On the Go – April 30, 2020

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, JetBlue Seek DOT Permission to Suspend Some Service (Source: Business Travel News)
Delta Air Lines and JetBlue both are requesting permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation to suspend service from several U.S. airports, according to Reuters.

Airlines Offer Face Masks, JetBlue to Require Them (Source: CNBC)
American, Delta and United are requiring crew members to wear face masks and will offer them to passengers, while JetBlue has gone a step further and will require passengers to wear face coverings starting May 4.

General Interest

How Travel Rewards Should Change After Pandemic (Source: Business Insider)
Travel expert Jason Steele discusses six long-term changes that the credit card and travel rewards industries should make in a post-pandemic world, such as minimizing devaluations of loyalty programs and expanding offerings for non-travel rewards. Companies should also put an end to resort fees, fuel surcharges and change fees, he writes.

China’s Domestic Business Travel Slowly Waking Up (Source: Business Travel News)
Business travel slowly is recovering in China under tight government control and mostly at a domestic level. The country’s strategy, which will attempt to restart what previously was the biggest business travel market in the world, could offer a glimpse of how business travel will recover in the future, despite clear differences in how the travel market—particularly airlines—operates.

Hotels 

Hotels, Airlines Keep Rewards Flowing For Idled Elite (Source: The New York Times)
Major hotel companies are reaching out to their best customers much in the way of airlines, offering perks that aren’t being earned normally with the plunge in reservations. Elite memberships through Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt have been extended into early 2022, while expiration of Hyatt reward points has been delayed.

Security 

TSA Reports Uptick in Passenger Numbers (Source: Fox News)
Passenger screenings as reported by the Transportation Security Administration rose over the weekend, marking the first uptick since April 3, as travel has slowed to a crawl due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 128,000 passengers went through TSA checkpoints.

Airports

Pandemic Brings Attention to Biometrics, Mobile Check-in (Source: PhocusWire)
The coronavirus pandemic could lead airports to increase the use of automation, following the example of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, which plans to add CT scans to security checkpoints. “The entire passenger’s journey through a terminal has to be rethought around themes of new conventions for personal space and new concepts for protecting wellness,” Jonathan Massey of Corgan said.

Harvey Milk Terminal Opens at SFO (Source: Airport Technology UK)
San Francisco International Airport is opening Harvey Milk Terminal 1, a terminal that will include a JetBlue ticket counter and baggage claim, followed with the relocation of Southwest to a new ticket counter and baggage claim locations. The opening of the terminal was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

PA Airport Delays Terminal Modernization (Source: The Business Journals)
Pittsburgh International Airport is delaying a $1.1 billion terminal modernization project due to the coronavirus crisis. Design work will continue and Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis said the plan has not been shelved permanently.

San Diego Airport to Go Ahead With Terminal Expansion (Source: The San Diego Community Newspaper Group)
San Diego International Airport’s $3 billion terminal expansion project will go ahead as planned, with construction due to start in 2021. The project will add 11 new gates, as well as expanded security and retail space.