Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll spikes dramatically as the nationwide tally surges past 155,000 160,000 162,000. Countries that thought they'd tamed the virus are scaling back activities just as the August vacation season kicks into high gear. U.S. carriers and hotels begin facing the wreckage of a shrunken travel industry. Latest items are at the top. Read up from the bottom for context.

Coronavirus Update for August 8, 2020

We will hit five million confirmed Coronavirus cases today. Good thing this thing will just disappear. Any day now. Just disappear. Here are today's travel developments:
        International flights to the United States, Australia and Japan have fallen by more than 80 percent compared to 2019, says Cirium, the aviation analysts. International flights to China are down around 95 percent.
        Choice Hotels, whose brands include Cambria, Comfort and Quality Inn, says nearly all of its 6,000 properties in the United States are now open again.
        Skies half full Eurocontrol says there were 18,141 flights across Europe on Friday, August 7. That's 50.6 percent of 2019 flight volume, the first time traffic was above 50 percent since March 17.
        Paradise delayed Fiji Airways has once again delayed the restart of international operations. Service was most recently due to resume on September 1, but those flights have disappeared from the airline's schedule.

Coronavirus Update for August 7, 2020

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine now says his first positive test for Coronavirus yesterday was wrong and he tested negative in a second test. Nice that he can get two tests and two results in a matter of hours, yet most Americans wait days---or even weeks--for their results. Here are today's travel developments:
        This must be the slump. The airlines insist demand has flattened even though TSA security-checkpoint numbers haven't been clear on the point. But add this data point: The TSA says 743,599 people passed through airports yesterday and that represents 27.4 percent of 2019 volume. That's about the same as last Thursday.
        BA goes backward British Airways is trimming its U.S. flight schedule. Flights from London to Pittsburgh are cancelled. Capacity on routes to San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, Seattle and San Jose is being reduced with a combination of frequency reductions and the use of aircraft with fewer seats.
        Deep impact Booking Holdings (fka Priceline) says its gross bookings fell 91 percent in the second quarter.
        China first Aviation statisticians Cirium says that domestic flights in China are now 92 percent of 2019's volume. It's 91 percent in Russia, 82 percent in Japan and 26 percent in India. Based on August 5 flights, U.S. domestic capacity is 52 percent of 2019 volume.
        Hilton Hotels says the nationwide occupancy rate in its China properties is now 60 percent. It's 45 percent nationwide at U.S. properties. Meanwhile, chain executives believe it will take "two or three years to get back to the demand levels" of 2019.
        Atlanta/Hartsfield is getting a Coronavirus testing site, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The details are here.

Coronavirus Update for August 6, 2020

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tested positive today for Coronavirus. Like Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who tested positive last week, DeWine was tested because he was about to meet President Trump. Trump, of course, has repeatedly claimed we test too much as a nation. Draw your own conclusions. Here are today's travel developments:
        Charlotte hot spot Two dozen TSA agents at Charlotte Douglas Airport have tested positive for Coronavirus. The Charlotte Observer has the details.
        Small sports shutdown NCAA Division II and Division II officials have cancelled their fall sports postseasons due to Coronavirus concerns.
        Aberdeen, Scotland, has gone back into lockdown. That means restaurants and pubs must close and people are not permitted to visit each others' homes. Travel is restricted to work or education. The city and immediate surroundings have about 228,000 residents.
        Sneaking into Europe Americans are not welcome in most of Europe and all of the European Community. But there are ways to sneak in--if you're wealthy enough and creepy enough. Politico.com has the details.
        Singapore now requires travelers wear electronic tags to enforce the city-state's quarantine restrictions. Reuters has the details.

Coronavirus Update for August 5, 2020

The Tuesday tumble strikes again. The TSA says 543,601 people passed through airline checkpoints yesterday. That is about 250,000 fewer than Sunday and just 22.7 percent of 2019 volume. Tuesdays are traditionally among the slowest travel days of the week, both pre-pandemic and during this crazy time. Here are today's travel developments:
        Alaska Airlines has tightened its mask mandate. Anyone over the age of 2 must wear one. No exceptions for medical or other reasons.
        JetBlue Airways has extended its empty middle seat policy through October 15.
        U.S. cruise lines will not operate in U.S. waters until at least October 31. Several international cruise lines have relaunched and promptly reported Coronavirus infections.
        Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has ordered masks be worn in businesses and elsewhere in public for the next two weeks.
        On the rocks Red Rocks Resorts says it does not know when--or if--four of its Nevada casinos will reopen. That includes the Palms, Texas Station, Fiesta Henderson and Fiesta Rancho.
        Hyatt says 87 percent of its hotels were open as of July 31. That's misleading, however, since many of its full-service hotels remain shuttered in big cities.

