In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its 2022 National Travel and Tourism Strategy, the stated goal of which is to increase the number of inbound tourists from the pre-pandemic 79 million in 2019, to 90 million by 2027. Read more to learn about America's tourism promotion system and the travel and tourism-related support measures taken as countermeasures against COVID-19.

This year's 2022 APTA Rail Conference addressed hot-button topics that, like in so many other businesses, has proliferated across the rail industry- including labor shortages, mental health, and shifting management styles.  With the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allowing greater room for changes and improvements, it is an exciting time to see how the rail industry will shape itself to match the concerns of this moment in history.

The first part of this report outlines the status of operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line Of Sight in the United States and considerations for expanding such operations in the future. The second part of the report provides a summary of the 2022 FAA Drone Symposium, with speaker highlights that pertain to the aforementioned topic. 

In part 3 of this series on emerging Smart City trends in the West, researcher Akito Okabe goes into depth about the Hammarby Sjöstad district in Stockholm, Sweden. He introduces details about the district, such as the transportation planning, housing and business development, promotion system, and financing that went into the creation of this thriving city. 

In this report, JITTI Aviation Analyst Tetsuhiro Hagiwara gives a run-down of the 2021 Future Travel Experience Global Conference, which was held for the first time in person since the beginning of the pandemic. Learn more about cutting-edge travel technology and airport industry trends, including advancements in biometric authentiation, the Hyperloop, and more.

New technologies have made it possible to design and develop aircraft that can operate at altitudes never seen before.  As demand increases, operation in Upper Class E airspace (defined as above 60,000 feet) is an opportunity for alternative traffic management approaches.  Read how the FAA and NASA, along with those in the aviation industry, are making efforts to ensure safe and efficient operations at these great heights.

This second report in a series on emerging Smart City trends in the West highlights the Hammarby Sjöstad district in Stockholm, Sweden as a case study for exemplary TOD. Read about how their TOD projects have attracted MaaS and helped achieve their environmental goals in urban development. 

This paper first introduces an outline of the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. After clarifying how this law is positioned in the historical context of US transportation infrastructure policy, it will introduce the Highway Trust Fund—which has played a central role financially— and explain its features and challenges. 

This report is the first in a series on emerging Smart City trends in the West, outlining the history and relationship between Transit-oriented Development (TOD) and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) and other emerging mobility services that are being applied in order to create sustainable cities based on public transportation.

In June 2021, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published regulations for the record database of airline pilots. This report describes the conventional regulations regarding the confirmation of a pilot's record, and the subsequent aviation accidents which set the background for the introduction of new regulations.

On July 9th, President Biden announced his "Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy" to bolster competition in industries  where certain companies dominate the market. The executive order covers a wide range of industrial fields, including technology, health care, agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation, and gives the government agencies in charge of each field some specific instructions for promoting competition.

The International Airports Council (ACI), an international industry group representing airports around the world, has recently announced a long-term policy to reduce carbon emissions in the airport industry. They set a specific decarbonization target and published it together with a research report that analyzed its feasibility. This report provides an overview of those decarbonization goals and action steps.

In April 2021, after much discussion and consideration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's proposal of unmanned aircraft regulations was finally adopted.  In this report, JITTI USA Senior Fellow, Yoshihiro Fujimaki, fully describes the details of these regulations. 

Read about the 2035 plan for the busy section of railroad between Washington D.C. and Boston known as The Northeast Corridor. By investing $117 billion, the plan aims to add transportation services to new regions, increase the
number of transportation units, and shorten travel time by 2035.

Private and public transportation in the greater Washington D.C. area are collaborating in efforts to replace suburban bus routes, support late-night commuters, and  implement on-demand transportation for those who may not have access to vehicles of their own.  With this capitol metropolis covering three jurisdictions, cooperation is key for aims to be achieved.

After the end of the Concorde's flight operations in 2003, and the existing problems of fuel inefficiency and noise complaints, supersonic flight for commercial aircraft seemed like a pipe dream.  However, with new technology and the start of several recent development projects, the possibility of their return has increased.  This new excitement, too, has meant that existing standards and procedures have needed a relook, which is discussed in this report.

At their 76th Annual Meeting, the International Air Transport Association made predictions of a continued difficult 2020, but some upswing in 2021.  With the Covid-19 pandemic still causing hardship on the aviation industry, read more on how they came to this conclusion, and what recommendations were made to combat recovery challenges.

