delays

Nov. 28 (UPI) — Airplane manufacturer Airbus has announced a recall of its A320 planes for a software update to address an issue that contributed to a sudden drop in altitude of a JetBlue plane last month.

At least 15 passengers aboard the JetBlue flight were hospitalized after the plane suddenly dropped. It made an emergency landing in Tampa, Fla. It was headed to Newark, N.J.

Airbus said an analysis revealed intense solar radiation can corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls on the A320 family of aircraft. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced a requirement to address the issue.

The update may cause flight delays as airlines work to fix the issue, especially as Americans try to return home after the Thanksgiving holiday.

The setback appears to be one of the largest recalls affecting Airbus in its 55-year history. At the time Airbus issued its bulletin to the plane’s more than 350 operators, about 3,000 A320-family jets were in the air, The Guardian reported.

Fixing the issue mostly means reverting to earlier software, CNBC reported.

American Airlines, which is the world’s largest A320 operator, said about 340 of its 480 A320 planes need the fix. It said it expects these to be updated by Saturday, taking about two hours for each plane.

Colombian carrier Avianca said the recall affected more than 70% of its fleet, causing it to halt ticket sales for travel dates through Dec. 8.

Bola Tinubu says he suspended the trip in light of the abductions and a separate church attack in which armed men killed two people.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has postponed his trip to South Africa for the Group of 20 summit, promising to intensify efforts to rescue 24 schoolgirls abducted by armed men earlier this week.

The president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement on Wednesday that Tinubu suspended his departure in light of the girls’ abduction and a separate church attack in which gunmen killed two people.

Tinubu had been set to leave on Wednesday, days before the two-day summit of the world’s leading rich and developing nations was due to begin on Saturday.

“Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Tuesday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure” to the G20 summit, Onanuga said.

It was not clear immediately if or when Tinubu would leave for the weekend summit in Johannesburg.

Search for abducted girls ongoing

The schoolgirls were abducted by unidentified armed men from a secondary school in the northwestern town of Maga in Kebbi State late on Sunday night.

The attackers exchanged gunfire with police before scaling the perimeter fence and abducting the students.

One of the girls managed to escape, authorities said, but the school’s vice principal was killed. No group immediately claimed responsibility for abducting the girls, and their motivation was unclear.

Authorities say the gunmen are mostly former herders who have taken up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over strained resources.

In a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria on Tuesday, armed men killed two people during a service that was recorded and broadcast online.

Supporters of United States President Donald Trump have seized on the violence to embolden their claim that Christians are under attack in Nigeria.

Trump has threatened to invade Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” over what right-wing lawmakers in the US allege is a “Christian genocide“.

Nigeria has rejected the US president’s statements, saying more Muslims have been killed in the country’s various security crises.

The Transportation Department announced its plan in September after referring to the requirement as ‘unnecessary regulatory burdens’.

The United States Department of Transportation is officially withdrawing from a directive that requires airlines to pay passengers if their flights are delayed.

The White House announced its official withdrawal on Friday after first disclosing its plan back in September.

The plan was first outlined during the administration of former US President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

In December 2024, the federal agency under former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sought public comment on the plan, which would have required airlines to pay $200 to $300 for domestic delays totalling more than three hours and as high as $775 for even longer, unspecified delays.

Trump’s Transportation Department said the rules would be “unnecessary regulatory burdens” amid its explanation of why it will scrap the plan.

Last month, a group of 18 Democratic senators urged the Trump administration not to drop the compensation plan.

“This is a common-sense proposal: when an airline’s mistake imposes unanticipated costs on families, the airline should try to remedy the situation by providing accommodations to consumers and helping cover their costs,” said the letter signed by Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal, Maria Cantwell, Ed Markey and others.

Airlines in the US must refund passengers for cancelled flights, but are not required to compensate customers for delays.

The European Union, Canada, Brazil and the United Kingdom all have airline delay compensation rules. No large US airline currently guarantees cash compensation for significant flight disruption.

The Transportation Department said on Friday that abandoning the compensation plan would “allow airlines to compete on the services and compensation that they provide to passengers rather than imposing new minimum requirements for these services and compensation through regulation, which would impose significant costs on airlines.”

