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Delta's plans to use AI for ticket pricing is criticized by US lawmakers
Three Democratic Senators have asked Delta Air Lines' CEO Ed Bastian for answers about the airline’s plans to use artificial intelligence to determine ticket prices. They are concerned about the impact of this on travelers. In a letter sent on Monday, Senators Ruben Galego, Mark Warner, and Richard Blumenthal said that Delta's current and future individualized pricing practices will not only raise privacy concerns but also increase fares up to the 'pain points' of each consumer at a time where American families already struggle with rising costs. Senators cited comments made by Delta, a major airline in the United States. Delta plans to implement AI-based revenue management technologies across 20% of their domestic network before the end of 2025. The report said that a Delta executive told investors earlier the technology can set fares by predicting "the amount of money people are willing pay for premium products in relation to base fares." Delta said in a press release: "There are no fares that Delta has used, is currently testing or plans to implement which target customers with personalized offers based on their personal information or other." Delta said that dynamic pricing is used by the company for over three decades. Pricing fluctuates depending on factors such as overall demand, but not personal information about a particular consumer. Delta has said that AI-based dynamic pricing will be tested in order to eliminate manual processes and accelerate analysis and adjustments. It also stressed all customers would see the exact same fares and offers across all retail channels. Delta announced that it is testing AI to forecast demand for specific routes, flights and adapt to market conditions instantly, factoring in thousands of variables at once and learning from every pricing decision in order to improve future outcomes. Blumenthal, along with Senators Maggie Hassan & Josh Hawley, asked Frontier Airlines & Spirit Airlines in January to reveal whether they were using personal information of customers to charge passengers different fees on the same flight. Senators claimed that airlines "appear to be using customers' personal data to charge different fees for seats to passengers on the exact same flight", despite the fact that the fare was the same. Frontier and Spirit didn't immediately respond to Tuesday requests for comments on their current practice. David Shepardson, Leslie Adler, and Jamie Freed edited the article.
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US FAA delays secondary cockpit barrier rule by one year
The Federal Aviation Administration agreed on Tuesday to delay for one year the requirement that newly delivered U.S. passenger planes have a secondary barricade to the flight deck in order to prevent intrusions. This was scheduled to go into effect in August. Airlines for America, a trade group that represents American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, among other major carriers had asked the FAA for a two-year delay in compliance because the agency hadn't yet certified a second cockpit barrier and there were no approved manuals, training programs or procedures. The agency stated Tuesday that this will give time for FAA certification to be completed and the installation of barriers. The FAA adopted security standards for the flight deck after the September 11 hijackings of four U.S. planes. These standards are designed to prevent forcible entry and unauthorized access. This rule will require aircraft manufacturers to install an additional physical barrier in new passenger planes in the United States. However, it won't be required to retrofit existing planes. In 2023, the FAA stated that the additional barrier would protect cockpits from intrusions when the cockpit doors are open. Last month, the Air Line Pilots Association urged FAA to "reject this latest stalling tactics" and install what it described as lightweight retractable security gates. The union pushed for the rule. It said that at least 52 hijackings worldwide since 2001 "confirmed that aviation remains a terrorist target, underlining the persistent threat from hijackings." Boeing, Airbus and Airlines for America argued for three years, but unions in 2023 wanted the rule to take effect immediately after publication. According to a federal law passed in 2018, the FAA had to adopt rules by 2019. However, it has stated that it must follow certain procedural rules to be able to impose new rules. In 2007, the FAA set up rules for flight deck security, which included requiring that the door must be locked if the aircraft is in motion, except when it's necessary to unlock it to allow authorized access. (Reporting and editing by Leslie Adler, Jamie Freed, and David Shepardson)
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Prices soar by 22% at the largest US grid energy auction
According to the results of PJM Interconnection's annual energy auction, which was held by the U.S.'s largest grid operator, prices cleared at $329.17 per megawatt-day. This is 22% more than the record high levels set last year. The recent increase in U.S. electricity consumption, driven by Big Tech data centers' demand, has collided with a decade-long decline in power supply in PJM. This has led to a shortage of power that has pushed prices at the capacity auctions to new highs. PJM’s capacity auction will determine what owners of power plants in the grid that serves one out of five Americans are paid in order to ensure that they can pump out electricity at times of high demand. These days tend to be the hottest and coldest of the year. The news of the auction results boosted shares in major power producing companies within PJM. Talen Energy shares rose over 9% in the trading after bell, Constellation Energy shares increased over 5%, and NRG Energy shares increased over 6%. The payments represent the balance between energy supply and demand on the grid. This grid spans 13 States and the District of Columbia. Higher prices are usually an incentive to developers to build new power plants. PJM's area includes the largest concentration of energy-intensive data centres in the world, located in "Data Center Alley", a part of Northern Virginia. Other hubs are also emerging that need massive amounts of power faster than the power plants can connect to the grid. Data center demand pushed up the price of auctions by nearly nine times, to $269.92/megawatt-day. These high payment prices, ultimately paid by the public themselves, drew a reaction from consumer groups, politicians, and environmental organizations, which led to several changes within PJM. The auction cleared 45% of the capacity for natural gas, 21% coal, 22% nuclear, 4% wind, 3% solar, and 4% hydro. Reporting by Laila KEARNEY in New York, and Noel John from Bengaluru. Editing by Aurora Ellis.
