I was shocked to find out over half of U.S. airports could lose all their flights this year–
Almost all the major U.S. airlines have received billions of dollars from the government to keep the wheels from falling off during this pandemic. What most people don’t realize is that almost all the regional jet airlines (small 50-100 passenger jets) that fly for the major airlines have received no funding from the government and they are about to crumble. So what, you ask? Well, when you consider that over 60% of all the airports in the U.S. are served only by regional airlines you will quickly understand that we could have a massive problem on our hands if all the regional airlines shut down. Take my beloved airport in Lincoln, Nebraska. Before COVID-19 we had Delta and United Airlines serving us. Delta already has pulled out and United only serves Lincoln with regional jet service. If that goes away you have no airline service to our city. Multiply that by hundreds of cities across the U.S. and you have a major transportation disaster ahead of us. Please CLICK HERE and read this article and tell me you don’t see a giant problem ahead of us.
The majority of our customers estimate business travel will be less than 25% back to normal by the end of the year – We recently surveyed a group of 30 of our largest business customers to find out how much they thought business travel would return by the end of 2020. Surprisingly a majority of them thought that less than 25% of business travel would rebound by the end of the year. Many say that most business meetings are toast for the rest of 2020. Many also report that they do not even expect that they will return to their offices before the end of the year. This aligns with what many airlines and hotels are predicting which is that the recovery to pre-COVID levels by the business traveler could take 2 to 3 years. Vacation travelers on the other hand appear to be waiting for a decline in COVID-19 cases and/or a vaccine so they can lead the way to the travel industry recovery.
MIT Professor argues that the chances of catching COVID-19 on flights are lower than you think – A study by MIT professor Arnold Barnett factors there is a one in 4,300 chance of catching COVID-19 while flying on a full two-hour flight and a one in 7,700 chance if the airline leaves the middle seat open. The study was published in Travelpulse and considered a host of factors including using face masks, the middle seats empty, etc. Barnett calculated that the odds of dying from catching the virus while flying are about one in 600,000 for healthy people. CLICK HERE to read the article.
Great Airline deals are here today…gone soon – Southwest, United and American are all offering really good airfare sales with the hope that they can fill some seats. Prices start as low as $49 one way to a limited number of destinations. It appears that some people are using these to sneak in a last-minute vacation before the holiday season. If you are getting antsy to travel please give one of our friendly travel advisors a call at 402-435-8888. They will help you find the perfect vacation.
How long will Wallstreet continue to prop up Uber? – If you look at the 2nd quarter earnings of ride-sharing giant Uber you have to wonder how long investors will continue to pour money down a rat hole. Uber lost $5 billion in Q2 in 2019. In 2020 they only lost $1.8 Billion for the second quarter which some people thought was an improvement. If you look at their books, ride-sharing revenue was down 75% ($9 billion) during Q2. Anyone who wants to invest in Uber please call me first as I will make you a deal on some swamp land I have for sale at an amazing price. CLICK HERE to read more about Uber’s financial woes.
First the good news! Airfares to Hawaii are half price. Now the bad news! Once you arrive you have to quarantine for 14 days – This is crazy. Hawaii is on lockdown now until at least October 1. It makes no sense to offer great airfares when visitors are required to quarantine for 14 days upon the arrival. Who in their right mind would do that? Sadly, many of the islands’ businesses and jobs will be a giant casualty before COVID-19 is knocked down.
This might be the opportunity of a lifetime to Safari – One of our good friends in Africa is suggesting this might be the best time ever to enjoy a photo safari. Think about it. No crowds. Over the last 20 years, Kenya and Tanzania have become overcrowded with tourists. The last time we visited certain areas we felt like we were in a Sears parking lot. There were so many cars circling around the animals. If you want to see a real African Safari, get packing. It will quickly fill back up next year and you will have missed the opportunity of a lifetime.
