Delta's technology focus shifted in 2020 to enabling touchless travel and employee testing in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Molly Battin, vice president for global brand marketing, said at a virtual Consumer Electronics Show panel, but the airline has maintained its commitment to consumer upgrades like faster Wi-Fi. "We are listening closely to customers and looking at ways we can pull new technology and innovation into everything we are doing to create a more seamless experience," Battin said.
Alaska Airlines' membership in the Oneworld alliance opens new opportunities with Qatar Airways, said Nathaniel Pieper, Alaska's senior vice president of fleet, finance and alliances. "It's a great additional path for our guests to now get to the Middle East and beyond," he said.
Two years ago, a Mandarin-speaking Delta Air Lines flight attendant stepped in to comfort a little girl traveling from China to the US with her new adoptive parents. Delta shared the joy on Twitter as "Grandma Jackie" joined Bella's 7th birthday party, bringing the ingredients for homemade Chinese dumplings.
Southwest Airlines is marking National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by highlighting the airline's partnership with United Against Human Trafficking. The carrier is adding a component to its training for public-facing employees that covers identifying potential trafficking victims and responding effectively.
Sheldon Adelson, who rose from modest beginnings to head the world's largest gaming company, led the transformation of that industry into a hybrid of entertainment, hospitality and convention venues. The founder of the Las Vegas Sands, who died Monday at 87, also was a leading donor to Republican political campaigns.
The new Association of Black Travel Professionals aims to raise the profile of Black travel advisors and create a talent pool through training and leadership development, co-founder Gai A. Spann says. The ABTP also wants to quantify the impact Black travel advisors have on the industry through data collection.
CNN will shut down its airport network March 31, citing "the steep decline in airport traffic because of COVID-19, coupled with all of the new ways that people are consuming content on their personal devices." The service, a ubiquitous presence US airports for decades, airs news from CNN with an emphasis on entertainment, sports and weather along with bits of programming from other WarnerMedia networks.
Playa del Carmen offers family friendly resorts with special attention the pandemic protocols, says Lori Swinderman of Mexico FamTrips. Families can enjoy cooking Mexican cuisine, exploring the beaches and interacting with nature.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson has ordered the agency to take a "zero tolerance policy" against passengers disrupting airline operations in the period around the Biden inauguration, citing "a disturbing increase in these incidents" and promising that the FAA "will no longer adjudicate certain of these unruly passenger cases with counseling or warnings" but will "go straight to enforcement."
Destinations in the Caribbean are cracking down on tourists who violate pandemic protocols, sometimes sending them to jail. Offenses mostly involve violating quarantine restrictions by sneaking out or sneaking people into hotels.