NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 22, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

India Relaxes Arrival Rules Including Mandatory Vaccination

simpleflying.com
Passengers arriving in India on international flights will now face minimal protocols as the government has decided to do away with most COVID-related restrictions. The decision comes following a decline in COVID numbers and severity, with authorities believing that many protocols, including filling in the pre-arrival self-declaration form, are no longer required. Read more here.

A Perfect Thanksgiving Storm? Here’s Why Travel Could Be More Expensive Than You Thought

simpleflying.com
Thanksgiving has always been one of the busiest and most expensive times to travel in the US. However, this Thanksgiving season looks like it will be the most expensive on record. With demand exceeding supply for air travel, many US passengers find themselves paying significantly more for airfare than they did before the pandemic. Read more here.

Airlines Ask For More Time To Prepare For 5G Rollout

simpleflying.com
In the latest edition of the 5G saga, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), several major US carriers, and other aviation stakeholders have been pushing for an extension to the deadlines previously given for all airlines to retrofit for new 5G altimeter requirements. The ask for an extension comes as these parties feel that there isn’t enough time for all airlines and aircraft manufacturers to make such changes. Read more here.

MSC ditches bid to buy Italy’s top airline

splash247.com
Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), the world’s largest containerline, has informed the Italian authorities that it is no longer interested in investing in ITA Airways, the successor to heavily in debt Alitalia.
MSC had partnered with German airline Lufthansa earlier this year to bid for a stake in ITA. The bid process has proven difficult however and two months ago MSC decided to take matters into its own hands, unveiling at the end of September MSC Air Cargo, something that will take to the skies from early next year. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Major shipping lines will pass on cost of compliance with EU’s new emission rules

theloadstar.com
The major shipping lines say they will pass on the extra costs of compliance with the forthcoming European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS).
Alliance partners Maersk Line and MSC have said they would pass on the full cost to customers, estimating this at €90 per tonne of CO2. Read more here (login required).

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

2 unions split votes on rail labor agreement

freightwaves.com
The two remaining railroad unions to vote on whether to ratify their labor agreements have split their votes, increasing the possibility that a rail strike could occur in December.
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and yardmasters with the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation. Read more here.

Pay structures, schedules shift in face of truck driver shortage

trucknews.com
Several Canadian fleets are rethinking everything from pay models to work schedules in a bid to recruit and retain truck drivers – even if such changes present challenges of their own.
A shift from mileage rates to hourly pay offers just one example of that. When XTL Transport first shifted to hourly pay models in 2018, responding in part to the rollout of electronic logging devices (ELDs), its operating costs began to rise. The business had to be realigned to bring those under control. Read more here.

Possibility of US rail strike rises as another union rejects tentative agreement

splash247.com
The last two of 12 unions voted last week on ratification of their labour agreements with the major US freight railroads and announced results on Monday. One of the two unions ratified its deal, the other rejected its. In total, four of the 12 unions rejected their agreements and remain without a contract. Read more here.