TSA IS PREPARED FOR MORE TRAVELERS AT AIRPORT SECURITY CHECKPOINTS THIS HOLIDAY TRAVEL SEASON

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that it anticipates airport security checkpoints nationwide will be very busy this holiday travel season, beginning with the Thanksgiving travel period which goes from Friday, November 18, to Sunday, November 27. This year's travel volumes have been notably higher leading up to holiday weekends, and this Thanksgiving travel period, the TSA believes travel volumes may reach pre-pandemic levels. The three busiest days during the Thanksgiving travel period are typically Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving and Sunday after the holiday. The TSA is prepared to screen as many as 2.5 million travelers at checkpoints nationwide on Wednesday, November 23, and may surpass 2.5 million travelers again on Sunday, November 27. “We expect to be busier this year than last year at this time, and probably very close to pre-pandemic levels,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “We are prepared to handle the projected increase in travel volumes next week." 

HEATHROW AIRPORT ENDS PASSENGER RESTRICTIONS THIS CHRISTMAS

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will not re-introduce a cap on passenger numbers this Christmas as it works to minimize the impact of the recent strike at the airport ahead of the holiday season, reports BBC. In July, Heathrow introduced a daily limit of 100,000 passengers to try to reduce the disruption travelers were facing, forcing several airlines to cancel flights to ensure compliance. The cap was extended until October 29, but has now ended. Heathrow says it has a "good plan" developed, which would not require a cap on capacity during the Christmas season. It is still in discussions with individual airlines about the details, but it is understood that some flights might be moved to quieter times and others might be consolidated. John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow's CEO, said: "We have come so far since Omicron grounded Christmas travel plans last year. Heathrow, our airline partners, and their handlers are all working together to make sure everyone can be reunited with their loved ones this Christmas." British Airways, the carrier with the largest operation at Heathrow, has already reduced its winter schedule to a level it believes it can run.

ENTERPRISE, NATIONAL CAR RENTAL EXTEND LOYALTY BENEFITS

Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental have announced the extension of several loyalty benefits that were set to expire soon, reports Travel Pulse. The free rental days in National's Emerald Club program were previously set to expire on December 31, but the company revealed they would extend the program through September 4, 2023. National also extended the elite tier status for qualifying loyalty program members, which includes Emerald Club Executive and Executive Elite, whose status was set to expire on February 28. If those members make at least one qualifying rental by the end of 2022, their elite status will be extended until February 28, 2024. Meanwhile, Enterprise is extending its “Plus Your Points” promotion that allows registered Enterprise Plus members whose status was set to expire on February 28, 2023, to extend elite-tier status for one year if they register for the promotion and make or already have made one qualifying rental by the end of 2022. Membership in both loyalty programs is free and open to anyone 21 years and older.

TSA DEPLOYS NEW CAT-2 TECHNOLOGY AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is using new credential authentication technology (CAT) at Denver International Airport (DEN) for some travelers, reports CBS News. The new CAT units, also known as CAT-2, scan a traveler's saved ID in their phone and compare the photo on the ID credential against the in-person real-time photo. Once the CAT-2 confirms the match, a TSA officer will verify and the traveler can proceed to the security screening. This process happens without ever exchanging a boarding pass. CAT plays an important role in identity verification, as it improves a TSA officer’s ability to authenticate a traveler's photo identification while also identifying inconsistencies associated with fraudulent travel documents. Currently, the new CAT-2 technology is only available to travelers using a Colorado ID, Arizona ID, or Maryland ID, the three states with the technology. The ID must also be uploaded to an Apple device in the Wallet app a few days before travel. 

AIRLINE ON-TIME PERFORMANCE CONTINUED TO IMPROVE IN OCTOBER

The average North American airline on-time performance in October continued to improve, reports Business Travel News. According to Cirium's monthly report, the average on-time performance reached 79.5 percent, up two percentage points from September. Additionally, six of the eight carriers that made the October list showed improvement over their September performance. As in September, all three of the largest US carriers made the global list of on-time airlines with Delta Air Lines (88.3 percent) third, United Airlines (87.3 percent) fifth, and American Airlines (83.1 percent) ninth. This was the first time United made the top five ranking in any month of 2022. The report also showed year-over-year growth of 9.84 percent in the number of flights completed. A flight is considered on time if the aircraft arrives at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.