Related video above: State Capitols step up security amid threats

Federal officials are investigating people who took part in the riot at the U.S. Capitol to determine whether they should be barred from traveling on airlines.

The assessments are one of several steps federal agencies are taking to increase security before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it will put more air marshals on some flights, and travelers will see a noticeable increase in police officers, bomb-detecting dogs and random screening at all three major airports in the Washington, D.C., area.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske said his agency is “processing hundreds of names with law enforcement agencies for a thorough risk assessment.” He said TSA was working “to ensure those who may pose a threat to our aviation sector undergo enhanced screening or are prevented from boarding an aircraft.”

Another federal official said the assessments involve people who took part in the Jan. 6 siege at the Capitol, which left five people dead and forced Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress to leave the Senate and House chambers and seek shelter for several hours.

The assessments could result in rioters being added to the federal no-fly list, the person said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that weren't made public.

The FBI said earlier this week it was considering adding Capitol rioters to the federal no-fly list but stopped short of saying that individuals were being scrutinized. The TSA vets airline manifests and notifies airlines when a ticketed passenger appears to be ineligible to fly.

Airlines and Washington-area airports also have promised tighter security after last week’s riot at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Each of the nation's seven largest airlines say they will temporarily prohibit passengers flying to Washington from putting guns in checked bags.

Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will take a tougher enforcement stance toward passengers accused of interfering with or assaulting airline crew members or other passengers. That decision followed a number of incidents on planes of people refusing to wear masks, yelling at other passengers, and in a few cases harassing members of Congress at airports.

HAMPTON, Va. — A test airplane that could change the way people fly is nearing completion in California, with Virginia scientists and engineers playing a big role in making it happen.

NASA's X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft is designed to break the sound barrier without the loud and disruptive sonic boom that typically accompanies Mach 1 speeds, leading to the banning of supersonic travel over land.

The NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, took an early lead in the project, known as Low Boom Flight Demonstrator, when it began a few years ago.

"People would rather have faster air travel if they could so our goal with this project is to have those rules changed," said Craig Nickol, the project manager for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator.

Nickol, who's based at Langley, says research centers across the country are working on the project, including around 20-30 scientists and engineers in the Hampton area.

Langley played a key role in early design and testing. Specific major contributions include the creation of a real-time camera and screen system pilots will use to see out of the aircraft, which lacks a cockpit window due to design constraints.

"They've actually finished it. They've done ground tests on that system, they've even done flight tests on the system and it's been delivered out to the West Coast already from Langley," Nickol said.

With Lockheed Martin set to finish construction on the X-59 this year, ground testing can begin as early as this fall, Nickol says, with the first test flight set for Summer 2022.

According to NASA, test flights over Armstrong Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base will follow in 2023 to ensure the aircraft works as designed. From there, the agency will test over select communities across the country to see how people react.

The hope is to turn flight data over to federal and international aviation regulators in 2027, who could change the rules allowing for supersonic travel over land.

"I've always been an airplane nut and this is kind of like the best thing you could think of to do as an aerospace engineer is to be able to have a chance to design, build and test a whole new airplane, a research airplane that could potentially change the way we travel," Nickol said.

With travel times cut roughly in half, a whole new world of travel could be opened, with much of the early work done in Hampton Roads.

This story was originally published by Anthony Sabella at WTKR.

TAMPA, Fl. — Buses, trains and other modes of public transportation have to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires people using wheelchairs can get around.

But the airline industry doesn’t have to follow those rules. They’re able to follow an older law: the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986.

Even though the act has been updated since 1986, many say it still doesn’t do enough to accommodate people with disabilities.

As more travelers are heading to the airport, now that COVID-19 restrictions are going away, there’s an even bigger push for the airlines to be more accessible to all, especially for those now in wheelchairs who served our country, like LTC Phil Price.

Price served in the Air Force his entire career. He traveled the world for decades, but his flying days were eventually grounded by his body.

“In 2000, Phil was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he had already been primarily diagnosed with MS [Multiple Sclerosis],” said Phil’s wife of more than 30 years, Debbie. “The brain tumor affected the same motor areas the MS, so his mobility was greatly affected.”

Eventually, in 2009, his brain tumor came back. It was surgically removed, but the combination of cancer and the MS forced Price to begin using a wheelchair.

“It was advised that we don't treat the MS due to, that was the theory what was keeping his brain tumor at bay, so he did not take any treatments,” said Debbie. “So, the MS has slowly over time, that's what's kind of ravaging the body now.”

But Price’s body has some reinforcements: a custom wheelchair gives him the ability to move and to travel by car.

“The VA provides it, but it's about a $25,000 to $30,000 chair,” explained Price. “So, you're not talking about, you know, something that can be easily replaceable.”

Because of that, it’s forced the man who used to fly often to make a tough choice.

“We've chosen not to fly because of the risk of damaging the chair,” said Debbie. “We get off the plane, and the chair is damaged. There's nothing we can do about it at that point. I can't carry him. He can't walk. He can't transfer, so we would be stuck.”

The chair is one worry, but physical safety is another.

“They have to physically pick you up and put you into their airline chair, and it's just, Phil just doesn't want to go through that, you know, it's kind of humiliating. It's embarrassing,” said Debbie, turning to her husband. “I’m kind of speaking for you."

A study conducted by the wheelchair advocacy group All Wheels Up found that 80% of people using wheelchairs never even come to the airport because it’s just too risky.

The risks have become even more apparent since the federal guidelines changed in 2018, requiring that airlines report how many chairs they damage every single day.

The data revealed airlines are breaking and damaging an average of 29 wheelchairs per day. Law requires the airlines to pay for repairs and replacements, but there is no time constraint. This leaves many families fearful their absolutely necessary mobility equipment will be unavailable for just too long.

