Latest news with #airports
CBS News
a day ago
- Business
- CBS News
These are the top airlines in the U.S., according to The Points Guy
Looking to travel this summer but not sure which airline to fly for the best experience? The Points Guy (TPG), an online site dedicated to improving consumers' travel experiences while helping them save money, has revealed its annual ranking of the best airlines in the U.S. Founder and CEO Brian Kelly said the site ranks airlines based on four criteria: a carrier's reliability and performance; passenger experience; its cost and reach; and the quality of its loyalty or rewards program. Recent carrier meltdowns have travelers thinking more carefully about which airline — and through which airports — they want to fly. "This is not just my personal decision," Kelly told CBS Mornings. He also explained how the company weighs each metric. "We have a formula. We use lots of data. This isn't us just sticking our finger up in the air and kind of playing favorites. We look at reliability, first and foremost." "When you buy airfare, you need to get to where you're going, so we give a huge amount — 30% — to reliability," Kelly explained. Some airlines are going the extra mile to make flying more enjoyable for customers, from the minute they step foot in an airport through touchdown. For that reason, TPG assigned a 25% weight to an airline passenger's experience score to determine its overall ranking. An airline's cost and reach — including how expansive its network of destinations is — was assigned a 20% weight. And one-quarter of an airline's score was determined by the quality of its loyalty of rewards program. How the airlines stack up Delta Air Lines topped the list for the seventh year in a row, with its relative strength across all categories earning it the highest ranking, according to TPG. It is the most reliable on-time airline in America. It also provides passengers with free wi-fi, a wide selection of inflight entertainment options and meals from Shake Shack. United came in second place, rising from third place last year, aided by an improved onboard experience. It could continue to climb the rankings next year after announcing a partnership with JetBlue that will expand the airline's reach and improve perks for its loyalty members, TPG said. Weighing on the airline, though, is United's outsized presence at Newark Airport, which is suffering from persistent equipment and staffing issues. Southwest Airlines moved up two spots to earn the No. 3 position. Working in the airline's favor is its low flight cancellation rate, which is the best of any of its competitors. While it scored points in the cost and reach category, recent changes in fee structures could end its reign. It recently ended its popular "bags fly free" policy and offers a new, basic economy fare. Here are the full rankings, according to TPG: Delta Air Lines United Airlines Southwest Airlines Alaska Airlines Hawaiian Airlines JetBlue American Airlines Allegiant Air Spirit Airlines Frontier Airlines
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ontario Teachers' fund sells out of the airport business — for now
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, a longtime investor in airports overseas, has sold its interests in the last three of them: Birmingham Airport, Bristol and London City Airport, all in the United Kingdom. The buyer is Macquarie Asset Management, and the price was not disclosed by either party. Beginning in the early 2000s, Teachers' gobbled up airports as part of the fund's growing infrastructure portfolio, which was seen as an excellent source for steady returns and a hedge against inflation risk. The global COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, forcing many airports to take on more debt after the virtual halt in air travel in March 2020. Then came the sluggish return to pre-pandemic traffic over many months. The news came on the heels of another airport announcement by the pension fund giant — a pioneer among Canadian institutional investors in the sector — which on June 13 said it was selling its stake in Brussels Airport Co. NV/SA to a Flemish public investment firm. While there have been other international airport sales this year by Canadian pension funds, including the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec selling off the last of its stake in London's Heathrow Airport in February, interest has increased in the domestic sector as the Canadian government looks for ways to entice institutional investors — including the country's large pension funds — to invest more at home. Deb Orida, chief executive of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, said last week that her fund is looking to boost domestic investments and pointed to PSP Investments' expertise in airport infrastructure and operations through subsidiary AviAlliance, which purchased three airports this year in the United Kingdom: Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton. 'We have airport operating expertise, and capital to pair with that operating expertise,' Orida said. 