wcw MARCH 2021 HR

travel news
United Adds Nonstop Flights to Houston
United Airlines has
added daily nonstop
service between
Sarasota and George
Bush Intercontinental/
Houston Airport. The
service between SRQ
and IAH began on
February 11.
This new service
offers fliers access to
the Houston area and
many cities beyond
in the United Airlines system. The new
service complements existing United
Airlines service at SRQ to Chicago,
Newark, and Washington, DC.
TSA Closed 2020 With Dramatic
Changes in Checkpoint Operations
Flight times are scheduled as follows:
From To Departure Arrival
IAH SRQ 11:55 am 3:04 pm
SRQ IAH 4:45 pm 6:25 pm
International Passengers Headed to the U.S.
Need Proof of Negative Coronavirus Test
Before boarding their flights, all international
passengers headed to the U.S. will
first need to show proof of a negative
coronavirus test, according to a new federal
policy going into effect on Jan. 26.
The new policy requires all air passengers,
regardless of vaccination status, to
get a test for current infection within the
three days before their flight to the United
States departs, and to provide written
documentation of their test results or
proof of having recovered from Covid-19.
Proof of immunization will not be
sufficient, because the vaccines have
only been shown to prevent serious illness,
said Jason McDonald, a spokesman
for the C.D.C. Vaccinated people may
still become infected, in theory, and
transmit the virus on a flight.
The agency will not require further
testing in the three months after a positive
test, so long as the traveler has not
had any symptoms. In this situation,
a passenger may travel with documentation
of the positive test result and a
letter from a health care provider or a
public health official stating that the
traveler now has been cleared for travel.
Airlines must confirm the negative
test result for all passengers or the
documentation of recovery before they
board. If a passenger does not provide
proof of a negative test or recovery, or
chooses not to take a test, the airline
must deny boarding to the passenger,
the agency said.
The C.D.C. currently recommends
that all air travelers, including
those flying within the United States,
get tested one to three days before travel,
and again three to five days after the
trip is complete.
The Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) reported the final daily figure
of estimated travel volume for calendar
year 2020 across more than 440 federalized
airports nationwide.
Between Jan.1 and Dec. 31, 2020, the
agency screened a total of 324 million
passengers throughout its airport security
checkpoints. That’s 39 percent of the approximately
824 million total passengers
screened in 2019.
On April 14, 2020, TSA reported its
lowest travel volume of only 87,500 passengers
throughout all TSA checkpoints
nationwide, representing just 4 percent of
passenger volume recorded on the same
weekday in 2019. During TSA’s historically
busiest time of year, average travel volume
per day between Thanksgiving and New
Year’s Eve in 2020 continued to fluctuate
between a low of 24 percent and a high of
61 percent of 2019 travel volume during
the same period. The agency expects volume
will remain well below pre-pandemic
levels through most of 2021.
Despite the substantially reduced
number of passengers screened due to
the pandemic in 2020, TSA modified security
checkpoint procedures around the
country to reduce physical contact and
help protect workers and passengers. The
agency accelerated deployment of acrylic
barriers and technologies that enhance
security and reduce touchpoints throughout
the checkpoint.
Many of those modifications, which include
self-serve Credential Authentication
Technology (CAT) units at travel document
checking podiums and Computed
Tomography (CT) equipment for a detailed
image of a carry-on bag’s contents,
will remain in place well into the future.
In 2020, TSA installed 6,873 acrylic
barriers at 384 airports. The accelerated
technology deployments also resulted in
the installation of 927 CAT units for 125
locations. CAT allows passengers to scan
their own ID to complete the identity
verification process and eliminate the
need to hand the credential to a TSA officer.
TSA also installed more than 311 CT
units at 135 airports, giving TSA officers
the ability to review a 3D
image of a passenger’s bags,
thus reducing the need to
search the bag’s contents.
Travelers should continue
to check with the CDC for
travel advisories as well as
their airline and airport at
their destinations regarding
local COVID-19 guidelines.
For those who choose to
travel, visit the TSA website
for the latest travel tips
and information, including
how to sign up for TSA
PreCheck ® .