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US Safety Board to hold hearings on Army helicopter crash involving American Air jet
The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a three-day investigation starting on July 30 in relation to the deadly collision that occurred between an American Airlines regional plane and a U.S. Army chopper near Reagan Washington National Airport. The board will also make available thousands of pages from its investigation. According to the agenda for the hearing, released on Tuesday, the NTSB will examine the Army Black Hawk helicopter altimeters and air data systems as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of Washington airspace as well as air traffic. The hearing will last over three days, for a total of 25 hours. The hearing will feature officials from the FAA and Army as well as airline representatives, who are expected release new information about the deadly U.S. aircraft crash that occurred more than 20 years ago. Senators and regulators are concerned about close calls that have involved Army helicopters. In March, the NTSB reported that there have been 15,200 incidents between commercial aircraft and helicopters near Reagan with a lateral separation distance less than 1 nautical mile, and a vertical separation less than 400 feet. There were also 85 close calls during this period. "Clearly, something was missing," Deputy FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau told Congress The FAA reduced the area in which helicopters can operate last month. In March, FAA placed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations that were not essential to reduce the risk of collisions. This included permanently closing a key route. Officials said that U.S. Army Brigadier-General Matthew Braman is now serving in a different role within the Army. He was the director of Army Aviation during the crash, and testified to Congress. After the May 1 incident, in which two passenger flights were damaged. Forced to Abort Landings The FAA banned the Army from flying helicopters around the Pentagon at Reagan due to a nearby Army helicopter. Last month, the FAA announced It has been in the process of negotiating a Memorandum Of Understanding The Army has agreed to resume flights, but the agreement is not finalized. David Shepardson, David Gregorio and David Shepardson contributed to the reporting.
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Hanwha builds US-flagged LNG ship
Hanwha Shipping is a U.S.-based subsidiary of Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean. It announced on Tuesday that it had ordered a liquefied gas carrier (LNG), valued at approximately $252 million, from its Pennsylvania-based Hanwha Philly Shipyard. The agreement stipulates that the ship would be built in Korea, but will have a US flag. The ship is scheduled to be delivered in the first half 2028. This deal is part of the United States' efforts to revitalize domestic shipbuilding, and expand its fleets of commercial and military ships. Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Shipyard bought Philly Shipyard in December for $100 million. This agreement appears to be the first step in expanding the shipyard capacity of the United States, said Jefferies Shipping Analyst Omar Nokta. He noted that the U.S. has the largest LNG market share with nearly 25%. The companies stated that the majority of the vessel would be built in Geoje's Hanwha Ocean plant, South Korea. Hanwha Shipping's spokesperson confirmed that workers from Philly Shipyard would be traveling to Geoje, South Korea for training. Philly Shipyard will be responsible for the regulatory compliance and safety certificates required for U.S. registration. In April of this year, United States Trade Representative announced that LNG producers will be required to ship 1% their exports using U.S. built ships beginning in April 2029. This percentage will increase to 15% by April 2047. Hanwha Ocean says the contract has a value of 348 billion South Korean dollars ($252,03 million) with an option to add an additional vessel.
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Sources: Azeri BTC oil contains high levels of organic chlorides
Several industry sources said on Tuesday that an excessive amount of organic chlorides was found in certain Azeri BTC shipments, disrupting the loading. SOCAR, the state-owned energy company of Azerbaijan, did not respond to a comment request. It is difficult to determine the extent of the problem. In 2019, a widespread contamination led to disruptions in crude oil exports from Russia. One source said that three or four loads were affected. She added that the contamination has now faded. The industry uses organic chlorides to increase oil extraction by cleaning wells and speeding up the flow of crude. Compounds must be removed from oil pipelines before they enter the refinery equipment. They can also create poisonous gases at high temperatures.