'So, if the opportunity were to become available to invest in the Canadian airports, I think we would be very well positioned to do that and do it in a way that adds value not only to our pensioners, contributors and beneficiaries, but also to the users — the passengers of the airport.' Former Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz looked at ways to increase Canadian institutional investment in the country's airports last year, when he was tapped to lead a task force charged with boosting domestic pension investments. In March, the federal government laid the groundwork with a new policy statement from Transport Canada that said pension funds can enter commercial subleases to invest in and develop airport lands with the not-for-profit airport authorities that operate 22 major facilities across the country, including Toronto's Pearson International Airport. The statement laid out other avenues for institutional investment as well, including through for-profit share capital subsidiaries created by the airport authorities, which would allow investment on airport lands for developments such as terminals, hotels and shopping centres. The structure of these subsidiaries would allow private investors to buy or be issued shares, so long as the airport authority maintains a controlling interest. A third avenue for investment would allow institutional investors to provide subcontracted services for certain aspects of airport operations. On Wednesday, a Teachers' spokesperson declined to say whether the $266.3-billion pension fund would be interested in airport investments in Canada despite selling off international stakes. '(It's) too early to speculate on where the proceeds will be allocated,' Dan Madge said. He characterized the rapid unloading of airports in Europe and the United Kingdom over the past few months as the culmination of a long, successful run in the sector. 'It was a very good outcome for the fund,' he said. 'Our first investment was in the early 2000s, so it has been a long investment period for us.' Teachers' first investment in U.K. airport infrastructure was in 2001, and it bought direct stakes in the airports in Birmingham in 2007 and Bristol in 2008. Eight years later, Teachers' boosted its U.K. presence with the purchase of a 25 per cent stake in London City Airport, a regional hub for business and vacation travel. Together, the three airports manage tens of millions of passengers annually. Over the years, the Canadian pension giant has also bought and sold stakes in airports in major cities in Australia and Denmark. After Teachers' acquired its stake in Bristol's airport, traffic increased by 72 per cent, with the airport serving more airlines and boasting the fastest recovery among major U.K. airports following the global pandemic. More than £300 million has been invested in the airport over the last decade. Passenger growth at Birmingham increased by 35 per cent to more than 13 million after Teachers' acquired its stake, and more than £425 million has been invested in expansion and modernization over the past 18 years. The expansion included an extension of the runway, the opening of a new pier, a new baggage system, and upgraded security and check-in areas, while multiple new flight routes were added, with some 30 airlines connecting travellers to more than 165 destinations. Meanwhile, more than £600 million was invested in London City Airport to accommodate larger aircraft and expand facilities, with projects including the U.K.'s first remote digital air traffic control tower. Teachers' said the airports under its ownership also played a central role in regional economic growth, collectively contributing more than £3.7 billion in 'gross value added' and 37,600 jobs. 'Each airport plays an important role in its region and, with all currently undergoing expansion (programs), will continue to grow and deliver for their passengers, communities and the broader economy,' said Charles Thomazi, Teachers' senior managing director and head of infrastructure in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Defence investments will be winners in Trump world: Teachers' CEO Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan says 1.9% return shows portfolio strategy is working 'We are confident that (the airports) will continue to flourish and are pleased to be passing the baton to new investors Macquarie as they support them in the next stage of their growth.' • Email: bshecter@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
This is the one thing you should never put in a TSA bin — it's the top item stolen at security, expert warns
If you've ever dropped your phone into a TSA bin and sent it down the conveyor belt — as most air travelers have done — you might want to rethink that casual habit. In a now-viral TikTok, travel expert Tiffany (@ shares a critical piece of advice she says she learned the hard way: never place your phone directly into a TSA bin. Instead, she always keeps hers zipped securely inside her bag. 'The thing I'm absolutely never doing when I'm going through TSA — I am not putting my phone directly into one of the containers,' she says in the video, which has now racked up hundreds of thousands of views. 'It's always going in a zipped pocket in my bag.' Tiffany recalls being corrected by a TSA officer who caught her placing her phone loose in a bin. 'The TSA agent looked at me and was like, 'You don't like your phone?'' she recounts. 'I said, 'Yes?' And he said, 'This is the fastest way to get it stolen.'' According to Tiffany, the agent told her that phones are the number one item stolen at airport security. The issue, she explains, is timing: when lines back up or bins pile up, travelers often aren't paying close attention to their belongings. That moment of distraction is all it takes. Viewers were quick to sound off in the comments — many in disbelief. 'Wait WHAT! I always do this. Never again,' one person wrote. Another added, 'This happened to me. Lost my phone before a 10-hour flight — worst feeling ever.' Others chimed in with their own hacks: some tuck their phones into shoes, while others swear by interior zipper pouches or belt bags they keep on until the last second. Tiffany's closing advice is simple but effective: 'Always make sure your valuables are zipped up [inside] your bag when they go through the scanners.' It's a small change that could save you hundreds of dollars — and a whole lot of airport stress.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Propellers, Rotor Blades Are Music To The Ears Of Private Jet Flyers
