Alaska Airlines Adds Three New Routes To Mexico For Winter 2021/22
Bay Area residents rejoice. Alaska Airlines has today announced that it's adding three new routes to Mexico for Winter 2021/22 and all three routes will be originating in San Francisco. Alaska Airlines already boasts more non-stop flights between the West Coast and Mexico than any other airline and this news just shores up that lead.
British Airways Extends Travel Voucher Expiration Dates & Its Book With Confidence Policy
Like just about every major passenger airline in the world, British Airways has spent most of the past 16 months issuing passengers with travel vouchers for flights that either it or its customers have cancelled courtesy of the Covid pandemic. Up until today, these vouchers had an expiration date in April 2023 but with travel on a lot of BA's routes still significantly restricted, the airline has now extended that expiration date by a further 5 months.
Finnair Adds A New 7th Freedom Flight To The United States
Finnair has announced that it plans to base three of its Airbus A350 aircraft at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport this coming winter season and use them to operate three new 7th freedom flights. Two of these flights will be heading to Asia while the third will be crossing the Atlantic to the United States.
Finnair’s Business Light Fares May Not Be So Bad (For Some)
For the past few days, things have been looking pretty gloomy on the Finnair Business Class fares front, but a little bit of digging has revealed that the news may not be quite as bad as we thought. In fact, the news could have been a lot worse.
DELAYED: Aer Lingus Launches Two New Routes To The United States (And One To...
We've known for some time that Aer Lingus has been planning to launch a number of new non-stop transatlantic routes from Manchester in the UK with New York and Boston among the destinations being targeted but details have been thin on the ground. Now, however, Aer Lingus has finally unveiled its plans and they're not entirely free from surprises.
Turkish Airlines Increases Services To Five US Cities
Turkish Airlines operates to 10 US cities out of its base in Istanbul (the Turkish Airlines website may claim that the airline flies to "208 different locations in United States" but that's simply untrue) and this month sees Turkish Airlines boosting services to 5 of those 10 cities as the airline begins to approach the service levels it offered before the pandemic ruined world travel.
Alaska Airlines Announces New Winter Routes From The West Coast
In the past three months, Alaska Airlines has announced new routes out the Pacific Northwest, new routes to California's wine country, and new routes between California and a number of National Parks in Montana. Now the airline is back with news that it will be launching four new winter routes out of three of the West Coast cities that it serves.
American Airlines Announces More Significant Expansion In Austin
Just a few months ago, American Airlines announced that it was adding a significant number of new routes to its operations in Austin as well as bringing back a few routes that it had operated in the past. Today, American had doubled down on its Austin expansion by announcing more new routes that are set to take flight in the fall.
Hyatt & SVC Reach Agreement – Only Five US Hyatt Properties To Disappear
At the beginning of January, it looked like Hyatt was going down a similar path to both Marriott and IHG as it entered into a dispute with an owner of 22 properties that were flagged under the Hyatt Place brand. At that point, it looked like Services Properties Trust was going to move control of its Hyatt Place properties to Sonesta, but following negotiations, it now seems that an agreement has been reached in the case of 17 of those 22 properties.
Delta Expands Flights To Paris & Adds A Route To The South Of France
With France having announced that it will be accepting fully vaccinated visitors from the United States from 9 June, Delta has announced that it is adding flights to Paris from Minneapolis/St Paul and Boston and that a seasonal service to the south of France will also operate this summer.
Emirates Will Launch A New Route To Miami This Summer
Since the beginning of the year, we've seen Emirates announce the resumption of services between Dubai and various US cities that saw their non-stop ties to Dubai cut when the pandemic first took hold. Now the airline tells us that it's ready to go one step further by launching a completely new route to the US - to Miami.
United Airlines Signs Agreement To Go Supersonic
United Airlines turned all mysterious yesterday when it deleted all of its images from Instagram and used its social media channels to tease an announcement scheduled for 6:00 am Central Time. Well, the teasing is now over and we know what it was all about - United is the first airline to sign a commercial agreement to buy aircraft from Boom Supersonic.
