Tag: air travel

Toronto airport requests approval of ‘digital IDs’ for domestic airport travel

Canadian airport officials asked the federal government to implement a digital ID for domestic travelers as an option in the name of “modernization.”

Currently, domestic travelers are only required to use physical identification for air travel, including a driver’s license, passport, or government-issued ID card.

However, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport recently recommended that Canada’s Secure Air Travel Regulations be amended to allow for “digital ID to be recognized.”

“To modernize and support enhanced passenger experience, we ask that the government endorse system-wide border and screening modernization including immediate regulatory changes,” Pearson representatives told Canada’s House of Commons finance committee in a recent submission.

Airport managers wrote that “Canada should proactively embrace both emerging and proven technologies that have the potential to enhance the passenger experience and improve operational efficiency and promote productivity across the sector.” 

“Key initiatives should include accelerating the adoption of a common digital ID for both domestic and international travel.”

The Canadian Airports Council also told Parliament that a national digital ID program should start with airport travelers, including the introduction of “biometrics.”

The Council asked to “enable digital ID and biometrics in air travel” to allow it to “enable more efficient use of space, reduce pressure on infrastructure and enhance security.”

“At present, Canada is behind our international peers in ensuring travel process security screening, Customs and border procedures and boarding are modern, efficient, simple and biometrically based,” it wrote.

Only non-Canadians are currently mandated to undergo biometric screening as well as fingerprint scans when they enter Canada.

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To date, Parliamentary committees have shot down requests for a domestic national identification system.

Some nations, such as the United Kingdom, have recently said they will mandate digital ID using the pretext of illegal immigration as the catalyst.

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Man Who Planned to Shoot up Atlanta’s Airport Is Arrested in a Terminal Following a Tip, Police Say

Police arrested a man at Atlanta’s bustling airport on Monday after getting a tip from his family that he was planning to shoot up the place, and found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck outside, the city’s police chief said.

Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his plan to shoot up the world’s busiest airport on a social media livestream, Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference.

“The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by the family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the Atlanta airport, in their words, to ‘shoot it up,’ and the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle,” Schierbaum said, describing Cagle as a “convicted felon.”

Cagle, 49, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked right outside the doors to the airport terminal. When police went to the vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum said.

“We’re here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy because a family saw something and said something,” the chief said.

Cartersville police Capt. Greg Sparacio, whose department received the initial tip from family members, said Cagle “had the intention to inflict harm to as many people as he could.”

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US proposal to ban Chinese flights over Russian airspace could increase travel costs

China’s biggest state-owned air carriers have hit back at a U.S. proposal to bar them from flying over Russia when traveling to or from the U.S.

The U.S. side has stated that such flights give Chinese airlines an unfair cost advantage over American carriers, which are unable to cross through Russian airspace. Moscow closed Russian airspace to U.S. air carriers and most European airlines in 2022 in response to Western sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern are among six Chinese airlines that have filed complaints over the proposed order last week to prohibit such flights by Chinese carriers.

China Eastern said in its filing this week to the U.S. Department of Transportation that the proposed ban would “harm the public interest” and “inconvenience travelers” from both China and the U.S. The additional flight time would result in higher costs and elevated air fares, which would increase the burden on all travelers, it said.

China Southern warned that a Russian airspace ban would adversely affect thousands of travelers. Air China said it estimates at least 4,400 passengers would be affected if the ban takes effect during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

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Plane forced to land after wacko wearing ‘15 masks’ screams that gay people were giving him cancer

A New Jersey-bound plane was forced to divert after an unruly passenger wearing over a dozen facemasks began ranting that gay people were giving him cancer.

The Sun Country Airlines plane left Minneapolis for Newark Friday morning, but cut its trip short and landed in Chicago after the wacko’s ravings escalated into screams of “the plane is going down.”

Fellow passenger Seth Evans was sitting across the aisle from the nut, and told the Minnesota Star Tribune that chaos started the moment the plane took off when he started raving about being “gang chased” by gay people.

The man also screamed he was being “radiated” and “cooked” by gays, and that they were giving him cancer, the witness said.

Perhaps to stave off the supposed onslaught, the crackpot was wearing “no less than 15 masks” over his mouth, Evans told the Tribune.

At one point, the man even announced “Trump is here.”

But screaming deluded conspiracies wasn’t all the man was good for — between each outburst he buckled down and played a round of Candy Crush, before standing up and mouthing off again at top volume.

