Tag: COVID_19

United Airlines on Wednesday said that it has cut its flight schedule by 90% for the month of May and expects similar cuts for June as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier said that travel demand is now essentially at zero showing no sign of improving in the near term. United disclosed its outlook in a memo to employees that it publicly released. The memo was from Chief Executive Oscar Munoz and President Scott Kirby. United said it flew less than 200,000 people in the first two weeks of April, a 97% drop from the more than 6 ... Read more

Indian carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet have said that the money paid by customers – for air travel before May 3 – will be kept under a credit shell. IndiGo said it is in the process of issuing the credit shell for customers, and this can be used within one year from the date of issue. SpiceJet said since flight operations have been suspended till May 3, bookings will automatically be cancelled and the amount will be kept under credit shell, which can be used to make a fresh booking for travel till February 28.

IndiGo on Tuesday announced that it will resume its operations from May 4, in a phased manner. The nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end on May 3. To begin with, it will start with domestic operations only, and international routes will be added later on. “In its endeavour to reconnect critical air corridors post the lockdown, IndiGo will resume flight operations from May 4. Initially starting with a slightly curtailed capacity, the airline will increase the operating capacity over the subsequent months, also reopening selected international flights, depending on the existing international travel guidelines,” IndiGo said Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive ... Read more

Goa will not allow air travellers to enter the state without a health certificate. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said that even after the Centre opens up airports once the COVID-19 lock-down is eased or lifted, no one can enter the tourist haven without medical clearance. Vishwajit Rane said he had already urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to take up the issue with the Union Civil Aviation ministry to not allow air travellers to enter the state without a COVID-19 certificate. The Civil Aviation Ministry can inform the various airlines about this condition, he said. “Each state has ... Read more

The South Kerala Hoteliers’ Forum (SKHF) has written to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan urging him to request the concerned authorities to extend the moratorium on bank loans to a period of 12 months from March this year. RBI had granted moratorium for only a period of three months. Interest during the period should also be waived off, SKHF stated in the letter. These benefits should be made available to all accounts irrespective of whether the account is regular or whether instalments are overdue for payment, as of February this year. According to the directive issued by RBI, such overdue accounts ... Read more

Walt Disney World in Florida plans to furlough about 43,000 workers after it closed last month because of the coronavirus pandemic, the company and a union coalition representing the workers said. In mid-March, Disney’s theme parks closed down globally, including Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. The furloughs, which are set to begin on April 19, were part of an agreement between Disney World and the Service Trades Council Union, a collection of six unions representing the 43,000 workers at the theme park resort in Florida. The workers, who are expected to be called back to their ... Read more

UAE carriers, Etihad and Flydubai, have announced additional repatriation flights to help the stranded passengers get back to their respective countries. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways declared that it has opened bookings to additional special passenger flights to Brussels, Dublin, London Heathrow, Tokyo Narita and Zurich. These new special flights will operate between April 14 to April 22. The carrier said it continues to operate special passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to several destinations including Amsterdam, Jakarta, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul Incheon, and Singapore. Budget carrier Flydubai also opened bookings for repatriation flights to 13 countries. But all the flights are subject ... Read more

There are around 1,000 tourists staying in 27 resorts across Maldives, the country’s minister of tourism Ali Waheed has said. To contain the spread of COVID-19, the Maldivian government on March 28 had stopped issuing on-arrival-visas and closed its borders to incoming tourists. However, tourists who had entered the country before the order came into effect were allowed to remain in the country until the end of their stay. Government estimates show that the country will see a dramatic drop in tourist arrivals due to the global pandemic, and experience a shortfall of approximately $450 million (MVR 6.9 billion) in ... Read more

Thousands of Delta Air Lines employees have volunteered for unpaid time off as the carrier tries to save costs, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the world. Some 35,000 workers have signed up for unpaid leaves of absence that the Atlanta-based carrier started offering last month, CEO Ed Bastian said. That amounts to more than a third of the roughly 91,000 full-time employees Delta had at the end of last year, according to its latest annual report. Delta is seeking even more volunteers and bolstering benefits given to workers while they’re gone, Bastian said. He said last ... Read more

The houseboats enjoy a unique pride of place in Kerala’s decorated tourism map. It’s an experience that most tourists cherish for a life time when they visit the state. It’s like the calling card of Kerala’s tourism brand. However, the corona virus pandemic has hit the segment hard and it will take months before normalcy returns to the industry, says Jobin J Akkarakalam, director, Spice Routes Luxury Cruises. The house boat segment involves high maintenance costs and hence the losses are even steeper. He estimates that the segment will see losses of Rs 2 crores every month. Excerpts: Q: The ... Read more

The hospitality sector has to focus on survival first. When the pandemic subsides, Kerala can evolve a marketing campaign around how well the state has tackled the health crisis, thus boosting the confidence of the tourists. Of course, as a tourism destination there is still a lot to learn and improve. Waste management is one such area, says Riaz Ahmed, industry veteran and managing director of Abad Hotels & Resorts. With regard to Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) 2020, he said no decision has been reached. If it gets postponed, it may be good to hold it in mid 2021, he ... Read more

Kerala needs to promote itself as the safest and most hygienic tourism destination in India. Some tourists may see Kerala just as any other Indian state, but we should show them the distinction, says Rupert Evers and Olga Ostapenko, Operators of Marari Villas, Alleppey. Excerpts from an interview: Q: What will be the future of travel and tourism after Coronavirus? After the coronavirus episode we may see a completely uncertain world. International travel may be obliterated until a vaccine is developed and that will take at least 12-18 months, plus time for distribution and administration of a vaccine to the ... Read more

The Kerala government is planning to announce a stimulus package for industries such as tourism, minister Kadakampally Surendran has said. Addressing the tourism stakeholders through a virtual meeting organised by Kerala Travel Mart (KTM), the state tourism minister said a big public relations (PR) initiative has to be taken up for the industry to come out of this present crisis. “Our PR work should improve. The message should go out that Kerala is a safe destination to visit,” minister Surendran said, reminding everyone about the solid work that the state has done to control the spread of the virus. At ... Read more

The Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI) has come forward with a proposal to create a Welfare Fund Board and a Co-operative Bank for the benefit of the tourism sector. Kerala tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran has agreed to support the proposal, ATTOI President Vinod CS said. The ATTOI president had made these recommendations to the minister during a virtual conference on Tuesday which saw participation from all industry stakeholders. Kerala had to bear the brunt of multiple calamities in recent times, with the advent of the nipah virus, the floods and then the coronavirus. The state’s tourism sector has ... Read more

The Russian tourists stranded in India will fly out of the country from Thiruvananthapuram on April 8. The evacuation by Ural Airlines will happen tomorrow at 1.35 pm. The Russian Embassy in Delhi, the Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Thiruvananthapuram, Ratheesh C Nair and others were in continuous dialogue with the concerned officials regarding repatriation of Russian citizens. Most of the stranded Russian tourists are women and youngsters who were camping in Varkala, one of Kerala’s most scenic beaches. A WhatsApp group was created to coordinate the efforts and service of a Russian psychologist was made available to ... Read more