Air Travel

Delta Announces Wheelchair-Friendly Seating
The airline will soon allow passengers using wheelchairs to remain in their own equipment during flights.

FAA Approves Air Taxis
Two Bay Area companies are planning to develop autonomous commuter flight services between San Francisco and local cities.

Holiday Travel Rebounds, Changes Shape
The number of Americans traveling for the winter holidays is expected to come close to pre-pandemic levels, while remote work is leading to more diverse travel schedules.

Paris to Ban Short-Haul Flights to Reduce Emissions
The country of France has been cleared by the European Union to ban specific air travel routes from the Orly Airport near Paris.

U.S. District Judge Ends Federal Mask Mandate on Transit
A Trump-appointed U.S. district judge in Florida voided the Biden administration's mask mandate that applied to plane, train and bus travel. It had just been renewed by the CDC on April 13 and was due to expire on May 3.

Remote Workers: The New Supercommuters
Workers who moved away from their jobs during the pandemic are adjusting to longer commutes as employers start asking them to return to the office.

Flight-Free Movement Grows in Europe
A burgeoning movement known as 'flight shame' calls on travelers to avoid air travel when possible as a method of fighting climate change.

Omicron Variant: No Good Science Goes Unpunished
The discovery by South African scientists will enable the world to prepare for the newest coronavirus variant, but it will also cause enormous hardship due to the travel restrictions on flights to/from eight nations in southern Africa.

France to Ban Flights for Trips That Can Be Made by Train
One form of climate action gained major momentum in Europe over the weekend.

CDC's New Face Mask Requirement on Transit Takes Effect Tuesday
Travelers will be required to properly wear a face mask when riding all forms of public transportation, e.g., ride-share, bus, train, ferry, or plane. The rule applies to transportation hubs and boarding platforms. Not just any face-covering will do.

Thanksgiving Air Travel Breaks Pandemic Records
As expected, air travel in the United States reached heights not seen since before the pandemic, but still fell well short of the norm.

For Coronavirus Aid, Air France Must Stop Competing With Rail
France is proposing a momentous step toward clean transportation.

No More Large Conferences and Trade Shows This Year
Don’t delude yourself. The likelihood that we attend large conferences and trade shows this year in the same way as before is slim to none.

Study Promotes 'Better Biofuels' by Focusing on Waste Sources
There are many environmental benefits to bioenergy, particularly when the feedstock comes from waste, as opposed to agricultural products that could be used for food. A new study applies life cycle analysis to four types of waste matter.

German Greens Want Domestic Air Travel to Be Obsolete by 2035
Alliance 90/The Greens, a political party in Germany, wants the country's domestic travel to shift completely to rail. Achieving that goal will require making air travel more expensive and rail travel cheaper and easier.

French 'EcoTax' Targets Air Travel to Benefit Rail Network
The Minister for Transport called it "part of the answer to climate change" – charging air travelers a modest fee for international trips that originate in France and investing the revenue in greener alternatives such as rail transport.

No Good News for Climate Stabilization From a New Worldwide Energy Report
Last month, the Paris-based International Energy Agency released its annual "Global Energy & CO2 Status Report." Energy consumption grew 2.3 percent with fossil fuels accounting for 70 percent on the increase. CO2 emissions jumped 1.7 percent.

Crisis Response Afforded Aviation Fatalities But Neglected for Automobile Tragedies
The Globe and Mail editorial board points out the obvious hypocrisies of the global response to an aviation tragedy relative to the ongoing tragedies that occur every day as a result of the world's reliance on automobiles.

U.S. Carbon Emissions Increased Last Year After a Three-Year Decline
The sobering news comes from the Rhodium Group, a research firm that tracks CO2 emissions. The preliminary estimate is the third in two months to show an increase in 2018, attributing it to an improved economy and Trump's regulation rollbacks.

Transportation 2019—Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Some thoughts on what we might have learned in 2018 and what it might mean going forward.
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