American to Restart Chattanooga Flights to D.C

Apr. 1—American to restart local flights to D.C.

American Airlines, which furloughed nonstop service between Chattanooga and Washington, D.C., last year in the wake of the coronavirus, plans to resume flights on Saturday.

The return of nonstop service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport reflects the resurgence of the air travel industry, an official said.

"Passenger confidence continues to build with each passing month," said Terry Hart, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Airport. "We very much appreciate American and all of our airline partners for their commitment to providing convenient access to our nonstop destinations as travelers feel more and more comfortable traveling by air."

American is adding six weekly flights to Washington, departing at 7:31 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Officials believe additional flights will be added to the schedule in coming months.

Delta, Coke object to new voting law

The leaders of two of Georgia's biggest corporations said Wednesday they staunchly opposed the state's sweeping elections restrictions, reversing weeks of milder statements about the far-ranging new law pushed through the Legislature by Republican lawmakers.

Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees that the law was "unacceptable" and "based on a lie" of widespread fraud in last November's election. Hours later, Coca-Cola's CEO also pronounced the measure "unacceptable."

The sharply worded statements came as Georgia companies face growing threats of boycotts from voting rights advocates who say local corporations should have done more to oppose the Republican-backed legislation before it was signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp last week. Tens of thousands of social media posts carrying the hashtags #BoycottDelta, #BoycottDeltaAirlines and #BoycottCocaCola proliferated on Twitter in recent days.

Wednesday's comments by the CEOs of Delta and Coca-Cola triggered threats of backlash from Republican legislators who embraced the contentious election overhaul as a necessary measure to restore confidence.

GM recalls vehicles for battery fire risk

General Motors Co. is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna vehicles with 6.6-liter gas engines for a short circuit that could cause a battery fire.

The recall affects 10,176 vehicles in the U.S., GM spokesman Dan Flores said.

"In certain circumstances, anti-rotation tabs on the positive battery cable terminals may come in contact with a fuse block assembly attachment post, causing a short circuit," Flores said in a statement. " GM is not aware of any crashes or injuries associated with this condition."

A short circuit could cause a low battery voltage warning, the battery to die, or a fire in the engine compartment, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration said.

Amazon workers to return by fall

Amazon plans to have its employees return to the office by fall as the tech giant transitions away from the remote work it implemented for many workers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company had previously given its return-to-office date as June 30, but questions remained as to whether the company would allow some of its 60,000 Seattle-area office employees to continue working from home part time.

Amazon and Microsoft were among the first large companies to mostly shutter their main offices in the Seattle area during the first COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. Amazon will not require office workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine before they return, but the company is encouraging employees and contractors to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible, according to Amazon spokesperson Jose Negrete.

Zillow announced last summer that it will give its roughly 5,400 employees nationwide the option to work remotely for good.

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