“I knew that it was a problem, but it was far worse than I thought it was,” said Price.

On top of the damage, accessibility throughout the airport and inside the plane itself is another barrier stopping would-be travelers in wheelchairs.

“Many people think that the ADA covers air travel, and it doesn't. The ACAA [Air Carrier Access Act], which was created four years before the ADA, covers air travel for people with disabilities, and so that's why there isn't a wheelchair spot on airplanes,” explained Michele Irwin, the founder and CEO of All Wheels Up.

Irwin and Alan Chaulet, a board member of the group, are working to get a wheelchair spot installed on new airplanes and usable bathrooms for people in wheelchairs.

“Some people with disabilities, like they don't drink water the whole day, they travel, they don't eat food just to prepare their bodies for that,” said Chaulet, who uses a chair himself and has experienced this firsthand.

“They cannot just book their ticket online like everyone else,” explained Irwin. “They usually have to call the airlines and book their ticket on the phone, let them know the airline that they're coming with a wheelchair, make sure that they're going to have somebody on staff at that time who has familiarity with handling a wheelchair.”

But changing accessibility could help those in wheelchairs feel less isolated.

“It's sad because, like, I missed my sister's wedding and my family went without me,” said Chaulet. “I missed some of my cousin's weddings. And, yeah, that's very tough. It shouldn't have to be like that.”

The Price family agrees.

“It'd be nice to be able to go in and have that freedom, have that freedom, not feel trapped,” said Debbie.

Irwin said more accessible planes could also save airlines money.

“One airline in 2016 spent $1.6 million on wheelchair repairs and placements,” she said.

A wheelchair spot would cut those costs and open the door to thousands of new airline customers.

“Now, that family, instead of driving to their destination, is now going to have that opportunity, which they never had before, to fly,” she said.

Bottom line aside, it’s equity families and advocates alike want to see.

“It's all about him feeling comfortable, him feeling like a human-like everyone else, not feeling different,” said Debbie Price of her husband. “It doesn't take just the people, the disabled people in the world to speak up to say we need better changes on the airline industry. It takes every day, normal people to speak up.”

For Phil Price, these changes would mean a trip to see his daughter living out of state in Atlanta, or the chance to go somewhere just for fun.

“New York or something,” he said of a place he’d like to visit.

And even though the day he will fly again seems far away, he has hope he will see the world from the air once again.

“Well, you have to have hope,” he said.

As the nation opens up and travel seems busier than ever, this family hopes every able-bodied traveler will recognize the luxury of being able to fly anywhere.

"I would hope that people would just be grateful that they have that freedom, because there's a lot of people that don't have that freedom. They've lost that freedom," said Debbie.

After the US House moved a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill to the desk of President Joe Biden on Wednesday, airlines began informing employees on Wednesday that they will be able to avoid layoffs.

In the last year, air travel has been cut by more than 50% at the nation’s airports as public health officials have recommended that Americans avoid non-essential travel. The airline and travel industry is not expected to fully recover anytime soon as the CDC recommended earlier this week that even those fully vaccinated against the coronavirus avoid non-essential travel.

The legislation includes $14 billion for airlines through the Payroll Support Program. The stimulus bill stipulates that the money can only be used for the pay and benefits of airline workers. By accepting stimulus funds, airlines agree not to furlough or layoff employees through Sept. 30.

The Association of Flight Attendants welcomed Wednesday’s vote.

“This program is a testament to the power of working people acting in solidarity,” said union President Sara Nelson. “At the beginning of the crisis, we asked ourselves, ‘What do workers need?’ We didn’t allow what was ‘possible’ to constrain our demands. Our union has been through a crisis before, and we knew we had to prevent this crisis from being put on our backs. Aviation workers came together through our unions, found common ground with airlines, and worked with allies in Congress to pass this critical aid.

“It’s no mistake that this happened in aviation, where nearly eighty percent of the workforce is unionized. Speaking with a united voice, we enacted the PSP and have now successfully extended it twice.”

The Air Line Pilots Association also was joyed by Wednesday’s vote.

“ALPA is grateful for the dedication by congressional leaders to ensure that the U.S. aviation industry remains positioned to help our nation recover from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association. “By passing the American Rescue Plan, tens of thousands of aviation workers will remain on company payroll and off unemployment as intended by this worker-first program. This important aspect of the overall legislation will help keep our aviation industry poised to quickly respond to increased operations as demand returns.”

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker also celebrated the bill’s passage.

“There is much work left to do before we can all put the pandemic behind us, but with today’s news and the steady progress being made against the virus, we have a hopeful eye on the horizon,” Parker said.

Although air travel has remained depressed in the last year, data is indicating travel may be starting to pick up. On Sunday, 1.28 million people passed through TSA checkpoints, marking the largest travel day since March 15, 2020.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2 million travelers on Friday, the most travelers it has screened in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Friday also marked the second straight day TSA screened more than 2 million travelers as Americans take to the skies on Independence Day weekend.

Earlier this week, AAA predicted that more than 47 million Americans would be traveling for the holiday weekend, projecting that about 3 million of those travelers would fly.

The increase in travel comes as many airports are still operating at less than 100% staffing levels. Last month, American Airlines cut flights in July to keep up. Delta has also announced an initiative to accelerate hiring.

TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein encouraged travelers to arrive at airports prepared to speed up wait times.

"Come to the airport prepared for security screening without prohibited items in your carry-on bag and #MaskUp," she tweeted.

DALLAS — The airline industry’s recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020.

The Transportation Security Administration announced Saturday that 2.03 million travelers were screened at airport security checkpoints on Friday.

Airline bookings have been picking up since around February, as more Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19 and – at least within the United States – travel restrictions such as mandatory quarantines began to ease.