The game was over, however, when his declarations were made about the plane crashing.

Once on the ground at O’Hare International Airport, the man was handcuffed and hauled off by Chicago police.

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Massive Drone Attack SHUTS DOWN Major Airport

Copenhagen Airport, Scandinavia’s largest aviation hub, suspended all outgoing flights and diverted incoming traffic after multiple large drones appeared near the facility at 8:46 p.m. on September 22.

The unprecedented shutdown lasted nearly four hours, with operations resuming only at 12:30 a.m. the following day.

Norwegian authorities arrested two foreign nationals for similar drone activity near Oslo Airport’s military installations within 24 minutes of the Copenhagen incident, suggesting coordinated timing that should alarm every American concerned about infrastructure security.

Danish police Chief Superintendent Jens Jespersen characterized the unknown operator as a “capable actor” whose technical proficiency far exceeded typical drone hobbyists.

The sophisticated nature of the operation, involving multiple large drones operating simultaneously near restricted airspace, demonstrates the kind of advanced planning and execution that intelligence agencies associate with state-sponsored activities.

This level of capability represents exactly the type of hybrid warfare tactics that threaten Western democracies and critical infrastructure nationwide.

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Atlanta forfeits $37.5M in airport funds after refusing to agree to Trump’s DEI ban

Atlanta’s airport has forfeited at least $37.5 million because city leaders have refused to disavow diversity, equity and inclusion programs as mandated by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic, declined on July 29 to agree to terms set out by the Federal Aviation Administration. Those terms certify that the airport doesn’t “operate any programs promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.”

That language mirrors a January executive order signed by Trump banning DEI programs operated by anyone doing business with or receiving money from the federal government.

The FAA told the Atlanta airport, owned and controlled by the city government, that it was holding back $57 million, The Journal-Constitution reports. But federal authorities said $19 million of that money would be available to Atlanta in the next federal budget year if it agrees to the language then.

The money would have gone to repave taxiways and renovate public restrooms, among other projects.

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Delta to replace hundreds of engine parts after passengers, crew suffer brain injuries from toxic fume leaks

Delta Air Lines is overhauling hundreds of engine parts in its fleet after toxic fumes have been leaking into plane cockpits and cabins, causing brain damage to crew members and passengers.

The carrier will replace auxiliary power units on more than 300 Airbus A320 planes as a part of a safety initiative that began in 2022, Delta confirmed to multiple outlets.

The undertaking to replace the engines that provide power on the ground for essential systems like air conditioning and electrical services is over 90% complete, the airline told CBS News.

The move comes as airlines have filed thousands of reports with the Federal Aviation Administration, warning that engines can cause toxic fumes to seep into cockpits and cabins, according to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal.

The number of cases has surged in recent years, with Airbus’s widely used A320 jets at the center of the spike, records obtained by the Journal showed

One Delta jet bound for South Carolina was forced back to Atlanta after thick smoke poured through the overhead vents.

The mayhem sent passengers scrambling for fresh air to breathe.

“Breathe through your clothing, stay low,” a Delta flight attendant told passengers over the loudspeaker at the time as the pilots declared an emergency.

In a separate incident, JetBlue flight attendant Florence Chesson told the Journal she was left with a traumatic brain injury and permanent nerve damage after breathing the fumes on a flight to Puerto Rico.

She recalled feeling as if she was drugged midair, then witnessed a fellow crew member collapse and vomit beside her.

The two were rushed to the hospital after landing.

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American travelers to Europe will be forced to hand over biodata before flights starting next month

Americans flying to Europe will need to be fingerprinted under new EU regulations being brought in next month. 

From October 12, US citizens will have to go through the EU’s Entry and Exit System to enter 29 countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain. 

Under the new system, passport control agents will take fingerprints, a facial image and passport details. 

It will be introduced gradually over six months, according to advice from the US Department of State website, which also includes the full list of countries impacted.  

The new digital border program is likely to prompt longer wait times at security on entry to the EU countries as travelers have to register upon their first entry to the impacted zone, known as the Schengen Area. 

American passengers will pass through e-gates and a computerized system which will automatically check passports on entry to the 29 countries within this zone. 

However, once a traveler is within the borders of the Schengen Area, they are free to travel between the 29 countries with minimal security checks. 

The zone includes 25 EU member states, and four non-EU member states – Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

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FAA Unveils Pilot Program to Fast-Track Drone, Air Taxi Deployment

A new pilot program announced on Sept. 12 by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy could one day see Americans traveling short distances in unmanned aerial taxis.

The Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) has five components consisting of both piloted and unmanned aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said. They are Short-range air taxis; long-range fixed-wing flights; cargo services; new types of airlift methods for emergency management, medical transport, or offshore energy facilities; and enhanced safety and efficiencies in automation for advanced air mobility (AAM) operations.

The five pilot projects are expected to run for three years after the first one becomes operational, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a news release. The program will be a public-private partnership between state and local governments and private-sector industries working in conjunction to develop new methods and regulations for safe operations of drones and other types of AAM vehicles, Duffy said.

“The next great technological revolution in aviation is here,” he said.

“The United States will lead the way, and doing so will cement America’s status as a global leader in transportation innovation. By safely testing the deployment of these futuristic air taxis and other AAM vehicles, we can fundamentally improve how the traveling public and products move.”

The action follows a June 6 executive order by President Donald Trump to put America at the forefront of the nascent drone and unmanned aircraft industry, which is crucial to reshaping the future of aviation, the order stated. Emerging technologies—especially electric vertical takeoff and landing—have the potential to modernize the way cargo and passengers are transported, the order noted.

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Surge in pilot deaths and incapacitation began in 2021, and the FAA has been trying to cover it up

  • A sudden, unprecedented surge in pilot deaths and incapacitations began in 2021, with a 40 percent increase in pilots dying before retirement age and a tripling of long-term disabilities, coinciding with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
  • FAA regulations were violated en masse when airlines coerced pilots into taking experimental mRNA injections, despite federal laws prohibiting pilots from using unapproved medical products.
  • Pilots were trapped in an impossible choice: Violate their religious or medical convictions and risk their health, or refuse the jab and lose their livelihoods — all while the FAA abandoned its duty to track vaccine-related adverse events.
  • The spike protein produced by mRNA jabs is directly toxic, causing inflammation, blood clots, myocarditis, and neurological damage — conditions that are catastrophic in a cockpit.
  • The FAA dismantled its pilot incapacitation database in 2022, eliminating a critical tool for tracking trends in pilot health just as incidents began to skyrocket.
  • Near-misses and in-flight emergencies have reached crisis levels, with aviation officials attributing the chaos to everything but the elephant in the room: the COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Pilots describe a culture of fear and silence, where speaking out against the jabs means professional suicide, leaving passengers unknowingly at the mercy of impaired crews.

The great airline vaccine heist: How pilots were strong-armed into a medical experiment

When the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out under Emergency Use Authorization, they came with a critical caveat: No one could be forced to take them. That legal protection was swiftly ignored. For airline pilots, the choice wasn’t really a choice at all. It was a gun to the head — comply or be erased. Major carriers like United Airlines didn’t just encourage the jab; they demanded it, offering cash bonuses to the compliant and pink slips to the resistant. Never mind that federal aviation law explicitly prohibits pilots from using experimental medications. Never mind that the FAA’s own Aeromedical Advice Manual warns against unapproved substances that could impair performance. The rules were rewritten in real time, not by scientists or safety experts, but by corporate executives and bureaucrats who had already decided the narrative: Get the shot, or get out.

Dr. Kevin Stillwagon, a retired airline pilot and immunology expert, doesn’t mince words. “They were illegal,” he says of the mandates. “You cannot put an experimental product into a pilot.” The law is clear: If a pilot takes an unapproved substance, flight surgeons must ground them until the FAA verifies its safety. But in 2021, that process was bypassed entirely. Airlines, backed by the federal government, bulldozed through legal and ethical barriers, turning pilots into lab rats in a real-world trial with no control group. The result? A wave of cardiac arrests, neurological disorders, and sudden deaths that has left the industry scrambling to explain away the carnage.

Stillwagon’s data is damning. Before 2021, pilot incapacitations were rare — about eight per year, according to a 2018 study in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance. But in the wake of the vaccine rollout, the numbers exploded. At Washington National Airport alone, near-misses jumped from one in decades to 28 in a single year. The FAA’s own 2004 research found that pilot cardiac events were the leading cause of in-flight fatalities. Now, those events are happening at an unprecedented rate, and the agency’s response? Cricket sounds. Worse, they discontinued their centralized database for tracking pilot incapacitations in 2022, just as the crisis was unfolding. Coincidence? Stillwagon doesn’t think so. “The data silence that the FAA has created is preventing systemic trends from being detected,” he warns. In other words, they’re hiding the bodies.

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