American Airlines & JetBlue Now Offer Reciprocal Mileage & Elite Qualifying Credits On Most...
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they are now offering near-universal reciprocal mileage earning and elite status credit accrual for members of the AAdvantage and TrueBlue programs. Flyers from both airline programs can now choose whether to earn AAdvantage Miles or TrueBlue points when they book with either airline and depending on which they choose, they'll also earn credits towards elite status too.
Virgin Atlantic Extends Elite Statuses & Vouchers By Another 3 Months
Virgin Atlantic has taken another look at the travel landscape and decided that the time is right to offer frequent flyers yet another helping hand. Following on from the two 6-month elite status extensions that Virgin Atlantic offered Flying Club members in 2020 and the 3-month extension announced in February, the airline is now extending elite statuses for the fourth time.
JetBlue Puts Its London Routes On Sale – Amazing Fares For UK-Based Flyers
Earlier this year, JetBlue finally got the London Heathrow slots that it so desperately needs to give its new transatlantic routes the best possible chance of success, and today the airline finally put the routes from New York to Heathrow and Gatwick on sale. There's good news for US travelers but it's the UK-based travelers that will probably be cheering loudest.
British Airways Opens ‘Forty Winks’ Sleep Lounge At Heathrow (Also Coming To NYC)
The Elemis Spa that once sat between the British Airways First Class lounge and the Concorde Room was confirmed as a permanent casualty of the pandemic a few weeks ago and now the often forgotten Business Center in the First Class lounge has been confirmed as a permanent casualty too. It hasn't, however, taken British Airways long to come up with a plan for the spaces that these two facilities once occupied.
Southwest announces new Hawaii routes from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix & San Diego
At the beginning of February, Southwest announced seven new routes out of Long Beach, and just a few days later the airline doubled down on its West Coast expansion when it announced new routes out of Santas Barbara and Fresno. Now the airline is back with more good news for West Coasters as it announces a series of new flights to Hawaii from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix & San Diego.
Has British Airways Got The Key To Unlock The Travel World
If you're one of the lucky ones who has been able to travel internationally in recent months you'll know all about the circus that can surround pre-departure Covid-19 tests, and if you're reading this while waiting for your chance to finally get back to exploring the world you should know that it's a circus that you'll soon have to deal with too.
Delta Has Announced A New Service To Croatia
Although the European Union has made some positive noises about opening up its borders to travelers from the United States, nothing concrete has yet been put into place and that has left the bigger US airlines looking around for destinations that they don’t yet serve and that are happy to accept visitors with a year’s worth of travel dollars burning holes in their pockets.
British Airways Will Let You Book A Check-In Time Slot
If you’re lucky enough to have mid-tier airline status or higher or if you only fly in premium cabins, you’re probably not accustomed to having to worry about the length of the lines at airport check-in desks. That, however, is not a privilege shared by the overwhelming majority of travelers around the world.
Alaska Airlines Adds More California Services
At the beginning of last month, Alaska Airlines announced four new seasonal routes out of California's three biggest airports and now the airline has announced that it's about to offer more services to the very heart of wine country from a variety of airports in Southern California.
Finnair Plans To Restart Two US Routes & Will Boost Service To NYC
With most of Europe planning to open its doors to US travelers this summer, Finnair has announced that it plans to restart two of the transatlantic routes that it operated pre-pandemic and it has confirmed that it will also be increasing its flight frequencies to New York JFK.
Southwest Airlines Is Now Offering Hawaii Pre-Clearance From 5 California Airports
Southwest Airlines has announced that customers traveling to Hawaii from five of its California departure points are now able to get clearance to enter Hawaii before they depart for the islands. With document screening lines at the various Hawaiian airports often resembling lines for rides at a pre-pandemic theme park, this is good news for Southwest Airlines flyers.
