The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is facing backlash over the revelation it is secretly tracking Americans on flights as part of its ‘Quiet Skies’ programme.

Local media reported that the programme aims to flag flyers on domestic flights without a criminal record for surveillance through an unknown algorithm. Despite the TSA labelling it as a ‘practical method’, reports suggest that air marshals in charge of checking passengers have pushed back against the scheme.

The TSA told the BBC: “With routine reviews and active management via legal, privacy and civil rights and liberties offices, the programme is a practical method of keeping another act of terrorism from occurring at 30,000 feet.”

According to a report by the Boston Globe, ‘Quiet Skies’ requires federal air marshals to shadow travellers and report any suspicious behaviour to the TSA. The paper claims such travellers are not registered on terrorist screening databases, nor are they suspected of crimes. The passengers get notified once they’ve been added to the programme’s list, which reportedly contains fewer than 50 people, some of whom are American citizens.

Under ‘Quiet Skies’, a passenger’s travel pattern is initially analysed by an algorithm that registers data about the passenger. Officials then control the data to assess whether the person should be observed. This choice is made based on a number of behaviours that include excessive sweating, face touching and using a smartphone. According to the agency, if the passenger’s behaviour is uneventful during the flight, there won’t be any arrest or need to approach them.

The TSA stated that passengers are not judged by their race or religion. Yet, the Globe report suggests that the criteria for choosing the travellers are not clear, with sources telling the newspaper that in the past, air marshals have shadowed a business woman, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, and a fellow law enforcement officer.

Despite refusing to comment on the success of the programme in tackling crime on flights, the TSA told the BBC: “This programme’s core design is no different than putting a police officer on a beat where intelligence and other information presents the need for watch and deterrence.”

The Globe report triggered criticism against the TSA from several stakeholders in the aviation industry.

“The American public would be better served if [air marshals] were instead assigned to airport screening and check-in areas so that active shooter events can be swiftly ended, and violations of federal crimes can be properly and consistently addressed,” Air Marshal Association president John Casaretti told the Globe.

American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project lawyer Hugh Handeyside further claimed that the programme was “a big waste of taxpayer money and raises a number of constitutional questions”.

He added: “These concerns and the need for transparency are all the more acute because of TSA’s track record of using unreliable and unscientific techniques to screen and monitor travellers who have done nothing wrong.”

Heathrow Airport is to trial a new scanning technology that could help prevent passengers from having to remove liquids from their hand luggage during airport security checks.

As part of the trial, the London hub will install 3D X-rays in its scanning machines that will allow security staff to check liquid items from inside bags. The new technology is also able to detect explosives.

The process of removing liquids from hand luggage was implemented across the globe in 2006, after UK police foiled a terror plot using a liquid-based explosive. The rule was introduced amid fears of terrorist attacks during transatlantic flights but has since led to longer security checks.

The new computerised tomography (CT) scanners could help simplify checking procedures, especially for low-cost airlines where passengers tend to fly with hand luggage only.

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) said a small number of trials were set to last between six and 12 months in a bid to assess the feasibility of the technology, which has also been tested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and New York’s John F Kennedy Airport.

It comes five years after the European Commission expressed its wish for ‘technological screening’ to help end liquid restrictions across Europe.

A DfT spokesperson told the BBC: “The UK has some of the strictest security measures in the world, and we are leading the way in using new technology to improve security screening and provide a better experience for passengers.

“If successful, this could lead in future to passengers no longer needing to remove items from hand luggage for screening. We continue to work closely with our international counterparts to harness the latest advances in technology.”

According to the DfT, current rules on the size and capacity of liquid containers, which must hold no more than 100ml and be put inside a re-sealable plastic bag, will remain in place throughout the duration of the trial.

The department said that the scanner will allow baggage screeners “to use 3D imagery to look at objects from all angles”.

Air & Space Museum Wings Over the Rockies has opened the new Exploration of Flight centre at Centennial Airport in Englewood, Colorado, US.

The new Boeing Blue Sky Aviation Gallery covers 19,000ft² and has been divided into two experience arenas.

Opened as part of the Exploration of Flight (EoF) campus, the facility will house experience-based facilities for aerospace explorers.

The first floor will feature the ‘experience’ of flight. Visitors can fasten themselves into a tumbling gyro chair to feel the effect of G-forces on their bodies.

Additionally, they can interact with a wind tunnel using items of their own design, navigate mountain passes, witness new technologies, and even experience flight through virtual reality.

On the second level, visitors can see the ‘sequence’ of flight. They will be able to observe the general aviation airport from mission planning and career readiness to a fully-fledged viewing lounge.

Guests can also don a headset to hear chatter from Centennial Tower, a direct line into the complicated world of aviation communication.

Visitors can sit in the cockpit of pilot-quality flight simulators, interact with the latest aviation technology and experience flight through a partnership with Aspen Flying Club.

The hangar is situated at 13005 Wings Way in Englewood.

Wings Over the Rockies uses the Air & Space Museum in Denver’s Lowry neighbourhood to preserve the past and the Exploration of Flight Center at Centennial Airport to focus on the present and future.

British airline easyJet, in collaboration with home bag drop service provider AirPortr, has rolled out a new facility that allows airline’s passengers to check in luggage from home.

Now, passengers travelling from London Gatwick can check in their luggage online, which will then be collected from their door by AirPortr’s professional drivers. The driver then delivers it to easyJet’s bag drop centre at the airport.