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In the next few days, we should see a resolution to the US-Mexico Aviation dispute
The CEO of Mexican airline Volaris said that he believes a solution to the dispute between the U.S.A. and Mexico in aviation may be reached within the next few days. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued orders on Saturday requiring Mexican Airlines to submit their flight schedules. Threatening to reject requests If the Mexican government does not respond to U.S. concerns about flight changes in Mexico City. Mexico was governed by the previous government. Move cargo flights The main airport in the capital city is being moved to a more distant, newer site. cutting passenger flight slots Enrique Beltranena, CEO of Volaris, told analysts during the company's call to discuss its second-quarter results that he was "extremely confident" the solution would be available in the coming days. The executive said that he was "confident" that both governments would reach a mutually beneficial and logical agreement. In her morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that Mexico and the U.S. will begin talks on this issue. She also suggested that there could be some compromises. "(The U.S. is) making a series of specific requests. We're analyzing these to see if they can be addressed, or if an alternative can proposed." She cautioned, however, that the new airport to which flights were relocated - Felipe Angeles International Airport AIFA - was a solution in itself. Sheinbaum's former mentor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (now President of Mexico), overhauled the capital’s airspace in his tenure, claiming that the main airport had become overcrowded and that AIFA, the AIFA he built, would relieve the pressure. (Reporting and editing by Kylie Madry, Aida Peleaz Fernandez)
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Under a $7.5 billion U.S. infrastructure project, less than 400 EV charger ports were built
The Government Accountability Office reported Tuesday that the United States has built less than 400 charging stations for electric vehicles under federal infrastructure programs worth $7.5 billion. GAO reported that as of April 2025 384 charging ports were operating at 68 stations across 16 states. The office in charge of the program, GAO stated, "has not defined goals for performance with measurable targets or timeframes." In May, California, along with 15 other states, sued the U.S. Transportation Department. They claimed that the federal government illegally refused to pay at least $3 billion in funding for the construction of EV charging stations, as required by a law enacted in 2021. In February, the Transportation Department of President Donald Trump suspended the EV Charging Program and rescinded state plans pending a thorough review. GAO reported that Trump has asked Congress to rescind the $6 billion of EV charging funds not yet spent. According to the Energy Department, there are approximately 219,000 public EV charging stations available across the country. A Democratic Senator called it "pathetic" in June 2024 when he criticized the Biden Administration for only deploying seven EV Charging Stations with just a few dozen ports. "We've been at this for three years now... This is a massive administrative failure," said Senator Jeff Merkley. "Something is wrong, and it must be corrected." The Trump administration took a number steps to discourage electric vehicle sales. Trump signed legislation last month to end the $7500 EV Tax Credit and $4,000 Used EV Tax Credit on September 30. Trump revoked in January an executive order signed by Biden in 2021 that aimed to have half of new vehicles sold in America by 2030 be electric. General Services Administration (GSA) told federal agencies in March that charging stations for government owned EVs should be "disconnected from the network" and turned off. GSA announced in April that it had cancelled 32 electric vehicle charging project worth more than $23 million.
After US approval, MISO will speed up the grid connection of power plants
MISO, one of the top North American grid operators, will expedite the process to connect new power plants to the grid, after U.S. regulators have approved the plan.
Why it Matters
The demand for electricity in the U.S. has soared due to Big Tech data centres. This has led to a record-breaking increase in electricity consumption and a sudden need to add more electricity.
MISO, the organization that controls the flow and distribution of electricity across 15 states, including Manitoba in Canada, will shorten the time required to complete the interconnection studies for certain power plant projects.
MISO stated that the measure was "a temporary, targeted solution to quickly bring generation resources on line amid unprecedented growth in load and reliability challenges."
THE DETAILS
MISO's plan is similar to an effort made by PJM Interconnection - the largest U.S. electricity grid - to reduce the time required to approve new additions.
The program will end on August 31, 2027. A maximum of 68 project will be approved under this expedited program.
The project must be able to show that it can be completed in 3 to 6 years.
The first quarterly study will begin on September 2nd. (Reporting and editing by Margueritachoy and Laila Kearney)
(source: Reuters)