Australia Will Get A New InterContinental Property This Year
Australia is already home to seven InterContinental properties but by the end of 2021, that number will go up to eight following the announcement that the Hotel Continental on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula will reopen as the InterContinental Sorrento later this year.
American Airlines Will Offer “Quarantine Free Travel” Between New York & Italy
As of yesterday, 1 April, Delta started to offer quarantine-free flights between New York JFK and Rome Fiumicino, and from today, 2 April, it will offer the same service between New York and Milan Malpensa. Now, American Airlines is set to follow suit.
Delta Has Extended All Voucher Expiration Dates & Its Global Travel Waiver
The headline-grabbing announcement we got from Delta yesterday was the one that let us know that the airline was making the quest for Medallion elites status considerably easier for this year, but a more important announcement was also released at the same time - Delta travel vouchers will no longer expire in 2021 and the airline's global waiver has been extended.
Emirates Is Bringing Back Its Milan – New York JFK Route
In January Emirates announced that it was restarting operations to Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth, and San Francisco, in February it announced that its Athens-Newark route would return in June, two days ago it announced that it was restarting its Orlando route, and now the airline has confirmed that a favorite 5th freedom route is also coming back.
Hyatt Plans To Open Six New Properties In India In 2021
India already has over 30 Hyatt properties spread across the vast country with most Hyatt brands represented, but 2021 will see a further 6 properties (across two brands) added to Hyatt's India portfolio and the hotelier plans to have over 50 properties in the country by 2023.
United Airlines Has Launched Its JFK Routes To Los Angeles & San Francisco
After a series of delays and postponements, United Airlines has finally returned to New York JFK and is now operating a transcontinental schedule to both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Emirates Announces That Another US Route Is Coming Back
With the UAE's vaccination program going very well and with the United States aiming to have given most of its population at least one of two vaccine doses by June, Emirates has decided that it's prudent to bring back one more of its routes that was suspended almost as soon as pandemic was declared.
Hawaiian Airlines Will Launch A New Route Between The Mainland & Maui
Hawaiian Airlines has announced that it will offer a seasonal service between Phoenix and Maui this summer as it looks to complement the service it already offers between Phoenix and Honolulu.
United Adds New Routes Between The Midwest & The East Coast
United Airlines has announced a series of new routes for the summer season which will see it linking seven cities in the Midwest with a variety of popular getaway destinations in New England and the South.
American Airlines Plans To Bring Back 10 European Routes Starting Next Week
Europe's vaccination program is in disarray, rates of infection are on the rise in a majority of countries on the continent, and cities and regions are being put back into lockdown, but that doesn't appear to have put off American Airlines which, starting next week, is scheduled to restart ten of its European routes.
Delta Is Adding New Seasonal Routes Out Of Los Angeles
As part of a broader set of domestic route announcements, Delta has confirmed that it plans to follow in the footsteps of Alaska Airlines and offer more seasonal services between California and destinations that offer travelers access to wide open spaces, national parks, mountains and more outdoor activities than most people can handle.
The Star Alliance Lounge In Sao Paulo Will Close Permanently
Star Alliance may have more branded lounges than any of the other major alliances (we're still waiting for more news on the first oneworld branded lounge that was announced two years ago) but it's about to lose a key lounge in South America - the Star Alliance lounge at Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport is about to be closed.
Hyatt Will Move Into The Refurbished Rio Las Vegas
Hyatt already has a foothold in Las Vegas through its partnership with MGM but following a major refurbishment of the Rio Las Vegas, World of Hyatt fans visiting Las Vegas will soon have the option of enjoying multiple Hyatt full-service properties too.
British Airways Is Trialling In-App COVID-19 Document Certifications
British Airways is the latest airline to try to incorporate a COVID-19 certification area within its own app and the airline has announced that it is running a trial whereby all customers eligible to travel to India will be able to upload negative COVID-19 test results and other required documentation directly into their reservation via ‘Manage My Booking’ on ba.com.
