At 2 a.m. on Sunday 8 March, most of the United States advanced clocks one hour for Daylight Saving Time (DST), compressing sleep schedules—and flight timetables—for millions of travellers. Airlines recalibrated more than 25,000 domestic segments overnight, while airports in Arizona and Hawaii (which do not observe DST) remained on standard time. Carriers warned that international passengers departing Europe or Asia on 8 March would land an hour “later” than printed itineraries if tickets were issued in local times that had not yet switched. Global distribution systems pushed emergency schedule updates at 04:00 UTC, but travel-management companies said manual intervention was still required on roughly 2 percent of bookings. DST also affects status expiration for ESTA travellers, because the electronic system timestamps admissions in Eastern Time; one lost hour can tip a stay from 90 days into overstay territory. Attorneys recommend that short-stay visitors departing on 6 June double-check I-94 records. Corporate mobility teams should update policy reminders: meeting invites sent from Europe will appear one hour “off” until the EU shifts on 29 March, risking missed video calls. Expatriates should also note that some states now follow permanent DST legislation pending federal approval, adding further complexity for 2027 onward. Although legislation to abolish the bi-annual clock change stalled in Congress last year, lobbyists expect renewed debate as transport operators again tally re-programming costs estimated at US$147 million per cycle.
Source: Hindustan Times