Coronavirus Update for August 4, 2020

Airline travel yesterday slipped to about 28 percent of 2019 volume, acccording to TSA statistics of people passing through airport security checkpoints. Here are today's travel developments:
        Porter Airlines, which services U.S. and Canadian cities from its Toronto/City Island hub, has again pushed back its relaunch. The new target date is October 7. The carrier shut down operations on March 21.
        'W' waves goodbye. Another New York hotel is closing. The W Hotel in the financial district won't reopen.
        Global airline capacity has crept up to 60 million seats. That's about 50 percent of 2019 volume, according to OAG, the schedulemeisters.
        Refund riffs Another lawsuit against airlines refusing refunds when they cancelled flights is working through the courts. This one is against Southwest Airlines. The details are here.
        Dubai Airport has deployed Coronavirus-sniffing dogs. Because Dubai ... The details are here.
        Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian said the airline last weekend carried 25 percent of its 2019 volume. It's the highest so far since the pandemic began and up from 5 percent in April.

Coronavirus Update for August 3, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx's burst of honesty on television yesterday--she worried about our "extraordinarily widespread" outbreak--has infuriated President Trump. He called her statement "pathetic." Because science is apparently the enemy of the Trump state. Here are today's travel developments:
        Weekend wonder Airlines keep saying flying is slumping again and midweek numbers have shown that to be true. So this past weekend may be the exception proving the claims. Traffic surged to nearly 800,000 passengers on Sunday and on Saturday hit almost 30 percent of 2019 volume. The stats are based on TSA security-checkpoint "throughput."
        United Airlines in September will operate about 37 percent of its 2019 schedule.
        Dark victory The United States recorded around 47,000 new cases of Coronavirus, the lowest daily figure in about a month.
        After the refund The lawsuits don't end once public pressure forces airlines to issue refunds for flights they've cancelled during the pandemic. Law360.com is following a U.S. case against Volaris, the Mexican discount carrier.
        Dublin disaster Hotel occupancy in Dublin might have been as low as 17 percent in July. It is part of the collapse of Irish tourism. The Irish Times has the details.
        Gone in Gotham Another big-name New York City hostelry--the Bryant Park Hotel--will be converted to office space rather than reopening. The Omni Berkshire Place already announced its permanent closure.

Coronavirus Update for August 2, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's chief Coronavirus advisor, said the virus is now "extraordinarily widespread" and worse than in March and April. Here are today's travel developments:
        Paine Field, the airport North of Seattle that opened to commercial traffic in March, 2019, is back in business. After shutting for ten weeks due to sagging passenger traffic, Alaska Airlines has resumed flights to Phoenix and Las Vegas. While the airport was closed, a runway was resurfaced.
        Costa Rica reopened two airports for international travelers. Visitors from Canada, the EU and the Schengen Zone are welcome. U.S. visitors? Not so much. U.S. tourism has accounted for as much as 40 percent of Costa Rica's volume. The details are here.
        Melbourne, Australia, has imposed an 8pm to 5am curfew. Tighter restrictions are also going into place this week in the state of Victoria. The details are here.
        Hotel hiatus Only about one in three U.S. hotels has recalled as many as half of their employees, according to the lodging trade association.
        Summer spike Eurocontrol, which manages Europe's air space, says the number of flights spiked yesterday (August 1), the start of the traditional European vacation season. Although overall flight traffic is still just 50 percent of 2019 levels, there were nearly 2,000 more flights yesterday than the previous Saturday.

Coronavirus Update for July 26-August 1, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 140,000 145,000 146,000 while infections rage out of control throughout the Sunbelt. Countries close their borders again and reopenings in the United States are rolled back or curtailed. The travel industry faces a hard reality: There's no V-shaped recovery. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for July 19-25, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 140,000 145,000 146,000 while infections rage out of control throughout the Sunbelt. Countries close their borders again and reopenings in the United States are rolled back or curtailed. The travel industry faces a hard reality: There's no V-shaped recovery. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for July 12-18, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 135,000 140,000 while countries such as New Zealand can declare themselves virus-free. New York City, however, said it had its first death-free day since mid-March. Meanwhile, Florida is the new global epicenter of Coronavirus. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for July 5-11, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 130,000 135,000 and new virus infections are rising around the nation and around the world. The question is now what a post-Fourth travel scene will look like as several states with key hubs--California, Arizona, Texas, Florida--report record-breaking infection numbers. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 28-July 4, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 125,000 130,000. As the Coronavirus rages throughout the South, reality sets in about the pace of any possible "recovery" and reopenings. Europe drops most of its intra-continental travel restrictions, but most foreign visitors, including Americans, are still barred. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 21-27, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 115,000 120,000 125,000 126,000. Deaths slowed last week, but the infection rate is growing in half the states. U.S. travel picks up. The Northeast states that suffered in earlier months now quarantine arrivals from the high-infection states. European carriers grow capacity as the continent prepares for a July 1 reopening that may not permit Americans to visit. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 14-20, 2020

