On the Go – September 17, 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 CEO Emphasizes Flexibility and Cleanliness (Source: TravelPulse)
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian detailed the increased flexibility of eliminating rebooking fees and Delta’s new sanitary measures in his newest message to customers. The airline’s newest additions are antimicrobial bins at security checkpoints and new filtering systems in jetways.

Southwest Extends Open Middle Seats Pledge Through November (Source: USA Today)
Southwest Airlines has extended booking limits through November that allow all middle seats on its flights to remain empty. “As we transition into autumn and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday season, we want Southwest customers to have the confidence of knowing that middle seats will remain open through Nov. 30 to accommodate their fall travel plans,” Southwest’s Ryan Green said.

United Begins Utilizing Antimicrobial Spray Robots (Source: ABC News)
United Airlines is deploying robots that spray an antimicrobial mist for overnight cleaning procedures at 10 airports. “The combination of this antimicrobial technology, along with the disinfecting application technology that we’re using along with masks, all of that together provides for a really safe environment on board aircraft,” United’s Josh Earnest said.

Delta Upgrades Gate Filtration Systems (Source: Delta News Hub)
Delta Air Lines is replacing the air filtration systems that clean the air in jet bridges and parked aircraft with upgraded LEED Platinum MERV14 filters. The move, which will start this month with over 600 gates at 31 airports, adds to Delta’s commitment to clean air that includes frequently replaced onboard HEPA filters.

Hotel

IHG to Bring Voco Brand to The United States (Source: Business Travel News)
InterContinental Hotels Group’s upscale Voco brand, which launched in 2018 in Australia and Europe, is poised to debut in the United States with three properties by the first quarter of 2021, IHG SVP of development for the Americas Julienne Smith said Tuesday.

Leisure Travel

13 Best Hikes In Seattle (Source: Conde Nast Traveler)
Seattle’s reputation as an outdoorsy city is well-earned. In less than an hour from the buzz of downtown, you can be hiking through a mossy forest, ascending 1,000 feet to an alpine lake that’s too cold for swimming (though that doesn’t stop everyone!), or scoping a gorgeous glacial landscape. For heaven’s sake, where else can you find volcanoes, coastal rainforests, and snowy peaks so close to a single urban center?

10 Best Golf Resorts With Private Cottages or Cabins (Source: Forbes)
Two of the biggest leisure trend upswings during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic have been golf, which is through the roof with a record breaking year for equipment sales, and demand among travelers for freestanding lodging such as cabins or cottages, which require no crowded lobbies or elevators and share no hallways.