On the Go – September 10, 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 Deploys Antimicrobial Bins at Checkpoints (Source: Delta News Hub)
Delta Air Lines is partnering with the Transportation Security Administration to provide antimicrobial bins at security checkpoints. The black bins will initially be deployed at Delta’s hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports.

Airline Execs Adjust Customer Experience During Pandemic (Source: The Wall Street Journal)
Executives in charge of customer experience at Delta, American and United have seen their roles shift during the pandemic and have adapted to increase cleaning procedures and partnered with brands, academic and medical organizations to protect the health and well-being of customers. Executives also cite increased collaboration across the industry as a result of the pandemic. “We truly believe that safety and health and well-being is not a competitive play,” said Alison Taylor, American’s chief customer officer.

United Airlines Plans to Add 50 Routes in October (Source: Fox Business)
United Airlines plans to resume or start service on 50 new routes in October, flying 40% of its 2019 schedule overall and 33% of its international schedule. The new service is spread across the airline’s network, including flights to Hawaii and Israel, as well as additional domestic routes and flights to Mexico, Central and South America.

Airlines Ban More Than 700 For Not Wearing Face Coverings (Source: TravelPulse)
For months now, airlines have said that as travel began to slowly tick upward, they would heavily enforce the rule that all passengers must wear a face mask on board for the duration of the flight. They weren’t kidding.

General Interest

Labor Day Weekend Air Traffic Surges But Still Down 60% (Source: CNN)
Labor Day weekend saw the strongest passenger volume since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as the Transportation Security Administration screened almost 3.3 million people, including 968,673 on Friday, the first time volume has exceeded 900,000 since March 17. Traffic is still down almost 60% compared with the same holiday weekend in 2019.

Aviation Industry Calls For Global Testing Protocols (Source: The Hill)
A coalition of travel industry stakeholders has petitioned federal officials to join a global effort to establish coronavirus testing protocols that could help revive international travel. “We are cognizant of the many complexities and issues surrounding COVID-19 testing,” they wrote, and “it is precisely because of these complexities that we call on the US government to work on a bilateral and multilateral basis to establish a globally accepted framework for testing protocols for international travel.”

Security

New Cabin Baggage Screening Equipment On Trial At London Southend Airport (Source: Future Travel Experience)
London Southend Airport is trialling a new cabin baggage screening system to enhance the passenger journey. The new screening technology will allow passengers to leave liquids and laptops within their bags as they pass through security. This is expected to reduce contact arising from baggage searches and further improve the airport’s processing time.

Hotel

MGM Resorts Las Vegas Hotel-Casinos Near Total Return (Source: Reno Gazette-Journal)
Park MGM, the last of MGM Resorts’ hotel-casinos to remain closed because of the pandemic, will reopen in October, the company says. Reopening of the 13 MGM Las Vegas properties comes in the wake of layoffs of thousands of MGM Resorts employees.

Hotels As Offices Can Lift Productivity, Morale (Source: Forbes)
The pandemic has inspired a welcome movement by hotels to convert some of their vacant space to day offices, in a departure from the current trend of renting to individual workers in WeWork-type programs, travel writer Alex Ledsom says. Both efficiency and socialization are enhanced with this alternative to working from home, Ledsom observes.

Rental Car

When A Client Asks If A Rental Car Is Safe (Source: Travel Market Report)
As domestic quarantines were lifted during the second half of the unforgettable summer of 2020, but most international destinations remained closed to American travelers, we collectively took to the road with a renewed sense of vigor and exploration of the great outdoors. And that revival of the American road trip is expected to continue well into the Fall.

Airports

Airports Invest in Automatic Cleaning Tech (Source: The Washington Post)
The coronavirus pandemic is accelerating interest in automated cleaning technology, such as robots and electrostatic devices at airports. Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has deployed electrostatic sprayers, an escalator handrail cleaning system that uses UVC LED lighting technology and self-driving floor-cleaning machines that navigate with digital terminal maps.

Leisure Travel

10 Secret Tourist Attractions in Berlin (Source: Smarter Travel)
Berlin is one of Europe’s cheapest and hippest cities. So what are you waiting for? Go now, and don’t miss these hidden gems within the city. Visit converted bunkers, dine in hidden restaurants, or even jump off a building (safely)—Berlin has all you need.