PACOIMA, Calif. (KABC) — Taking a family trip can be challenging for any parent – but it can be especially tough for families of children with autism or other special needs. One local company is making things a little easier, by giving parents and kids a lifelike experience on a plane before it ever takes off.
This is 11-year-old Brady Riordan’s first Air Hollywood flight. With his family, he checks in and goes through a security checkpoint
His dad, Vince Riordan, keeps a close eye on Brady because he’s actually more worried about this flying experience than Brady is.
“There’s a lot going on that we have to manage and everything,” Riordan said. “And I also have the other worries about him. He is always kind of looking around and darting off.”
Brady hasn’t been on a plane since he was a baby. He has autism.
Darlene Hanson of Reach Services said, “They’re nervous. And if you have autism, oftentimes predictability is a difficult thing.”
It all feels real, but it’s a simulation courtesy Talaat Captan, owner of Air Hollywood, a famed airplane mock-up studio used in Hollywood movies.
Captan said he once witnessed a child with autism struggle at the airport.
“It was a really challenging day for these people. They had to be turned back and go home and they couldn’t fly,” Captan said.
So he developed Open Sky for Autism. It’s a realistic journey designed for those with special needs and their families.
“If you’re going through TSA and you can’t take your shoes off today, that’s okay,” Hanson said, “The family knows then that’s what we have to practice. That’s what this is about.
After takeoff, the plane hits rough weather. Brady looks around as the plane shakes with turbulence.
Real-life flight attendants, TSA workers and pilots add to the effect. They come here to teach and to learn.
“The families also get an opportunity to learn about the rules and things that can be flexible in the airport and in a flying situation,” Hanson said.
Going through security, the in-flight safety demonstrations, and the turbulence are all very important lessons. But probably the most valuable lesson families learn is how to deal with waiting.
“A lot of waiting is very important because we want them to wait,” said Captan.
It pays off. Many families report successful travels.
“We realistically want to go to Hawaii some day,” Riordan said.
Over the next few weeks the Transport Security Administration (TSA) is ramping up its Real ID deadline awareness campaign with information posters and leaflets at airports throughout the country. In case you’ve forgotten, Real ID is an upgraded driver’s licence that meets newer federal security standards at TSA checkpoints. If your state isn’t compliant yet, you may need alternative ID when flying domestically.
You could be smiling for a passport photo someday. Image by AZarubaika/Getty Images
The Real ID Act will go into effect on 1 October, 2020, meaning that all air travellers must carry a Real ID-compliant driver’s licence or alternative acceptable identification to fly domestically. Currently, all states are either compliant or have extensions, with the exception of California, which is still under review.
“TSA is doing everything we can to prepare our partners and the traveling public for the Real ID deadline next year,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske in a statement. “The security requirements of the Real ID Act will dramatically enhance and improve commercial aviation security.”
Domestic flyers may need to bring passports when travelling. Image by Tetra Images
The states with extensions are Maine (10 October, 2019), Rhode Island (1 May, 2019), New Jersey (10 October, 2019), Pennsylvania (1 August, 2019), Kentucky (1 August, 2019), Missouri (1 August, 2019), Oklahoma, (10 October, 2019) Montana (1 June, 2o19), Oregon (10 October, 2019) and Alaska (1 June, 2019). If state drivers’ licenses do not become compliant by their extension date, residents will need to bring another form of ID to the airport when flying domestically.
California is the only state under review and that’s caused some confusion. In December, SF Gate reported that the new ID cards issued by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) didn’t meet the federal government’s standards. Instead of requiring two forms of proof of residency, the California DMV was only requiring one form, which wasn’t sufficient. But the federal government agreed to recognise the 2.3 million Real ID cards already issued as valid and they can be accepted until 24 May, 2019.
The TSA is reminding air travellers about the Real ID deadline. Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
And by October 2020, the law will fully come into effect and all states will have ensured that their new ID cards are compliant. By that date, air travellers won’t be able to fly domestically without one (passports are obviously still required for international travel). It’s important to note that states will not automatically send individuals compliant driver’s licenses. Instead, individuals must apply in person at their local DMV and bring identifying documentation, such as a birth certificate or a passport and be prepared to take a new photo.
