All Delta Tickets Are Now Refundable, Just Claim A Fake Exemption To The Mask Requirement

by Gary Leff

Jul 18 2020

U.S. airlines now require that passengers wear masks in order to fly. They’ve been lobbying the federal government to require it, but it seems like compliance on planes is actually better than average compared to many states where it’s a legal requirement.

Passengers who have medical reasons not to wear a mask are exempt from the requirement. Delta is going a step farther than other airlines (as they often do, for better and worse) requiring passengers who want to claim a medical exemption to have a medical consult prior to travel. If you’re faking, you get your money back.

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Masks Can’t Stop Passengers With Raging Hormones

by Gary Leff

Jul 18 2020

Usually passengers use the lavatory. Far less common is when passengers just stay at their seats although those are the stories that go most viral especially when they’ve only just met on board.

I don’t know the story of these two passengers, but you can see that even though love hit them at least one is still wearing a mask.

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Better Airline And Hotel Cleaning Needs To Stay With Us Even After Covid-19

by Gary Leff

a321 aisle
Jul 17 2020

In previous challenging times airlines cut back on their cleaning, going as long as 18 months between deep cleans. Now despite losing billions of dollars per quarter airlines have stepped up their level of cleaning every day.

That needs to continue. Covid-19 isn’t the only threat to health. People are going to have this experience fresh in their minds. Masks are likely to persist at least for some, even after they’re no longer required inflight. Airlines and hotels are going to need to compete on clean.

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A Vaccine Alone Won’t Be Enough To Make Travel Normal Again

by Gary Leff

Jul 17 2020

Many readers have said consistently throughout the pandemic that they will not travel until there is a vaccine. I think it’s the wrong paradigm for thinking about future travel both because a vaccine won’t be the cure all many people expect and because travel itself seems pretty safe, the issue is what you find at your destination.

We know a lot more about Covid-19 than we did three and four months ago. Much of what we think we know is still speculative. There’s learning which suggests real optimism, even as the virus spreads rapidly through much of the country (especially the southern portion). But the idea that we’re just hanging in for a vaccine, and once we have one everything goes back to normal, no longer holds up as we learn more about what vaccines against the novel coronavirus can do. At the same time it’s one part of a tool kit that will bring life and travel back to what it once was – and taken together likely even get us most of the way there in the first half of 2021.

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Airline And Hotel Employees Use Their Prejudices To Report You For Crimes

by Gary Leff

Jul 17 2020

An African American social service worker is suing American Airlines after she was accused of kidnapping a one year old white baby while traveling with him on a flight. She was accused of “holding a kidnap victim.” In fact she was returning from a two week court-ordered visit for the child with his father.

See something, say something isn’t just for airport security, it’s supposed to stop human trafficking and travel industry employees are asked to speak up when their prejudices training makes them think something could be amiss.

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