Category: ESTA News

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that JetBlue has set a foothold to become one of the top five U.S. airlines when it agreed to acquire low-cost airline Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion.

According to the report, JetBlue announced on the 28th of last month that it has agreed to acquire Spirit Airlines for $33.50 per share and will pay an additional $2.50 per share if Spirit shareholders approve the merger. JetBlue said it expects to complete the merger by the first quarter of 2024 and expects to receive regulatory approval by the fourth quarter of next year or the first quarter of 2024.

JetBlue expects that the acquisition of Spirit Airlines will be a steppingstone to challenge the top four companies dominating the US aviation market. JetBlue, which currently operates 280 aircraft, will increase its fleet to 458 when the merger is completed. By adding up to 300 aircraft ordered here, it will be able to become a nationwide low-cost airline.

Earlier, Spirit Airlines said the day before that it had decided not to merge with Frontier Airlines ahead of a shareholder vote on the merger with Frontier Airlines and said it would continue negotiations with JetBlue.

Frontier Airlines agreed to a $2.9 billion merger with Spirit Airlines in February but failed to acquire Spirit Airline after being defeated by JetBlue, who later proposed a $3.7 billion merger plan.

The WSJ noted that JetBlue pushed out a strong competitor and reached an agreement to acquire Spirit Airlines, but it is unlikely to be easy to obtain approval from the authorities. That’s because the Biden administration is pursuing a series of antitrust lawsuits against major corporate mergers because it could weaken competition and raise prices.

On the 1^st August 2022 The Joe Biden administration-imposed sanctions on six companies which have been found to be involved in export of Iran’s petroleum products.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Monday that it had targeted four companies that continued to engage in the overseas sales of petroleum products and petrochemical products by Iranian petrochemical giant Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Commercial.

Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Commercial is already subject to Treasury sanctions.

The U.S. State Department also said it had sanctioned two companies, Golden Warriors Shipping, which provided logistics support, such as shipping Iranian petroleum products.

The State Department also sanctioned Glory Harvest; a Panama shipping liquefied natural gas carrier owned by Golden Warriors Shipping.

Four companies, including Golden Warriors Shipping, are registered in China, while the other two are registered in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Finance said.

Secretary of State Tony Blincoln announced that the sanctions would include six companies that promote illegal trade in petroleum and petrochemical products, the main source of revenue for the Iranian government.

The sanctions are interpreted as measures to further increase the level of pressure on Iran as the West and Iran continue to struggle to return to the nuclear deal.

A heat wave advisory has been issued for the western part of Washington state, including Seattle, and recently, days exceeding 90 degrees have become more frequent, an analysis showed that Seattle is getting hotter.

According to the results of analysis of the Seattle Times’ Meteorological Agency data, from 1945, when the Seattle area’s temperature was officially measured, to June of this year, there were a total of 246 days when the temperature in SeaTac exceeded 90 degrees. Moreover, more than half of these, 100 days or more, have occurred within the last 20 years.

The number of occurrences of hurricanes is gradually increasing.

Since 1945, there have been 9 years in which 7 or more days have exceeded 90 degrees in a year.

Among them, 2015 was recorded as the hottest year, with 12 days when the temperature exceeded 90 to 100 degrees. 2018 had 11 days, 2021 and 2017 had 8 days, and 2016 had 7 days.

Last year was the 8th day when the temperature exceeded 90 degrees, but June 28 was the hottest summer when the temperature exceeded 108 degrees, the highest temperature recorded since the Seattle area meteorological observation.

Of course, there were years when there were no hot days.

Since 1945, there have been 16 days without very hot days. Half of the decade from 1945 to 1055 did not have a single day above 90 degrees. The last year in the past 10 years when there was not a single day above 90 degrees was 2011. From 1999 to 2001, the temperature in Seattle did not exceed 90 degrees Celsius for three consecutive years.

According to the analysis, the closest year since 2015 to “typical Seattle’s normal summer weather” was two years ago. There were 4 very hot days in 2020 and only 2 days in 2019.

Combining data from previous years, climate experts predict that there will be more than seven days of hot weather exceeding 90 degrees this year.

The sweltering heat is also changing the home landscape in the Seattle area.

The state has issued a warning after a surge in New Jersey restaurants and retailers charging customers with credit card payment fees without prior notice.

