Read all about it! More than 193,000 195,000 199,000 Americans have died during the virus pandemic as positive cases pass the 6.5-million mark. Countries that once "beat" the virus now experience a dreaded second wave. Flying numbers plunge as both business and leisure travel slows. Hotels are closing forever. Ground borders in North America remain closed. Read up from the bottom for context.

Coronavirus Update for September 19, 2020

The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, tales of her amazing life story and news of bare-knuckles politics surrounding her replacement will temporarily take attention off the Coronavirus. But people are still dying and the virus is still playing havoc with lives. Because the Coronavirus doesn't care about your heroes or your politics. Here are today's other developments:
        Feels like the floor The TSA says 812,214 people passed through airport checkpoints on Friday. That's 31.5 percent of 2019 volume. So it really does look like we've settled into the 26-32 percent range for flying now.
        Canada is continuing the closure of ground crossings to the United States. The mutual arrangement began on March 18 and has been largely extended on a month-to-month basis. The current ground ban lasts until October 21.
        Down goes Europe Of the ten busiest airports in Europe, eight have recorded week-over-week declines in average number of flights. Two Turkish airports--Istanbul/Sabiha Gokcen and Antalya--saw small gains. Munich registered the largest (5.7 percent) decline, says Eurocontrol.
        Dublin downer The Irish government imposed new restrictions on Dublin. Indoor restaurant dining is banned and non-essential travel is discouraged.
        Marriott says it will reopen four of its five resorts in the Maldives beginning October 1. The fifth will reopen on November 1.
        Improvident Latest school in lockdown: Providence College in Rhode Island. The school has gone remote for at least a week after more than 100 students tested positive for Coronavirus.

Coronavirus Update for September 18, 2020

The TSA says 784,746 people passed through airport checkpoints on Thursday. While that is a jump of more than 200,000 from Wednesday, it still represents 31.9 percent of 2019 volume. That is in line with the post-Labor Day torpor in flying. Here are today's other developments:
        Hawaii will lift its 14-day quarantine on October 15. You will now be able to travel freely to the islands--if you can prove you had a negative Coronavirus test within three days of arrival. The details are here.
        Las Vegas bars, breweries and cocktail lounges are permitted to reopen Sunday at half-capacity. Restaurants, casinos and hotels and resorts have already reopened.
        Rolling downhill International flights were down 74.4 percent on September 15 on a 7-day rolling basis compared to 2019. Domestic flights dropped 38.7 percent during the same period. The statistics were compiled by Cirium, the aviation analysts.
        Everybody knows this is nowhere. Sightseeing flights to nowhere are growing in popularity in Asia and Australia. Passengers desperate to fly and airlines desperate for revenue are fueling the boom. Reuters has the details. The Washington Post has also written about the trend.
        Flatlining Hotels nationwide averaged 48.5 percent occupancy for the week ended September 12, according to lodging statisticians STR. That's down slightly from last week and again shows that a 50 percent occupancy rate, reached for one week last month, seems unattainable in the post-summer period. Honolulu (21.1 percent) and Orlando (31.6 percent), the engines of high hotel occupancy before the pandemic, continue to bring up the national rear.
        Be smart French discount carrier French Bee has again delayed the launch of its Paris/Orly to Newark flights. Originally due to begin June 10, it was delayed until October 25. It now is scheduled for December 18. Corsair, another French carrier, has already delayed its Orly-New York flights, scheduled to launch in the spring, until next year.

Coronavirus Update for September 17, 2020

New York State removed about a half-dozen states from its 14-day quarantine list. Connecticut and New Jersey will follow. Meanwhile, New York City schools won't open for in-person instruction next week as originally scheduled. Here are today's other developments:
        A newest new normal? The TSA says that 577,847 people passed through airport checkpoints on Wednesday. That's 26.9 percent of 2019 volume. It's clear now that the immediate future of flying is 25-30 percent of the immediate past.
        Delta Air Lines says in a federal filing that it is flying about 40 percent of 2019 capacity. That represents about 50 percent of 2019 domestic service and 20 percent of international capacity. About 40 percent of its aircraft are parked.
        Icons open again Two iconic hotels on opposite coasts reopened today. In San Francisco, the Fairmont on Nob Hill reopened. And in Philadelphia, the Bellevue, housed on the upper floors of the former Bellevue-Stratford, is accepting guests again.
        Baha marred The Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas will not reopen in October as originally planned. The reopening--which would include about 3,000 guestrooms spread over several hotel brands--now may not happen until next year.
        The 7 Percent Solution International tourism arrivals fell 93 percent in June compared to June, 2019, says the World Tourism Organization. During the first six months of 2020, the UN agency says tourism plunged 65 percent.

Coronavirus Update for September 16, 2020

The Big Ten has reversed itself and says its college football season will begin October 24. In August, the conference said it wouldn't play fall sports this year. Here are today's other developments:
        Never mind It did look like flying numbers had stabilized with all of the days since the Labor Day weekend around 30 percent of 2019 levels. But the TSA says yesterday's checkpoint number (522,383), was the lowest since September 1. It's also just 25.9 percent of 2019 volume. Tuesdays are among the slowest days for travel, but, still, the flying floor continues to be elusive.
        With a little help from their friends Highly leveraged hotel owners are getting crushed during the pandemic. That includes close Trump friends, donors and allies such as Tom Barrack of Colony Capital and Monty Bennett of Ashford Hospitality. They are pressing for a federal bailout--Bennett was even forced to return PPP loans after a public outcry--but hotels don't seem high on the list. The New York Times has the details.
        Closed forever Three Marriott-branded hotels in New York--the Marriott East Side, Courtyard Fifth Avenue and Courtyard Herald Square--have closed permanently.
        JP Morgan Chase, which has been aggressively requiring its traders to return to the office, has now sent some home because they have contracted the Coronavirus. ABC News has the details.
        Ditched The trendy Ace Shoreditch Hotel in London has closed permanently. The 258-room property, formerly a Crowne Plaza, opened in 2013 and essentially validated Shoreditch as a hipster London neighborhood.

