April 2, 2021

CDC Gives Vaccinated Travelers the A-OK

The Center for Disease Control announced today that fully vaccinated Americans can safely resume travel with the exception of to New Jersey – because no one should ever fly to New Jersey.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said that fully vaccinated travelers are at a low risk to themselves, but the CDC is still reinforcing that travelers should take precautions such as social distancing and always wearing a mask in public.

For domestic travel, people who are more than two weeks past their final shot do not need to take any virus test or quarantine after travel – unless specifically required by a local jurisdiction. For international travel, those that are fully vaccinated do not need to be tested before leaving the country – unless required by the destination country – or if the traveler has a nostalgia about having a q-tip sent to their brain via their nose.

Fifty-six million Americans are currently fully vaccinated – approximately one-sixth of the U.S. population. For those who are not yet vaccinated, the CDC’s guidance remains the same as it did prior to the announcement, including a suggested seven-day self-quarantine following the trip’s conclusion.


United Makes Nearly All Travel Agent-Bought Tickets Refundable

United Airlines is making almost all tickets purchased through travel agents refundable – minus a fee – for the rest of the calendar year. The new policy goes into effect immediately and applies to all domestic flights, flights between the U.S. and Mexico or the Caribbean, and for international travel that originates in the United States.

These refundable fares are only available through United’s travel agent partners – including, much to our joy, Cranky Concierge – with the fee to refund the flight varying by cabin and geography. Domestic travel has a $100 fee for all non-basic economy tickets. International is $200 in economy, $300 in premium economy, and $400 in business. Basic economy remains fully refundable… minus a penalty equal to the full cost of the ticket.

This policy goes into place as part of United’s decision to allow travelers to keep the residual value as a credit for future use if they change to a less expensive flight. That option will not be available for travel agents, instead offering this refundability as a substitute.


Air Canada and Air Transat Call Off Merger

Air Canada’s purchase of Air Transat is dead, as AC backed out of the deal due to a expected lack of approval from the European Commission.

The deal was originally announced in 2019, and went through several stages as the two carriers attempted to complete the transaction amidst the pandemic. Air Canada made multiple proposals in an attempt to satisfy the European Commission but could not find one that would be acceptable to both the EC and the airline’s finances.

In order to cancel the agreement and get on with its life, Air Canada is on the hook for a $12.5 million payment to Air Transat. The agreement allows for the payment to be made up in equal parts cash, Toronto Maple Leafs season tickets, poutine futures, and maple syrup by the gallon. One the payment is made, Air Transat will be free to pursue other merger or takeover options without owing anything back to Air Canada – except a $200 Tim Horton’s gift card.


JetBlue Blinks, Reinstates Flexible Waiver

JetBlue Airways extended its flexible travel waiver through May 31 for all fares – including Blue Basic – JetBlue’s version of basic economy.

The airline had let its waiver expire on Wednesday, leaving it and American as the only major U.S. airlines to end the COVID practice that had been in place for over a year. With JetBlue reversing course today, American is now the cheese, standing all alone without a flexible waiver on all fares — for at least several more weeks.

JetBlue’s extension applies retroactively, so those who purchased a ticket yesterday – as long as it wasn’t intended to be an April Fool’s joke – will have the policy applied to their itinerary also.


Spirit Pushes Back on JetBlue/AA AAlliance AAgain

Spirit is continuing its never-ending quest to challenge the JetBlue/American Northeast Alliance to the DOT as it filed another response to the government in opposition of the agreement.

Today, Spirit’s complaint alleges that American and JetBlue are coordinating with each other outside the scope of the agreement between both airlines and the government.

Specifically, Spirit doesn’t care for JetBlue transferring its seven weekly seasonal flights between Fort Lauderdale and Quito, Ecuador to adding a second-daily frequency between New York/JFK and Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE). The smoking gun schedule, according to Spirit, is that American moved its remaining frequencies into Ecuador from New York to Miami, while JetBlue moved its frequencies to Ecuador out of South Florida and into New York.

With the changes, the two airlines are able to dominate their respective markets to Ecuador – B6 in New York, and AA in Miami. AA says it upped its frequencies in Miami to match customer demand, which was the same reason given by JetBlue to leave South Florida. Spirit contends both statements can’t be true and the two are lying, A nation now waits with baited breath for American and JetBlue’s response in which it states a.) it’s all a big coincidence, b.) Spirit’s yellow planes are ugly, or c.) no one wants to fly Spirit to Ecuador anyway.


Airline Potpourri

  • Air Premia has taken delivery of its first aircraft — a B787-9 — in its quest to launch operations in South Korea later this year.
  • Albastar has announced three new destinations from Cuneo (CUF) to Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Menorca (MAH), and Lampedusa (LMP).
  • American is using non-union pilots for some test flights, drawing criticism from its pilots union.
  • Cargojet will operate two B767-300BDSF aircraft on behalf of Amazon Canada beginning in mid-2021.
  • Corsair International took delivery of the first of its five A330-900s early this week.
  • LATAM is allowing one free change for passengers on international itineraries for travel between April 5 and May 4.
  • Neos Air took delivery of two new B737 MAX 8 aircraft on Thursday.
  • Norwegian scored a victory in a U.S. court on Thursday in its $1 billion lawsuit with Boeing.
  • SA Express is facing liquidation as its sale to FLYSAX failed.
  • Singapore has been banned from operating to Hong Kong for two weeks.
  • Southwest has received approval to pre-clear visitors traveling to Hawai’i from its five mainland gateways to the islands.
  • SpiceJet signed a 50-jet sale and leaseback deal just in the nick of thyme. Most in the industry had seen this deal cumin for a while.
  • United is prepared to begin hiring hundreds of pilots as demand continues to soar.
  • Vietnam Airlines had its loan request approved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister.

Andrew’s Moment of Levity

What do you call two birds stuck together?

Velcrows.