The New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office and the Consumer Protection Agency announced on the 25th that “a warning letter has been sent to 14 New Jersey restaurants and retailers, including restaurants and retailers, that charged customers with fees for credit card payments without prior notice.”

According to the state prosecutor’s office, it is legal for restaurants and retailers to charge customers a fee for credit card payments, but it is illegal unless the customer is notified in advance.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Plakin said, “Consumers have the right to know exactly how much they are paying for a product or service. “If you charge additional fees for card payments, you should make sure customers are informed before they buy a product or use a service,” he said.

If the seller does not notify in advance whether a credit card payment fee will be charged, the Visa Protection Agency has requested that the seller report it through its website (njconsumeraffairs.gov).

In this regard, a bill has been proposed in the state legislature to ban businesses from demanding additional fees from customers that are higher than the fees charged by credit card companies to merchants.

The bill prohibits restaurants and retailers from charging customers with surcharges for using their credit cards that require them to notify them before placing an order and charge customers a fee higher than they pay the with credit card company. The content is the focus.

According to the law, a fine of $10,000 for the first violation and $20,000 for the second or more violations.

If you have $10,000 in cash per family member when leaving the United States or entering the country from abroad, you must declare it to customs.

On the 10th, an immigrant family traveling to Ethiopia via Dulles International Airport in Virginia was confiscated with $27,330 in cash at the airport.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (hereinafter referred to as the Customs Administration) said in a press release that “a family of five did not report while departing for a flight to Ethiopia.” “Therefore, 27,330 The dollar was confiscated and $830 of that was returned.” The family missed their flight to Ethiopia because of this and had to book a flight to the next day.

His father, an Ethiopian-born American citizen, had $8,000 in cash at the time, and his eldest son also had $8,000. The remaining $11,000 was found in carry-on bags the family carried on the plane. Customs officials later searched for checked-in baggage, but no cash was found here.

U.S. law does not limit the amount of cash a traveler can bring when entering or leaving the United States, but if the amount of cash is more than $10,000, it must be reported. In this case, the declared amount is per family, not per person, if the family travels together.

“Travelers can bring any cash to or from the United States, but federal law requires them to fill out a simple form for carrying more than $10,000,” said Daniel Escobedo, Washington, DC airport director at Customs, in a press release. said.

Shin Seung-cheol, president of Top Travel Agency, said, “Even among Koreans, there are cases in which money is confiscated while carrying more than $10,000. I recommend that you do,” he said.

Joanne Hans, president of travel agency Joanne Hans, said, “Requiring that people carry more than $10,000 and declare when entering and leaving is a measure to prevent illegal money from leaking or flowing in. “If you carry more than $10,000, you are required to declare it to customs,” he said.

On the other hand, in Korea, the standard for reporting $10,000 is individual, not family.

Lee Yoon-gyu, head of the Washington branch of Korean Air, said, “In regard to foreign exchange export, in the United States, it is $10,000 per family, whereas in Korea, if it is more than $10,000 per person, it is required to report it.”

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the COVID-19 vaccine booster shot (boost shot) was effective in preventing hospitalization even during the outbreak of Omicron mutation.

The CDC again recommended that people over 50 immediately receive the second booster shot (fourth dose in the case of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines). point was also suggested.

According to the data on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine released by the CDC on the 15th of July.

However, from around April, when BA.2 and BA.2.12.1, which are sub mutations of BA.1, became dominant species, the hospitalization prevention effect of the basic vaccination dropped to 24%.

This is a result of reflecting the sub-mutation characteristics that have strengthened the immunity of existing vaccines.

However, the booster shot exerted a strong force even during the period when these sub-mutations were prevalent.

At the time of less than 3 months after the first booster shot (3rd inoculation), the hospitalization prevention effect reached 69%, and even after that, it showed a level of 52%.

At the end of March, the United States recommended the second booster shot (4th dose) for those over 50 and some immunocompromised people, but the effect of the 4th dose was better.

For one week after the fourth inoculation, the prevention of hospitalization reached 80%. This is much higher than the 55% prevention effect of hospitalization at 4 months after the third vaccination in the age group over 50 years old.

In announcing these results, the CDC emphasized that “those who are eligible for the booster shot should be vaccinated immediately.”

