On the Go – June 10, 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

Airline Alliances Call For International Travel Standards (Source: Aviation24)
The CEOs of the SkyTeam, Star Alliance and oneworld airline alliances called for common standards and digital health credentials that allow safe reopening of international borders. They said fully vaccinated travelers should be exempt from quarantine, COVID-19 testing requirements should be internationally consistent and connecting passengers should not be subject to additional restrictions.

Delta Proposes Codeshare With airBaltic (Source: Simple Flying)
Delta Air Lines and airBaltic have applied for approval to code share from the US Department of Transportation. Delta hopes to sell airBaltic flights from major European cities to Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, the capital cities of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, respectively.

General Interest

Biden, Johnson Agree to Open U.S.-U.K. Travel As Soon As Possible (Source: Wall Street Journal)
President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will seek to ease Covid-19 travel restrictions as part of a wide-ranging “Atlantic Charter” before this week’s Group of Seven meeting, according to Mr. Johnson’s office. The charter, a riff on the historic joint statement made by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 as their vision for a democratic world post-World War II, will be unveiled Thursday. The meeting will be the first between the two nations’ leaders since Mr. Biden’s election.

Europe is Opening to Tourists.  When Will The U.S. Make The Move? (Source: CNN)
European Union lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a new travel certificate that will allow people to move between European countries without having to quarantine or undergo extra coronavirus tests, paving the way for the pass to start in time for summer.

Report: Canada ‘Preparing’ to Ease Border Restrictions for Vaccinated Travelers (Source: Travel Market Report)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is getting ready to ease Canada’s border restrictions, in place since March 2020, loosening restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers coming in and out of Canada via the United States. In a report from Bloomberg, citing people “familiar with the discussions,” Trudeau is reportedly preparing to announce a plan in the coming days, though it’s not clear when exactly that plan would be implemented.

Travel Technology

6 Travel-Friendly Features Coming to Apple’s Newest iPhone Software (Source: The Points Guy)
Every June, Apple unveils its latest software improvements for its devices. Monday, June 7 marked the beginning of the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference, and Apple’s virtual keynote included details of what’s coming to iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches this fall. While there’s a slew of features included in the new iOS 15 that’ll soon power your iPhone, six of them are significant enough to get travelers particularly excited.

Hotels

NH Hotels to Add 12 Properties in 2021 (Source: Business Travel News)
NH Hotel Group has announced plans to open its first properties in the Middle East and Denmark. The openings will bring the number of new hotels in the group during opening in 2021 to 12. The Vyra Suites NH Collection Doha hotel, located in the capital of Qatar, will open its doors during the last quarter of 2021 with 228 serviced apartments, marking the brand’s first footsteps in Middle East. By the end of the year, the group will also open the NH Dubai The Palm, a 14-storey property with 227 rooms and 306 serviced apartments.

New Orleans’ Most Luxurious Hotel is Opening Next Month (Source: The Points Guy)
New Orleans, Louisiana, will soon welcome the Four Seasons to its roster of luxury hotels. The highly anticipated property will open its doors to guests on July 21, 2021, in a modernist 34-story landmark building dating back to the 1960s.

Airports

Las Vegas Airport Reopens Checkpoint That Tests New Tech (Source: Las Vegas Sun)
McCarran International Airport and the Transportation Security Administration have reopened the Las Vegas airport’s “Innovation Checkpoint,” which tests new screening technology. Improved equipment and algorithms aim to speed the screening process, reduce touchpoints between passengers and agents and increase accuracy.

Leisure Travel

Hawaii Eases Pandemic-Related Travel Restrictions (Source: Travel + Leisure Online)
Hawaii is dropping pandemic-related restrictions on interisland travel, and will lift quarantine and testing requirements for mainland travelers who are vaccinated against COVID-19 in Hawaii starting June 15. Once Hawaii achieves a 60% vaccination rate, the state will lift pre-arrival testing and quarantine requirements for non-resident tourists from the mainland who show proof of vaccination through the Safe Travels program.