You can discover more background information on Real ID through a previous article we published here. Otherwise, you can check out the TSA website for more information.
It’s a phrase so obvious it’s surprising that it’s only just entered the lexicon: “flying shame,” as it’s been dubbed in Sweden, or the feeling that jetting off to far away places is something to be ashamed of in the age of climate change.
And it’s not just an attitude but, increasingly for Swedes, a consumer choice. A survey conducted by WWF found that 23% of Swedes had chosen not to fly in the last year to reduce their impact on the climate. A further 18% had opted for rail travel over planes for the same reason.
But the phrase is notable precisely because it’s a sentiment that doesn’t seem widespread. As the idea of conscious consumerism has become nothing short of mainstream in affluent consumers’ lives over the past decade, there’s been one notable blind spot: getting on a plane. It’s not hard to find people who have changed their diet to one that’s more environmentally friendly, who drive a hybrid vehicle, or who seek out clothing and household products made from sustainable materials. But it’s much rarer to find someone that says: “I’m not going on vacation or traveling for work this year—it’s bad for the environment.”
But one local company is making things a little easier by giving families a lifelike flight experience.
The Open Sky for Autism program provides air-travel practice for the entire family -like checking in, buckling up, turbulence – and it involves Real-life flight attendants, TSA workers and pilots. Open Sky boards 4-5 times a year and the experience is free. To learn, more go to www.airhollywood.com/events/open-sky-for-autism.
Researchers tracked nearly half of a million adults in the United Kingdom for five years, KCCI reports. They found for every 25 grams of processed meats like sausage or bacon eaten every day, a person’s risk of colorectal cancer went up 20-percent.
Twenty-five-grams is about 0.8 ounces and roughly equates to a thin slice of bacon. Red meat also caused an increase in risk, but it took a larger amount for the same effect.
Researchers discovered when a person ate just over on ounce and a half of red meat, their cancer risk increased by 19%. A typical hamburger is about four ounces of meat.
Disney Halloween! Disneyland’s famous Mickey’s Halloween Party will move to California Adventure this year and is now called the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween Party.
It will be hosted by Oogie Boogie from the “Nightmare Before Christmas.” It features a villain-themed World of Color and a nighttime outdoor dance party.
Tickets go on sale April 23 for passholders, Vacation Club members and Disney Visa card holders. Tickets go on sale to everyone else on April 30.
In my 23 years as a flight attendant and president of our union representing 50,000 others, I know firsthand the threat climate change poses to our safety and our jobs. But flight attendants and airline workers have been told by some pundits that the Green New Deal, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey’s environmental proposal, will ground all air travel.
That’s absurd. It’s not the solutions to climate change that kills jobs. Climate change itself is the job killer.
Climate change is already changing flight attendants’ lives
For flight attendants and passengers alike, that dangerous, shaky feeling in midair comes from air currents shifting. Clear air turbulence, or CAT, is the most dangerous. It cannot be seen and is virtually undetectable with current technology. One second, you’re cruising smoothly; the next, passengers and crew are being thrown around the cabin. For flight attendants, who are often in the aisles, these incidents pose a serious occupational risk.
There’s an economic cost, too. Turbulence is already costing US airlines $200 million per year, with damage to aircraft plus injuries to passengers and crew. That number will skyrocket as extreme incidents increase. Costs are passed on to consumers and used to justify cuts to pay, benefits, and staffing levels for crew.
Turbulence is a threat to safety and economic security, but it’s only part of the harm caused by climate change. As extreme weather events become more common, more and more flights never take off at all. Grounded flights mean lost pay for flight attendants, who earn an hourly wage while we’re in the air.
When the polar vortex plunged most of the US into a deep freeze in January, airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights. Over the past two summers, flights in Phoenix and Salt Lake City were canceled due to excessive heat.
Wildfires in the West reduced visibility, slowed frequency of landings, and rerouted planes. Hurricanes and floods damaged airport infrastructure and altered flight service for weeks and months as battered islands and cities struggled to recover. Thunderstorms and severe winter storms strand more passengers and airline crews each year. And as the planet warms, we’re seeing more and more severe versions of nearly all of these weather events.