Coronavirus Update for September 15, 2020

We may be reaching a depressing "new normal" when it comes to fall air travel. The TSA says 729,558 people passed through airport checkpoints on Monday. That's 30.3 percent of 2019 volume. After two previous days of about 32 percent of 2019 volume and several other days last week around 30 percent, a pattern seems to be developing. Here are today's other developments:
        Delta Air Lines returned a flight to the gate at Detroit/Metro on Saturday when an LAX-bound passenger refused to wear a mask. The Detroit Free Press has the details.
        Cancel culture The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York has been cancelled. So has the National Western Stock Show in Denver. The huge livestock event was scheduled to run January 9-24, 2021.
        Lufthansa says its traffic is below 20 percent of 2019 volume and its best-case scenario is 25 percent by the end of the year.
        Cathay Pacific and its Cathay Dragon subsidiary carried a total of just 35,773 passengers in August 2020, a decrease of 98.8 percent compared to August, 2019. In the first eight months of 2020, the number of passengers carried fell by 81.7 percent compared to last year, the airline says.
        Reopening Four more museums under the Smithsonian Institution banner reopen starting on Friday. Visitors will be required to use time-specific passes. The Smithsonian closed all its museums in March and has been reopening them slowly with reduced capacity and operating hours. The complete details are here.

Coronavirus Update for September 14, 2020

Texas has now passed California as the state with the third-highest Coronavirus death toll. New York, the epicenter of the pandemic in the early days, remains the hardest hit by far. Here are today's other developments:
        Sunday = Saturday The TSA says 809,850 people passed through airport checkpoints on Sunday. That's 32.6 percent of 2019 volume, exactly the same as Saturday's numbers.
        No Virgin in Palm Springs The pandemic and the plunge in travel have doomed plans for a Virgin-branded hotel in Palm Springs, California. The site may now be developed as a condominium project instead.
        Another one bites the dust. The 310-room Embassy Suites Manhattan Times Square, opened in 2018, has been returned to lenders. The property, which has a tangle of mortgages and mezzanine loans, remains open.
        Hong Kong horror Hong Kong International Airport handled 84,000 passengers and 10,000 flights in August. That is a respective year-on-year decrease of 98.6 and 72 percent.
        Israel's newest new normal Israel's second lockdown, announced last evening local time, will last for three weeks. Schools, stores, malls and hotels must close and people are largely restricted to their homes. The lockdown begins on Friday, the start of the Jewish High Holy Days. The Associated Press has some of the details.

Coronavirus Update for September 13, 2020

The TSA says 613,703 people passed through airport checkpoints yesterday, a lower number than both the second Saturday in August and the second Saturday in July. On the bright side, yesterday's number was 32.6 percent of 2019's volume, better than the July and August figures. You know, if you consider less than a third of last year's volume "bright." Here are today's other developments:
        DCA debacle Dozens of workers at Washington/National Airport may have been exposed to the coronavirus after attending services at an Alexandria church last month. The Washington Post has the details.
        Dakotas disaster North and South Dakota now lead the nation in growth of new Coronavirus infections. But don't tread on them or mandate masks because, "muh, freedom." The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has the details. Specifics on the situation in South Dakota, where Governor Kristi Noem has been especially strident about ignoring basic strategies to combat the virus, are here.
        Israel will become the first country to go into a second full lockdown in an attempt to control a resurgence of the virus. That has unexpected consequences since the Jewish High Holy Days begin next weekend. It has already led to the resignation of a key ultra-Orthodox member of Prime Minister Netanyahu's fragile coalition cabinet.
        Encore The Coronavirus is surging in France again and new infections passed the 10,000-mark on Saturday after 9,400 new cases on Friday.
        Africa is struggling with how to revive its tourism trade after the pandemic. The Associated Press has the details.
        College daze Health officials in East Lansing asked Michigan State University (MSU) students to self-quarantine on Saturday after 342 students tested positive for coronavirus. The outbreak at the 50,000-student school dates to late August when people returned to the campus for the fall semester.

Coronavirus Update for September 6-12, 2020

Read all about it! More than 188,000 190,000 193,000 have died during the pandemic in the United States. Schools and universities continue to cancel or curtail in-person classes. U.S. airlines press for another bailout, but the Senate omits it from its bill. The travel industry begins autumn cutbacks as the summer uptick flattens. And more. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for August 30-Sept. 5, 2020

Read all about it! The United States has now passed 6 million confirmed cases and 182,000 185,000 188,000 dead. That's about 24 percent of the global cases and 20 percent of the death toll. We are 4 percent of the world's population. Meanwhile, more and more 2021 events are cancelled as travel dials back from a brief summer "high." And more. Click here for day-to-day details.

Coronavirus Update for August 23-August 29, 2020

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. Click here for day-to-day details.

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.