“Considering the recent increase in the number of deaths and hospitalizations infected with BA.5, it is important to keep up-to-date with the recommended vaccine for everyone, including boosters over 50 years of age and immunocompromised people.”.

The New York Times reported on the same day that federal health officials emphasized the importance of booster shots, suggesting that they may receive a booster dose of an improved vaccine developed to protect against sub mutations this fall or winter.

To minimize the damage caused by COVID-19, the US health authorities have requested vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna to develop vaccines that block BA.

In the worst-case scenario in the United States, it is estimated that 200,000 COVID-19 deaths could occur in the United States alone within the next year.

For that reason, the US is also considering a plan to expand the fourth dose to all adults in consideration of the effect of the booster shot.

In this study, the CDC did not measure the effect of booster shots on BA.5, which is now the dominant species worldwide.

It is known that BA.5 is the mutation that best evades immunity among the sub-mutations of Omicron. As a result, the number of confirmed cases and hospitalized patients around the world is increasing rapidly.

The United States has extended the public health emergency by three months to the 13th to actively respond to the highly contagious mutation.

As the summer vacation season approaches, more and more people travel by plane. However, while travel demand is rapidly increasing, the number of flight delays or cancellations in the airline industry is increasing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, such as a shortage of manpower. Find out what to do if this happens suddenly.

What to prepare before departure – If possible, we recommend that you book directly through the airline’s website. In case of cancellation or delay, it is easier to change the itinerary through the airline website rather than the internet reservation site.

In addition, it is recommended to check in advance 24 hours before boarding to reduce the time for check-in and baggage check-in. It also downloads the airline’s application in case flights are delayed or changed.

What to do if delayed – Federal law requires airlines to issue full refunds to passengers if their flight is delayed and the passenger abandons travel. If you want to continue your journey even if your flight is delayed, you will have to wait in line at the gate and then take the next flight, but it is also a good idea to call the airline and complain.

Some airlines offer compensation in case of delays due to airline problems. In the case of American Airlines, if a flight is delayed and cannot be boarded before midnight on the expected arrival date, it may provide accommodation vouchers.

JetBlue offers compensation ranging from $50 to $200 depending on the delay. If you made a reservation through the airline’s website, the reward can be emailed to you within 7 days of the scheduled departure date. If you made a reservation through a reservation site such as Expedia or Orbits, you must call the customer center directly and explain the situation.

What if the flight is canceled – If a flight is canceled by the airline, the next flight is available and if you abandon your trip, you will be entitled to a full refund under federal law. If you make a transfer, you can get a refund for the flight you didn’t board. Many airlines offer travel credits or gift certificates valid for one year in lieu of a full refund.

“It’s very important to know the law and uphold your rights,” said Scott Keyes, a low-cost airline booking site at Scott.

How to get travel credit – If your flight is canceled by the airline, you can only get your travel credit back if you book directly on the airline’s website. Airlines send emails to redeem travel credits, but you can also find them on the airline’s website. If you purchase a non-refundable economy class ticket, you can call the airline directly and make a reservation again. If you made a reservation through an online travel site, you must connect to the travel site and make a reservation again.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 9th that luggage loss is increasing one after another as demand for air travel is soaring around the world.

According to reports, on the 20th of last month (local time), thousands of suitcases were piled up and left at the airport after a technical defect occurred in a conveyor belt carrying luggage at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Air France announced on the 2nd that the arrival of 17,000 pieces of luggage was delayed due to poor management of the luggage after an employee went on strike at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.

Peter Drummond, head of SITA, a Swiss technology company that tracks baggage, said, “The global baggage loss rate in June far surpassed the 2019 level before the spread of COVID-19.”

He added that “on international and transit flights, the probability of losing your luggage is six times higher than on direct flights.”

Reports of lost baggage have surged over the past two months, according to Blue Ribbon Bags, an American company that tracks and retrieves baggage if it is lost by paying $5 before boarding.

CEO Gabriel Menkin said, “Recently, 10 out of 1,000 pieces of luggage were reported lost or delayed.

In the aftermath of COVID-19, the airline industry reduced the number of employees, but recently the travel restrictions were lifted, and air demand surged.

A spokesperson for Swissport International, a luggage transport company, said, “Before COVID-19, the number of employees had reached 65 thousand, but as of the end of December last year, the number had decreased to 45 thousand.”

