Apr
25
2020
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Two American Airlines Award Improvements
6 Reasons An “Immunity Passport” Isn’t Going To Work For Travel
Apr
25
2020
We do not need a vaccine to travel again. Widespread availability of a vaccine is probably two years away even if it’s developed in a year, since it has to be manufactured and distributed at massive scale. However a gimmick like an immunity passport, given our limited knowledge of the virus right now, isn’t likely to get us back in the sky.
So don’t get infected just because you think recovering from the virus will help you to travel, because it probably won’t.
Hawaii’s Tourism Authority Will Now Pay To Get Tourists To Leave The State
Apr
25
2020
The state has had just 55 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the past week. Perhaps they benefit from warm, humidity, and a tendency to spend time outdoors. Perhaps the quarantine for arriving passengers put in place April 1 has helped as well.
But what happens when visitors to the Islands violate the quarantine order?
President Trump’s Big Beautiful Deal For Airlines: Advance Bulk Purchases Of Tickets At A Discount
Apr
25
2020
President Trump has an idea to help the airlines make it through to the future, while getting a deal for taxpayers: pay up front for several years of travel, but get a bigger discount from the airlines for doing it.
American Finally Lets Most Members Cancel Awards, Redeposit Miles Online – Only Through May 31
Apr
24
2020
You can cancel an American Airlines award ticket online – there’s a cancel link in your account’s itineraries. Cancelling, through, doesn’t put miles back into your account. To get miles redeposited you’ve had to call American – until now, under certain limited conditions.
Airlines All Over The World Are Having Success At One Thing – Getting Governments To Give Them Money
Apr
24
2020
While there’s no doubt that airlines are struggling in the face of a sudden evaporation of demand for their product, what’s especially striking about this moment is the success airlines are having at the political game given that public health concerns might take budgetary priority – such as prioritizing funds for hospital beds, protective equipment, ventilators (which don’t appear to do much good) but just as importantly for treatments and ultimately vaccine research.
Star Alliance Airline Avianca Warns It May Go Bust, Are Your LifeMiles Safe?
Apr
24
2020
The advice with LifeMiles – which has a good award chart, no fuel surcharges, and sells miles cheap – has long been to buy what you need to use right away, not to invest in the program long term.
Italy Plans To Nationalize Alitalia In June, Consider Leaving SkyTeam For New Alliance
Apr
24
2020
Italy has been pumping cash into perennial loss-maker Alitalia for years, despite European Union rules against subsidizing a national carrier. Other airlines have burned through capital with ownership stakes in the airline – Air France and Etihad – but they’ve been burned and other carriers were gun shy to take over given losses of 2 million euros a day even before things began going down hill for the entire aviation industry.
The Italian government wouldn’t stand up to the airline’s unions, and without lowering costs no one was willing to come to a deal to take over the failed airline. Now they’re going to nationalize the carrier and they claim that will make it profitable. They will also consider dropping their partnership with Delta.
Airport Uses A Bulldozer To Block Virgin Australia Plane From Departing
Apr
24
2020
While Deloitte, as administrator, seeks to find new money to restart the carrier, it’s also going to be restructuring the airline’s debts. Since Virgin Australia reportedly owes about US$10 million to the Perth airport in unpaid fees, the airport decided to block a Boeing 737-800 from taking off as a way of physically securing their claim – using a bulldozer.
The 10 Best And Worst U.S. Cities To Be Quarantined In
Apr
24
2020
There’s a new analysis of the best cities in the U.S. to be quarantined in. It takes into account average apartment size (very important), prevalence of high speed internet (crucial), amount of park land (so you can get out and still social distance), and number of takeout food options.
