September 16, 2020

Southwest Extends Empty Middles — For a Limited Time

1 Southwest Airlines announced today that the airline would continue to keep middle seats empty aboard its flights through November 30, extending the policy that was set to expire on October 31.

The extension is notable as it only goes through November and doesn’t extend into the holiday season or into 2021. Delta, which has matched Southwest with an empty middle guarantee all summer and into the fall, has already announced its policy would extend into early January.

Southwest’s decision indicates that bookings could be bouncing back for the holidays and it does not want to restrict itself to holding back one-third of the seats on every flight. It’s also possible the airline is simply taking it one step-at-a-time, being leery of what else 2020 has in store for the world before the calendar flips to 2021.


Play it Back: United States & Canada Extend Border Closure

2 It’s a tale as old as time March: the extension of the closure of the border between the United States and Canada for another 30 days.

The border has been closed for non-essential travel since March 21, with the closure being extended a month a time since then. It was scheduled to expire Monday — on September 21 — but the two nations have extended the closure again for another month — this time until October 21.

Essential travel is still allowed across the border, and trade will continue unrestricted. Americans can transit Canada to a third country, which is convenient as there are only about three countries Americans can travel to right now. Canadians can enter the United States via air for leisure travel, but only if they’re nuts.


Hawai’i to Consider Resort Bubbles

3 With the state of Hawai’i increasingly more desperate to see tourism to the state resume, the idea of ‘resort bubbles’ is now being considered. The concept would be welcome news for the state’s battered tourism industry, led by Hawaiian Airlines which has been devastated by the lack of travel to and from the islands.

The resort bubble would allow voluntary participants to leave their room without violating the state’s 14-day mandatory quarantine. The guests could use amenties on the resort such as pools, beaches, and restaurants while wearing a mask and socially-distancing. To participate, guests would have to agree to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet that would track their movements at all times.

The bracelet would inform both the visitor and state authorities if the visitor stepped out of the pre-determined bubble. When a bracelet leaves the bubble, hotel security & the police would be notified and the guest would run the risk of a fine up to $5,000.

While not a long-term solution, resort bubbles do present the possibility of kickstarting Hawai’i’s tourism recovery sooner, rather than later. Though many will object to wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet — especially considering how many people won’t wear a mask — a spokesman for the American Parolee Association said “they’re really not that bad, you can live your life mostly unimpeded. You’ll have a great vacation with the bracelet on — I always do!”


United Adds Antimicrobial Spray to Cabin Cleaning

4 The arms race by airlines to out-disinfect aircraft continues, with United Airlines adding Zoono Microbe Shield — an EPA registered antimicrobial coating — to its aircraft cleaning process.

As this point, airlines seem focused on adding as many well-known brand names in the cleaning industry as possible… as well as any hard-to-pronounce word that starts with “anti.”

This new spray will serve as an added layer of protection, complementing United’s daily electrostatic spraying regimen before departing flights. Whatever that means.

The chemical is classified by the EPA as Category IV, which is the lowest level of toxicity. On the other hand, the wine normally served by United in economy class is classified by the EPA as Category III, so just slightly more toxic.


UK Bids Adieu to Most Duty Free

5 Effective January 1, the UK is eliminating almost all duty free shopping at the nation’s airports in addition to ending the VAT refund program.

Luckily for travelers, booze and tobacco will be exempt from the demise of duty free, maintaining some order in a chaotic world. Airport sales of all other duty free items – such as electronics, clothing, luggage, fragrances, and fancy chocolates – will end.

It turns out — and this is shocking — that airport vendors were not passing along the savings to the customers, but were driving the price upwards and keeping the would-be savings for themselves.

Lastly, shopping prior to your flight home and then claiming your 20% VAT refund will no longer be on offer at UK airports. Instead, visitors can pay the overpriced 20% VAT and like it — just like everyone else.


Airline Potpourri

  • Air Astana is resuming flights to Tashkent, Uzbekistan (TAS) and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (FRU).
  • Air New Zealand currently plans to cut an additional 385 cabin crew jobs.
  • Avianca has filed an appeal on the injunction blocking its loan from the Colombian government.
  • Delta will take delivery of two brand-new A350-900 aircraft this week, the first widebodies delivered to the airline since the start of the pandemic.
  • KLM is now requiring a negative virus test and a doctor’s note to be exempt from its on-board mask requirement.
  • LATAM has added 23 more aircraft to its list of lease rejections.
  • Qatar is beginning new 4x-weekly service to Accra on September 29.
  • SAS has scheduled a one-time flight from Copenhagen to Tokyo/Narita on August 8, 2021. Glad that’s taken care of.
  • Virgin Australia is dropping service to Bundaberg, Queensland (BDB).

Andrew’s Moment of Levity

I recently decided to sell my vacuum cleaner as all it was doing was gathering dust.