Don’t expect the Pentagon borrowing domestic airplanes to interrupt any flights

This weekend President Biden announced that he was planning to compel six airlines to contribute 18 planes to help with the evacuation of people in Afghanistan. In normal times this might have put a crimp on the airlines who would be short of excess planes, but COVID has slowed international flights and many do not expect taking 18 planes out of service to cause even a ripple in the current scheduling.

Get ready for flight “schedule change hell” for travelers – This year there have been thousands of flight cancellations and schedule changes because of COVID. At the first of the year, airlines were adding flights to catch up with the vacation travelers who were tired of staying home and making summer travel plans. Then came the next wave of vaccinated travelers who were confident that it was now safe to travel. This fall the airlines were hoping that the business travelers would return in full force and they loaded up on new flights. As we know The Delta variant of COVID is now leaving the airlines with empty seats which will no doubt cause them to cancel and consolidate flights system-wide which results in what I think will be another wave of massive schedule changes. If you fly this fall be sure to double-check that you have not had a schedule change to your flight a couple of days before you travel. Those that use a travel advisor for their tickets will be notified proactively before your flight so you don’t have to worry about something slipping through the cracks. One more reason to use a friendly travel advisor.

Wow! Travel to and from Canada is a confusing mess – On Aug. 9, Canada threw open the gates for U.S. citizens to enter Canada with a vaccination and negative COVID test result. The Canadians expected the U.S. to reciprocate and open their borders to Canadians. Well, much to their surprise the United States said they would wait until Sept. 21 to re-evaluate non-essential travel to and from Canada. Thus, Americans can travel to Canada but Canadians cant travel to the U.S.  To complicate things even more, most businesses can qualify as essential travel and travel in both directions. Have I confused you yet? CLICK HERE to read more.

My crystal ball says this fall and winter will be great times to use your frequent flyer miles – With the seasonal slowdown in travel after Labor Day plus the rise in COVID Delta cases I anticipate some empty airline seats this fall that hopefully, the airlines will make available to people to redeem their frequent flyer miles. I anticipate after Labor Day there will be a 90-day window to burn through some of your ff miles. I also see where international travel will have more coach and business class space using frequent flyer miles. Good hunting!

Let’s Go Green, Let’s Go for a Ride, Let’s Go Big Red! – In other words, let’s go to Ireland! Check out our three once-in-a-lifetime itineraries next year as we travel to discover the coolest secrets the Emerald Isle has to offer. Our first tour, June 7-16, is hosted by Women of the Midwest. CLICK HERE to see the full details. Next, we are off to a cool adventure, August 4-14, biking through some of the most incredible landscapes Ireland has to offer. Hosted by our good friends at Hound Dog Cycling, Susan and Rich Rodenburg, you can’t steer wrong – CLICK HERE for the detailed tour program. And finally: Go Big Red with Executive Travel as we take off to cheer on the Huskers, August 20-29. This will be one of the most exciting football tours ever offered. CLICK HERE to see the details. Call or email our friendly group department, (402) 858-0033 / GroupDepartment@executivetravel.com to secure your spot. Sláinte (cheers) to Ireland!