The holdings in two recent court rulings against the CDC’s eviction moratorium have caused questions about the legality of the Biden administration’s transportation mask mandate. The mask mandate goes beyond the specified example powers in the statute cited by CDC for its authority, and Congress may not have been able to delegate broader unspecified powers to the CDC even if it had wanted to.
Thailand Approves Re-Opening Of Holiday Destinations To Vaccinated Travelers (But Wait To Book)
Thailand has approved the re-opening of Phuket starting in July for visitors who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, provided that 70% of its population is also vaccinated. And “[b]y the fourth quarter, the quarantine waiver is expected to be implemented in five holiday destinations..”
Don’t go planning July travel to Phuket just yet.
Spirit Airlines Flight Diverts After Passenger Tries To Exit Plane Mid-Air
Wednesday’s Spirit Airlines flight NK185 from Cleveland to Los Angeles diverted to Denver after a passenger tried to open the emergency exit door of the Airbus A320.
The plane was pressurized. The passenger was never going to succeed. But he was ‘unruly’ and several other passengers on the plane held him down and zip tied him. When the plane made it to Denver the man was “wheeled out on a gurney by paramedics.”
Travelers Have Decided The Pandemic Is Over, Whether They’re Vaccinated Or Not
The two week moving average of airline passengers going through TSA security checkpoints has bumped up to 54% of comparable 2019 levels. Passengers hit a pandemic-era single day high of 69% on Sunday, March 21.
Perhaps even more telling U.S. hotel occupancy is way up. It’s the highest it’s been in a year, and down just 15% compared to the same point in 2019. A lot more people are traveling now, vaccine or not.
[Roundup] Spruce Up Your CDC Vaccination Card
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.
Cop Tasers Passengers At Atlanta Airport Security As Fight Breaks Out Over Man Without ID
Around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning a fight broke out at an Atlanta airport security checkpoint. Three teenagers were trying to get through TSA screening while one of them lacked I.D.
There’s a simple procedure for confirming your identity without ID. It takes a little longer but the TSA accesses privately compiled databases with personal information and you confirm details about yourself. Instead video shows how things deteriorated.
If You Work For An Airline, Don’t Bring Your Musical Instrument To Mexico
As easy as most travelers have it going through immigration and customs – most U.S. citizens, anyway, I wouldn’t want to be Indian arriving in Japan – flight crew are usually given even more flexibility. That’s one reason why flight crew make attractive smugglers.
Airline employees aren’t always given a free pass, though.
American Airlines Group Told Pilots To Delay Covid-19 Vaccination, Just Keep Flying
Piedmont Airlines, an American Eagle carrier owned by American Airlines, told pilots they needed to wait to get vaccinated against Covid-19 because of increasing passenger demand for flights. Airlines argued that huge federal subsidies were necessary ‘to be ready’ for flying to return. Even at the absolute peak of flying days demand has been off at least 30% compared to before the pandemic. Yet despite subsidies, while airlines have pocketed the cash and paid employees as well, they haven’t kept those employees trained and ready to fly. So American’s subsidiary told pilots to delay vaccinations in order to work. In the memo sent last Wednesday, Piedmont Airlines Chief Pilot John Pursell told the regional carrier’s 500 pilots, “Piedmont will be unable to release any additional pilots for COVID vaccination for the weekend of March 19-21…
A Lesson About Cost Controls That Airline Executives Need To Learn From Bob Crandall
What Crandall intuitively understands is that passenger airlines are a low margin business (outside of areas where government limits competition). As a result it’s crucial to guard against cost disease and expense creep. He used sometimes apocryphal stories to make his point about attention to detail to keep costs low without noticeably sacrificing quality.
[Roundup] Class Action Lawsuit Targets Credit Reporting Agency For Not Investigating Errors
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.