On the Go – June 27, 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

Lufthansa Group To Impose Environmental Surcharge (Source: Business Travel News)
European aviation giant Lufthansa Group on Wednesday will introduce an “environmental cost surcharge” of up to €72 per flight to cover part of the cost of complying with new green regulatory rules for airlines, the carrier announced this week.

Delta Adds Caribbean Routes From Minneapolis (Source: Delta News Hub)
Delta Air Lines is adding routes this winter from Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport (MSP) to the eastern Caribbean islands of Aruba and St. Maarten, and increasing service from MSP to Grand Cayman and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Delta also announced a new seasonal route between Orlando, Fla., and London, with flights starting on Oct. 26, and resuming service between Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh on Nov. 23.

As Air Travel Breaks Record Volumes, US Airfares Drop To Historic Lows (Source: A Better Flight Plan Blog)
Government data shows airfares in May dropped nearly 9% from last year, when adjusted for inflation. Fares have fallen more than 19%, when adjusted for inflation, compared to before the pandemic in May 2019.

World’s Best Airline For 2024 Named By Skytrax (Source: CNN)
Human beings weren’t designed to fly through the sky at 40,000 feet in a pressurized metal tube – with our aching limbs, burbling gastric systems and willful propensity to annoy other airborne human beings.  If, however, we absolutely must, the way to make that experience the best it can possibly be is to fly with Qatar Airways.

Delta Adds In-Flight Payments Using Tap To Pay On iPhone (Source: Digital Transactions)
Delta Air Lines is implementing Tap to Pay on iPhone for its US flights, working with Elavon. This technology, introduced by Apple in 2022, enables flight attendants to use iPhones for payment acceptance, reducing the need for additional point-of-sale devices.

General Interest

Advito Projects Q3 Hikes In Hotel Rates, Domestic Fares (Source: Business Travel News)
Intercontinental airfares will decline and hotel rate increases will stabilize in the third quarter, while domestic and regional airfares in the U.S. and Europe are on the rise, according to Advito’s Travel Price Index, released this week.

Airports

World’s Best Airport Wi-Fi Is In San Francisco (Source: Business Traveler )
A study by Ookla found that San Francisco International Airport has the best Wi-Fi at any of the 50 busiest airports in the world, providing a median download speed of 173.55 Mbps and average upload speed of 233 Mbps. In second place is New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, followed by John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona and Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, while Mexico City International Airport was ranked at the bottom of the list.

Hotels

Hyatt Adds Two Independent New Orleans Hotels (Source: Travel Weekly )
Hyatt has expanded its presence in New Orleans, adding two hotels: Maison Metier (formerly Maison de la Luz) and The Barnett (formerly the Ace Hotel New Orleans).  Maison Metier is expected to join Hyatt’s Unbound Collection this year, and The Barnett is slated to join the JdV by Hyatt collection in 2024. Both hotels are on Carondelet Street, one block from New Orleans’ famed Lafayette Square. The hotels are owned by the Domain Cos. and managed by HRI Hospitality.

Historic D.C. Hotel Gets A Complete Update (Source: MeetingsNet )
A host property for many international dignitaries and a few U.S. presidents, the 559-room hotel has updated its guest rooms, meeting spaces, restaurants, and public areas. In late spring, Capital Hilton completed a 13-month renovation of the entire property. First opened in 1943 and on the National Register of Historic Places, the Washington, D.C. hotel now has an art-deco aesthetic laid over its brutalist architecture, with upgraded furniture, soft goods, lighting, and technologies.

Ground Transportation

Lyft Makes Its On-Time Pickup Promise Permanent To Credit Riders for Delayed Rides (Source: The Points Guy )
It’s already been a record-breaking summer travel season, with U.S. airlines expecting 271 million travelers between June 1 and Aug. 31, according to Airlines for America.  Lyft has long been in the business of getting travelers where they need to be when they need to be there.

Leisure Travel

The 7 Most Underrated European Destinations For Your Summer Trip (Source: The Points Guy)
There’s nothing quite like a summer spent hopping around Europe. With millennia of history, some of the best restaurants in the world and top-notch museums, there are plenty of places to explore, whether it’s your first visit or your hundredth. Unfortunately, those same wonderful qualities attract masses of tourists, especially during the summer high season.

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