The long-awaited re-make of U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban is not setting off fireworks the way the first version did, at least not among travel industry professionals.

In a prepared statement,  U.S. Travel Association president Roger Dow said the Trump Administration deserved some credit “for the substantially more cautious and deliberate introduction of the revised executive order.”

The  Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) agreed, calling the new executive order an improvement over the January 27 version. 

 That order was a haphazard effort, one that set off public demonstrations at airports across the United States.

GBTA executive director Michael W. McCormick believes the new order offers some clarity for travelers and government officials alike.

 “The exemption for legal permanent residents, dual nationals and current visa holders will help mitigate confusion for the international traveling public,” he said.

Specifically,  the revised order bans nationals from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen who don’t have valid visas from entering the U.S. for 90 days, effective March 16.

 A fact sheet from the Trump Administration says that 90-day number is intended to review or establish standards aimed at preventing terrorists or criminals to enter this country.

 Iraq is not one of the countries covered by the second order because the war-torn nation will be increasing cooperation with the U.S. when it comes to vetting its citizens applying for travel visas to the United States.

Nor does the new order apply to lawful permanent residents of the United States or those with a document that’s valid the date the ban takes effect (March 16).

Despite the better reviews this time around, U.S. Travel Association chief Dow questioned whether the revised order did enough to mollify prospective travelers from Canada, Europe or elsewhere around the world who may have been put off by the initial travel ban.

The jury on that is still very much out.
 

Global air travel has had a rip-roaring start to the Year of the Rooster with passenger demand growth in January hitting a five-year high and pushing aircraft load factors above 80 per cent.

A boost from Lunar New Year celebrations saw January demand 9.6 per cent higher than a year ago with Asia Pacific carriers recording an increase of 10.9 per cent on January, 2016.

The International Air Transport Association estimated that holiday traffic contributed up to 0.5 per percentage points to a result that still signalled a robust start to the year. January global capacity growth of 8 per cent lagged demand growth to see load factors climb 1.2 points to 80.2 per cent.

“2017 is off to a very strong start, with demand at levels not seen since 2011,’’ said IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac. “This is supported by the upturn in the global economic cycle and a return to a more normal environment after the terrorism and political ‘shock’ events seen in early 2016.” 

International passenger traffic surged 9.3 per cent in January compared to a year ago, while capacity rose 7.5 per cent to see the average load factor hit 80.3 per cent.

Planes were even fuller in the Asia-Pacific, where the load factor rose 1.5 percentage points to 81.4 per cent, but carriers in the region are still reporting intense competition that is keeping a lid on ticket prices.

Strong growth of 8.3 per cent was also reported in Europe against “a backdrop of moderate momentum in the Eurozone community”.

Middle East carriers reported the strongest growth of 14.4  per cent with load factors rising against the year-ago period for the third consecutive month to hit 79.8 per cent.

Latin American passenger demand rose 8.2 per cent with carriers in the region recording the highest load factor 83.7 per cent, while  Africa was up 5.6 per cent.

North American airlines experienced the slowest demand growth of 3.2 per cent and the load factor for the region was flat at 80.3 per cent. 

“Traffic on the transpacific market has continued to trend upwards but North Atlantic traffic growth has weakened since the middle of 2016, reflecting softer demand on UK-US routes,’’ IATA said,

Global domestic air travel climbed 9.9 per cent in January with India and China both posting huge increases.

India posted its 15th consecutive month of growth above 20 per cent to lead the field with a 26.6 per cent increase on the back of strong flight frequency.

China’s domestic traffic growth of 23.2 per cent was its strongest monthly figure since June, 2010.

“The timing of the Lunar New year affected the results but ongoing robust expansion in the services sector as well as increasing flight frequency are boosting demand,’’ the report said.

Countries with low or negative domestic growth included Brazil (-2 per cent) and Australia (1.1 per cent). 
 

The MAX 9 is the second version of the new, more fuel-efficient versions of the 737 to roll off the production line and is designed to carry up to 220 passengers with a range of 3,515 nautical miles (5837kms).

The rollout comes as the smaller MAX 8 is due to enter service in the second quarter of this year with the MAX 9 to follow next year.

Boeing said the second aircraft would begin system checks, fueling and engine runs on the flight line before entering flight tests in the coming weeks.

"The 737 MAX team continues to do a fantastic job getting us to these important milestones right on schedule," Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager of the 737 MAX program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes said in a statement. "Our primary focus is delivering an aircraft that has the legendary reliability our 737 customers depend on, plus the optimized flexibility and range capability they desire." 

The extended range of the MAX’s mean they can be operated on trans-Atlantic flights, opening up new possibilities for airlines.

 Norwegian Airlines, which has bought 108 MAX 8s, will start flying the 186-seat aircraft from Ireland to new US destinations, including Providence, Rhode Island, and Stewart International Airport, about 100 kilometres north of New York City, this year.

But Boeing is being beaten in terms of sales at the bigger end of the single-aisle market by Airbus’s A321 neo, which can fly 3699 nautical miles (6850kms) with sharklets, seats up to 236 passengers and will be used by Norwegian to open up new routes between major European cities and the US in 2019.

Analysts estimates sales of the A321 neo are at least three times those of the 787-9 MAX.

Enter the MAX 10X.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes marketing president Randy Tinseth confirmed on his blog this week that Boeing was actively engaged with airlines about the 737 MAX 10X and had already extended business offers to some customers.

He said the aircraft, which would use the CFM LEAP-IB engines also used by the MAX 9, would be the most profitable single-aisle aircraft the industry had ever seen.

“Compared to the A321neo, the MAX 10X would offer the same capacity, lower costs (5 percent lower per seat and 5 percent lower per trip) and more range,’’ he said. 

“This would be a relatively minor development program. The MAX 10X would follow the MAX 200 and MAX 7, with entry into service in the 2020  time frame.”

Also rolling out Tuesday was Embraer's E195-E2 regional airliner, expected to enter service in the first half of 2019.

The E195-E2 has three additional rows of seats compared to current E195s and can carry 120 passengers a two -class configuration or up to 146 in a single class. 

The Brazilian manufacturer says It can fly 450 nautical miles (833km)  further than its predecessor on trips of up to 2,450 nautical miles 4537km).

“The E195-E2 has the potential to significantly change the fleet profile of airlines around the world,’’ said Embraer Commercial Aviation chief executive John Slattery. “With a 20 per cent lower cost per trip and a cost per seat similar to larger aircraft, the E195-E2 becomes the ideal aircraft for regional business growth as well as low-cost business plans and complementing existing mainline fleets.” 

The E2 program has 275 firm orders with 415 options and purchase rights.

Embraer will use two aircraft for the certification program, one for aerodynamic and performance tests and the other to validate maintenance tasks and the interior.