The planned December 5 rollout across C-band frequencies will be delayed until at least January 5.Verizon and AT&T are hoping to work with the FAA to address its concerns regarding potential interference with cockpit safety equipment.Air travel in the US has already been experiencing problems lately, with post-pandemic desire for flying running up against staff and pilot shortages. Verizon and AT&T‘s planned December 5 full 5G rollout, which offer “good-to-great speed” across the mid-range of the radio frequency spectrum, has been delayed after FAA warned that certain bandwidth expansion will severely interfere with bands used for providing commercial aircraft safety. Full rollout across C-band frequencies will be delayed until at least January 5, AT&T and Verizon announced. The companies are hoping to work with the Federal Aviation Administration to address its concerns regarding potential interference with cockpit safety equipment that also uses the C band. While the corporations doled out a combined $70 billion to gain access to the C-band in an auction earlier this year, the aviation industry has protested its use, arguing that “major disruptions to use of the National Airspace System can be expected” should the providers get dibs on that bandwidth for their 5G. The companies already have high-speed 5G connectivity in higher bands, where they use millimeter-wave technology, and low-band frequencies, which are noticeably slower. While they aren’t the only two companies rolling out 5G, their competitor T-Mobile has already snapped up a sizable chunk of mid-band spectrum that does not (yet) operate on C-band. The aircraft industry has apparently been trying to get phone companies’ attention for some time now, having held a meeting in August with the Federal Communications Commission to warn of the coming clash between the two areas. Unless something is done, they warned, ‘major disruptions’ could be expected, forcing the FAA to ‘drastically reduce aviation operational capacity.’ Having failed to convince others on the urgency of the matter, the FAA released a ‘special information bulletin’ earlier this week outlining 5G’s potential interference with airplane safety hardware that depends on access to radio altimeters. Until this week, the agency had planned to issue official mandates limiting the use of automated systems, including one that helps pilots fly and land in bad weather. The bans were designed to prevent any interference from 5G signals encroaching on their bandwidth, as 5G operators are expected to unleash their technology on December 5 across 46 markets. While acknowledging there had not been any issues of ‘harmful interference’ with 5G in other countries, pilots were warned they must be ‘prepared for the possibility that interference from 5G transmitters and other technology could cause certain safety equipment to malfunction,’ suggesting that being forced to fix the issues ‘could affect flight operations.’ Wireless trade group CTIA has insisted 5G networks could safely use the spectrum, pointing to 40 countries in which they were simultaneously operational with airline safety computers. US air travel has already been experiencing problems lately, with post-pandemic desire for flying running up against staff and pilot shortages. These shortages have been exacerbated by broadening vaccination mandates across the country.

Southwest does not condone Employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job serving customers.Some called on the Federal Aviation Administration to get involved and check the pilot’s mental health.The airline also had its fair share of criticism from conservatives, for allegedly “cowering to the left-wing mob.” A viral phrase used to insult US President Joe Biden has triggered an internal investigation by the Southwest Airlines. Dallas-based carrier announced that it has launched an internal probe after one of its pilots signed off with a ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ phrase though the loudspeaker. “Southwest does not condone Employees sharing their personal political opinions while on the job serving our Customers, and one Employee’s individual perspective should not be interpreted as the viewpoint of Southwest and its collective 54,000 Employees,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement yesterday. The controversy was caused by reports that a pilot on a Southwest Airlines flight from Houston, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico on Friday said, ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ though the loudspeaker – a recent right-wing conservative meme that has become code for obscenity directed at current Democratic US President Joe Biden. According to AP reporter Colleen Long, who happened to be on that flight, she was almost removed after trying to ask the pilot about using the phrase.  The airline’s seemingly feeble response to the incident had many calling for the pilot to be publicly identified and fired, while others called for boycotts of the airline as a whole. Some went as far as to compare voicing anti-Joe Biden remarks to declaring allegiance with terrorists. Southwest’s promise to address the situation directly with the employee in question, following an internal probe, triggered even more backlash and demands for a much stronger statement and concrete action. Some even called on the Federal Aviation Administration to get involved and check the pilot’s mental health. Southwest Airline also had its fair share of criticism from conservatives, for allegedly “cowering to the left-wing mob.”

A lack of government support for aviation is evident, and greater investment is required.The UK’s push to get countries to join the ‘International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition’ announced at COP26 is not enough.SAF will be a good stopgap for aviation to reduce emissions while long-term power options are considered.  Airlines and the wider aviation industry will struggle to meet ambitious carbon neutral targets alone. Governments must act by providing significant investment following COP26 to ensure meaningful action occurs. COP26 has put pressure on the aviation industry to reaffirm its commitment to reducing its environmental impact. A recent found that 45% of global respondents stated that the environment was the most important of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors with respect to materiality. With environmental concerns becoming so important to consumers, the industry must act. Although many schemes, working groups, and announcements have been declared leading up to the COP26 conference, it will not be enough alone to reduce the industry’s emissions and create a meaningful change. A lack of government support for aviation is evident, and investment is required. Governments have supported other sectors’ quest to become more environmentally friendly. For instance, vehicle manufacturers have received widespread support and incentives to switch to electric vehicle production, but the aviation industry has not received the same attention or investment. Governments worldwide are pressing for larger carbon reduction targets. However, a lack of concrete plans as to how these will be achieved or the funding available is evident. The UK’s push to get countries to join the ‘International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition’ announced at COP26 is not enough.

