Phil and Barbara are at home, just like all of our friends and clients. But when are we going again, where, how, and what will it be like? All of those questions are on everyone’s mind right now. I have had more questions about travel in the last 2 weeks, than in the previous 3 months. Why? Perhaps everyone is curious, or just plain tired of watching National Geographic Channel to “Imagineer” our next trip. All the dust has not settled, and there are changes every single day. I would like to bring you up to date on the latest information about travel, as of June 01, 2020.

FLYING.

What a great place to start because the future of flying both domestic and international, is just slowly starting to emerge. Most airlines have begun an upward, slow trend in the last 15 days. Where TSA reported a 90% decrease in passengers through April, they are now as high as 30%of the same period last year. What will you see on domestic flights right now are:

1/ New Social Distancing at all airport venues and TSA lines, as well as at boarding gates. Floors will be marked with 6-foot interval signs and distancing will be enforced.

2/ Face Masks will be mandatory on ALL domestic airlines. There is a lot of discussion on how this will be enforced, but right now it is enforced and people are being refused access daily.

3/ Refreshments will likely not be back for a while.

4/ Southwest and Delta have committed to reduced cabin capacity starting June 01.

5/ All airlines have reduced flights, some by up to 70%. What that means is flights between hubs (ie: Charlotte, JFK, Boston) will be reduced to 1 or 2 each day, each way. Flights between other cities will see even greater frequency reductions. Capacities between hubs will be highest and between other cities, lower.

Join us next week for Where in The World is Phil – COVID, Part 2