Trending Travel News
U.S Airline Execs Against Domestic Travel Testing
U.S. Airline Executives feel that domestic travel testing requirements would be difficult to implement and unnecessary. Following the recent implementation of international covid testing requirements for inbound travelers to the U.S., a CDC representative recently commented that the Biden Administration was “actively looking” into extending the requirement to domestic travel. Several airline executives have since spoken out against this suggestion.
American Airlines Chairman and CEO, Doug Parker, commented that he supports international testing because it helps more people to become comfortable with traveling again, but suggests that requiring domestic travel testing, would be a challenge to implement. JetBlue COO, Joanna Geraghty, echoed this sentiment and also expressed concern that the requirement could overburden testing labs across the country that are already stressed to process results in a timely manner.
“Frankly, we’re concerned that it would actually reduce the ability of some people who legitimately need to get tested for health reasons to get tested.”
– Joanna Geraghty, COO JetBlue Airlines
Many also feel that the testing for domestic travel is largely unnecessary given recent studies revealing low risk of transmission on U.S. aircrafts. One study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Aviation Public Health Initiative, found that airline filtration systems are able to remove more than 99 percent of particles containing the virus from the air. The high air exchange and filtration on an aircraft is unmatched to anywhere indoors, and may even provide more protection than a hospital isolation room.
Canada Bans Flights to Mexico and Caribbean
Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, recently announced that the country’s major airlines have agreed to immediately halt operations to Mexico and the Caribbean until April 30th, 2021. This news comes as the U.S. has now discovered three variants of the coronavirus. The restrictions are being implemented in an effort to minimize the spread of the new strains. In addition to banning travel to these areas, Canada is now introducing new testing and quarantine measures for incoming travelers. Travelers coming into “The Great White North” will now be required to test upon arrival in addition to the pre-departure testing requirement that is already in place. While the traveler waits for a result, they must quarantine in a government-approved hotel at their own cost for up to 3 days. When presented with a negative result, the traveler may complete the remainder of their 14-day quarantine at home, while those with positive results will be mandated to quarantine in a government facility to be monitored for any of the variants of the virus.
Airline Updates
“Mint-Fresh” New Product from JetBlue
The Best and Worst Airlines of 2020
Southwest Airlines came out as the top performer on the Wall Street Journal’s 2020 edition of the Middle Seat Scorecard, while American Airlines landed in last place.
Delta Provides At-Home Test Kits
Delta Airlines will soon provide at-home covid test kits for purchase on their websites to help travelers meet requirements for international travel.
AA Biggest Airline of 2020
With 91.8 billion passenger miles flown in 2020, American Airlines was once again the largest U.S. carrier for the year.
Southwest Adds 4 New Routes
The nation’s largest low-cost carrier will soon introduce new routes to Miami, Maui, Long Beach and Sarasota with introductory fares as low as $99.
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