Travel Week in Review – April 29th, 2022

The federal government is no longer enforcing a transportation mask mandate and some airports have taken the opportunity to ditch mask rules. That said, not every airport is on board. Many public transportation services from airlines to trains have ditched masks after a federal judge in Florida voided the federal transportation mask mandate this week and the Transportation Security Administration stopped enforcing it. In response, the Department of Justice said it disagreed with the decision and has vowed to appeal. Read More…

Betting on a strong summer, United Airlines has launched the largest transatlantic expansion in the company’s history, the carrier announced Tuesday. In total, the company will launch or resume 30 transatlantic flights through early June. This includes five new nonstop flights to destinations including Amman, Jordan; Bergen, Norway; Azores, Portugal; Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. The carrier also is launching five new nonstop flights to European hubs. Read More…

After a Florida judge this week struck down the rule mandating that people wear masks on public transportation in the U.S., groups including ASTA and the U.S. Travel Association applauded the move. But it was not the Covid protocol they most wanted to go away. That distinction belongs to the CDC’s inbound Covid-19 testing requirement, which ASTA recently called “the single biggest barrier” to travel’s recovery. The Society praised a group of legislators who are pushing to remove the testing requirement. Read More…

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is making permanent its zero-tolerance policy against unruly air passengers, the agency announced Wednesday. “Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” acting FAA administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement. The FAA implemented the policy, after what it called a significant increase in unruly passenger incidents. Under the policy, the FAA issues fines to passengers for unruly behavior instead of warning letters or referrals for counseling. Read More…

United Airlines foresees the U.S. pilot shortage slowing industry growth for the next five to 10 years. But United executives also said that the impact will primarily be felt by smaller carriers, creating a tailwind for United relative to its peers. “I think it’s a strategic advantage because there will be a shortage,” CEO Scott Kirby said. He explained that United has recently completed a detailed analysis of the pilot situation in the U.S. Typically, said Kirby, the U.S. produces to 5,000 to 7,000 new airline pilots per year. Read More…