Currently, Swissport International is pouring out carrots, such as paying $5,000 (about 6.5 million won) to new employees at some airports in the United States.

However, the number of manpower to be put into the field is not expected to increase rapidly.

“It takes only two weeks to hire and train a new employee, but it takes an average of 65 days for an employee to get the security clearance they need to actually work, and can take up to 90 days,” said Philippe Joynig, chief executive officer of luggage company Menzies Airlines. It can take,” he said.

With the U.S.-China strategic competition getting fiercer day by day, there are speculations that China is weaponizing its strong purchasing power by purchasing large quantities of Airbus airliners in Europe.

According to China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Air China International (Air China), China’s state-owned airlines on the 3rd (local time), these three companies announced on the 1st that they would purchase Airbus A320 passenger planes at once.

A total of 292 passenger planes have been agreed to be delivered by the three companies by 2027, with a total contract value of $37.2 billion (about 48 trillion won).

The ‘group purchase’ of Airbus passenger planes by Chinese airlines is eye-catching in that it was made amid evaluations that bilateral relations had fallen to the worst level since diplomatic ties were established in 1979 as strategic competition between the US and China intensified.

As Boeing of the United States and Airbus of Europe have been competing fiercely for the world’s largest commercial aircraft market in China, some observers say that China has weaponized its strong purchasing power.

Despite the deterioration of US-China relations, the US government has been hoping that China will actively purchase its Boeing airliners.

In particular, the United States has brought strong dissatisfaction, saying that the Chinese side is not purchasing Boeing airliners as promised in the US-China trade agreement signed during the former administration of Donald Trump.

Catherine Tai, the head of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), expressed dissatisfaction with China’s implementation of the trade agreement at the end of last year, citing the lack of commercial aircraft purchases as a major complaint.

Boeing also expressed dissatisfaction with China’s mass purchase of Airbus airliners, saying that there was a political background.

“It is disappointing that geopolitical differences are becoming a constraint on US aircraft exports,” Boeing said in a statement.

China’s bulk purchase of Airbus airliners could be an unspoken protest to the US, which is putting pressure on the country in all directions, including diplomacy, security, trade, technology, and human rights.

At the same time, China has shown favor with Europe, where China strongly hopes to improve relations.

Under the Joe Biden administration, as the United States restored relations with key allies such as Europe and began to build anti-authoritarian solidarity based on common values ​​such as democracy and human rights, China felt the need to maintain amicable relations with Europe even stronger. have.

While fierce competition with Airbus was taking place, Boeing had many bad things in the past.

In 2018 and 2019, a series of large-scale accidents in which Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashed one after another in Indonesia and Ethiopia increased the market’s anxiety about the safety of Boeing’s next-generation flagship product, the 737 Max.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but in March, a Boeing 737-800 belonging to Eastern Airlines crashed in China, killing 132 people.

In the competition between Airbus and Boeing, Airbus laughed at the moment, but as China is putting its domestic passenger planes into the market in earnest, the competition in the Chinese airliner market is expected to intensify in the future.

The C919 passenger plane, developed by China Commercial Aircraft (COMAC), a Chinese state-owned aircraft manufacturer, completed its last test flight in May and is expected to be delivered to customers for the first time soon.

The importance of the Chinese civil aircraft market, which is rapidly growing, is growing day by day for Boeing and Airbus, the two major airliner manufacturers.

Boeing predicted last year that Chinese airlines would need 8,700 new aircraft, including freighters, by 2040.

As many Americans travel to celebrate the US Independence Day (4th) holiday, the number of passengers by plane is the highest since February 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson Lisa Favstein tweeted on the 2nd, “On the 1st, airport security checkpoints across the country searched 2,49,490 people. It is the highest since then.”

This figure is a 13% increase compared to July 1 of last year.

According to the TSA, an average of 2.33 million passengers per day passed through airport screening for a week through July 1. This is close to the daily average of 2.38 million people during the same period in 2019, when there was no Corona 19, and shows that travel demand has returned to pre-coronavirus, the Associated Press reported.

However, as flights continue to be unable to keep up with travel demand due to problems such as a shortage of manpower at airlines, cancellations and delays are occurring one after another during this holiday season.

According to flight tracking site FlightAware, 550 flights to and from the United States were canceled and 2,200 delayed until noon on the same day.