Supersonic private travel for the super-rich may be up in the air. However, their need to access hard-to-reach places quickly, particularly destinations with short or no runways, is driving several leading private jet flight providers to launch or expand operations and partnerships that utilize turboprop, piston and rotorcraft aircraft. If you are not a UHNW, typically defined as having a net worth of at least $30 million, don't despair. Private jet charter and fractional operator is adding a Caravan turboprop and amphibious float plane ... More to help its well-heeled customers access smaller airports or places with no airport at all. The most recent initiative comes from JSX, which offers a semi-private option. Still, experts say it is the travel needs of the very wealthy that are driving the trend. 'The challenge when a client wants to buy their third, fourth or even fifth home is: can they land their jet nearby,' says Alasdair Pritchard, a partner in Knight Frank's Private Office, adding, 'This can dictate property decisions, so we help clients explore alternatives, whether that's nearby airports with helicopter access or private airstrips on larger estates.' For those who want the full private experience, FlyExclusive, which previously limited its services to jet aircraft, selling fractional shares, jet cards, and on-demand charters, is launching charter flights using an amphibious float plan and Caravan turboprop. Wheels Up, via a partnership with Tropic Ocean Airways, helps members make that last mile as easy a ... More day at the beach, including sometimes landing at the beach. Knight Frank says UHNWs who are increasingly buying third, fourth, and fifth homes in locations that are hard to access with private jets, are looking to propeller aircraft and helicopters. It is not alone. Wheels Up has been expanding its partnership with seaplane operator Tropic Ocean Airways, in which it has a minority ownership stake. The commercial agreement enables members to fly to more than 70 smaller airports across Florida, the Bahamas, and the Northeast U.S., including the Hamptons, Lake Placid, Fire Island, Sunset Beach, Montauk, and Block Island. 'We're not surprised to see rising interest in turboprops, seaplanes, and helicopters for last-mile travel—it's a trend that aligns squarely with the solutions we've been building over the past several years," says Wheels Up CEO George Mattson. He adds, 'Our customers can easily combine a commercial or long-range private flight with a final leg aboard a wheeled or amphibious Cessna Caravan EX—creating a seamless, end-to-end premium experience.' Flexjet has been expanding its last-mile helicopter service for members of its fractional jet ownership program by acquiring rotorcraft operators in both England and the United States. In 2023, Flexjet received permission to operate helicopter flights between Florida and the Bahamas. It has now expanded the seasonal service to year-round. Flexjet Vertical Lift President Eli Flint said at the time, 'Now that our clientele has grown accustomed to accessing off-airport destinations, they expect it wherever the helicopter can take them – and now that includes from Florida to the Bahamas and the Florida Keys.' Flexjet offers its fractional private jet customers the ability to use hours on its helicopter ... More service in the Northeastern U.S., England, and South Florida. Longtime private and shared turboprop operators have also been expanding their footprint focusing both on price and accessing airports jets can't utilize. Tradewind Aviation, which had operated exclusively in the Northeastern United States and the Caribbean, added a Florida base for charter flights in 2023, as well as scheduled flights last year from Witham Field in Stuart to the Bahamas. Like JSX, it sells individual seats on its scheduled flights and uses private terminals, so customers avoid the hassles of crowded airports with long lines. PlaneSense, which long focused on fractional ownership, has expanded its jet card offering, enabling customers to fly on its fleet of Pilatus PC-12 turboprops by committing to buy just 25 hours. JSX will buy up to 25 ATR turboprops as it seeks to expand its semi-private by-the-seat flights to ... More airports that were previously the domain of the private jet users. It also expanded the primary service area for its fleet to the West Coast in 2021, opening a maintenance facility near Las Vegas to support an increase in flights in the Western U.S. Last year, SkyShare which has a days-based fractional program on preowned PC-12s targeting customers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, added an entry level program cutting the initial investment by 41%. Its targeting business flyers who need to visit multiple remote locations in a single day. The PC-12 is renowned for its short-runway access and can even land on grass airstrips. And that's the point. FlyExclusive is basing a Caravan and amphibious float plane in Miami, with operations set to start later this month. Chairman Jim Segrave said, 'There's a clear gap in the market…with the launch of our new amphibious float plane and land-based Caravan, we're expanding our ability to connect travelers to the most