New rules

The Transportation Department also announced in September that it was considering rescinding Biden regulations requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside airfares.

It also plans to reduce regulatory burdens on airlines and ticket agents by writing new rules detailing the definition of a flight cancellation that entitles consumers to ticket refunds, as well as revisiting rules on ticket pricing and advertising.

The department did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Al Jazeera also reached out to Buttigieg, who was behind the policy that is now being scrapped, but did not receive a response.

On Wall Street, most airline stocks remain below the market open but were trending upwards in midday trading. American Airlines is down 1.2 percent from the opening bell, United Airlines is down 1 percent, and Delta is down 1.3 percent. JetBlue is tumbling 3.6 percent for the day. Southwest is down by 0.2 percent.

The airline industry is still dealing with delays and cancellations brought on by the US government shutdown, which ended on Wednesday. There are still 1,000 delays on flights to, from and within the United States and 615 cancellations, according to FlightAware, a platform that tracks flight cancellations globally.

PETE Davidson and Colin Jost’s Staten Island Ferry wreaked havoc on the New York City Marathon and caused major delays for runners, a source has said.

The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that the massive ship’s trip through the waters between Staten Island and Brooklyn to display a Nike ad during the New York Marathon created issues for anxious racers on Sunday, November 2.

“Pete and Colin’s ferry caused a delay for runners taking the ferry to Staten Island for the start of the marathon,” a source claimed.

Despite the ferry being owned by a couple of comedians, no one was laughing. 

“Some people thought it was a joke but it wasn’t,” the insider continued.

Runners waiting at Pier 79 in Manhattan to get to Colin and Pete’s native Staten Island for the start of the marathon grew irritated as workers told them they were delayed due to the JFK Staten Island Ferry’s troubles in the harbor.

The Saturday Night Live co-stars ferry, which had been painted bright pink for the Nike advertisement, was tugged from its dock in Staten Island.

“The runners’ ferries were leaving about 20 minutes later than they should’ve, and they were told there were issues with Staten Island helping the guys out with the ferry. It was causing a backup on the river.

“Everyone was already anxious so it was a bit frustrating.”

The U.S. Sun reached out to a rep for the JFK Ferry for comment. 

ROUGH RIDE 

In photos exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun last month, the ferry was seen painted bright pink with a hint of the Nike logo in its dock in Staten Island.

The massive vessel looked rusted and rotted in its slip, appearing far from the upscale entertainment venue the Saturday Night Live stars had envisioned.

From one vantage point, the famous ferry’s orange paint had faded to a faint pink after being left unattended on the salty water under the hot sun. 

The ship’s sides showed extensive rusting and what seem to be saltwater stains beneath the windows.

The opposite side of the decommissioned New York City Department of Transportation vessel showed the bright pink paint job with the Nike logo peeking out from behind giant tarps.

The comedians have been racking up huge docking fees for the boat they hoped to transform, but they also have unpaid legal bills, according to a lawsuit filed in New York against their company, Titanic 2. 

The suit claims an outstanding bill of $13,000 is owed to the law firm Nicoletti, Hornig, Namazi, Eckert & Sheehan.

The ship’s last public sighting before the marathon was when it was used for the Tommy Hilfiger show during New York Fashion Week in September 2024.

A video posted to the fashion house’s Instagram showed the ferry wrapped in their signature red, white, and blue logo, docked in New York’s harbor with the Statue of Liberty in the background, before it was docked for the event. 

PETE & COLIN’S GRAND VISION AND SETBACKS

In a December 2024 interview, Pete laid out his ambitious plans for the vessel.

“We do have, believe it or not, an in-depth plan,” Pete told the Wall Street Journal at the time. “Every day I get asked about this f***ing boat, and we’re raising the funds.

“We’re going to do a floor at a time. There’s a full plan in motion, and meanwhile, people are renting it out.”

The ferry was indeed rented for the Tommy Hilfiger show (which Colin Jost attended, though Pete did not) and also served as the set for a horror film, Steamboat Willie.

The ship’s planned renovation has faced numerous delays over the last three years.

FRIENDSHIP ON THE ROCKS

Once close friends and SNL castmates, Pete and Colin’s relationship soured in 2024 amid Pete’s personal struggles.