Delta Expands Quarantine-Free Flights To Italy (For Select Travelers)
Back in November, Delta announced that it was running a trial in which it was offering customers and crew traveling between Atlanta and Rome, a series of COVID tests during their journey with the aim of allowing all participants to enter Italy without being subjected to the countries quarantine rules. A similar trial was carried out for travelers flying between Atlanta and Amsterdam.
No Notice Devaluation: British Airways Increases The Cost Of Some Short-Haul Awards
In a move that's very true-to-form, British Airways has quietly and without any notice to Executive Club members, increased the cost of some of its short-haul awards. The increases are already in effect (so there's no way to avoid them) and they affect most of the routes that British Airways operates within Europe.
British Airways Club Europe May Offer A Lot More Value This Summer
As a general rule and as long as I'm not indulging in a Tier Point run, I avoid British Airways Club Europe as I find it to be a colossal waste of money. This summer, however, it looks like some routes may offer a Club Europe option that will be considerably better than the norm and possibly even great value for money.
Delta Introduces Contactless Payments Onboard & Trials Seatback Menus
Delta has announced that starting from 16 March, its cabin crews will be equipped with tap-to-pay processing terminals that will allow customers to start making onboard purchases without the need for them to come into contact with the terminal.
Is This The Birth Of A New Low-Cost Transatlantic Airline?
With Norwegian reduced to an unrecognizable shell of the airline it once was, the low-cost transatlantic experiment looked to have finally come to a shuddering halt, but the experiment may be alive and well after all. A little-known airline, Neos, may be about to try to chance its luck against the legacy carriers.
11 Hyatt Properties Will Move Hotel Categories On 25 March (7 More Than Expected)
Back in October, twelve Hyatt properties moved award categories, Hyatt confirmed that it would be introducing peak and off-peak award pricing from July 2021, and we were told that a further four Hyatt properties would be moving award categories this month. Now, in a new update, Hyatt has said that a further 7 properties will be move award categories in a couple of weeks' time taking the total number of properties moving award categories to 11.
American Airlines Adds & Brings Back More Routes Out Of Austin
American Airlines has just announced that it will be offering ten more routes out of Austin by the end of the summer with seven of the new routes set to be operated year-round and three of the routes to be operated on a seasonal basis.
Alaska Airlines Announces Another Four New Routes
It was less than a week ago that Alaska Airlines announced four new routes out of California and today the airline is back again with another announcement of new routes that should please travelers based in the Pacific Northwest.
Iberia Introduces New Semi-Flexible Economy Class Fares
Iberia has announced the introduction of a new Economy Class fare which offers customers a little more flexibility and a few more benefits than the airline's standard Economy Class fares. The new 'Comfort' fares are available on all the routes that Iberia offers but they're restricted to bookings on Iberia-operated flights only.
HUGE: British Airways Extends Some Elite Statuses By A Further Year
In a move that goes further than I ever thought the airline would go, British Airways has announced that a significant proportion of its Executive Club members will be given a further one-year extension to their elite status to see them into 2022 and in some cases, through to the end of 2022.
Virgin Atlantic Will Bring Its New Business Class To Orlando (And Other Leisure Routes)
Earlier this morning, Virgin Atlantic announced that in honor of International Women's Day it will be naming two of its aircraft after "iconic women". As praiseworthy as that gesture is, another piece of news buried within the same announcement will probably be of most interest to flyers - Virgin Atlantic will be bringing its new and hugely improved Business Class cabin to Orlando and other leisure routes.
Etihad Extends Offer Of Free COVID-19 Insurance
https://www.etihad.com/en-us/fly-etihad/travel-insurance/covid-19-insurance-cover
Alaska Airlines Adds Four New Seasonal Routes Out Of California
Alaska Airlines appears to be increasing its focus on California. Earlier this week we saw the airline offering California residents free flights just for joining the Alaska Mileage Plan loyalty program, and now we have the airline announcing four new seasonal routes that will operate out of the state's three major airports.
