On the Go – April 9, 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

Airlines Suspend Inflight Magazines (Source: The Points Guy)
Delta, Alaska Airlines and Southwest have suspended production of their inflight magazines to cut costs and eliminate a potentially problematic item from the cleaning process. United will continue to produce its magazine but make it available only online.

Alaska Debuts “Couch Getaways” (Source: Alaska Airlines Blog)
Alaska Airlines has launched a weekly feature that will offer virtual tours of its destination cities, featuring links to sites with video and webcam experiences. The first segment, featuring Los Angeles, includes links to a Disneyland parade video, Malibu Beach webcams and a video of the Coachella music festival.

Agents Call For Airlines to Release 2021 Schedules Early (Source: Travel Weekly)
Agents have called on more airlines to extend the typical 11-month booking window on flights so they can make bookings and rebookings for summer 2021.

Delta, United Extend Elite Flyer Benefits, Ease Rules (Source: TravelPulse, United Hub)
Delta and United have announced that elite frequent flyers will retain their 2020 benefits through 2021. They have also changed rules to make it easier for some other passengers to attain elite status despite their temporary inability to travel.

General Interest

Should Airport Temperature Checks Become Mandatory In The Future? (Source: Simple Flying)
With the coronavirus pandemic shutting down airports and airlines grounding fleets, some people are beginning to ask whether temperature checks at airports should become mandatory in the future. The idea of checking a person’s temperature using thermal imaging started to appear at Asian and Middle Eastern airports shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Passport Service’s 2- to 3 Week Timeline to See Delays (Source: Travel Agent Central)
The US State Department’s expedited passport service was suspended on March 19, but now it says in-person service will be available only for a select few and that even those who apply via mail will encounter “significant delays.”

What Will Travel Look Like After Coronavirus? (Source: CNN)
As movement around the world grows more and more restricted, it’s hard to imagine what travel will look like when it eventually ramps back up.  The staggering global scale of the coronavirus pandemic makes it especially devastating, but the travel industry has rebounded from past crises and experts believe it will bounce back again.

Hotels 

Hyatt Alters Loyalty Program Expiration, Change Policy (Source: Forbes)
Elite World of Hyatt loyalty members’ benefits earned in 2019 will expire in early 2022 instead of early 2021 because of the pause in travel caused by the coronavirus, the company says. Hyatt Hotels also has altered its policy on changes and cancellations for travel booked through June 30, waiving any penalties.

Count on Hotel Comeback, Deals For Guests, Insiders Say (Source: TravelPulse)
Some experts assert the hotel industry will rebound dramatically from the current emergency, with discounted rates as a risky but key strategy. “As the impact of COVID-19 lessens and demand increases, it is crucial that hotels act in a proactive manner by effectively managing room rates and marketing offers to maximize revenues,” says Ralph Hollister of the analytics firm GlobalData.

Security 

TSA Says Airline Passengers Can Wear Cloth Face Masks (Source: WHNT News19)
The TSA announced some changes to the screening process to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  The TSA posted on Twitter that Airline passengers are allowed to wear cloth face coverings during the TSA screening process.