Travel Week in Review – April 22nd, 2022

A federal judge in Florida has ruled against the federal mandate requiring facial coverings on all forms of public transportation, including on airplanes and in airports. United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa voided the mask mandate, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking.” Last week, the CDC extended the nationwide mask requirements for public transportation through May 3. Read More…

After months of warning all travelers to avoid a long list of countries because of “very high” COVID-19 levels, the CDC has removed all countries from its “Do Not Travel” list. The federal agency on Monday removed 89 countries from its “Do Not Travel” list. The highest Level 4 designation will now be reserved for “special circumstances” reflecting a dangerous spike in COVID-19 cases, a new variant or health care infrastructure collapse. Read More…

International travel is reopening in a major way, with vaccinated Americans now able to visit a host of different countries around the world. But as travelers dust off their passports, they might notice something panic-inducing: the expiration date. Earlier in the pandemic, renewing passports was a near-impossible task. Many convenient passport couriers—which help with express renewals—paused their services, and standard renewal by mail was taking as long as sixteen weeks. Read More…

United Airlines has again extended ticket validity for all wholly unused tickets purchased since May 2019. Under the new policy, unused tickets purchased between May 2019 and the end of this year will be valid through the end of 2023. Tickets purchased on or after Jan. 1 of next year will be valid for 12 months from the issue date. Previously, the carrier had set the expiration date for tickets purchased during the pandemic to the end of this year or 12 months from the purchase date, whichever fell later. Read More…

Officials in Hawaii are looking for new ways to use the state’s “Safe Travels” program that was implemented to screen visitors during the pandemic. Hawaii’s $37 million travel policy, which ended last month, required travelers to upload a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination to avoid quarantine. The program had web and mobile applications developed and the state installed thermal and facial-recognition cameras in airports to help find potentially sick passengers. Read More…