Excellent News: Delta Extends Upgrade Certificates & Makes Them Much Easier To Use
With air travel still potentially months away from showing any real signs of recovery, Delta has announced that it will be extending the validity of all existing upgrade certificates and that it will be offering an amnesty to Medallion members whose certificates had recently expired. In further good news, Delta flyers now also have more ways in which to use their upgrade certificates
Hyatt Lists 13 New Properties That It Will Open In 2021
Back in December, Hyatt announced that it expects to open 13 new US lifestyle brand properties in 2021, in January it announced that it was adding 3 more properties to its European portfolio, and now it has named a further 16 properties that it says we can expect to open their doors and welcome guests at various points this year.
Emirates Now Allows Flyers To Pay For An Empty Adjacent Seat
Emirates has announced that it is now allowing Economy Class passengers the chance to pay to reserve seats that adjoin the seat they are booked to travel in should they require more personal space on their flight. The principle seems simple enough but there's one little catch that makes this a less impressive option than it may otherwise be.
Austrian Airlines Plans To Restart Service To Two US Airports
As the world starts to believe that we can finally see a glimpse of hope that the coronavirus will be brought under control, we're beginning to see more and more airlines planning to restart some of the routes that they cut almost a year ago. Recently, Emirates said that would be returning to a number of US cities and now Austrian Airlines has committed to do the same.
Qantas Pushes Back International Flights To October 2021
Right at the very start of the year, Qantas announced that it was planning to restart international flights from July 2021. That news led to the airline receiving a short, sharp rebuke from the Australian authorities for preempting what should be a governmental decision. Now, following confirmation that Qantas' international flights will now not resume before October, it would appear as if the airline has come to heel.
Alaska Mileage Plan’s New Earnings Chart & New Fare Classes
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Marriott Now Offers Free COVID Testing At Select Resorts
Hyatt got some very good press when, at the end of last month, it announced that all 19 of its resorts in Latin America and the Caribbean would offer free coronavirus testing for guests returning to the United States. Now Marriott appears to be joining in...albeit a little less wholeheartedly.
Emirates Will Restart Athens – Newark Service In June
At the beginning of the year, Emirates announced that it would be restarting three of its suspended US routes in the first quarter of this year and that it would be boosting services to New York and Los Angeles as well. Now, the Middle Eastern carrier has confirmed that it will be continuing to bring back suspended services and that it will resurrect its route to Newark (via Athens) in June.
United Airlines Adds A New Route To London Heathrow
United Airlines has announced that it will be expanding its global network with a new route to London Heathrow from later this year which, according to the airline, will make it the only US carrier to offer non-stop service between the nation's top seven business markets and London Heathrow.
JetBlue Is Adding 15 New Routes Out Of The New York Area (Domestic &...
Yesterday, American Airlines confirmed that it will be adding 18 new domestic and international routes out of the Northeast as part of its new partnership with JetBlue and as I covered that news at the time, it's only fair to cover the news that JetBlue will also be adding new domestic and international routes out of New York - there will be 15 new routes in total.
American Airlines Adds 18 New Routes Out Of New York & Boston (Domestic &...
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they're moving forward with their previously announced agreement by codesharing on 80 flights out of New York and Boston. More importantly for American Airlines loyalists, we've also been told that the new tie-up with JetBlue will see American launch 12 new domestic routes and 6 new international routes out of New York and Boston this year.
JetBlue Eliminates Most Change Fees But Makes Basic Economy A Lot Worse
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Flying Blue Offers New Elite Status Extensions
As the fallout from the pandemic continues to wreak havoc with international travel, we're starting to see more airlines and hotels introducing new sets of measures to keep their elite guests and flyers happy. Flying Blue is the latest airline loyalty program to recognize that additional steps are needed as it announces more status extensions for its elite flyers.