“Something big happened and Colin is now refusing to be in the same building, let alone the same room as Pete,” an insider exclusively told The U.S. Sun at the time. 

“Colin doesn’t want to be associated with Pete.”

The pair were seen shaking hands when Pete made a cameo on SNL in November 2024, but the interaction was visibly tense.

Pete seemed to hint at his rumored rift with Colin when discussing his friend and fellow comedian, John Mulaney, and the few friends who have remained loyal.

“I watched him as he took it on the chin a couple of years ago and had to completely revamp his life,” Pete said in the WSJ interview. 

“I’m kind of in the midst of that now, and he’s been helping me so much. It was so inspiring to watch him beat his addiction, become an even bigger comedian, go on an arena tour, start a family.

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“He’s so happy now and it looks effortless, but it’s not.”

He concluded by naming his closest confidants: “And I’ve got to say, he’s always had my back and he’s always there, and not a lot of people are for me. I would say it’s just him, Lorne [Michaels] and Machine Gun Kelly.”

The new system will gradually be introduced as part of an upgrade to border control operations at airports across the Schengen area, including Spain, Italy, Greece, and more

Tenerife South, a holiday hotspot that welcomes around three million Brits each year, has started rolling out a new system for some travellers. The new European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) is being introduced, which could require non-EU citizens to register their biometric data, including face photographs and fingerprint scans, at the border.

The scheme is being launched across many airports in the Schengen area to help alleviate long queues at passport control. According to Spain’s Interior Ministry, the EES will be gradually implemented across the region, but won’t be fully operational until April 10, 2026.

So far, the Spanish Ministry has allocated 83 million euros to enhance border checkpoints at all Spanish airports. Meanwhile, the National Police will continue to manage many border control duties, with the Guardia Civil overseeing customs operations.

The EES was launched at the beginning of October across participating countries. The data collected will be used to create a digital record linked to each traveller’s passport, with the primary goal of the new system being to streamline the border process.

Brits jetting off to Tenerife are being urged to get to the airport earlier than usual to allow for extra processing time. While the new system is designed to speed things up, it might take a while for both staff and passengers to get used to it during the initial stages.

All the countries that use EES

Spain is one of the many countries that has implemented EES. Currently, the following countries will have the new changes applied to them:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Most travellers won’t see the changes immediately, with only a small number expected to go through a fully digitised process while it’s still being rolled out. It’s understood that for the first six months of the scheme, manual passport stamping will continue alongside EES registration across the Schengen area.

Flights to Orlando, New York, Miami and Los Angeles are all set to be affected by the historic US government shutdown

Thousands of British travellers headed to the United States face either severe delays or flight cancellations as the US government’s shutdown shows no sign of ending.

Those with plans to fly to or return from the States are being advised that they could face disruption after the Trump administration announced a ten per cent to air traffic control. The ongoing US federal government shutdown is also affecting other areas of travel, airport staffing, and access to major tourist attractions.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its guidance for UK travellers, cautioning that those flying to or through the US may face longer queues, delayed flights and reduced services at airports. Officials have also advised visitors to check in advance whether famous landmarks, national parks and museums remain open, as many are federally funded and may now have limited access or be closed altogether.

The warning comes after Washington lawmakers failed to agree on new funding for government operations, leading to a shutdown on 1 October that has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers unpaid and key services running on skeleton staff. The situation has become the latest flashpoint in the deepening political standoff between Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

In its updated travel advisory, the FCDO states: “There could be travel disruptions, including flight delays and longer queue times at some airports, due to the current US federal government shutdown. Check for messaging from your travel provider or airline and follow their guidance. There may also be restrictions on access to some federally-managed tourist attractions. Please check the relevant websites in advance.”

While the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and air traffic control services are still operating, many employees are either working without pay or calling in sick, placing pressure on staffing levels. Travel industry analysts warn that prolonged shortages could lead to further delays, particularly at major international gateways such as New York’s JFK Airport, Los Angeles International, Orlando, and Atlanta.