As vaccination rates increase in the United States and globally, discussion regarding introducing vaccine passports has taken full swing. With sensitivity towards worries over discrimination and other controversies, governments, private companies, and others have begun taking aim at what a vaccine passport might look like, and have made some progress in making them more wide-spread.

Coordinating between three municipalities and private/public transportation organizations poses a challenge, but the greater Washington, D.C. area is making strides in allowing for data sharing, open access, and cooperation between urban transport and city planning.

In part 2 of his report on MOD in New York City, Mr. Miyamoto reveals the various ways that MOD has been incorporated to service the most in need of public transportation, including the addition of paratransit options and autonomous vehicles.  In addition, data sharing and urban public planning plays a part as well in making NY more user friendly to travelers and commuters.

As drones and other small unmanned aircraft are more widely manufactured, organizations have begun the formal process to receive aircraft certification in order for them to have greater usage in operations, including UPS and Amazon.  This report explains the draft of safety standards released by the FAA in late 2020 to better measure design and testing of said aircraft.

The home of JITTI U.S.A, Washington D.C. has had some encouraging progression in the efforts for Mobility on Demand, with mobile app developers, rail operators, car/bikesharing companies, etc. playing their part.  Click to read more about the capital city’s unique circumstances and partnerships to achieve more accessible and convenient travel.

With the update of "Runway to Recovery" by the U.S. DOT, DHS, HHS late last year, government agencies hope to provide airports, airlines, and passengers with the most current guidelines for safe air travel, and give each party an understanding of the need for cooperation and individual accountability.

Unmanned aircraft are being seen as a viable and forward-thinking option for more and more jurisdictions searching for solutions to their individual issues, from ways to gather data to make agricultural decisions to delivering medical supplies during the pandemic. In this report, Mr. Fujimaki introduces pilot programs for unmanned aircraft at both the local level and those introduced at the second part of the 2020 FAA UAS Symposium.

As the aviation industry searches for ways to bolster international air travel, coronavirus testing has both become a prerequisite for travel to some states and countries, and can be seen as a means to ease fears of spreading infection.  Learn more about what steps various partners within the aviation and health care sector have made to offer more accessible tests in light of the pandemic.

While flying cars may seem like something from Science Fiction, Advanced Aerial Mobililty has emerged as an industry capable of making it a reality.  However, furthering advances comes with new challenges of ensuring safety, swaying public opinion, and more.  In this report, Mr. Fujimaki reviews Advancing Aerial Mobility: A National Blueprint (2020), a report published by NASEM and called for by NASA to discover the challenges and benefits of this up-and-coming means of travel.

The first half of 2020 was some of the most difficult times seen in the travel industry, dwarfing the 2009 financial crisis in loss of revenue.  With the entire world affected, looking at the nuance between regions of the world may add some clarity to how the course of the coronavirus has impacted tourism and travel on a global scale.

When looking at Mobility on Demand in the United States, what better place to start than New York City?  This largest market for MOD in the U.S. has had it's fair share of interest by train operators, bike share companies, smartphone app designers and more, as public transportation users look for more convenient and practical ways to make their commute.

The FAA continues to respond to the Boeing 737 MAX accidents that occurred in 2018 and 2019, and their proposed airworthiness directives published in August are one of their latest actions.  Read more about what these directives say, and how they affect Boeing.

In this concluding report on Mobility on Demand in the United States, major U.S. cities that have begun implementing MoD are analyzed for which location has the most ideal factors for their programs to succeed based on a set of quantitative and qualitative requirements.

As with other parts of the aviation industry, air cargo transportation has been greatly impacted by the coronavirus.  However, repercussions have been felt differently across regions of the world, and the U.S. has even benefitted from trade with some countries.

In Part 3 of our Surface Transportation Analyst, Daisuke Miyamoto's, report on Mobility on Demand in the United States, the rationale for public transportation organizations and transportation network companies to collaborate with each other is detailed, as well as legislation that continues to have an impact on how these groups approach MOD.

As the demand and usage of unmanned aircraft expand for both casual and professional usage, the FAA continues to evolve regulations to match real-world operations.  Meanwhile, businesses and governments look to the future on how to further innovate this contemporary field.

With the coronavirus greatly impacting the state of air travel, airlines have had to rapidly respond to the crisis by dually keeping in mind the safety and convenience of customers while also trying to preserve company profits.  In this report, read about the reactions of the U.S.'s three largest airlines during the 2020 second quarter, when the effects of the pandemic first became fully apparent.

Read the continuation of our Surface Transportation Analyst, Daisuke Miyamoto's, overview and analysis of Mobility on Demand in the United States.  In this section, the background of this growing initiative, as well as the stakeholders needed to accomplish it, are covered in depth.