Odd: Is United Not Reducing Planned Service Out Of JFK After All?
Late last week we got news that United Airlines was pushing back its planned return to New York JFK for a second time, and connections within the airline told Zach Griff that United would be scaling back its planned frequencies on its new transcontinental routes. Well, the schedules are now showing the new launch dates for United's JFK services but, strangely, the frequencies remain unaltered.
United Airlines Will Add A New Hawaii Service From SoCal
With Southwest less than a month away from launching new services to Honolulu and Maui out of its base in Long Beach, United Airlines has now announced that it will be upping its game in Southern California by launching its own new route to Honolulu in a few months’ time.
Virgin Atlantic Now Has One Of the Best Cancellation & Refund Policies
As global airlines slowly come to terms with the fact that travel will not be getting back to normal any time soon, and that a lot of people are still very leery of booking trips in the future, we're starting to see flexible booking policies being extended.
Virgin Atlantic is the latest airline to have extended its flexible booking policy and it looks like the carrier now has one of the best policies around.
Marriott will open a new property on Maui in April (or May)
Amidst a variety of announcements that we've recently seen Marriott making, one small bit of news appears to have slipped under the radar. Within the next few months, Marriott Bonvoy members will have a new Hawaiian property at which to burn their hard-earned points.
United Airlines Pushes Back Its Return To New York JFK (Again)
Back in November, United Airlines announced that it was planning to reintroduce service out of New York JFK at the beginning of February 2021. Then, in early January, that proposed launch date was moved back to the end of February. Now, that launch date has been moved once again.
Marriott Bonvoy Is Set To Absorb 19 Properties Into Its All-Inclusive Portfolio
Marriott has today announced that it has entered into a deal with Blue Diamond Resorts to incorporate 19 of its all-inclusive resorts into its Autograph Collection portfolio. The resorts are spread across six destinations and will add almost 7,000 rooms to Marriott's current all-inclusive offering.
Southwest Is Adding Yet More Routes Out Of California (In April)
On Friday, I wrote about the great new flight options that Southwest will be giving the residents of Southern California when it launches 7 new routes out of Long Beach at the beginning of March. Today I'm quickly going to go over the details of five more new routes that Southwest will be launching out of California in April.
Delta WIll Continue To Block Middle Seats Through April 2021
Delta has today announced an extension of the measures it first introduced back in April 2020 as the airline says that it will continue to block the middle seat in its aircraft through April 2021.
Southwest Is Expanding Considerably in SoCal (Maui From $99 One-Way!)
Southwest is an airline that has managed to cultivate a friendly, non-confrontational culture, it's an airline that doesn't gouge passengers with fees, and it's an airline that frequently offers fantastic fares on a number of very popular routes. All of those things are why I'm excited to see the airline putting a considerable amount of focus on expanding its offering in California, my home state.
Marriott has opened the W Melbourne
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Marriott's plans to open almost 100 new Asia Pacific properties in 2021, and now we already have one of the properties featured in that article welcoming guests - the W Hotel Melbourne is officially open.
The UK Has Extended Its Airport Slot Waiver (Bad News For JetBlue)
As far as news from the UK government is concerned, I've been mainly concentrating on what it has been saying with regards to pre-departure testing requirements and its travel policies relating to countries in which new variants of the coronavirus have appeared. This may be why I didn't notice that last Friday, it extended the waiver it has in place for the rules governing slots at the nation's airports.
LOT Polish Airlines Is Launching A New Route To New York
Before the pandemic wreaked havoc with the airline industry, LOT Polish Airlines had built up a good network of flights between Poland and the United States. A number of these services were suspended or cut back significantly in the first half of 2020 but LOT is now starting to add flights back and has now even announced a new route between Poland and New York.