Allegiant
Announces New
Nonstop Service
January 12, Allegiant announced
new nonstop routes,
including routes to Key West,
plus eight routes that were
delayed in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
New service from Key West
International Airport includes:
• Nashville, Tennessee via Nashville
International Airport – beginning
June 2, 2021
• Sanford, Florida via Orlando Sanford
International Airport – beginning
June 4, 2021
New service from General Wayne
A. Downing International Airport
includes:
Global tourism suffered its worst year on
record in 2020, with international arrivals
dropping by 74% according to the
data from the World Tourism Organization
(UNWTO). Destinations worldwide
welcomed 1 billion fewer international
arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year,
due to an unprecedented fall in demand
and widespread travel restrictions.
This compares with the 4% decline
recorded during the 2009 global economic
crisis. According to the latest UNWTO
World Tourism Barometer, the collapse
in international travel represents an estimated
loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export
revenues - more than 11 times the loss
recorded during the 2009 global economic
crisis. The crisis has put between 100
and 120 million direct tourism jobs at
risk, many of them in small and medium-sized
enterprises.
Due to the evolving nature of the
pandemic, many countries are reintroducing
stricter travel restrictions. These
include mandatory testing, quarantines
and in some cases a complete closure of
borders, all weighing on the resumption
of international travel. At the same time,
the gradual rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine
is expected to help restore consumer
confidence, contribute to the easing
travel restrictions and slowly normalize
travel during the year ahead.
The latest UNWTO Panel of Experts
survey shows a mixed outlook for 2021.
Almost half of respondents (45%) envisaged
better prospects for 2021 compared
to last year, while 25% expect a similar
performance and 30% foresee a worsening
of results in 2021.
The overall prospects of a rebound
in 2021 seem to have worsened. 50% of
Southwest Airlines Adds Daily
Nonstop to Atlanta
Southwest has added daily nonstop service between
the Sarasota and Atlanta. The service between SRQ
and ATL will begin March 11, 2021.
This new flight will complement the seven other
destinations that Southwest Airlines will be serving
at SRQ. Southwest Airlines began service at SRQ on
February 14, 2021. Service will start with year-round
flights to Baltimore, Chicago, Nashville, and Houston.
In addition, seasonal service to Columbus, Indianapolis,
and Pittsburgh will start on March 13, 2021.
• Sarasota via Sarasota-Bradenton
International Airport – beginning May
27, 2021
The new route to/from Baltimore,
Maryland via Baltimore/Washington
International Thurgood Marshall
Airport includes:
• Punta Gorda, Florida via Punta Gorda
Airport – beginning May 27, 2021
Flight days, times and the lowest fares
can be found only at Allegiant.com.
2020: Worst Year In Tourism History With
1 Billion Fewer International Arrivals
respondents now expect a rebound to
occur only in 2022 as compared to 21%
in October 2020. The remaining half of
respondents still see a potential rebound
in 2021, though below the expectations
shown in the October 2020 survey (79%
expected recovery in 2021). As and when
tourism does restart, the UNWTO Panel of
Experts foresee growing demand for openair
and nature-based tourism activities,
with domestic tourism and ‘slow travel’
experiences gaining increasing interest.
Looking further ahead, most experts
do not to see a return to pre-pandemic
levels happening before 2023.
Travel Stats from
2020 at SRQ Airport
For 2020, SRQ finished the year with
over 1.2M passengers. Future scheduled
service shows an increase in seats
into and out of SRQ to be at levels near
pre-COVID. SRQ offers service on 10
airlines to 43 destinations.
The following are upcoming service
start dates (some have already started)
• Feb. 6 Philadelphia, PA Frontier
(returning seasonal service)
• Feb. 6 Chicago, IL Frontier
(returning seasonal service)
• Feb. 11, Houston, TX United
(new service)
• Feb. 13 Denver, CO United
(returning seasonal service)
• Feb. 14 Baltimore, MD Southwest
(new service)
• Feb. 14 Chicago, IL Southwest
(new service)
• Feb. 14 Houston Southwest
(new service)
• Feb. 14 Nashville Southwest
(new service)
• Mar. 6 Trenton, NJ Frontier
(returning seasonal service)
• Mar. 13 Columbus, OH Southwest
(new seasonal service)
• Mar. 13 Indianapolis, IN Southwest
(new seasonal service)
• Mar. 13 Pittsburgh, PA Southwest
(new seasonal service)
• May 27 Peoria, IL Allegiant
(new seasonal service)
20 WEST COAST WOMAN MARCH 2021