On the Go – August 19, 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 Adds New Service to Worcester, Mass. (Source: WCVB-TV)
Delta Air Lines plans to offer daily nonstop service between Worcester Regional Airport and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport starting in November. Delta used to provide service to Worcester from Detroit.

JetBlue to Make Canadian Debut in Vancouver (Source: Skies Online)
JetBlue is making its Canadian debut at Vancouver International Airport, adding flights from New York in 2022, plus seasonal flights from Boston. “Almost since day one, both our customers and crew members have been asking us to add flights to the middle of the country and into Canada,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning.

How Supersonic Travel May Take Off Again (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
The aircraft industry will have to overcome several hurdles, including the environmental damage done by fueling supersonic aircraft, regulatory concerns and public dislike of sound intrusion, to move passengers more rapidly than the rate that has remained the same for the past six decades, writes David Schneider. Boom Technology is working to mitigate some of the challenges by partnering with a company whose jet fuel will incorporate carbon derived from the atmosphere through renewable energy and by designing its aircraft to reduce its sonic boom.

Airlines Are Banning Fabric and Vented Masks (Source: Travel Daily Media)
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? In January this year, multiple European countries banned cloth face masks in an attempt to stem the spread of more transmissible strains of the coronavirus. Citizens and visitors had to wear single-use surgical-grade FFP1 masks or the more protective FFP2 filtering facepiece respirators or fabric masks that meet the same requirements blocking a minimum of 90% of particles in all public settings including shops. Homemade masks were banned.

General Interest

Canada to Require Vaccination For Air Travelers (Source: CBS News)
The Canada government stated it will require all travelers on commercial aircraft, trains and cruise ships to be vaccinated, a policy that will go into effect “as soon as possible in the fall” and “no later than the end of October.” Air Canada called the decision a “welcome step forward in the evolving measures to protect the health and safety of airline employees, customers and all Canadians.”

Meetings

Vaccine Proof to Supersede Mask Mandates For Big Las Vegas Events (Source: Skift)
For the adamant mask opponents, this new edict from the Nevada governor may be the impetus to get vaccinated. That should be welcome news for event planners and large venues, especially in hard-hit Las Vegas. Nevada governor Steve Sisolak said late on Monday that large event operators will be allowed to opt out of the state’s mask requirements if they can verify that attendees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Security

TSA to Extend Federal Mask Mandate to January 2022 (Source: The Associated Press)
The Transportation Security Administration has extended its order that travelers on commercial aircraft and public transportation wear face coverings to Jan. 18, 2022, citing surging rates of COVID-19 infection and “the emerging evidence about the Delta variant.” Airlines for America spokeswoman Katherine Estep said airlines would enforce the federal mandate “as they have done for months.”

Hotels

W Philadelphia Celebrates Grand Opening (Source: Travel Weekly)
The W Philadelphia, housed in a 51-story tower in the city’s downtown, is celebrating its official opening on Aug. 20. The property is the first W hotel to open in the U.S. since the W Aspen in 2019. The W Philadelphia shares its building with a 460-room Element by Westin that opened in May. W and Element are Marriott International brands. 

Airports

Missouri Airport Begins Work on Innovative New Terminal (Source: Building Design + Construction)
Missouri’s Kansas City International Airport has started work on a new 39-gate terminal. The facility will feature an array of spaces designed to foster inclusivity, such as a multi-sensory room for persons with sensory processing disorders, autism or dementia.

Leisure Travel

Exclusive NYC Experience At The Plaza Hotel (Source: Travel Weekly)
There are few dining experiences considered as quintessentially New York as afternoon tea at the Plaza Hotel. And yet it was something I, a New York resident for over a decade, had put off experiencing, having long ago categorized it as something best saved for an extra special occasion.