JetBlue Reveals Its Fantastic-Looking Transatlantic Business Class Seats
When JetBlue rolled out its domestic 'Mint' Business Class cabin almost seven years ago the product was a game-changer. JetBlue brought down the cost of US transcontinental Business Class fares while offering an excellent product and it shook up the market. Now, JetBlue has turned its sights on the Business Class transatlantic market, and the product it will be using on its new routes could well change the game again.
Hyatt Announces Three New Properties In Sweden
A frequent and increasingly lazy complaint about Hyatt is that it doesn't have a particularly large footprint when compared to some of the other big hotel chains and that this makes it difficult to stay "loyal" to the hotelier. Well, Hyatt has clearly taken those complaints onboard (its significant expansion in the last 2 years proves that) and now it is adding a further 3 properties to its European portfolio.
Marriott Showcases Its New Sheraton Hotels & Their Designs
Way back in 2018 (in what seems like an age ago), Marriott announced that it would be giving its Sheraton brand a much-needed facelift and dragging the brand into the 21st century. Now, three years down the road, Marriott is ready to show us the promised changes that are now coming to fruition and the new look Sheratons that have been refurbished from top to bottom.
British Airways Extends The Expiration Date For Its Travel Vouchers
Just a few days ago, British Airways finally extended its 'book with confidence policy' as it because obvious that limiting the policy to travel through September was looking short-sighted. At the time I speculated that it probably wouldn't be long before British Airways addressed the expiration date of its travel vouchers and, following an update today, that exactly what the airline has now done.
Marriott Launches Eco-Friendly Experiences Pilot In Asia Pacific
Marriott has announced the launch of the 'Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy' program which the hotelier says is aimed at creating opportunities for its guests in the Asia Pacific region to engage with local communities and their local environment during their stay.
Flying Blue Updates Its Rebooking Policy For Reward Flights
Air France and KLM are both currently offering free date and/or destination changes on all bookings made before 31 March and vouchers for voluntary cancellations for travel through 30 September, and now Flying Blue (the loyalty program for both airlines) has announced an update to its rebooking policy for reward flights.
[Updated] Delta Is Waiving Fare Differences On Select International Fares (Very Limited Time)
With the US Center for Disease Control announcing that it is introducing a requirement for international travelers to undergo pre-departure COVID-19 testing from 26 January, Delta has announced that it's bringing in a short-term measure to help some travelers with existing bookings who wish to travel before the new requirement comes into force.
ANA Suspends Two US Routes & Postpones Two More For Summer 2021
ANA has today announced its list of route postponements and suspensions for the summer 2021 season and with little sign that the world is getting the pandemic under control and with the United States contemplating mandatory quarantine requirements for all international travelers, it's no surprise to see ANA cutting back on its US operations.
British Airways Finally Extends Its ‘Book With Confidence’ Policy
For some time now, British Airways has been waiving changes fees for bookings involving travel through 31 August 2021 but while that deadline may have seemed appropriate back in October or early November last year, it has been in need of review for some time. Luckily, British Airways has finally come to that realization.
Hyatt Introduces Complimentary COVID Testing In Latin America
With the United States now requiring most international travelers to provide evidence of a negative COVID test before being allowed to visit the country, Hyatt has taken the first steps to make life a bit easier for guests staying at its resorts across various locations in Latin America.
Southwest Has Banned Emotional Support Animals
In news that was entirely expected, Southwest has announced that it's following in the footsteps of Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines by banning emotional support animals from its flights.
United Airlines Launches Its ‘Travel-Ready Center’ For Travel In The Time Of COVID
We've already seen Etihad and Emirates sign up to the IATA Travel Pass, we've seen American Airlines go all-in with its 'Health Passport' in partnership with VeriFly and now United Airlines has launched its own version of a COVID travel wallet with the introduction of its 'Travel-Ready Center'.
Former Boeing Engineer Says 737 MAX May Still Be Unsafe
Ed Pierson, a former senior manager at Boeing and a key witness at the congressional hearings that investigated the issues that led to the two disasters involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, has suggested that although the US has recently cleared the aircraft to return to the skies and although the European authorities are set to do the same this week, issues surrounding the 737 MAX have not been fully addressed.