The Australian government had come up with one of the toughest responses to the pandemic, shutting down its international borders 18 months ago.International flights from Singapore and Los Angeles, USA were first to land in Sydney.Some 1,500 passengers were expected to fly into Sydney and Melbourne during the first day of eased restrictions Fully vaccinated Australian citizens have been greenlighted by Australia’s government authorities to travel abroad freely without a special permit or the need to quarantine on arrival, starting November 1. The country has relaxed its severe international border restrictions today, allowing many families to reunite after almost 600 days apart and prompting emotional scenes at airports in Sydney and Melbourne. The move comes as much of Australia switches from the so-called COVID-zero pandemic-management strategy to living with the virus amid a large-scale vaccination drive. Over 77% of those 16 and older in the country of 25.9 million have received both shots of the jab so far, the health ministry said. The Australian government had come up with one of the toughest responses to the pandemic, shutting down its international borders 18 months ago. Both citizens and foreign travelers have been barred from entering or exiting the country without an exemption. The move separated families and friends, leaving many Australians unable to attend important events, weddings or funerals. Early on Monday, the flights from Singapore and Los Angeles were first to land in Sydney, Australia. Arriving passengers said that their journey was “a little bit scary and exciting” and described the final feeling of being able to return home after all this time as “surreal.”

The Biden Administration announced a new international air travel policy that is stringent, consistent across the globe, and guided by public health.Starting on November 8, foreign national air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States,Fully vaccinated air travelers will continue to be required to show documentation of a pre-departure negative viral test from a sample taken within three days of travel to the United States before boarding. As of November 8 the United States is changing the requirements for leisure and business travelers to enter the US. The United States Department of State released new COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing for International Travel guidelines today. The Biden Administration announced a new international air travel policy that is stringent, consistent across the globe, and guided by public health. Starting on November 8, foreign national air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States, with only limited exceptions. The CDC has determined that for the purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include those FDA approved or authorized, as well as vaccines with an emergency use listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO).  See cdc.gov for more details. Fully vaccinated air travelers will continue to be required to show documentation of a pre-departure negative viral test from a sample taken within three days of travel to the United States before boarding. That includes all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals. To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. citizens, LPRs, or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to show documentation of a negative viral test from a sample taken within one day of travel to the United States. Both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated should travel with proof of their vaccination status to provide to their airline prior to departure to the United States. That proof of vaccination should be a paper or digital record issued by an official source and should include the traveler’s name and date of birth, as well as the vaccine product and date(s) of administration for all doses the traveler received. For foreign nationals, proof of vaccination will be required – with very limited exceptions – prior to departure to the United States. While vaccination proof is not required for U.S. citizens and LPRs, fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and LPRs (and their dependents) will continue to be able to show documentation of a negative viral test from a sample taken up to three days before departure to the United States. They must present proof of vaccination to qualify for the 3-day test window. U.S. citizens and LPRs who are unable to show that they are fully vaccinated will have to show documentation of a negative viral test taken no more than one day before departure. In addition to verifying proof of a pre-departure negative test result – which they have done since January 2021 – airlines will now also verify vaccination status. Passengers will need to show their vaccination status, either via a paper record, a photo of their paper record, or a digital app. The airlines will need to: Match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination;Determine that the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given;Review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC’s definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, site (e.g., vaccination clinic, healthcare facility) of vaccination. Children under 18 are exempted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travelers, given both the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination, as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who are eligible to be vaccinated. Travelers must show documentation of a negative viral COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 within the past 90 days before boarding a plane to the United States (or before boarding the first flight in a series of connections booked on the same itinerary to the United States). Both nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), such as a PCR test, and antigen tests qualify. A self-test can be used if it meets the requirements of the order including real-time proctoring by a telehealth service affiliated with the manufacturer of the test and that generates a test result that can be reviewed by the airline before boarding. This is the same standard for qualifying tests that has applied to the pre-departure testing requirement since January. The test must be administered no more than three calendar days before the date of the international flight to the United States. So, if a traveler is departing for the United States at 10 PM on January 19, they would have to present a negative test result for a test that was taken any time after 12:01 AM on January 16. Previously, all travelers were required to show a negative test result within three days of travel to the United States. For those U.S. citizens and LPRs who can show they are fully vaccinated, that requirement remains the same – they have to show documentation of a negative test result from a sample taken within three days of travel. That means that all fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and LPRs traveling to the United States should be prepared to present documentation of their vaccination status alongside their negative test result. Those U.S. citizens and LPRs who cannot demonstrate proof of full vaccination will now have to show documentation of a negative test from a sample taken within one day of departure. The easiest way to avoid having to meet this tougher requirement is for travelers to get vaccinated. We believe the overwhelming majority of international travelers will already be fully vaccinated and those who aren’t already and are eligible should get vaccinated before traveling. Over-the-counter proctored tests are widely available in the United States, so U.S. citizens traveling abroad can bring a proctored test kit with them upon departure from the U.S. that they can take before returning home. And we are confident that there will be sufficient supply globally as well. However, there is also a waiver process in place from the pre-departure testing requirement when a suitable test is not available.