Supersonic aircraft may be having a resurgence as multiple projects are underway for their development.  Learn more about the issues of the past, and how these new-comers are overcoming these challenges while attempting to reinvent civil air travel.

In March 2020, the CARES Act was passed in order to support the United States economy, and airlines too were included with stipulations.  In this report, our Aviation Analyst, Daisuke Takagi, reviews this legislation and how airline companies are executing human resource planning in conjunction with the provided relief systems.

As the coronavirus continues to impact air travel on a global scale, airline passenger data reflects how individual countries have responded to the pandemic.  Read how the United States and Japan have fared.

While the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) has been touted in Europe for the last few years, the Department of Transportation's Mobility on Demand  (MOD) is gaining traction in the United States.  Read more on trends of MOD as more user-friendly and comprehensive services are expected out of public transportation networks.

Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft made headlines in 2018 and 2019 when back-to-back fatal accidents shocked the aviation community.  In this report, Aviation Analyst Yoshihiro Fujimaki examines the delegation system for aircraft certification, which had recently changed prior to these accidents, and who some speculate may have played a part in these unfortunate events.

The US. Travel Association has issued guidance for the travel industry in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. JITTI staff member, Daisuke Takagi delves further into the guidelines in this report.

The redevelopment project for Hudson Yard is the largest in New York City history, and consequently comes with unique financial challenges and ingenuity.  In the final installment of this joint report from Rail Analyst, Daisuke Miyamoto,  and JITTI USA Former President, Tomomi Tsuchiya, read their concluding analysis of Hudson Yards Projects financial development.

The redevelopment project for Hudson Yard is the largest in New York City history, and consequently comes with unique financial challenges and ingenuity.  Part 4 of this series presents unexpected debts and bonds, the impact of building completion and movement into the area, and characteristics needed to successfully complete a project such as the one done for Hudson Yards.

The emergence and spread of the novel coronavirus has greatly affected airports globally.  Aviation Analyst, Daisuke Takagi, presents the changes that the disease has caused on airport operations, and the varied responses by airports and the countries they are located in.

The redevelopment project for Hudson Yard is the largest in New York City history, and consequently comes with unique financial challenges and ingenuity.  Part 3 of this series investigates bonds, loans, and the current status of finances and financial relationships in the Hudson Yards Project.

The redevelopment project for Hudson Yard is the largest in New York City history, and consequently comes with unique financial challenges and ingenuity.  In Part 2 of their research report, Rail Analyst Daisuke Miyamoto and former JITTI USA President Tomomi Tsuchiya go into detail of the rezoning allocations and financing of the project.

The redevelopment project for Hudson Yard is the largest in New York City history, and consequently comes with unique financial challenges and ingenuity.  In this multi-part research report, Rail Analyst Daisuke Miyamoto and former JITTI USA President Tomomi Tsuchiya relay their findings, and Part 1 of this series describes the background, development incentives, financing mechanisms, status and more of this historic project.

COVID-19 and the suspension of 737MAX aircraft were hot button topics at the 2020 Aviation Summit.  In this report, Aviation Analyst, Daisuke Takagi, introduces the items discussed for these and other topics  at this event.

Aviation Analyst, Daisuke Takagi, shares his insights of the aviation policy changes shared at the TRB 99th Annual Meeting held in January 2020.  Topics include Brexit, the greater African presence in the world of aviation, and air connectivity.

Maritime Analyst, Yasuhiro Okamoto, introduces the achievements of the Japan Coast Guard in providing foreign aid, as well as presenting  the challenges to do so with the plethora of international rules and organizations to take into account.

Our Aviation Analyst, Daisuke Takagi, chronicles the disagreement between airlines over US-China routes that was spurred on by new changes in Haneda Airport's slot allocation

Deputy and JCAB Representative, Shinichi Yamada, reviews the mission of and findings from the 2019 EASA-FAA International Safety Conference.

Eno conducted an analysis of the international market for air travel  for JITTI USA. This multi-part series details some of the most interesting facts and findings, and is instructive for thinking about how international air service has evolved over the past few decades.
 

Rail Analyst, Daisuke Miyamoto, delves into the differences of applications  of value capture between Japan and the US, and the stances of various US voices on how it should be implemented.

JITTI USA Staff member, Daisuke Takagi, writes on the growth and popularity of integrated resorts in the United States, with a prime example being MGM Resorts International, and the business prospects this has for Japan as well.