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Air traffic was snarled on the evening of January 10 when the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed, preventing important real-time messages and updates from reaching flights. By the next day, the Federal Air Administration (FAA) halted all air traffic until the crashed system could be restored—which ultimately ended up delaying or canceling more than 10,000 flights in the process. The issue was blamed on a data file that was allegedly damaged by personnel who failed to follow procedures, according to a release from the FAA, despite the system’s redundancies designed to prevent such occurrences. Outlets like The Washington Post have independently confirmed that the corrupted data was the likely cause, allaying initial fears that it could have been sabotage or terrorism related. The Post also reported that the outage impacted military flights.
While the catastrophe is rare incident—the last time the US cleared the air space was during 9/11, an intentional action driven by the terrorist attacks—many in the travel industry are calling for more funding for the agency to ensure that its equipment, reported to be up to 30 years old, is adequate.
“Today’s FAA catastrophic system failure is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades. Americans deserve an end-to-end travel experience that is seamless and secure. And our nation’s economy depends on a best-in-class air travel system. We call on federal policymakers to modernize our vital air travel infrastructure to ensure our systems are able to meet demand safely and efficiently,” said US Travel Association President & CEO Geoff Freeman on the day of the outage.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian was a bit more pointed in his criticism during an interview with CNBC—but of Washington rather than the FAA: “It was a difficult day on [January 11] for our customers as well or our own employees. And candidly, it’s unacceptable. … I lay this on the fact that we are not giving [the FAA] the resources, the funding, the staffing, the tools, the technology they need. Hopefully this will be the call to our political leaders in Washington that we need to do better.”
Others, including American Airlines CEO Rob Isom, echoed Bastian’s sentiments by calling on the federal government to do more to shore up the technology that keeps air travel safe.
While the grounding of jets was a headache for many, the motorcoach industry was one of the winners in helping get passengers to their destinations. The American Bus Association (ABA) was quick to release a PSA for stranded travelers: “As the major airlines expect further delays after more than 7,000 flights in and out of the US were delayed and more than 800 were canceled as of [January 11], we remind the traveling public that travel by motorcoach is a safe and reliable alternative to get you where you need to be.”
[01.17.23]
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Bus manufacturer TEMSA has announced its newest financial arm for purchasing motorcoaches, TEMSA Financial Services, which is a collaboration between the company and Auxilior Capital Partners, a North American finance company. The announcement was made right before the UMA EXPO, where the company is exhibiting.
“A branded finance offering is part of the total solution TEMSA North America now offers its clients and aligns with our goal to be among the world's most customer-centered businesses,” says TEMSA Managing Director Fatih Kozan. “We chose the Auxilior team because of their long and successful history in rolling out finance programs and enabling sales and market share growth for their partners. In addition, our value of innovation is aligned, so we knew that providing our clients with a seamless finance experience enabled by world-class technologies and focus on service was guaranteed.”
Auxilior Chief Risk Officer and TEMSA Financial Services Executive Leader Don Campbell says, “We’re so pleased to partner with TEMSA. Our organizations have synergies and common corporate cultures and beliefs, which will result in the best financial solutions being offered to TEMSA’s clients.”
TEMSA Financial Services enables clients to be approved for up to $350,000 with application only. According to the press release, TEMSA Financial Services’ finance executives, who are also aligned with TEMSA’s regional sales managers, are experienced deal engineers who understand how to structure transactions to help clients get more of what they need—whether it’s additional motorcoaches for their existing fleet or more fully featured TEMSA models.
“Our organizations are connected at every level from executive sponsorship through the sales and closing processes. This connection ensures maximum focus and attention on TEMSA’s clients, and I believe that together, we’re offering a best-in-class product with the added feature of affordability,” says TEMSA Financial Services VP of Sales Ronnie DeMarco.
With this announcement and its lineup of vehicles, TEMSA expects its North American sales to double as it continue its mission to be the human-centered technology company providing smart and sustainable mobility solutions to the world.
Visit temsa.com for more information.
[01.17.23]
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Prevost introduced its all-new, next-generation H3-45 during the 2023 UMA EXPO in Orlando, Fla., this past week. The redesigned H3-45 features a series of engineering advances that deliver improved fuel efficiency, an enhanced driver experience and ultimate comfort for passengers.
“The H3-45 is our flagship and has for the past two decades set the standard in the industry,” says Prevost President François Tremblay. “We’ve re-engineered all aspects of the coach in order to create a best-in-class vehicle that is an obvious standout. The interior, which has been completely redesigned, was inspired by the automobile and aerospace industries. Everything we executed on the H3-45 we did with the user experience in mind.”
Tremblay says the coach’s new aerodynamic shape makes it up to 12 percent more fuel efficient, which also produces a smoother ride and significantly reduces noise—advances that make driving the H3-45 easier and more comfortable. Another aerodynamic advantage is less soil dispersion, resulting in better mirror visibility for the driver and an overall cleaner exterior.
Prevost is also touting a plethora of top-to-bottom engineering, ergonomic, and aesthetic improvements surround drivers and passengers. For drivers, the H3-45 has more than a dozen advances, including an intuitive dash featuring elegant automotive styling with a full-color digital and analog instrument cluster and push-button start. On the safety and comfort side, the H3-45 boasts an HVAC system that’s 20 percent more powerful, defrosts 37 percent faster than SAE requirements and is eight decibels quieter.
For passengers, the host of amenities and safety features include a redesigned, larger entrance for easier boarding. Fewer sharp corners, a wider stair width (increased by 7 percent), and improved lighting all help with boarding. In addition, the interior has 50 percent more lighting to provide a brighter and more enjoyable experience and a new window layout delivers better sightlines and views.
Prevost has also made changes that make the H3-45 easier for operators to maintain. The new lighting system, which is all LED for a longer life, has a cleaning mode to fully illuminate the cabin for better visibility during interior cleaning and upkeep. For ease of maintenance, a front panel has been added to conveniently access and service the
wiper and defrost systems and driver air conditioning units. In addition, the front junction box, which provides access to the multiplex components, now has an interior door for improved protection and is 70 percent larger. Plus, three standardized passenger window and blind sizes reduce the need to stock excess inventory.
As part of that commitment, Prevost says it has built the largest service network in the industry with strategically placed, OEM-owned service centers and more than 160 service providers throughout North America dedicated to supporting the H3-45 and the entire line of coaches.
“2023 is an exciting time for Prevost,” says Commercial Operations Vice President Kevin Dawson. “The all-new H3-45 couples the quality, reliability, and serviceability that have been hallmarks of Prevost for nearly 100 years with advanced engineering innovations that have been implemented with the customer in mind.”
Following UMA, the H3-45 will hit the road for a months-long debut tour, including a stop at the 2023 CD/NLA Show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 5-8.
Visit prevostcar.com for more information.
[01.16.23]