After reaching their destination, travellers can collect their luggage at baggage reclaim.

EasyJet ancillary revenue director Andrew Middleton said: “Whether a flight is for business or leisure, we are confident the home bag drop service is a fantastic initiative to improve a traveller’s experience. EasyJet is proud to continue to develop our product offering with innovative companies such as AirPortr.”

From London Gatwick, the service is available for flights to any of easyJet’s destinations across Europe. The service enables passengers to check in a piece of luggage and select an hour pick-up time slot for £30.

AirPortr CEO Randel Darby said: “Particularly when flying short-haul with hold luggage, a disproportionate amount of journey time can be spent on the ground getting to and through the airport.

“We’re delighted to work with easyJet to overcome this, starting their passengers’ journey at home, saving valuable time and providing hassle-free travel, all at an affordable price.”

EasyJet flies more than 83 million passengers per annum, of which over 13 million travel business class. The budget carrier flies 308 aircraft on more than 1,000 routes to 154 airports across 33 countries.

A British Airways-operated route from London Heathrow Airport to New York’s John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport has been revealed to be the most lucrative route in the world, generating revenues of over $1bn in the past year.

The finding was published in a report by aviation market expert OAG, which ranked the top ten most lucrative air travel routes in the world between April 2017 and March 2018.

The study revealed that the Heathrow-JFK route generates about $24,639 per hour. This, however, is only the second highest hourly grossing, as an Emirates flight from London Heathrow to Dubai International, which is ranked third in the report, brings in $25,308 per hour.

Heathrow ranked as one of the most strategic hubs in the world, with five of the top ten revenue-generating routes departing from or arriving in the UK airport, which, thanks to the planned expansion, is set to create even further opportunities.

According to OAG, the top ten most lucrative routes are also particularly expensive to run. However, the money spent on operating them is made back through the frequency of flights carried out each day. The air route connecting Melbourne to Sydney, for example, generates over $800,000 per year with about 65 flights a day.

These routes are particularly popular business connections and often accept late bookings, which helps to cover running costs and leads to a continuous increase in profits.

Two flights operated by Singapore Airlines made it to the top ten. The highest grossing route departs from London Heathrow and the second from Sydney, which together generate $37,778 in revenue, almost $10,000 more than first-placed British Airways’ earnings per hour.

United Airlines had the highest number of scheduled hours at 56,693, with the most popular route being San Francisco to Newark.

OAG said that the popularity of these routes is directly proportional to the popularity of the airlines operating them and therefore to the revenues they generate.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) is set to install 4,260 solar modules at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

The solar panels will be installed on the seventh floor of the Terminal 1 parking garage, formerly the Interisland Terminal, above a new carport. It will also add shaded parking for vehicles.

They are expected to generate 2 MW-DC/1.6 MW-AC, which will be sufficient to power more than 328 homes based on a full day of sunshine.

The energy produced by the solar panels will be used at the airport facility and will help to slash the overall electricity bill by nearly half.

According to HDOT, the contract with Johnson Controls is set to generate more than $600m in guaranteed cost savings over the 20-year life of the contract at Hawaii’s airports that began in 2014.

Hawaii Governor David Ige said: “There is so much to like about this improvement project. It’s good for the environment, it will save the state money and it provides covered parking at the airport. This is another step forward in my administration’s continuing mission to meet Hawaii’s sustainability goals.”

The project supports the State of Hawaii’s goal to be 100% renewable energy by 2045.

Construction work will continue from 20 August through 16 November this year. During this period, 344 parking stalls on the roof of Terminal 1 will not be available.

However, the vehicle and pedestrian bridges from the Terminal 1 parking garage to the international parking garage will remain open for additional parking stalls.

Overall, HDOT and Johnson Controls are completing more than 900 individual conservation measures, replacing nearly 98,000 light fixtures with high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) technology at Hawaii’s airports.

They are also installing more than 21,000 solar photovoltaic panels. The overall cost of the project is estimated to be $207m, which is financed from guaranteed energy savings.

Heathrow Airport is to trial a new scanning technology that could help prevent passengers from having to remove liquids from their hand luggage during airport security checks.

As part of the trial, the London hub will install 3D X-rays in its scanning machines that will allow security staff to check liquid items from inside bags. The new technology is also able to detect explosives.

The process of removing liquids from hand luggage was implemented across the globe in 2006, after UK police foiled a terror plot using a liquid-based explosive. The rule was introduced amid fears of terrorist attacks during transatlantic flights but has since led to longer security checks.

The new computerised tomography (CT) scanners could help simplify checking procedures, especially for low-cost airlines where passengers tend to fly with hand luggage only.

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) said a small number of trials were set to last between six and 12 months in a bid to assess the feasibility of the technology, which has also been tested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and New York’s John F Kennedy Airport.

It comes five years after the European Commission expressed its wish for ‘technological screening’ to help end liquid restrictions across Europe.

A DfT spokesperson told the BBC: “The UK has some of the strictest security measures in the world, and we are leading the way in using new technology to improve security screening and provide a better experience for passengers.

“If successful, this could lead in future to passengers no longer needing to remove items from hand luggage for screening. We continue to work closely with our international counterparts to harness the latest advances in technology.”

According to the DfT, current rules on the size and capacity of liquid containers, which must hold no more than 100ml and be put inside a re-sealable plastic bag, will remain in place throughout the duration of the trial.

The department said that the scanner will allow baggage screeners “to use 3D imagery to look at objects from all angles”.