Pilar Wolfsteller
Pilar Wolfsteller, Americas Air Transport Editor, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and brings a pilot’s perspective to her beat. She covers airlines across the hemisphere and her interests also include future-oriented sustainable aviation technology and urban air mobility projects. Pilar began her journalism career at the global news agencies Bloomberg and Reuters, and has reported from more than 50 countries.
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NewsBoeing extends Puget Sound factory closures
Boeing has extended he closure of its production facilities in the Puget Sound region of Washington, which includes the Seattle area and Moses Lake, “until further notice”.
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Secondary airports protest DOT’s ‘minumum service’ rule for differing reasons
Secondary airports across the United States have objected to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) show cause order which would require carriers who plan to take government relief as a result of the coronavirus pandemic maintain minimum service to certain points across the country.
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American Airlines cuts summer schedule
American Airlines says its summer 2020 schedule will reflect the realities of the decline in demand after the global coronavirus pandemic.
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US discount airlines urge rethink of strings attached to aid package
Ultra-low cost carriers Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines and Sun Country Airlines have raised objections to a US Department of Transportation (DOT) show cause order that requires airlines who accept government aid to maintain a minimum level of service.
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Minimum number of flights required for airlines taking bailout money: US DOT
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has published rules that US carriers must follow if they decide to accept government aid as a result of financial difficulties resulting from the global coronavirus crisis.
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Air Canada to cut 16,500 workers
Air Canada says it is cutting 16,500 employees and slashing its network by up to 90% in April and May, confirming earlier reports in Canadian media.
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Passenger sues five Canadian carriers
Canadian airlines Air Canada, WestJet, Swoop, Air Transat and Sunwing have been accused of breach of contract in a class action lawsuit filed in the province of British Colombia for refusing to give passengers refunds to purchased tickets after the coronavirus severely impacted both domestic and international air travel.
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Canada has ‘concerns’ about Air Canada-Transat merger
The Competition Bureau of the government of Canada says it has “competition concerns” about the planned takeover of Transat by Air Canada.
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Trump signs economic aid bill
US President Donald Trump has signed a $2 trillion aid package designed to support distressed companies and employees after the coronavirus pandemic massively disrupted the US economy in the past weeks.
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Harbour Air suspends scheduled flights
Canadian commuter airline Harbour Air has suspended its scheduled passenger operations due to the coronavirus pandemic, and says it expects to spend the entire month of April grounded.
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Americas 26 March recap: US Senate passes bill, Embraer sees deferments
The US Senate passed an economic stimulus bill designed to support workers and industries, including the airline sector, after the global coronavirus crisis ravaged the economy in past weeks.
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US Senate approves economic aid, bill moves to House
The US Senate passed an economic stimulus bill that is designed to support industry and workers after the global coronavirus crisis exploded, and ravaged the economy in the past three weeks.
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Embraer sees commercial orders deferred, not cancelled
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer says it has not had any order cancellations as a result of the current global coronavirus pandemic that has decimated the air transport industry, but it is seeing some customers ask for deferments of deliveries as airlines reduce capacity for an undetermined period of time.
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Americas 25 March in review: US Congress debates aid bill
As the US Congress debated a government assistance bill that would help the aviation and aerospace industry weather the financial storm of the coronavirus crisis, the Pentagon warned that the current pandemic could lead to geopolitical instability.
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Embraer manufactures ventilator parts
Brazilian aircraft-maker Embraer has begun manufacturing parts for ventilators in an effort to support the country’s medical industry as the coronavirus pandemic grips all corners of the globe.
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US Senate bill would offer $78b in aid to airlines, workers, contractors
A government aid package currently making its way through the US Congress calls for loans and payroll support for airlines and aviation industry workers of $78 billion altogether, but links the assistance to strict conditions regarding executive pay, stock buybacks, dividends and requirements to maintain employee levels through the third quarter of the year.
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Americas 24 March in review: Congress negotiates aid; Manufacturers and airlines make deep cuts
Politicians from both houses of the US Congress continued negotiating a bill that would offer the air transport industry financial support in order to secure jobs and keep airlines afloat as the coronavirus crisis ravages the industry.
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WestJet cuts 50% of staff
WestJet’s chief executive Ed Sims says the airline has eliminated half of its workforce as it tries to preserve itself while the coronavirus continues to ravage the air transport industry.
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US House aid bill sets strict labour, consumer, environmental protections
The US House of Representatives says it is willing to support the transportation industry as it works through its losses due to the coronavirus, including offering infrastructure grants to airports and tangible relief for aviation workers. However, it wants airlines to protect their employees and consumers before protecting their own bottom lines.
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Americas 23 March in review: Boeing shuts Seattle factories; Airlines repatriate citizens
US aerospace companies continue to take radical measures to try to reduce the impact of the coronavirus as politicians negotiate a federal aid package designed to assist the companies through the crisis.
