On the Go – October 1, 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.

* * For the latest COVID-19 travel industry information, please click on this link:

https://traveloneinc.com/covid-19-industry-information/

Airlines

Delta To Retire 3 More Aircraft Types (Source: The Business Journals)
Delta Air Lines will retire its Bombardier CRJ-200 planes by the end of 2023 and its Boeing 717-200 and 767-300ER aircraft by December 2025, having already scrapped the MD-88 and MD-90 and announced plans to stop flying 777s by the end of 2020. “These plans are another step in Delta’s fleet simplification strategy, which is intended to streamline and modernize Delta’s fleet, enhance the customer experience, and generate cost savings,” Delta said.

United Exec: Business Travel Rebound May Come Soon (Source: Business Travel News)
Domestic business travel may begin to pick up once employees start returning to in-person offices in early 2021, although an international travel rebound is expected to take longer due to worldwide restrictions in place, says Andrew Nocella, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of United Airlines. Nocella says smaller businesses currently are more eager to travel, while companies of all sizes will require a vaccine and rapid COVID-19 testing before they are comfortable resuming normal business travel plans.

American Launches COVID-19 Testing Program (Source: Dallas Morning News)
American Airlines is launching a coronavirus testing program for passengers that will include at-home and airport tests, starting with flights from Dallas to Hawaii and Jamaican nationals returning home via Miami. JetBlue, United and Hawaiian have also announced testing programs.

Alaska Airlines To Offer COVID-19 Testing At Pop-Up Clinics (Source: The Business Journals)
Alaska Airlines will offer COVID-19 testing to passengers bound for Hawaii, partnering with Carbon Health to provide the service at pop-up clinics, starting in Seattle and eventually rolling out in other West Coast cities. Lt. Gov. Josh Green said the Hawaiian government is working with Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, CVS, American Airlines and Kaiser Permanente to iron out the details of testing arrangements for travelers seeking to meet the state’s quarantine rules.

JetBlue To Offer At-Home Pre-Travel COVID-19 Tests (Source: Future Travel Experience)
JetBlue has announced that it is introducing an at-home COVID-19 testing solution to provide more convenience to travelers with pending travel plans.

There’s Less Than 1% Chance Of Catching COVID-19 Flying, Says Airline Exec (Source: Bloomberg)
Four major U.S. airlines share thoughts on blocked middle seats, the future of business travel, and the issues that’ll affect flying beyond the pandemic.

Rail

Amtrak App Lets Travelers Check How Full Trains Are (Source: Travel + Leisure Online)
Amtrak has updated its mobile app to allow passengers to get real-time information about how many seats are booked on a train. The percentage is based on full capacity, though Amtrak says its trains are not at full capacity during the pandemic.

Security

Brussels Airport To Get Pre-Clearance For Flights To The U.S. (Source: Politico)
Passengers flying to the U.S. from Brussels Airport will be screened in advance rather than having to go through lengthy immigration checks on arrival at their destination following a deal between the two governments on Monday. The accord means staff from U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be deployed at Brussels Airport to carry out checks, the Belgian government said in a statement.

Hotels

Spirited New Yorkers Bring “Haunted” Hotel Back To Life (Source: USA Today)
A 19th-century hotel in Naples, N.Y., with a reputation for spooky incidents has been revived by Tom and Destiny Salviski of Brighton as Halloween looms. The Naples Hotel has entertained such notable guests as Robert F. Kennedy in addition to recognition by the “Ghost Hunters” TV show and Haunted History Trail of New York State.

You May Soon Be Staying In This Futuristic Hotel (Source: USA Today)
Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of 325 hotel industry executives coordinated by The Gettys Group , a Chicago-based design, development and consulting firm, have been meeting since June to brainstorm hotel innovations. The global think tank called The Hotel of Tomorrow Project which includes operators, designers, manufacturers and owners from Four Seasons, Hilton, IHG and Marriott among others recently released its findings culled from 79 suggested ideas from 16 teams globally that were then shopped to 1000 industry executives for their input.

Airports

Connecticut, Florida Airports Launch Passenger Testing Programs (Source: CNN)
Florida’s Tampa International Airport and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut are launching onsite COVID-19 testing programs for passengers. While both airports are offering tests to all travelers, Bradley’s program is specifically aimed at helping inbound passengers shorten or avoid Connecticut’s quarantine requirements.

Seattle Airport Gets $3B Makeover With Multiple Projects (Source: Engineering News-Record)
The Port of Seattle is remaking Sea-Tac International Airport with more than $3 billion in construction projects, highlighted by expansion of the North Satellite terminal and a new $968-million International Arrivals Facility. “The most unique thing about this structure has been building an entirely new structure around an existing facility while maintaining operations in the central core,” says Jason Coyne, general supervisor on the North Satellite Modernization for Hensel Phelps.

Airports Roll Out Coronavirus-Related Innovations (Source: USA Today)
Airports’ innovative pandemic-related programs include customer assistance robots handing out masks at San Francisco International Airport as well as high-tech sanitation systems and onsite testing. Denver International Airport’s VeriFLY program streamlines health checks, promotes social distancing and allows passengers to make checkpoint reservations.

Meetings

Nevada Oks Small Conventions; MGM, Wynn List COVID Plan (Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts announced plans for rapid COVID-19 testing now that Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak reopened the state to small conventions with up to 1,000 people. MGM will use the Convene with Confidence plan, which was used for the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.