Climate change affects our home lives, too, as extreme events fueled by warming wreak havoc on US communities. More flight attendants applied for assistance from our union’s disaster relief fund in the past year than in the 16 previous years combined.
We need solutions that put workers first
Flight attendants’ jobs and lives are in danger if we don’t put a stop to this. But we also know the threat is far bigger than just aviation. If we don’t act swiftly, it will ground aviation and hurt the global community.
The aviation industry is leaning in to abate its contribution to climate change. In 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted a resolution to align aviation with the goals set by the Paris climate accords. This is not the first action aviation has taken. Over the past 30 years, manufacturers have cut aircraft emissions in half, equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road each of those years. The industry is working on low-emission alternative fuels and increased battery capacity to reduce its carbon footprint.
Aviation isn’t alone. We all want clean air, water, and to protect our children and their children from climate catastrophe. But working in silos will not achieve the change we need. The best way to work toward that is to fight together. Organized labor can also attack this: Unions were among the first to fight for our environment. In 1990, United Steelworkers said that global warming “may be the single greatest problem we face,” and in 2002, the United Mine Workers of America were arrested fighting the environmental practices of Massey Energy.
Our federal government must spearhead a national mobilization that brings these efforts together, harnesses American ingenuity, creates millions of well-paying union jobs, and saves the planet for our children. That is the vision of the Green New Deal resolution. It’s the moonshot of our time.
But architects and proponents of the Green New Deal also need to address the history of the “fair and just transition” the resolution promises. Too many communities have heard those words, only to see jobs disappear while the promise of retraining and new jobs never materializes. Workers are skeptical, and the opponents of meaningful action are taking advantage of that distrust.
If we can’t overcome suspicion that tackling climate change just means job loss, we’ll never enlist workers — or millions of others in jobs that rely on carbon-based fuels — in the solution.
Climate change is happening now. We need to get serious about it. Aspiring to achieve a green economy with good union jobs that leave no one behind is exactly the solution we need to fight climate change and provide opportunity for all Americans.
As we do this together, remember too: You should really listen when your flight attendant tells you to keep your seatbelt fastened.
Sara Nelson is the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, the flight attendant union representing 50,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines. Find her on Twitter @FlyingWithSara.
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The airline business is notoriously unforgiving. To get one successful airline off the ground is a feat worthy of immense praise. David Neeleman is working on the launch of his fifth airline.
In short, Neeleman, who was born in Brazil and raised in Utah, is arguably the most prolific and successful airline entrepreneur in recent memory.
Neeleman is credited as the founder of JetBlue Airways and Azul Brazilian Airlines. He is a cofounder of WestJet and Morris Air, which was sold to Southwest Airlines. He’s also the co-owner of Portugal’s national airline, TAP Air Portugal.
There are many reasons for his success. According to JetBlue Technology Ventures President Bonny Simi, some of his success can be attributed to his passion and energy for the business.
“David is the consummate entrepreneur,” Simi said. “He absolutely was not there to get rich or to make a paycheck. He was there to change the world of aviation.”
Simi left a cushy job as a United Airlines senior captain in 2003 to join Neeleman as a junior first officer at JetBlue.
Some of his success can also be attributed to his keen business instincts and his eye for spotting openings in the market.
“I would never start an airline or take over an airline that I thought didn’t have a reason for being, a ‘raison d’être,'” Neeleman told us.
At the end of the day, whatever secret power Neeleman possesses seems to give him the magic touch.
The JetBlue era
For all of his successes, Neeleman is probably best known as the founder of JetBlue Airways.
AP
The New York-based boutique airline, now valued at more than $5 billion, began flying in 2000 and helped bring affordable civility to America’s travelers by offering high-quality service and amenities at budget prices.
According to Neeleman, JetBlue came about when he noticed how the shortcomings of America’s major carriers in the late 1990s made them vulnerable to a newcomer.
“It was a time when the legacy carriers were offering really bad service, their costs were ultra-high, and they were just right for the plucking,” Neeleman told us.
Sadly, Neeleman’s departure from JetBlue proved to be a painful one.
In February 2007, a severe winter storm paralyzed JetBlue’s New York base, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck on the tarmac for as long as 10 hours. The operational meltdown left a dent in JetBlue’s sterling reputation for customer service.
