Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for July 2021.

Will Covid Take Down Travel Again In The Fall?

by Gary Leff

Jul 03 2021

Here most places have re-opened. There’s an expectation that many businesses will return to the office in the fall. Schools are expected to be open. Already leisure travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, and in some places has exceeded it. But is this state of affairs going to last?

When leisure travel tapers in the fall it won’t yet be replaced by business travel. And spread of the Delta variant amongst unvaccinated populations without immunity from prior infection could lead to real challenges for the industry.

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Hotel Cancels Award Stay Because They Found Someone Better To Rent Rooms To

by Gary Leff

Jul 03 2021

Your travel reservations are never guaranteed, if the travel provider can sell your trip to someone else for (enough) more money. I wrote recently about Hilton cancelling all summer reservations at a Hawaiian hotel property, leaving guests with few options when the hotel had a chance to sell out to a single group booking. Now a similar situation has happened with Hyatt, though unsurprisingly Hyatt did more for the guests that were bumped.

A customer booked at Alila Ventana Big Sur in September on points for their 25th anniversary found that their reservation was being cancelled by the hotel because the property got a better deal from a group booking.

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Austin-Area Congressman Stands Up On Southwest Flight, Flouts Mask Mandate

by Gary Leff

Jul 02 2021

Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX), who represents 10 counties in Texas including parts of Austin and areas North of San Antonio, frustrates me. He was Senator Ted Cruz’s Chief of Staff. He was a critic of Donald Trump until he ran for Congress when he became a supporter. He opposed the President’s calls to overturn the 2020 Presidential election, declared the President to have committed impeachable offenses, but voted against impeachment.

He calls for ‘law and order’ but doesn’t seem to think those rules apply to him.

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Australia’s Covid Plan Could Keep Borders Closed To Visitors Until 2024

by Gary Leff

Jul 02 2021

Australia, like several island nations, won the first phase of the pandemic. They managed to contain the virus through strict lockdowns and border restrictions, and for much of the last year and a half life has been relatively normal. Now they’re losing the long phase, and the nation’s Prime Minister laid out a re-opening plan that could stretch years. I do not expect it to take nearly as long.

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United Airlines Just Re-Opened Several Clubs, Has A Schedule For Re-Opening More

by Gary Leff

Jul 02 2021

With a big aircraft order and a new commitment to seat back video screens, including retrofitting existing aircraft, United Airlines is trying to capture the mantle of a premium carrier that customers will choose to fly.

However they’ve been slow to re-open their club lounges. Fortunately the airline is feeling the pressure, has started to re-open more of its clubs outside of hubs, and has a plan to re-open more over the summer.

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