News notes from around the interweb:

• What is happening to the airline industry? nothing new for regular readers of this blog.

  Guidelines aren’t likely to be eased in a uniform fashion. Some places may have fewer restrictions than others. Many countries will still have restrictions or quarantines on arriving passengers. Travel isn’t going to come back all at once, like turning a switch back on.

  …[A]s travel gradually returns that there will be a lot of empty seats, even with initially far fewer flights than we have come to expect. I do not expect the airline industry to fully recover this year.

• Sheraton Tysons Corner will close permanently on Friday

• Amex Platinum Lufthansa lounge benefit extended

  

• Modeling loyalty program breakage during COVID-19

• Delta and LATAM have launched reciprocal mileage earning and redemption remember when Delta stealing the LATAM relationship away from American seemed like a big deal?

• The Intercontinental Kowloon – right on the water, in front of the Peninsula, one of the more incredible spots for a hotel – will close in May and not re-open until sometime in 2022, when it will reflag as a Regent hotel (which is also part of IHG). Employees will receive four months of severance. (HT: René S)

  

• Hyundai Development Company is on track to acquire Star Alliance airline Asiana despite the current unpleasantness (and Asiana was troubled to begin with).