Summer Special Report
June 11 to June 17, 2022
June 11 to June 17, 2022
Read all about the summer chaos! U.S. airports already have hosted 2 million travelers on 13 days this month. Bad weather causes massive cancellations on Thursday and Friday. The Bahamas drops pre-entry testing for fully vaccinated travelers. Canada ends vaccine mandate for flights, but mask mandate remains. Australia retains its in-flight mask mandate, but drops requirement for airports. Heathrow's boss warns it could take 18 months for airports to return to normal. Italy extends mask mandate for public ground transportation through September. Swiss air traffic control melts down. Lisbon will allow U.S. and Canadian travelers to use fast-entry gates to ease crowding. Europe aircraft traffic is at 85% of 2019 levels. And more.
Summer Travel Update: Friday, June 17, 2022
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg conducted a video meeting with major airlines yesterday. He warned them that he expected smooth travel conditions for flyers over the summer. Because, you know, video jawboning of the airlines always works. The Wall Street Journal has details. Here are today's other developments:
Thursday turmoil As if to mock Buttigieg, airlines cancelled more than 1,700 flights Thursday. Thanks to bad weather, about 35% of the flights at New York/LaGuardia were cancelled and about 25% of the Newark schedule was washed away. About 15% of flights at Washington/National were dumped. Cancellations at Charlotte reached double-dight percentages, too. More than 1,000 flights have already been cancelled today. The revival continues The TSA says that 2,371,860 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 87% of 2019 volume. Imagine how many more may have flown if their flights hadn't cancelled. Flashpoint London After a tongue-lashing by British aviation regulators for the widespread chaos during last month's busiest travel days, some British airports are limiting the number of summer flights they will permit. At London/Gatwick, for instance, the usual daily summer limit of 900 flights is being reduced to 825 in July and 850 in August. But the boss of London/Heathrow says it could take up to 18 months for "normal" travel patterns to be restored. SkyNews has details. Bahamas goes basic Fully vaccinated travelers no longer must undergo Covid testing before arriving in Bahamas, the government announced yesterday. Unvaccinated travelers must continue to test before arrival, however. The island nation is also dropping the Travel Health Visa. The changes go into effect on Sunday. Here are the details. Dropping like a feather The average price of a regular gallon of gasoline in the United States is $5.00 today, according to the AAA. That's down a whole 1.5 cents from the all-time record average recorded on Tuesday. Summer Travel Update: Thursday, June 16, 2022
Partygate, the British scandal surrounding Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff ignoring Coronavirus restrictions they imposed on England during the height of the pandemic, rumbles on. Johnson now has lost his second ethics advisor amid indications Johnson misled Parliament, which would trigger a Prime Minister's resignation in normal times. The Guardian has details. Here are today's other developments: Thirteen of 15 The TSA says that 2,229,941 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 87.3% of 2019 volume. It is also the 13th day of the month when daily volume passed the 2-million mark. Victory The average price of a regular gallon of gasoline in the United States is $5.009 today, according to the AAA. That's a whole half-cent below yesterday! Rejoice! Rejoice! We have no choice ... Opening the gates Lisbon Airport was overwhelmed with international travelers before the pandemic and now that people are flying again, the long entry lines have returned. The government's response? Arrivals from the United States and Canada will be eligible to use E-gates, those high-tech, mostly unattended borders control doors. Here are the details. Stay masked Italy has extended its mask mandate for public transportation until September 30. That means FFP2/N95 masks are still required on buses, trains, subways, trams and ferries. The country has dropped most other public mask mandates, however.Summer Travel Update: Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading voice on Coronavirus, has tested positive for Covid. The 81-year-old, who is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots, says he is experiencing mild symptoms. The Associated Press has details. Here are today's other developments: Rolling along The TSA says that 2,117,726 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 85.8% of 2019 volume. Flashpoint Switzerland How bad is this season of busted flights and chaotic airports? Even by-the-book, buttoned-down Switzerland is feeling the pinch. A computer glitch shut down the nation's air space this morning (local time) for several hours. Flights at Zurich and Geneva as well as service at smaller cities were grounded for as long as three hours. Agence France-Presse has details. Australia airports unmasked The Australian government says that masks will no longer be required to be worn in airport terminals as of Friday morning (local time). Flyers will still be required to wear masks on all Australian flights, however.Summer Travel Update: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
China is clinging to its "zero Covid" policy and is now relying on mass testing to achieve its goals. The problem? China's testing industry has been wracked by scandal. The Washington Post has details. Here are today's other developments: Hot stuff The TSA says 2,378,868 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's about 100,000 more than last Monday and represents 88.1% of 2019 volume on a similar day in June. Canada's summer situation The Canadian government is dropping the requirement that domestic and outbound international travelers be fully vaccinated against Coronavirus. The change takes place June 20. All passengers must continue wear face masks, however. CTV News has details. Getting back to normal European aircraft traffic is averaging 29,635 daily flights, about 85% of 2019 levels. Eurocontrol, which handles the continent's air traffic control, expects volume to reach 88% in July.Summer Travel Update: Monday, June 13, 2022
Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew, a former Trump Administration official, is running for Governor of New York State. The first debate among Republican candidates is this week, but the younger Giuliani has been barred from the debate studio because he has never been vaccinated against Covid. He'll be required to participate by video link. The New York Times has details. Here are today's other developments: No June swoon The TSA says that 6.8 million people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints this weekend (Friday-Sunday). That's around 125,000 more than the previous weekend and it's 88.8% of comparative volume on a similar weekend in 2019, exactly the same as the previous weekend. Flashpoint Ryanair Spanish unions called on Ryanair staff to hold a six-day strike at the start of the summer holidays. The USO and SITCPLA unions want flight crews to walk off the job from June 24 to July 2. Agence France-Presse has details. Seat situation OAG, the industry schedulekeepers, says that global airline seat capacity has reached 96.6 million seats. That's 17% below the 2019 level. The BIGGER hurt The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States today is $5.014, says the AAA. Yes, that is another record, but you knew that already.Summer Travel Update: Weekend, June 11-12, 2022
Now that the United States is lifting the requirement to test negative for Covid before flying into the country, a question arises: Will in-flight masks protect you even if you are the only one on board wearing one? The answer is unequivocally yes. And the answer comes from the Great White North. The Toronto Star has details. Here are this weekend's other developments. Flashpoint Stockholm As with far too many European airports, Stockholm's Arlanda Airport is a time-wasting mess. But TheLocal.se, an English-language news site about Sweden, has some tips for managing. Here are the details. Flashpoint Toronto It's, um, flown under the radar, but Air Canada has been cancelling about 10% of its flights at its Toronto/Pearson hub during the last seven days. The Globe and Mail has details.