KLM Will Not Be Suspending Long-Haul Flights After All
Last week, the government of the Netherlands voted to introduce new strict domestic restrictions on the movement of its citizens and, following that announcement, there were strong indications that the national airline, KLM, was set to suspend all international flights from last Friday.
Israel Effectively Bans International Air Travel For The Rest Of January
Israel may currently lead the world in terms of the percentage of the population that have been given their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine but the country has also seen a significant surge in new coronavirus cases in recent weeks and, with fears growing that a new and potentially more deadly variant of the virus is being imported into the country, Israel's government has taken action.
American Airlines Releases Details Of Its New Tel Aviv & Athens Routes
American Airlines has now released details of two new routes that we were first told about when the airline announced its new and at the time, surprising, partnership with JetBlue in July last year. Back then, the airline could only tell us that a seasonal route between New York and Athens would launch in summer 2021 and that flights between New York and Tel Aviv were planned for some point in the future. We now know a lot more.
Qatar Airways Brings Back Service To Another US City & Adds Flights To Six...
In its latest route update, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it has now scheduled the resumption of yet another of the US routes that it suspended early last year (its 12th US destination), and the airline has also said that it will significantly increase frequencies on a further seven of the routes that it currently operates between Doah and the US.
Lufthansa Group Airlines Will No Longer Accept Most Face Coverings
Lufthansa Group (which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels Airlines) has today announced that while passengers are currently expected to wear masks that cover their mouth and nose during boarding, during the flight, and during disembarkation, as of next month most face covering will no longer be in compliance with the Group's policies.
KLM Is Expected To Suspend All Long-Haul Flights From Tomorrow
Although it is yet to be confirmed by the airline, it is being widely reported that KLM will temporarily halt all long-haul operations from tomorrow, 22 January 2021, following the introduction of new travel restrictions by the government of the Netherlands.
Singapore Airlines Introducing “One-Stop Online Solution” For Pre-Departure Testing
Singapore Airlines is partnering with Collinson to trial an online portal that will allow its customers to arrange a pre-departure COVID test, receive their results and have evidence of their results ahead of any flights they may need to take.
All Three US International Carriers Are Now Waiving Fare Differences On Select International Fares...
With the United States shortly bringing in a requirement for pre-departure COVID testing for a significant number of international passengers wishing to enter the United States, the major US airlines have now all announced that they will waive any fare differences arising from passengers wishing to change their dates of travel so that they may enter the US before the new rule comes into effect.
American Airlines Introduces ‘Health Passport’ For Travel To The US
From 26 January 2021, travelers wishing to enter the United States will be required to provide evidence of a negative COVID test taken no more than 3 days before their date of departure. In preparation for this rule to come into force, American Airlines has today announced the introduction of a 'Health Passport' for all international travel to the US.
Is Hyatt About To Lose 22 Properties In The United States?
Two of the more interesting bits of fallout that we've seen from the current crisis have been IHG losing over 100 North American properties in August 2020 and Marriott losing 122 properties in North America in October 2020 and both of those events had one thing in common - the owner of the hotels. Now it looks like Hyatt may be going down a similar (if slightly different) road with the same owner.
United Airlines Follows The Rest And Bans Emotional Support Animals
It started with Alaska Airlines towards the end of December, and then American Airlines and Delta banned emotional support animals in statements issued last week. Now the last of the 'Big 3' US airlines has come into line with United Airlines changing its terms and conditions to reflect that it too will no longer accept emotional support animals onboard.
Emirates Brings Back Flights To Three US Cities (And Boosts Flight To Two Others)
As things stand, Emirates offers non-stop services between Dubai and six major US cities. Starting from next month, Emirates will start to bring back a number of its previously-operated Americas routes which will see the airline will serving nine US destinations by the beginning of March. In addition, two of Emirates' existing US routes will see services boosted.