Category: Uncategorized

Yup, post-pandemic cruise travel — maybe later this year — will dramatically change for travelers. A pre-travel medical certificate, requirement for a wearable tech device for tracking and information needs (and less paper), more onboard high tech to trace crew and passenger on and off board movements (with a requirement that only ship sponsored land tours will get you off the boat during travel), shorter voyages — maybe maxed at 7 nights – and fewer guests onboard (at least for the short term) with capacity at only 50% and way more flexible payment and cancelation rules — maybe more cruise FUN too???

Maybe — currently airlines are “holding” more than 24 BILLION DOLLARS in unused pandemic related canceled tickets — these so called “credits” come with an expiration date that’s rapidly approaching for about 55% of the tickets being held — if you’re holding canceled tickets with a flight credit, call the airline and ask for an extension — at least for another year!!!

Recently the Centers for Disease Control started floating the idea of requiring a negative Covid-19 test to fly domestically. Since then the airline industry went into high gear in opposition.

It turns out to be a bad idea, but not for the reasons most people think. The President’s team now opposes it. The plan would have been a “logistical nightmare” for both the airlines and travelers!!!

BUT for California residents only and by reservation only for groups of 3 or more … and with limited ride and food services. What this all means is anyone’s guess — AND NO SCREAMING OR YELLING ON ANY OF THE RIDES — to minimize Covid transmission. And you might be walking from their parking lots to the Parks as another COVID precaution to minimize close contacts.

And growing — TSA says Sundays are the largest day for travel — with early March showing more than 1.3 million travelers passing through US airport check points …..MASK UP AND BE SAFE !!!

Hawaii requires a negative COVID-19 test in order to avoid 14 day quarantine on arrival. But the process is cumbersome, error-prone, and anything but transparent. Some airlines, and now CLEAR, offer services to pre-validate documents to help avoid a passenger getting rejected by Hawaii despite a valid negative test, but who knows? Even that may not work.

One family was forced to split up, with the husband flying back across the ocean to Los Angeles to get a new test, after Hawaii rejected his negative Covid-19 assessment from the world-famous Mayo Clinic. (Unsure as to why this test was rejected — maybe a technical glitch of some sorts?)

Oakland (California) International airport says they are experimenting with the first “Covid Test” vending machine — for travelers who face various travel quarantine requirements — if it works, maybe something easily tried in other airport and consumer locations?

Alaska Airlines is ‘thankful’ it offers an inferior first class seat on cross country flights there aren’t many business travelers paying the premium for the extra space consumed by lie flat.

6000 TSA employees have contracted Covid-19 That sounds like a lot, and for those who developed serious cases I have plenty of sympathy. The agency has about 54,000 employees so it’s not that far off what you’d expect based on averages — info from the points guy.

The Wall Street Journal says “international travel is iffy at best this year” … with airlines, cruise ships and foreign governments being very cautious about out of country visitors. If you book at trip, be sure you know and understand cancelation requirements and fess — even with Covid vaccines, lots of “unknowns” about exposure downside — and travel health predications are just that, predications at this point.