Author: John Cox, Special to USA TODAY

By January 2020, nearly all airliners will be equipped with transmitters that provide altitude, heading, ground speed and ID data via satellite.

Captain John Cox explains why the dispatcher is the most important team member after the pilot and how ground crew members know when to move in.

While it may seem silly to fly a nearly-empty plane, airlines do it anyway because the flight needs to be somewhere the next day or to move cargo.

In this week’s Ask the Captain column, John Cox considers stricter rules for passengers bringing emotional support animals on planes.

Captain John Cox explains what pilots do in the event they lose power and whether the working engine is inspected after a flight when the other fails.

Captain John Cox fills you in on why pilots sometime burn off fuel before landing and why there often seems to be turbulence at some airports.

This week, Ask the Captain tackles passengers who slow down evacuations to grab their carry-ons and use their cellphones during takeoff and landing.

On long flights, what does the crew do to avoid boredom after the flight computer has taken control of the aircraft?

How are cargo holds configured in aircraft? Are there separators or some other device such as nets used to restrain the items?