco International and New York JFK is being delayed. Instead of launching the route on Feb. 1 as previously announced, the airline is now pushing it back to Feb. 28, and with a reduced schedule. The same goes for Los Angeles-JFK service, also delayed to Feb. 28. United will use 767-300s with 46 Polaris front-cabin seats as well as Premium Plus, Economy Plus and regular coach seating. At Mineta San Jose, meanwhile, JetBlue has changed its previous plans to resume suspended service in April on its Boston-SJC and New York JFK-SJC routes. Now those suspensions will remain in effect at least until June. The same goes for its flights from Boston and JFK to Burbank as well as its JFK-Ontario route.
A few months ago, a schedule update from European low-cost carrier Norwegian indicated that it planned to resume some U.S. service – including San Francisco-London Gatwick – this spring. But now those plans are scrapped. As the financially strapped airline struggles to obtain Norwegian state aid and new investors, it has come up with a revised business plan that does not include its once-extensive transatlantic network. Norwegian filed for protection from creditors in November. The company said this week that given the continuing uncertainty about the future of air travel, long-haul flying is no longer in the cards. According to CEO Jacob Schram, short-haul routes within Europe have long been “the backbone of Norwegian and will form the basis of a future resilient business model.”
JetBlue and American Airlines said this week that the Transportation Dept. has approved their plans to create a strategic alliance in the northeastern U.S. aimed at providing travelers with “more seamless connectivity and better travel choices on routes to and from New York (JFK, LGA and EWR) and Boston.” The deal will allow customers to book a connecting interline itinerary through either airline’s website and will give JetBlue passengers increased access to American’s international flights. Beginning later in the first quarter, the two airlines will start code-sharing in the affected markets, putting JetBlue’s code on 60 American routes and adding the AA code to 130 JetBlue routes. In addition, “American will up-gauge aircraft and by the end of 2021 will operate all service out of New York with first class,” they said, replacing smaller regional jets with larger planes. And later this year, members of JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty program and American’s AAdvantage will be able to earn and burn points on either airline.
Meanwhile, JetBlue this week revealed details about the new Airbus A220-300s it has ordered to replace its Embraer 190s. The airline recently took delivery of the first of 70 new A220s that will be joining its fleet. The E190s have 100 seats in a 2x2 configuration, while the larger A220s will seat 140 passengers in a 2x3 layout. The new planes will have greater seat width (18.6 inches) than the E190s as well as an extra six rows of JetBlue’s “Even More Space” extra-legroom seats, bigger windows and larger overhead bins. And they’ll offer the airline’s usual in-flight entertainment options including its Fly-Fi internet service and 30 channels of DIRECTV. The airline has created a special website with details and photos of the aircraft’s interior.
Jim Glab is a freelance travel writer for SFGATE.
