On the Go – January 5, 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

Here Are The Best Airlines For Flight Delays in North America in 2022 (Source: Travel Market Report)
2022 was a year of recovery for the travel industry, but it was far from smooth sailing.  With a rebound in demand came a short supply of staff and resources, which caused an unprecedented level of disruptions for so many travelers, who, desperate for a return to travel post-COVID-19, had to suffer through countless delays and cancellations. And while the disruptions were widespread, some carriers did significantly better than others.

Delta Air Lines Will Offer Free Wi-Fi Starting On February 1 (Source: Travel Market Report)
Delta Air Lines will start offering free Wi-Fi on most of its domestic flights starting this Feb. 1, Delta CEO Ed Bastian announced on Thursday at the Consumers Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  Initially, free Wi-Fi will only be available on planes that are capable of providing it, Bastian said, which accounts for nearly 80% of its domestic fleet (those that are equipped with Viasat). Delta will then work to make it available across its full fleet, with the goal of doing so by the end of 2024 for all domestic, international, and regional flights.

Southwest Operational Performance Still Lags Major U.S. Carriers As It Recovers From Holiday Meltdown (Source: Business Travel News)
After a week of significant cancellations and delays for Southwest Airlines—in which it reduced its flights to one-third of its normal schedule, CEO Bob Jordan issued an apology, and the U.S. Department of Transportation said it would investigate the airline’s practices—the carrier on Dec. 30 had returned to normal operations with usual disruptions for a holiday weekend.

Preview 2023: Airlines (Source: Travel Weekly)
After three years of turmoil, signs are pointing toward a relatively stable year for the U.S. airlines. Ticket prices could stay high due to high demand and constrained seat capacity.

General Interest

Croatia Takes Final Steps Into E.U. With Open Border And Euro Switch (Source: The Guardian)
Croatia has adopted the euro and joined the European Union’s borderless Schengen zone, two steps that its prime minister said represented a historic moment.  “Nothing is the same after this,” said Andrej Plenković, promising that joining the euro would better protect Croatians from financial crises, and joining the Schengen zone would make travelling easier and boost tourism.

Major Changes That Will Affect Travelers In 2023 (Source: TravelPulse)
As we welcome the arrival of a fresh new year, Americans are keen to move forward from the long-suffered constraints of the pandemic era. For many, that means taking bucket-list-type trips overseas.  But, some sweeping changes are coming to the global travel scene in 2023, with new regulations, systems and services slated to take effect that will affect American trippers. Here is a look at some of the major developments that U.S. travelers need to know about this year.

Bold Travel Industry Predictions For 2023 (Source: Skift)
We know the travel industry will surprise us in 2023. That’s one thing that’s certain. These envelope-pushing prognostications are just our way of getting ready for the unexpected. We had fun coming up with these, and hope you read them in that same spirit. We ask our reporters and editors at the end of every year to stretch their imaginations for what could unfold in the new year. Give us bold predictions you know are 90 percent unlikely, but ones that provoke some thought. And who knows?

Hotels

Sonesta Launches New Brand (Source: Business Travel News)
Sonesta International Hotels Corp. has launched Sonesta Essential, a stripped-down brand offering properties with the “essentials,” the company announced Tuesday.

Leisure Travel

The Top Travel Destinations For 2023, According To Experts (Source: The Washington Post)
At the beginning of 2022, the outlook for travel felt uncertain. A new coronavirus variant had tripped up society again, and it was still a roll of the dice to plan a vacation — let alone take one. But once the omicron wave waned, travel roared back with a vengeance: Testing requirements fell, borders opened and it seemed like every other person you knew went to Europe.