On the Go – November 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.

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Airlines

Delta to Block Middle Seats Through March 2021 (Source: Business Travel News)
Delta Air Lines has extended its policy of blocking middle seats through the end of March 2021, which would leave it the sole U.S. carrier with such a policy well into next year. Although several U.S. carriers currently have policies to block middle seats, most of those are set to expire within the next few months.

Delta Launches First Domestic Digital Identity Test in U.S., Providing Touchless Curb-to-Gate Experience (Source: Delta News Hub)
In partnership with Transportation Security Administration, Delta is launching the first facial recognition option for domestic travelers using a digital ID made up of a customer’s passport number and TSA PreCheck® membership.

American Airlines Eliminates Change Fees on International Tickets (Source: American Airlines)
Effective immediately, American will eliminate change fees for First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Main Cabin (except Basic Economy) tickets for all long-haul international flying when travel originates in North or South America. This new policy matches American’s previous announcement to remove change fees on most domestic and short-haul international flying.

Korean Air to Acquire Asiana Airlines (Source: Business Travel News)
Korean Airlines has reached a deal to acquire its chief competitor Asiana Airlines, with plans to consolidate into a single airline that will dominate the Korean air market. Per the agreement, Korean will acquire a majority share in Asiana for 1.8 trillion Korean won, about $1.6 billion. The carrier plans to issue new shares early next year to raise about 2.5 trillion won worth of capital, 730 billion of which will come from Korean Airlines parent company Hanjin KAL.

Boeing 737 MAX Cleared By The FAA to Return to Service (Source: Travel Market Report)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday announced that it had approved the Boeing 737 MAX to fly again, bringing an end to a 20 month grounding that started in March 2019.

JetBlue Will End Seat Blocking in January (Source: Out of the Blue)
Citing science that supports the safety of the aircraft cabin, JetBlue Airways will raise onboard capacity limits from 70% to 85% starting Dec. 2, then make all seats available for sale after Jan. 7. “Studies like the recent report from Harvard researchers confirm that the layers of protection we have in place make the aircraft as safe or substantially safer than other more common settings, like grocery shopping or indoor dining,” JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty said.

Survey Ranks Delta As Top Airline For Business Travelers (Source: Business Travel News)
Delta Air Lines was named the best airline for corporate travel in Business Travel News’ Airline Survey, an accolade the carrier has earned for 10 consecutive years. Delta had better scores in every category as compared to 2019, and the airline also earned high scores in new criteria added this year regarding airlines’ response to the pandemic.

Southwest Has Now Added a Total of 10 New Cities in Coronavirus Expansion (Source: The Points Guy)
Southwest Airlines has added Sarasota, Florida, to its coronavirus pandemic expansion. The move comes even as the carrier sees the recovery in air travel slow during the final months of 2020. The Dallas-based discounter will begin flights to Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ) in the first quarter of 2021, Southwest revealed in an investor update on Thursday. The Florida city joins Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Colorado Springs (COS), Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH), Jackson, Mississippi (JAN), and Savannah, Georgia (SAV), as additions that will join the airline’s map in the first half of the new year.

Airports

Renovation of Delta’s LAX Terminals 18 Months Ahead of Plan (Source: Los Angeles Business Journal)
As officials from Delta Air Lines and Los Angeles International Airport joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti at a ceremony marking completion of the frame of a new front entrance, they announced that the $1.9 billion renovation of Terminals 2 and 3 is 18 months ahead of schedule. “If there’s a silver lining to fewer people flying right now, it’s that we have an opportunity and a team with the know-how to pull the future forward on infrastructure projects like Sky Way at LAX to deliver an exceptional experience much faster than planned for our customers and employees,” said Mark Pearson, Delta’s vice president of corporate real estate.

Leisure Travel

The 10 Best National Parks to Visit in Winter (Source: SmarterTravel)
National parks are for more than just summer hiking. Break out of your cold-weather hibernation and check out these 10 national parks that are at their best winter.