On the Go – April 22, 2021

Industry News – Click on the title to read the full article. Many of the sources below require a free registration to gain access to the article. If a paid registration is required, the individual source will be noted.

Airlines

Delta CEO: Digital Health Credentials Will Become Reality (Source: TravelPulse)
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian believes that digital documentation of vaccination or testing status will soon become a requirement for some destinations. The airline is gearing up to meet that demand, but won’t call the documentation a “vaccine “passport,” as it carries negative connotations. “I don’t see it happening for domestic travel, but I think it could very well be required for international,” Bastian said.

American Airlines Reintroduces Beverage Service (Source: The Dallas Morning News)
American Airlines is bringing back full beverage service for premium passengers on all flights starting May 1. Economy passengers will be offered complimentary nonalcoholic beverages on flights over 250 miles starting June 1; until then, drinks will continue to be offered only on flights over 2,200 miles.

Delta’s Airport Lounges to Reopen by Summer (Source: The Points Guy)
Delta shuttered most of its SkyClub airport lounges in March 2020. The Atlanta-based carrier slowly started reopening select lounges, many in focus cities, last summer and has continued to steadily ramp up operations at several of its outstations. Now, as demand returns and vaccination rates continue to climb, Delta will be reopening all SkyClubs by this summer. That’s according to Ed Bastian, Delta’s CEO, in his Tuesday interview with Brian Kelly, TPG’s founder and CEO, as part of the Future of Travel series.

American Plans 90% Domestic Capacity This Summer (Source: TravelPulse)
American Airlines plans to operate more than 90% of the domestic schedule and 80% of the international capacity it flew in 2019 this summer, and it’s adding 150 new routes for the summer vacation season. “Throughout the pandemic, our trademark has been to build a schedule based on what customers tell us they want and need,” said Brian Znotins, vice president of network planning.

5 Takeaways From Delta’s CEO On The Future Of Travel (Source: The Points Guy)
If you’re holding out hope for a major international trip later this year, you might want to reconsider. That’s according to Delta’s chief executive officer, Ed Bastian, in his Monday interview with New York Times editor Andrew Ross Sorkin as part of the Dealbook DC virtual conference. Bastian discussed the demand outlook, a vaccine requirement, the future of travel and more, as the carrier looks toward recovery from the industry’s worst crisis in decades.

General Interest

Canada Extends Border Closure To The US Through May 21 (Source: The Points Guy)
While parts of the world are beginning to reopen, Canada is continuing to keep its borders under a tight grip. Canada and the United States have agreed to extend the ban on nonessential travel between the United States and Canada through May 21, 2021. Government leaders in both countries first announced the border closure more than one year ago on March 21, 2020, and have extended the order on a near-monthly basis since.

France to Open to American Travelers in Time For Summer (Source: Travel Smarter)
Dreaming of a post-lockdown trip to Paris? Here’s when France (and many other European countries) will reopen to fully vaccinated American tourists—no quarantine or testing required.

Hotels

3 Hilton Properties to Open in June at The Giant Resorts World Las Vegas Complex (Source: The Points Guy)
Las Vegas is gearing up to welcome its first new construction resort complex in more than 10 years this summer. Resorts World Las Vegas will officially open its doors on June 24, 2021. When it opens, Resorts World will have a staggering 3,500 rooms distributed among three Hilton properties, including the world’s largest Conrad hotel, one of the first LXR-branded hotels in the United States and a “marquee” Hilton Hotels and Resorts property.

IHG Adds Digital Check-In Across U.S., Canadian Properties (Source: Business Travel News)
IHG Hotels & Resorts has made digital check-in available at more than 3,000 of its properties across the United States and Canada, the company announced. Digital checkout already had been rolled out to more than 4,500 properties globally over the past two years, according to IHG, so this move gives digital options at the beginning and end of guests’ stays. 

Airports

Reagan National Debuts Concourse, Retires Infamous Gate (Source: The Points Guy)
Washington, D.C.-area Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has unveiled a 14-gate passenger concourse, and will soon close the unpopular Gate 35X that requires passengers to take shuttle buses to parked aircraft.

Newark’s Planned Runway Work May Impact Your Summer Travel (Source: The Points Guy)
Attention New York-area travelers: there could be delays this summer if you’re flying through Newark’s Liberty International Airport (EWR). On Thursday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, responsible for overseeing the EWR airport, announced that major runway rehabilitation work would begin in the coming days. Runway 4R-22L — the airport’s main landing strip — was last rehabilitated nine years ago. Runways typically need maintenance every eight to ten years, due to surface deterioration from normal wear and tear.