Read all about it! The death toll from Coronavirus surges past 175,000 180,000 182,000 as European and Asian nations deal with resurgences of the virus. Flying hits the wall as daily traffic sags noticeably. Airlines globally begin to pull down service again. And more. Latest items are at the top. Read up from the bottom for context.

Coronavirus Update for August 29, 2020

Wakanda and the world mourn today. Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played King T'Challa in Black Panther and portrayed Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and James Brown, died yesterday from colon cancer. The 43-year-old star's illness never had been publicly disclosed. Here are today's other developments:
        Marriott has laid off most--or perhaps all--of its Ambassadors, a special group of agents assigned to work with the Bonvoy program's most-elite travelers. Gary Leff of the View From the Wing blog has the details.
        Towering failure The Trump International Hotel in Vancouver has closed permanently. The three-year-old property shuttered in April and the parent company has now filed for bankruptcy. Like virtually all Trump properties, the name is licensed. The CBC has the details.
        MGM Resorts, one of the world's largest casino operators, is laying off 18,000 of its employees. They had been furloughed in April and must be recalled or fired after six months, the company says of federal laws. More than 60,000 workers were furloughed in April, when all of MGM's properties closed.
        China domestic flight volume has reached 87 percent of pre-pandemic levels, according to estimates by Eurocontrol. Although Eurocontrol did not address it, passenger load factors remain far below 2019 level, however.

Coronavirus Update for August 28, 2020

Things are looking up. If nothing else, both political conventions are over now. Here are today's other developments:
        Down, down, down The TSA says that 721,000 people passed through airport checkpoints on Thursday. That's 51,000 fewer than last Thursday, August 20. Year-over-year volume compared to 2019 also tumbled: 28.1 percent yesterday compared to 30.4 percent last Thursday.
        Tumbling dice Casino revenue on the Las Vegas Strip was $330.1 million in July, the first full month the city's strip was reopened. The "take" was down 39 percent year-on-year from July, 2019.
        Shadows According to aviation-data experts Cirium, United Airlines on Wednesday (August 26) operated 68 flights in international airspace. That's up from just 20 per day in April, but only about a third of its international operations same-day 2019.
        Christmas is cancelled. Cologne, Germany, has cancelled its annual Christmas market. The globally known event at Cologne Cathedral drew about 5 million visitors last year. "We spent weeks thinking about how we could organise the market in a way that would prevent spreading the virus," explained Monika Flocke, managing director of the Cologne Christmas Society. "We couldn’t find a solution."
        Paris tourism has collapsed during the pandemic. About 14 million fewer tourists arrived in the French capital during the first six months of the year compared to 2019.

Coronavirus Update for August 27, 2020

Hurricane Laura came on shore in Louisiana early this morning as a Category 4 storm with 150-mile-per-hour winds. Because what would 2020 be without a monster hurricane? Here are today's other developments:
        Delta Air Lines says it has now banned 240 travelers for violating the airline's mask mandate. The disclosure came in a letter to employees from Delta chief executive Ed Bastian.
        Wednesday wobblies The TSA says just 540,043 passed through checkpoints yesterday, the slowest Wednesday since late June. It also brought traffic back just below 25 percent of 2019 volume for the first time in weeks. Basically, the much hoped-for travel "recovery" has now stalled at 25-30 percent of 2019 volume.
        Off the rails Paris was declared a "red zone" (no non-essential travel) by the Belgian government, so Thalys high-speed trains between Brussels and the French capital have been suspended. The ban continues until at least September 1.
        Fiji Airways "is not insolvent by any definition of the word," says chief executive Andre Viljoen. The carrier hasn't flown internationally since late March and earlier this month extended its grounding through September. Even local analysts have questioned its survival.
        Hit him when he's down. As you've surely heard by now, the CDC changed the guidelines for Coronavirus testing. Now it claims there is no need for asymptomatic people to be tested even if they have been exposed to a person who is virus positive. What you might not have heard is that it appears the CDC changed its guidance under pressure from the Trump Administration. In fact, the matter was adjudicated while Dr. Anthony Fauci was literally under sedation and unable to object. Politico.com has the details.

Coronavirus Update for August 26, 2020

Six months ago today President Trump said the nation's 15 cases of Coronavirus "within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero." Since then, Johns Hopkins reports, more than 178,000 are dead and nearly 5.8 million have been infected. Here are today's other developments:
        Honolulu locks down again. Honolulu, which encompasses Oahu, Hawaii's most populous island, is back in lockdown. Except for essential businesses, shops must close. Restaurants may only offer take-away orders. Beaches and parks are closed. A stay-at-home order is in effect starting on Thursday.
        Context is everything department The TSA says 523,186 people passed through airport checkpoints yesterday, the lowest Tuesday travel count since June 30. But at 25.9 percent of 2019 volume, it also was the best Tuesday performance since mid-April's pandemic lows. With three-quarters of the nation's airline traffic gone, I think any decline in absolute volume is bad, but your metaphoric mileage may vary.
        We're closed! Again! Manchester Airport, which serves England's second-largest urban area and has had a substantial number of U.S. flights, is closing terminals again. It reopened Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 in July after closing them in March. Terminal 2 will close again on September 2.
        Still grounded More than 8,500 commercial aircraft, a third of the global airline fleet, remain grounded. Nikkei of Japan has the details.
        Walking the plank Commuters on a vaparetto, a Venetian public-transport boat, forced an unmasked traveler off the ferry and blocked his path when he tried to reboard. The details are here. Masks are required in public places in Venice and throughout Italy, of course.

