US designates COMAC, Air China’s parent as military users
The United States Department of Defence (DOD) has added COMAC (Shanghai Pudong), Grand China Air (CN, Haikou), and China National… Read More »
Hungary’s Wizz Air to issue €500mn bonds
Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) has announced it will issue a debut bond worth EUR500 million euros (USD608 million) as a… Read More »
Air Canada orders first in-house B767 P2F freighters
Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) has reached a deal with Cargo Aircraft Management, a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group,… Read More »
SmartBrief will not publish Monday
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, SmartBrief will not publish Monday. Publication will resume Tuesday.
Playa del Carmen offer families adventures
Playa del Carmen offers family friendly resorts with special attention the pandemic protocols, says Lori Swinderman of Mexico FamTrips. Families… Read More »
Qatar Airways to permanently halve A380 fleet
Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int’l) is planning to operate at most five A380-800s once it reactivates them, Qatar Airways… Read More »
Less will be more in post-pandemic travel: Airbnb chief
Smaller cities and more family time will gain favor over global tourism permanently in the wake of the pandemic, Airbnb… Read More »
Hotel-to-hospital shift addresses British COVID crisis
The Best Western Hotel near London has repurposed itself as a recovery site for COVID-19 patients as the first step… Read More »
Texas mixed-use project to feature hotel, offices
A 125,000-square-foot office building is planned for the first phase of a transit-oriented development in Carrollton, Texas. Construction could begin… Read More »
Norwegian drops long-haul, cuts 2,160 jobs, to raise $590mn
Norwegian (DY, Oslo Gardermoen) will shut down its long-haul operations to focus instead on “a simplified business structure and dedicated… Read More »
Davidson splits resorts into ambitious division
Davidson Hotels has created a resorts division, stocked with eight properties it owns and listing two on the drawing board…. Read More »
Troops take hotel spots as D.C. prepares for inauguration
National Guard members are filling some of the gap left by canceled hotel reservations in Washington, D.C., ahead of next… Read More »
Set hotels to vaccine task, AHLA head urges Biden team
The CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association has offered the incoming Biden administration the enlistment of member properties… Read More »
Southwest adds training, backs anti-trafficking organization
Southwest Airlines is marking National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by highlighting the airline’s partnership with United Against Human… Read More »
CNN to cut airport network, citing drop in travel
CNN will shut down its airport network March 31, citing “the steep decline in airport traffic because of COVID-19, coupled… Read More »
Delta flight attendant employs language skills and empathy
Two years ago, a Mandarin-speaking Delta Air Lines flight attendant stepped in to comfort a little girl traveling from China… Read More »
Alaska exec: Qatar partnership, Oneworld go hand in hand
Alaska Airlines’ membership in the Oneworld alliance opens new opportunities with Qatar Airways, said Nathaniel Pieper, Alaska’s senior vice president… Read More »
Delta adds health focus to technology initiatives
Delta’s technology focus shifted in 2020 to enabling touchless travel and employee testing in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Molly… Read More »
FedEx, UPS deliver on vaccine promises
Cargo carriers FedEx and UPS continue to deliver vaccines as requested by federal, state and local officials. Observers note that… Read More »
Airlines make employee vaccination plans
JetBlue Airways has begun offering the COVID-19 vaccines to crew members and American is gearing up a voluntary vaccination program.
Airlines enhance security measures for D.C.-bound flights
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced more stringent enforcement against passengers who “assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a… Read More »
Airlines support Biden’s face covering mandate
Airlines for America announced support for President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to require masks for air passengers, encouraging him to apply… Read More »
US’s ExpressJet Airlines plots 2021 restart
In an enigmatic update posted on its website, ExpressJet Airlines (EV, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) said it was planning to restart… Read More »
American Airlines, JetBlue to divest JFK, Washington slots
American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) and JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) agreed to voluntarily divest at least seven slot… Read More »
VietJetAir scoops over $28mn in bond issue
VietJetAir (VJ, Hanoi) managed to raise a total of VND650 billion dong (USD28.2 million) in its most recent bond issue,… Read More »
Lesotho temporarily closes airspace to contain COVID-19
Lesotho has closed its airspace for all but essential flights for two weeks in the wake of a new hard… Read More »