Lux travel Europe just got a little bit easier, there is good news for those flying out of LAX, and the White House weighs in on the effects of the COVID vaccination mandate and holiday Air Travel.
If you’re looking to upgrade your flight experience for your next vacation there is some good news. The business class only airline La Compagnie, an airline that has won the “World’s Best” award since 2019 is expanding their fall schedule. The airline just resumed flying in June of 2021, and has postponed some routes. But with the recent announcement that vaccinated foreigners can visit the United States starting in November they are resuming and expanding routes between the U.S. and various international locations. New routes include Newark to Milan, Newark to Nice, and Newark to Tel Aviv which will have a stop over in Paris. Promotional rates for both the Paris and Tel Aviv routes start at $2,000 round trip.
Here is some good news for those that travel out of Los Angeles International Airport. LAX is rolling out a trial reservation system for security checkpoints. Currently this trial is only available to those flying United Airlines. The program is called LAX Fast Lane, it will run for 90 days and will be free. Travelers wishing to use the program will need to reserve a 15 minute window up to 24 hour before their departure by using the Fast Lane website.
This is similar to another pilot program we talked about last week being run out of Orlando International Airport by the the security company Clear.
Moving on following the wide spread speculation that the recent South West Airline cancellations were the result of a “sick out” by employees to protest the upcoming vaccination mandates on government contractors
The White House and two major carriers have come out and said that the upcoming vaccination mandates will not cause disruptions for the Holiday Travel season.
The deadline for government workers, which includes the TSA, or employees of government contractors such as South West and American Airlines is November 22 and it falls around the busy thanksgiving and end of year travel season.
According to Reuters, the White House COVID-19 coordinator told reporters on Wednesday that, “Vaccination requirements will not impact Holiday Travel.” He explained, “The requirements for federal workers and contractors will not cause disruptions to government services that people depend on. Agencies have the flexibility necessary to enforce the mandate without impacting critical operations.”
He went on to say, “The point here is to get people vaccinated, not to punish them. So, agencies will not be removing employees from federal service until after they’ve gone through a process of education and counseling.”
On Thursday the CEO of South West Airlines also asserted that the vaccination mandate will not disrupt Holiday Travel, and he reiterated that the company will not be firing any employee that doesn’t get vaccinated.
And on a recent earnings call, the CEO of American Airlines said he doesn’t expect any employees to leave the company because of the mandate.