Tourists planning domestic flights within the US may also see longer wait times at security checkpoints, which could disrupt connecting flights and cause knock-on delays across the country. Airlines operating transatlantic services have begun issuing their own advisories. Some are advising passengers to arrive at airports earlier than usual for check-in and security screening, and to regularly monitor their flight status.

Another area of concern is the possible closure of major tourist attractions. National parks, including Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Great Smoky Mountains, are overseen by the National Park Service, which is affected by the government shutdown. Historically, visitor centres, museums, restrooms, guided tours, and safety patrols have all been suspended during previous shutdowns, leaving tourists with little access or support.

In major cities, museums such as the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of American History may also face reduced opening hours or temporary closure if funding is not restored.

Holidaymakers are being encouraged to verify opening times before visiting, and to have backup plans in case venues are closed. Travel providers say travellers should be prepared to be flexible, especially those on multi-stop itineraries.

The Foreign Office guidance is precautionary rather than alarmist. Flights between the UK and US remain operational, most major tourist hubs continue to function, and hotels, restaurants and privately-run attractions are unaffected. But experts say travellers should avoid assuming everything will run as normal.

The shutdown stems from a political deadlock in Congress over government spending.

Republican lawmakers, particularly those aligned with President Donald Trump, have blocked funding bills in a bid to push for cuts to public services and changes to government programmes. Democrats have refused to agree to the proposals, saying they would damage key areas of the economy and the welfare system.

Without a funding agreement, government departments have been forced to limit operations. Essential services, including national security and emergency response, continue to operate. But many civil servants are furloughed without pay, and non-essential federal programmes are pausing operations until funding is restored.

List of airports that will see thousands of flights cancelled starting Friday

Anchorage International

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International

Boston Logan International

Baltimore/Washington International

Charlotte Douglas International

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International

Dallas Love

Ronald Reagan Washington National

Denver International

Dallas/Fort Worth International

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County

Newark Liberty International

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International

Honolulu International

Houston Hobby

Washington Dulles International

George Bush Houston Intercontinental

Indianapolis International

New York John F Kennedy International

Las Vegas McCarran International

Los Angeles International

New York LaGuardia

Orlando International

Chicago Midway

Memphis International

Miami International

Minneapolis/St Paul International

Oakland International

Ontario International

Chicago O’Hare International

Portland International

Philadelphia International

Phoenix Sky Harbor International

San Diego International

Louisville International

Seattle/Tacoma International

San Francisco International

Salt Lake City International

Teterboro

Tampa International

Absences surge among US air traffic controllers, who have been working for more than a month without pay.

Airports across the United States are experiencing major delays and cancellations due to an uptick in absences from air traffic controllers, who are under “immense stress and fatigue” from the ongoing, record-breaking US government shutdown, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

More than 16,700 US flights were delayed and another 2,282 were cancelled over the weekend from Friday to Sunday, according to FlightAware, a US website that provides real-time flight tracking.

The delays continued into Monday evening in the US, as FlightAware counted more than 4,000 delays and 600 cancellations across major airports, like Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Fort Worth, Denver and Newark.

The FAA said on X that half of its “Core 30” facilities at major US airports were experiencing staffing shortages due to the shutdown, with absences at New York-area airports hitting 80 percent.

Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks, ensuring the safety of more than 50,000 daily operations across the national airspace system (NAS).

As we head into this weekend, a surge in callouts is straining staffing levels at multiple…

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) November 1, 2025

Air traffic controllers, who number nearly 13,000 across the US, are classified as “essential workers”, which means they have been working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1.

But the FAA said that there had been a surge in absences, which had forced it to reduce the flow of air traffic in the US to maintain safety standards.

“The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travellers can avoid further disruptions and delays,” the FAA said on X on Friday. “When staffing shortages occur, the FAA will reduce the flow of air traffic to maintain safety. This may result in delays or cancellations.”

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told CBS News’s Face the Nation programme on Sunday that the delays will continue to maintain airline safety.

“We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. And we will slow traffic down, you’ll see delays, we’ll have flights cancelled to make sure the system is safe,” Duffy said, according to a transcript of the programme.

Duffy said that although air traffic controllers were using their absences to work second jobs elsewhere, they would not be fired. “When they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” he said.

