On the Go – August 8, 2024

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 Schedules Flights To Northern Minnesota (Source: Simple Flying)
Delta Air Lines plans to begin service this fall from its Minneapolis hub to Bemidji Regional Airport (BJI) and Falls International Airport (INL), both in northern Minnesota. The routes will be operated by SkyWest Airlines, which also operates regional flights for Delta from Salt Lake City.

Will Changes Coming To Southwest Help Or Hurt The Brand? (Source: Travel Weekly)
Southwest Airlines may face brand pitfalls as it introduces its first premium seating product and does away with its hallmark open seating, analysts said this week, but it is also likely to appeal to a wider swatch of consumers.  Market research taught Southwest that 80% of its own customers would prefer assigned seats, the carrier revealed when it announced the changes on July 25.

Security

TSA PreCheck Enrollment Passes 20 Million Members (Source: TravelPulse)
Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck trusted traveler program, which expedites security screening, has reached a milestone of more than 20 million members. “TSA PreCheck continues to be one of our most innovative risk-based security solutions, providing the benefit of shorter wait times of under 10 minutes, greater checkpoint efficiency and improved security,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske.

Australians To Be Eligible For U.S. Global Entry Next Year (Source: Business Travel News)
Australia is joining the U.S. Global Entry program next year, enabling Australian citizens to access expedited immigration and customs clearance when arriving in the United States.  The program initially will open in January to a select group of Australians who “travel most frequently to the U.S.” according to an announcement by Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong. The countries are working to expand eligibility to all Australians who want to apply later in 2025.

Airports

DFW Airport Ready To Begin Terminal Expansion (Source: Simple Flying)
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has begun shutting down parts of Terminal C as it prepares to launch an expansion that will add or remodel 32 gates, make improvements to more than a million square feet of space and replace a parking structure with a new one. The project is scheduled for completion in 2029.

$235M Expansion Of Terminal 2 At Minneapolis Airport Begins (Source: Brainerd Dispatch)
Construction of a $263 million, 168,000-square-foot expansion of Terminal 2 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) has begun. The terminal, which serves seven carriers including JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, will gain two new gates, expanded seating and more restrooms.

Fargo Airport Receives $11.2M From FAA Toward Expansion (Source: INFORUM)
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to award Hector International Airport in Fargo, N.D., more than $11.2 million in Airport Infrastructure Grant funds toward its $200 million expansion project. Seven other North Dakota airports also received a share of the funding.

Hotels

With Corporate Travel ‘Grinding Up,’ Hilton Gains In Q2 (Source: Business Travel News)
Second-quarter systemwide Hilton Worldwide revenue per available room generated by large corporates increased 5 percent year over year, officials said during a Wednesday earnings call, adding that technology companies had a “notable recovery.”

16 New Hyatt Hotels Where You Can Get 500 Extra Points Per Night (Source: The Points Guy)
I stayed at the Hyatt House Johannesburg Sandton in South Africa shortly after it opened in 2021. When I checked my account activity after my stay, I noticed an “opening bonus” of 2,000 points. Then, I remembered that Hyatt offers 500 bonus points per night on qualifying stays at new hotels.

Ground Transportation

Avis Budget: Q2 Revenue, Income Down (Source: Business Travel News)
Avis Budget Group in the second quarter continued to limit its fleet to “ensure it is kept within demand,” and in doing so sold in the first half of the year a record number of vehicles, AGB CEO Joe Ferraro said on a Tuesday earnings call.

Leisure Travel

Our 21 Favorite UNESCO World Heritage Sites To Visit, According To TPG Experts (Source: The Points Guy)
The Department of Transportation is proposing a new rule that would ban airlines from charging parents to sit with their young children. Under the proposal, released Thursday, U.S. and foreign carriers would be required to seat children 13 or younger next to their parent or accompanying adult for free.

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