On the Go – August 12, 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

Vaccine Mandate Unlikely For Domestic Travel, Airline CEO Says (Source: CNN)
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says he does not anticipate a vaccination requirement for travel within the United States, but he said it is possible for some international travel.

JetBlue Begins Transatlantic Service Between N.Y., London (Source: BBC)
JetBlue’s flights from New York to London’s Heathrow start today while flights to London Gatwick begin on Sept. 29. The airline will operate daily flights to London for the remainder of August and service every other day in September.

Competition, Consumer Choice Keep Airfares Low (Source: The Wall Street Journal)
The cost of a domestic airplane ticket adjusted for inflation has remained largely unchanged over the past 25 years, according to the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. When adjusted for inflation, BTS concluded the price of air travel in the US is in fact dramatically lower than in 1996. A4A Chief Economist John Heimlich pointed to greater competition and more choices as reasons passengers continue to find fares more affordable. Technology has also played a critical role in keeping airfares low by providing increased opportunity for consumers to comparison-shop.

Airlines Retiring Their Smallest Planes, Raising concerns For Small Markets (Source: Travel Weekly)
United’s late June announcement that it will pare down its fleet of 50-seat aircraft by approximately 200 by 2026 continues a long-term trend by U.S. airlines away from 50-seat service. But how will small cities be impacted as airlines increasingly upgauge their smaller, regional jets for 76-seat aircraft?

Delta CEO to Interview Shake Shack Founder For Podcast (Source: Delta News Hub)
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian will interview Danny Meyer, Union Square Hospitality Group CEO and founder of Shake Shack, on the latest episode of the “Gaining Altitude” podcast. They will discuss entrepreneurship, service and putting employees first.

General Interest

Canada Reopens border to Fully Vaccinated US Travelers (Source: The Associated Press)
Starting Aug. 9, fully vaccinated American travelers could enter Canada’s land borders for non-essential travel for the first time since March 2020. Americans traveling into Canada will be required to present their passport, vaccination card and a negative PCR test for entry, while border restrictions for Canadians entering the US for non-essential trips will remain in place until at least Aug. 21.

4 Things to Know About The IBM Digital Health Pass (Source: The Points Guy)
Digital health, aka vaccine passports, are a big topic in travel right now. There are many players in the travel tech space, from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s Travel Pass app to the Commons Project’s CommonPass to IBM’s Digital Health Pass. The latter recently partnered with Amadeus, a global travel tech company, to launch a process to make it simpler to verify traveler’s health credentials. And New York State partnered with IBM this spring to create the Excelsior Pass, which can verify test or vaccination results for New Yorkers.

Security

Going Through Global Entry Is Now Easier Than Ever (Source: The Points Guy)
The next time you arrive at a U.S. airport from abroad and approach a Global Entry kiosk, you might find the experience to be much smoother than before. Gone are the days of desperately searching around the bottom of your bag or digging through your pockets for your passport. Now, Global Entry is making its kiosks even more efficient by eliminating passport and fingerprint scans, and relying instead on facial biometric authentication — similar to the technology used by Clear.

Hotels

Hyatt Centric Opens in Midtown Manhattan (Source: Business Traveler)
Hyatt has announced the opening of its second Hyatt Centric brand property in New York City. The hotel is located at 39^th St and 5th Ave in the city’s Midtown East district, and features 162 rooms with free WiFi, rainfall showers and USB outlets for charging devices. Amenities currently available include a fitness center, 24-hour lobby Market shop and a boardroom accommodating up to ten people. An onsite Italian restaurant and rooftop bar with views of the Empire State Building are expected to open later this year.

Resorts World New York City Expands with 400-Room Hotel (Source: Casino)
Resorts World New York City, on the grounds of Aqueduct racetrack in Queens, has opened a $400 million Hyatt Regency JFK Airport hotel. The new eight-story facility includes 400 rooms, a Sugar Factory cafe, a large lobby that can accommodate events and additional gaming areas.

KFC Opened A Hotel (Source: Time Out)
This KFC-themed hotel looks finger-licking good. The “House of Harland” features a KFC video game and a button guests can push for on-demand chicken. One extra crispy oddity is the location of the hotel. Rather than Louisville or Lexington, KFC opened the hotel in London.

Leisure Travel

Hotel at Legoland New York Resort Now (Source: Staten Island Advance)
Legoland New York Resort in Goshen recently opened its Legoland Hotel. The 250-room hotel features Lego-themed play areas and features. Guests can pick one of four themes — Lego Ninjago, Lego Friends, kingdom and pirate — when picking a room.