News notes from around the interweb:
- How airports will change from coronavirus there’s been a lot more discussion of airlines and to a lesser extent hotels but the airport focus is important too.
- Disney re-opening mid-July despite having to wear masks all day outdoors in summer, doesn’t the idea of advance reservations for reduced capacity = a whole lot less waiting and more rides? Could the Rona Era be the best time to visit Disney, given how the desirability of outdoors from a spread perspective? They’re promising lots of hand sanitizer.
- A formal DOT complaint has been filed against Air Canada over their refusal to refund tickets for cancelled flights. (HT: @Travel33t) Most people file informal consumer complaints and that helps them get their own personal situation resolved. The formal complaint process can take a year, involves an on the record written response from the airline, and an actual decision by DOT (including the potential for fines).
- Chateauroux airport near Paris is buzzing with activity
- Hyatt Regency Buffalo being deflagged
- Thailand’s king, who has been social distancing at a hotel he entirely bought out in Germany, was spotted with 20 women from his harem
- Well, it’s one idea.
Air Canada’s blatent refusal to obide by US and EU laws should get them banned from those airspaces
All these declaratory articles about how thing X or Y “will” change because of coronavirus are getting really tiresome.
We are still in a crisis phase. All we know for certain is that things will change. We absolutely don’t know what the end of state of that change will be. Or how many of the measures in place now will be maintained in the long term.
To pretend otherwise is idiocy.
So no, Travel and Leisure (which I subscribe to) doesn’t know how the airports will be different.
Interesting re: Air Canada – I must have gotten in early (or had a different policy applied because we redeemed points). We had a planned trip to Toronto at the end of March that of course had to be cancelled. Redeemed some Aeroplan miles for both my wife’s and my ticket and paid taxes and fees in cash. Cancelled the trip online and had everything refunded, minus about a 5% drop in the exchange rate between paying and getting the refund. In a related story, despite not having any published Covid policy at the time, we had our prepaid Omni hotel booking completely refunded as well.
At 171 mile from Paris, Chateauroux is “near Paris” like Baltimore is near New York.
I’ve heard some people think that carry-on bags will be prohibited due to COVID-19. This was a couple weeks ago, when we were still worried about contaminated surfaces, so maybe it’s not relevant anymore. I could still see carry-ons going away to simplify boarding, and not have people move around the cabin during the flight, though.
If carry on bags do go away, airlines will be racking-in more bag fees (incentivizing airlines to enact the policy under the guise of safety), and baggage claim areas will become a circus where social distancing is impossible. Check in lines will be a disaster too.
Chateauroux is a former U.S. Air Force base. I flew in there on a C-130. The difficult part was getting a train from there to Fountainbleu. Old times not forgotten.