Coronavirus Update for August 25, 2020

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn has apologized for his outrageous hyping Sunday of plasma as a treatment for Coronavirus. The details are here. Reminder: President Trump was tweeting opposition to the FDA "deep state" before Sunday's "news" conference. Here are today's other developments:
        Travel stall The TSA says 50,000 fewer people passed through airport checkpoints on Monday compared to Monday, August 17. However, the percentage of 2019 volume was about 30 percent for both days.
        Without a trace The federal government's plan to contact trace arriving international travelers has stalled. Reuters has the details.
        They call Alabama the Crimson Tide The University of Alabama has recorded more than 500 cases of Coronavirus in the one week since students have returned. The details are here.
        Bali now says it will not welcome international visitors before 2021. The island had hoped to open its borders next month.
        Spain is facing its second wave of Coronavirus and is grappling with the possibility of a second lockdown. The Guardian has the details and an analysis.
        Night train The fabled Night Riviera sleeper train from London/Paddington to Cornwall and the southern tip of England has resumed limited service. GWR, the operating railroad, is accepting reservations here.

Coronavirus Update for August 24, 2020

Hong Kong has provided the first proven case of Coronavirus reinfection. A 33-year-old man who caught the disease four months ago has tested positive again. The details are here. Here are today's other developments:
        Down we go The TSA says weekend travel (Aug 21-23) fell more than 100,000 people from Aug 14-16. That's about a 4.5 percent week-over-week drop, really bad news when volume is still a fraction of 2019 traffic.
        Down we go II Industry schedule-keepers OAG says there are 700,000 fewer seats in the global skies compared to last week. It is the third consecutive week of decline in seat availability. OAG says global airline capacity is 50.6 percent of last year.
        The CDC has lifted its 14-day quarantine recommendation for residents and travelers of some states. The new guidance is here.

Coronavirus Update for August 23, 2020

When you wake up to learn two storms are headed to the Gulf Coast like a tag team and an asteroid may hit the earth on the day before Election Day ... Here are today's other developments:
        Israel has extended its ban on visitors until October 1. The country's borders have been closed to non-citizens since mid-March.
        He's also Spartacus! The former Navy Seal banned by Delta Air Lines for not wearing a mask in-flight and publishing a photo of his transgression is now demanding a meeting with Delta chief executive Ed Bastian. He also claims to have high-level Delta elite status and been on the attack team that killed bin Laden, so, you know, the fantasy is strong in this one. Fox Business has the details.
        Extended Stay hotels are faring better during the pandemic than any other lodging category. Occupancy has not dropped as dramatically as the rest of the industry and the average daily rate has declined less severely, according to data from The Highland Group. Speculation: With full kitchens and more space, extended stay hotels offer a better experience during lockdowns when restaurants only do take-out orders and travelers might have to fend for themselves.
        South Korea, which has done a better job than the United States managing the Coronavirus by orders of magnitude, is pumping the metaphoric brakes. Nightspots and churches are being closed and spectators banned from sporting events. The country's caseload has reached 17,000. The United States now has more than 5.6 million. The Associated Press has the details.
        Making book Book sales plummeted in the early days of the pandemic, but Publishers Weekly says August began with a big gain in print sales.
        (Not) Ride or (not) die Ridership on the country's major transit systems remains way down. According to the most recent figures compiled by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, passenger volume is down 76 in New York, 79 percent in Washington and 88 percent in San Francisco.

Coronavirus Update for August 16-August 22, 2020

Read all about it! As the nation begins two weeks of Zoom-like political conventions, the death toll from Coronavirus surges past 169,000 175,000 176,000. As many places open, others shut back down. Travel continues to wobble: Airline passenger volume flattens, hotel occupancy rates remain far below 2019 levels. And more. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for August 9-August 15, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 162,000 165,000 169,000. There are now more than 20 million cases worldwide and a quarter of them have been in the United States. Travel continues to be in an extended holding pattern as Americans fret about schools, the football season--and the post office. And more. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for August 2-August 8, 2020

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 face the wreckage of a shrunken travel industry. And more. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for July 26-August 1, 2020

Read all about it! The U.S. Coronavirus death toll surges past 146,000 150,000 154,000 as new cases and rising hospitalization rates tax hospitals in Florida, Texas and other Sunbelt states. European countries consider requirements for returning residents to test after holidays. The travel industry worries about the fragility--and shallow nature--of the "recovery." And more. Here's how we're covering it. 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.