On the Go – January 19, 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

Airlines See Strong Demand For Travel in 2023 (Source: Reuters)
US airlines are predicting that booming travel demand will continue throughout 2023. “The supply-demand dynamics are different than they’ve ever been in my career,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said this week. “We know… the public wants to travel in outsized amounts,” said Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian.

Delta Air Lines Orders 12 More Airbus A220s (Source: Delta News Hub)
Delta Air Lines has ordered 12 more Airbus A220-300s for delivery in 2026 and 2027, bringing its total order to 119. “These 12 additional A220 aircraft will help power our increasingly streamlined fleet while also providing our customers with the elevated in-flight experience they’ve come to expect from Delta,” said Kristen Bojko, vice president of fleet.

NASA, Boeing to Collaborate on Efficient Plane Design (Source: CNN)
NASA will work with Boeing to develop an experimental aircraft that uses an innovative wing design to make it more efficient and reduce emissions. The Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept will employ elongated, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, reducing drag.

Lufthansa Submits Offer To Buy Italian Airline ITA Airways (Source: Travel Market Report)
The Lufthansa Group has submitted a bid to acquire a stake in the Italian national carrier ITA Airways, a bid that could eventually lead to Lufthansa owning the airline outright.  Lufthansa, which currently includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, and Air Dolomiti, said that it would initially acquire a minority stake in ITA, along with options to purchase the remaining shares at a later date.

United: In ‘New Reality,’ Industry 2023 Capacity Outlook ‘Unachievable’ (Source: Business Travel News)
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby did not mince words during the company’s Wednesday fourth-quarter earnings call, terming industry capacity aspirations for 2023 “simply unachievable.”  He said that all companies, including airlines and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, need to staff at higher levels, an effort he said was hindered by such constraints as the ongoing pilot shortage, lower experience levels, elevated sick rates because of Covid and some state legislation that makes calling in sick easier.

Delta Confirms China Flight Resumption in March (Source: Business Travel News)
China as of Jan. 8 has lifted many of its Covid-19 restrictions and reopened its borders after nearly completely closing them three years ago. This past Sunday, air passengers could arrive in the country without quarantining. But that doesn’t mean flights from U.S. carriers to China will resume at pre-pandemic levels anytime soon.

General Interest

Mexico Imposes One Of The World’s Strictest Anti-Smoking Laws (Source: ABC News)
One of the World’s strictest anti-tobacco laws has been imposed in Mexico, setting in force a total ban on smoking in public places, including hotels, beaches and parks.

Security

UK to Drop 3-1-1 Liquids Rule For Flights, Will US Follow? (Source: SmarterTravel)
Sales of tiny travel sized bottles may plummet in the United Kingdom, as the British government recently announced plans to loosen security checks at airports.  By utilizing new technology at security checkpoints, flyers at airports across the UK will soon be allowed to bring liquids in containers of up to two liters in airplane cabins, and will also be able to leave larger electronics (like laptops) in carry-on bags during screenings.

Airports

Denver Airport Moves Ahead With Massive Renovations (Source: Simple Flying)
Denver International Airport is wrapping up the second phase of its massive, $1.3 billion renovation project, which focuses on security checkpoints. A final set of renovations is in the design phase, which will offer improvements to everything from seating to electronics.

Schiphol to Drop Cap on Passengers at Start of Summer Season (Source: Open Jaw / Business Travel News)
Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport will end its limit on passengers from 26MAR, 2023, at the start of Europe’s summer high season, says Business Travel News.  The cap on passengers was imposed during summer and winter 2022 seasons as the airport struggled to manage operations due to what it blamed on labour shortages. 

Hotels

New Accor Brand Will Focus on Smaller, Independent Hotels (Source: The Points Guy)
The hotel industry’s branding bonanza continues.  This time, it continues in a newer subset of hospitality known for properties that don’t necessarily fit into the mold of a “normal” hotel brand.  Accor Thursday launched the Handwritten Collection, the latest in the Paris-based hotel giant’s collection brand segment. Accor already has the luxury Emblems Collection and the upper upscale MGallery Collection. The Handwritten Collection will fall in the midscale segment of the market.

JW Marriott Reflags, Renovates Lux Berlin Hotel (Source: MeetingsNet)
Marriott International’s JW Marriott hotel brand now boasts the largest ballroom in Berlin after raising its flag on a 505-room property that was once Hotel Berlin Central District.  JW Marriott Berlin, the second JW Marriott property in Germany, sits close to the 520-acre Tiergarten, one of the largest urban gardens in the country.