Hotels With Wall Mounted Toiletries Aren’t Taking Covid Cleaning Obligations Seriously

by Gary Leff

bottles with hair cleaner in them
Jul 28 2020

We aren’t re-using grocery bags right now, or dishware on airplanes – everything is moving towards single use because we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. Hotels need to recognize that and take it seriously and end this ill-fated experiment with getting guests to re-use each others’ shampoo.

I’m not suggesting environmental considerations aren’t meaningful – they just point towards single use biodegradable packaging, which have been in some hotels for years, not communal use.

Continue Reading »

The Surprising Reason American Express Says Spending On Airlines And Hotel Cards Is Strong

by Gary Leff

Jul 27 2020

During the American Express second quarter earnings call, CEO Stephen Squeri offered a number of insights into their credit card business and travel benefits.

The company is seeing lower rewards expenses because the highest cost rewards are usually travel rewards, and that’s not how people are spending their points. There’s also less usage of travel-related benefits. I was surprise though that Delta, Marriott, and Hilton cards have been outperforming other American Express cards.

Continue Reading »

Delta Partners With Lysol To Make Flying Safer (And Clean The Lavatories)

by Gary Leff

Jul 27 2020

United Airlines branded its cleanliness efforts with Clorox. Hilton puts Lysol stickers on hotel room doors after the rooms have been cleaned. Now Delta Air Lines has struck a deal with Lysol as well.

Lysol will provide Delta with disinfectant spray and wipes and “develop new protocols for areas such as lavatories.” They’ll also work on “disinfection procedures at departure gates and in Sky Clubs, and Delta will deploy “care carts” with EPA-approved Lysol disinfection products.”

Continue Reading »

Everyone Expects A Vaccine To Bring Back Travel. That May Not Be How It Happens.

by Gary Leff

Jul 27 2020

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby talked during his airline’s earnings call about the airline expecting to plateau at 50% of last year’s revenue ‘until there’s a vaccine’ and then expecting recovery to come very quickly to the airline business. American Airlines, too, talked about a vaccine for Covid-19 in its earnings call.

I’ve already written about a vaccine not being a silver bullet, that it’s likely not to be 100% effective and not everyone will take it. That means the virus will continue to circulate, people will still get infected. A vaccine may help – but perhaps less than you think – and isn’t the ‘trigger’ for travel everyone hopes.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Now Lets Flight Attendants Wear Face Shields In Addition To Masks

by Gary Leff

Jul 26 2020

Back in March an American Airlines flight attendant wrote about her ordeal trying to wear a face shield while working flights. She viewed it as taking precautions to protect herself while some passengers refused to comply with the carrier’s mask requirement. The airline told her she should just go on leave if she felt unsafe, and that she made “customers feel uncomfortable.”

Now American Airlines has reportedly reversed its ban on flight attendants wearing face shields.

Continue Reading »