Read all about it! The nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 115,000 119,000. The second wave seems to be starting in states that opened early. More airlines around the world resume service. U.S. airlines add back some flights, but traffic remains below 20 percent of 2019's totals. And more. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for June 7-13, 2020

Read all about it! The nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 110,000 115,000 and the number of confirmed cases passes the two-million mark. Protests around the nation overshadow the pandemic and its effects. New York City opens up just as London and Britain launch 14-day quarantines. Flight traffic jumps yet remains a small fraction of 2019 volume. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 31-June 6, 2020

Read all about it! As the nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 100,000 105,000 110,000, the nation's cities are hit with peaceful protests and violent riots. European carriers begin to fly again and the continent's major tourist countries plan to reopen to the world. U.S travel inches up from its mid-April floor. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 24-May 30, 2020

Read all about it! As the nation's Coronavirus death toll surges past 95,000 100,000 103,000, holiday travel "surges" back to about 13 percent of 2019's numbers. Some international travel resumes, but new bans are instituted, too. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 17-May 23, 2020

Read all about it! As the national Coronavirus death toll surges past the 85,000 90,000 95,000 96,000 mark, all eyes are on the states that opened quickly. Will their infection and death rates spike? Asia deals with zero tourism as bans on visitors continue. European countries sweat the decisions to open to some tourism. Flying is still down more than 90 percent compared to 2019, but surges for Memorial Day. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 10-May 16, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 75,000 80,000 85,000 88,000 mark. European countries make plans for slow, phased openings. The United States is more chaotic. Airlines and airports go beyond masks to temperature checks. Travel is picking up--if you squint and squeeze the numbers. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for May 3-May 9, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 65,000 70,000 75,000 78,000 mark. We enter the era of the masked flyer. New York closes its subways for the first time ever. Airline losses keep piling up. Traffic doesn't. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 26-May 2, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 50,000 55,000 60,000 65,000 66,000 mark. Some states loosen restrictions while European countries will keep things closed into the summer. U.S. airline traffic begins to nudge up as airline earnings plunge. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 19-April 25, 2020

Read all about it! The nationwide Coronavirus death toll surges past the 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 52,000 mark, but progress is made in Italy, Spain, Austria and France. Governors start opening their states. Airlines begin to declare bankruptcy and the first tranche of first-quarter financial results are brutal. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 12-April 18, 2020

U.S. governors talk about when the states can reopen even as nationwide Coronavirus deaths surge past the 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 mark. Airlines whine about the terms of the bailout money they're getting from the nation's taxpayers. And only fools and self-important pundits know anything about the future of travel. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for April 5-April 11, 2020

Read all about it! As the world convulses with the waves of Coronavirus, the toll on the travel industry is revealed. Remaining flights are essentially empty, airports are shutting terminals and business travelers have nowhere to go--and aren't in a rush to get there. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 29-April 4, 2020

Read all about it! Domestic travel is down more than 90 percent from last year. More states impose stay-at-home orders. The death toll in Italy and Spain continues to skyrocket. And doctors and nurses are scrambling for supplies to help Coronavirus patients--and protect themselves. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 22-28, 2020

The new "new normal"? International transit airports barring transit passengers. U.S. states demanding arrivals from other U.S. states quarantine themselves on arrival. U.S. passenger volume dropping by 90 percent in a matter of days. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 15-21, 2020

Read all about it! The world is closing--and we watch in personal and transportation isolation. Countries are closing borders, airlines are all but shut and hotels are putting the keys in the door. Here's how we're covering it. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 8-14, 2020

Read all about it! Italy, Spain, France and Israel shut down. Other countries close their borders as the United States preps for what's to come. The Trump Administration botches the roll out of a ban on "all travel from Europe." U.S. carriers begin cutting service to the bone. Here's how it's happening. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for March 1-7, 2020

Read all about it! Italy emerges as the new Coronavirus hotspot so airlines begin making huge service cuts there. Meanwhile, Chinese airlines resume some flying. The chief rabbi of Israel says don't kiss the mezuzah. The travel industry starts tallying the financial damage. Here's how it's happening. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for February 15-29, 2020

Read all about it! The Coronavirus spreads around the globe. Japan, South Korea and Italy are hit hard and airlines quickly drop their flights. Tourism disappears and companies begin telling employees to curtail business travel. The Tokyo Summer Olympics may be threatened. Airlines begin rolling out gimmicky fee waivers to nervous flyers. Click here for the day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for February 1-14, 2020

Read all about it! The spread of the Coronavirus is still mostly affecting mainland China, but Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are losing flights and visitors, too. As Chinese tourists stay home, however, the travel industry learns how much they mean to airline traffic, cruise ships and hotels. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for January 23-31, 2020

Read all about it! As the Coronavirus worsens, airlines have reacted by slashing service to Hong Kong and mainland China. Retailers and food-service giants such as McDonald's are closing locations, too. And neighboring countries are closing their borders. Click here for the day-to-day details.