Neeleman vacuuming a JetBlue Airbus A320 in 2001. AP
Neeleman apologized publicly for the incident, but by May of that year, the airline’s board of directors ousted him from his role as CEO. He would remain on as chairman before leaving the airline altogether in 2008.
For Neeleman, leaving JetBlue proved to be a painful experience, and it took years for him to get over it.
“Every time I’d land at JFK Airport and saw the JetBlue terminal, I could hardly look at it,” he said.
Neeleman returns to Brazil
After his departure from JetBlue, he returned to Brazil to start his next airline, Azul (Portuguese for “blue”) — a not so subtle reference to airline he had just left.
“I picked up the pieces, went to Brazil, and took 10 people from JetBlue with me,” Neeleman said. “Sometimes one door closes and another one opens, and you can do a lot of good with that.”
In Brazil, the military built airports in smaller cities around the country, but its two major airlines at the time did not find them financially worthwhile to serve. Instead, GOL and TAM (now LATAM) focused on providing service between more heavily traveled city pairs.
That’s where Azul stepped in. The low-cost airline launched service to dozens of cities that had either not had air service at all or had been abandoned by other airlines.
“It’s really transformed Brazil in ways I could have never imagined,” Neeleman said. “A lot of the cities we fly to, it’s either you go on us or you take a four-day boat ride out of there.”
REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker
Operationally, flying to smaller cities across Brazil poses some distinct challenges, including the need to operate a fleet of planes with the sole job of flying parts and supplies into the Amazon. Fortunately, the airline has been rewarded for its bold strategy.
“When we started in Brazil there were less than 50 million people traveling by air. This year, there will be more than 100 million people flying,” he said. “We created half of that business (growth).”
Azul, which has a market capitalization of more than $2.8 billion, has no competition on 70% of its routes and is dominant of 89% of its routes, Neeleman told us.
Transforming air travel in America
These days, the charismatic businessman is developing his fifth major airline startup. Once again, Neeleman is looking to fill a market niche left open by others in the industry.
Code-named Moxy, his next endeavor wants to transform low-cost air travel for smaller cities in the US in very much the same way Azul did in Brazil. According to Neeleman, as costs increase for airlines, they have a tendency to retrench their network to focus on their hubs and operate larger planes. Thereby leaving behind smaller, less trafficked destinations.
“We think there’s a market where you can go with a smaller plane with a lower trip cost and service these cities that have been forgotten or neglected,” he said.
An Airbus A220-300. Airbus
Neeleman posits that there are enough neglected routes in the US that his new airline could grow substantially without any direct competition.
“I would be very surprised if a single Moxy route had nonstop service competition,” he told us. “There are literally hundreds and hundreds of city pairs that are crying out for nonstop flights.”
It’s unclear what the airline’s actual name will be when it goes into operation in 2021. However, when it does, it will operate a fleet of 60 brand-new Airbus A220-300 airliners.
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LAA Management and Staff of the William D. Coleman Airstrip in Zwedru
As LAA ends rural airstrips tour
Authorities at the Liberia Airport Authority (LAA) have ended a week-long assessment and inspection tour of five rural airstrips in the southeastern region of Liberia.
Airstrips toured included, The R.E. Murray in Greenville, Unification in Sass Town, William R. Tolbert in Grandcess, Alexander Tubman in Harper and William D. Coleman in Zwedru.
According to the Acting Managing Director of LAA, Bishop John Allan Klayee, the tour was aimed at identifying challenges confronting those airstrips and how the LAA could help mitigate them.
He added that part of the tour was to make these airstrips commercially viable, by linking Liberian cities thru air routes; something he said, could ease the burden of traveling for hours via road.
Bishop Klayee said he is optimistic that, with the revival of rural airstrips, Liberian cities could become centers of attraction thru tourism, trade and commerce.
The LAA, Bishop Klayee maintained, will develop a business case to find investors for its inter-city commercial airline plan.
The five-day tour had a team of eleven Liberian Airport Professionals including, Acting MD, Bishop John Allan Klayee; Deputy MD Operations, Sandra Daye; Deputy MD for Technical Services, Paula Fares; Chief Financial Officer, George D. Yuoh; and Spriggs Port Manager, Emmanuel Tarplah; among others.
