On the Go – January 12, 2023

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

American CEO Reiterates Commitment to Reliability, Tech Investments (Source: CNBC)
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom praised the carrier’s performance in the face of inclement weather during the winter holiday travel period. “We’ve invested in technology to make sure that our crews and our planes — we know where they’re at and we can put them back together and get them back to where they need to be sooner,” Isom said.

United Airlines Begins Aircraft Retrofit, Adding Features (Source: View From The Wing)
United Airlines has begun a planned aircraft retrofit. The improvements are to include more premium seats, seatback entertainment systems with bluetooth, power ports and larger overhead bins.

Delta to Offer Paramount+ Streaming This Spring (Source: Media Play News)
Delta Air Lines will offer Paramount+ movies and TV shows to stream on passengers’ personal mobile devices starting this spring. “Paramount not only represents the best of the streaming industry, but they also share our passion for delivering personalized experiences fit to individual customers in ways that bring the experience in the sky closer to what you would find at home,” said Ranjan Goswami, SVP of customer experience design at Delta.

Southwest’s Meltdown Could End Up Being Good For Travelers (Source: Axios)
The carrier’s recent failure has reignited discussions about a proposed Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights, which would require airlines to give refunds and compensation for extra costs caused by delayed or canceled flights and for lost luggage.

General Interest

FAA Outage: What Happened And How Airlines Are Responding (Source: The Hill)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) blamed a corrupted database file for a system outage on Wednesday morning, but many questions still remain as airlines deal with the fallout from thousands of delayed and canceled flights.

Airports

Salt Lake City Was The Most Punctual U.S. Airport In 2022 (Source: Travel Weekly)
Flyers using Salt Lake City Airport might have wondered what all the commotion was about last year when the headlines raged with stories about airline service implosions.  That’s because the Utah airport enjoyed the highest on-time performance in 2022 among North America airports with at least 2.5 million departing passengers, according to OAG.

Illinois Airport Plans $40M in Upgrades (Source: Quad-City Times)
Quad Cities International Airport near Moline, Ill., is hoping to acquire funding for about $40 million in improvement projects the airport would like to launch in 2023. Plans call for improving passenger screening and other logistics as well as updating amenities such as seating and check-in kiosks.

$1.5B Missouri Airport Terminal Nears Completion (Source: KCUR-FM)
The new Kansas City International Airport terminal approved by Missouri voters in 2017 is nearing completion, and an opening is expected in March. The $1.5 billion project will expand the airport’s capacity from 30,000 passengers a day to more than 50,000.

Hotels

San Francisco’s Arts District Gets Unique Hyatt (Source: Forbes)
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa is in the city’s Arts District and is as much a gallery as a hotel. Its collaboration with the Academy of Art University brings curated work by local artists to the hotel’s public spaces and executive suites.

Hilton Adds ‘Premium Economy’ Brand, Spark by Hilton (Source: Forbes)
The Hilton family of hotel brands is growing in the new year with its latest option, “Spark by Hilton.” Offering hotel stays in the “premium economy” space, the new hotel product will balance affordability with popular amenities that travelers expect (namely free breakfast and access to the enormous Hilton Honors loyalty program).

Leisure Travel

20 Summer Vacation Ideas to Try This Year (Source: PureWow)
Sure, it’s the middle of winter…but all the more reason to start daydreaming about a sun-soaked vacation somewhere far away. (And maybe even acting on those designs, since accommodations do fill up fast.) Here, a roundup of summer vacation ideas that includes everything from Mediterranean beach stays to once-in-a-lifetime wildlife viewing experiences in the mountains.

Must-Visit Historic Sites That Shaped The Authentic U.S. South (Source: Travel Daily)
The South is full of historic sites, monuments and commemorative museums. Its unique culture is woven from the varied traditions and customs of its inhabitants.  Here are some historical must-sees in the authentic U.S. South that will give you a deeper understanding of the South we see today.