sought-after island destinations in the region.' Its seaplane will be 'capable of landing at any suitable water landing site, enabling direct access to private beaches, remote islands, and waterfront properties with no runway required.' And its not just second homes that are driving the last-mile solutions. Air Charter Service signed a deal in April to staff a new terminal and helipad area at the Silverstone race track, a two-and-a-half hour drive outside of London. During the British Grand Prix it handles over 1,500 flights and more than 6,000 passengers. Air Charter Service CMO James Leach said the heliport is expected to get use during rest of the year for special events and experiences offered at the track. He noted, 'The benefits of private aviation mainly revolve around time-saving, with our helicopter shuttles saving many people on average between two hours and five hours, whilst those traveling from abroad by private jet can often save even more time when compared with scheduled flights, especially if they add a helicopter transfer to the circuit.' William Herp, CEO of Linear Air Taxi, a charter broker specializing in turboprops and piston aircraft, says that advances in technology over the past decade have boosted consumer confidence in the segment. He points to last month's announcement that the Cirrus SR Series G7+, which can seat three passengers, will be the world's first single-engine piston aircraft equipped with an FAA-approved autonomous emergency landing system. The system activates if the single pilot becomes incapacitated. With a touch of a button, the airplane lands itself. The key benefit of the propeller aircraft, he says, is being able to land at runways as short as 3,000 feet. 'With a (charter) jet, you are looking at 5,000 feet or more if there is rain,' he says. Herp says these days most customers are open to the propeller aircraft instead of a jet if it can get them to their destination faster than an alternative airport further away. 'When we first started (20 years ago), we had to explain how piston props were safe. Consumers were unaware piston props were available for charter. We're not having that conversation as much,' he says. Herp says Linear has around 700 piston prop aircraft available for charter on its website. Prices range from around $750 to $2,500 per hour, plus fees, plus you pay for repositioning the airplane to and from its base before and after your trip. Still, it's more more affordable chartering a jet. Wheels Up's Mattson adds, 'As demand continues to grow for more personalized and experiential travel, we see these aircraft and partnerships as essential to delivering the kind of elevated, last-mile solutions today's premium traveler expects.' Of course, not all of us have the money to charter an entire aircraft no matter the size, nor the need to land at a waterfront property. JSX plans to cater to the rest of us. Earlier today it announced it had signed a letter of intent for up to 25 turboprop airplanes from ATR Aircraft and plans to start operations later this year with two leased turboprops. It states that the new type will add up to 1,000 more airports it can fly to in the U.S. beyond its current Embraer regional jets, offering its by-the-seat version of shared private aviation. JSX CEO Alex Wilcox said, 'Many of these airports were, until now, reserved only for those who had the means to fly private.' Its by-the-seat prices often start under $500. A spokesperson says no airports have been selected yet.
Gulf Business
2 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
Flying to or from UAE airports? What travellers should know amid regional airspace closures
Image: Dubai Airports/ For illustrative purposes Travelling to or through the UAE anytime soon? Despite recent regional tensions and resulting airspace The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security (ICP) has confirmed it is in full control of the situation. From the moment disruptions unfolded, the authority activated a comprehensive emergency business continuity plan — designed specifically to ensure round-the-clock operations at all UAE airports. That means minimal delays and no compromise on service quality. Travellers will benefit from a robust support system that includes closely coordinated efforts between the ICP and all airport operational entities. So whether you're departing, transiting, or arriving in the country, expect smooth passenger movement, constant communication, and teams on standby 24/7 to assist. ICP has partnered with UAE airlines to ensure timely updates Even in the case of flight disruptions or delays, For those affected by diversions or extended stays, the authority has rolled out support services such as temporary accommodation and logistical assistance, all coordinated with strategic partners. At the airport, travellers will also notice the presence of specialised field teams. These qualified personnel have been deployed to ensure seamless immigration processes, help direct passengers, and maintain operational readiness at all hours. Importantly, a new streamlined system for passenger entry into the country's airports is now live — designed to match evolving conditions on the ground while keeping things efficient and stress-free for travellers. According to a WAM report, the ICP thanked passengers for their patience and understanding, and reiterated its dedication to their security. 'These actions reflect the UAE's authentic values, proactive service standards, and world-class crisis and emergency management plans,' it said, reaffirming that safety and service will always remain top priorities.