The government shutdown is due to enter its 35th day on Tuesday in the US, when it will tie with the 2018-2019 shutdown as the longest in US history.

At least 670,000 civilian federal employees have been furloughed due to the shutdown, while about 730,000 are working without pay, according to the Washington, DC-based Bipartisan Policy Center.

Nov. 2 (UPI) — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the government shutdown, now in its sixth week, would continue to cause flight delays, cancellations and closures amid air traffic control staffing shortages across the country.

“We will delay, we will cancel any kind of flights across the national airspace to make sure people are safe,” Duffy warned during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

Duffy ‘s comments came during a ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday, which he said could spread to airports nationwide the longer the shutdown dragged on.

As few as 20 flights per hour were arriving at Newark late Sunday afternoon, local media reported. Delays averaged about two hours Sunday, but some flights were more than three hours late.

“There is a level of risk that gets injected into the system when we have a controller that’s doing two jobs instead of one,” he continued.

Nearly half of all major air traffic control centers are already facing staffing shortages across the country, which prompted a flurry of airport closures, ground stops or long flight delays, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA’s real time website shows Boston’s Logan Airport and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas closed Sunday, ground tops at Chicago’s O’Hare, and major ground delays at LAX in Los Angeles and the San Francisco International Airport.

Duffy warned during his Sunday interview that the situation could deteriorate still further as the shutdown continues.

“If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’ll look back as these were the good old days, not the bad days,” he cautioned.

He said the administration is considering “pulling in whatever dollars we can” when asked whether there are other funding sources to pay the costs associated with air traffic control facilities and employees.

Federal law requires air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration, along with some other government employees, to work without pay during the duration of the shutdown.

“They have to make a decision,” Duffy said. “Do I go to work and not get a paycheck and not put food on the table, or do I drive for Uber or DoorDash or wait tables?”

Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers are working with no compensation amid the shutdown. Washington lawmakers are at an impasse of a GOP-led budget bill, which has failed a Senate vote a dozen times.

Democrats are holding out for an extension of Biden-era premium subsidies that make health insurance more affordable on the federal marketplace.

Nov. 1 (UPI) — The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, is one of the world’s largest and opened on Saturday after decades of delays and a cost of more than $1 billion.

The 5 million-square-foot museum features exhibits and artifacts ranging across 7,000 years, from prehistory to about 400 A.D., according to CBS News.

It also is the world’s only museum that is dedicated to one culture, which is ancient Egypt.

“It’s a great day for Egypt and for humanity,” Nevine El-Aref told CBS News. “This is Egypt’s gift to the world.”

El-Aref is the media advisor to Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy.

“It’s a dream come true,” El-Aref added. “After all these years, the GEM is finally and officially open,” he said.

The triangular structure is located about a mile from the pyramids of Giza, which makes it a can’t miss for those who want to experience Egyptian antiquities up close with tours of the pyramids and a visit to the museum.

The GEM’s construction initially was budgeted for $500 million, but that price more than doubled over the past three decades amid delays and cost overruns.

Egyptian sources and international contributions covered the building cost.

The museum first was proposed in 1992, but significant events occurred between then and now, including the 2011 “Arab Spring” revolution in Egypt, a military coup d’etat in 2013 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, delaying its completion, CNN reported.

The GEM’s main entrance features a 53-foot-tall obelisk suspended overhead and is viewable from below via a glass floor.

A grand staircase containing 108 steps enables visitors to access the museum’s main galleries and view large statues from top to bottom.

The GEM has 12 main halls for exhibits and encompasses a combined 194,000 square feet that can hold up to 100,000 items, according to the museum.

The museum also two galleries that are dedicated to the pharaoh Tutankhamun and contain 5,300 pieces from his tomb, NBC News reported.

Those galleries and others will exhibit items that never have been made available for public viewing.

It’s also the first time that all of the young pharaoh’s items have been exhibited under the same roof since British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tut‘s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922.

The museum’s walls and slanted ceilings mimic the lines of the nearby pyramids, but the structure does not exceed them in height.

The museum’s opening prompted the Egyptian government to declare a national holiday on Saturday.

How it ranks with the world’s other iconic museums remains to be seen, but it likely will rank favorably with its unique collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and other attractions.