On the Go – March 19, 2020

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 Airlines to suspend nearly all long-haul international flights starting March 16 (Source: Reuters)
American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) on Saturday said it will implement a phased suspension of nearly all long-haul international flights starting March 16, amid reduced demand and travel restrictions due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

 Airlines forced to reduce flight capacity (Source: Various)
American Airlines will ground most of its widebody fleet, cutting 75% of international flights and 20% of domestic traffic; United plans to cut capacity by 50%; Delta is eliminating all flights to continental Europe for at least 30 days and expects a 40% drop in capacity, and Hawaiian Airlines plans to cut flights by up to 20%. US airlines are offering complimentary rebooking and other flexibility to help passengers with travel disruptions.
TravelPulse, Frequent Business Traveler, Reuters, TechCrunch, The Business Journals

How Hotels and Airlines are Changing Cleaning Policies in the Wake of COVID-19 (Source: SmarterTravel)
Airlines and hotels around the globe are making some drastic changes to the way they clean in the wake of COVID-19.

Airports

Airports scramble to adapt to coronavirus challenges (Source: MiamiHerald.com)
Although most people are avoiding air travel during the coronavirus pandemic, if you need to fly and haven’t been in a South Florida airport in the past few weeks, here is what to expect, courtesy of Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, and Greg Meyers, public information officer of the Broward County Aviation Department.

Hotels

Most Hilton Hotels in Major US Cities to Close (Source: Frequent Business Traveler)
At a meeting of hotel chain CEOs at the White House on Tuesday, Hilton Worldwide CEO Chris Nassetta announced that the company plans to temporarily suspend operations at most of its hotels that are located in major U.S. cities as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Leisure News 

US Ports Open to Returning Ships; Passengers May Fly Home (Source: TravelPulse)
A National Interest Exemption from the Homeland Security Department allows cruise ships to return to US ports and US residents to disembark and fly home. “This includes passengers who are US citizens, legal permanent residents, and foreign diplomats. Non-US citizens will be able to fly home to their home countries,” the statement says.

Security 

TSA Temporarily Accepting Expired Driver’s Licenses For Travel (Source: khon2.com)
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is allowing the use of expired driver’s licenses as acceptable identification for those who are not able to renew their licenses. TSA said in a tweet Tuesday, March 17 that the expired licenses can be used for 1 year after the expiration date plus 60 days after the coronavirus pandemic.

TSA announces new guidelines (Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Transportation Security Administration has announced new guidelines and regulations for travel during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines are available on the TSA website.