In Travel News for September 29th, 2022 we talk about Disney Cruise Line, Airport Labor Strikes, and United Airlines returning to Cuba.
Disney Cruise Line Updates Health & Safety Policy
Disney Cruise Line has recently announced updates to their health and safety protocols. Starting on October 14th those traveling on the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, and Disney Wonder will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination to sail, the same will apply for those traveling on the Disney Magic starting on November 7th. Even though unvaccinated travelers will be welcome, anyone not providing proof of vaccination in advance will still be required to submit a negative covid test taken no more than 2 days before embarkation.
Labor Strike at San Francisco International Airport
Labor strikes are starting to affect U.S. travel with airport workers including baristas, bartenders, cashiers, cooks, and lounge attendants going on strike in San Francisco International Airport. While not directly affecting travel, this will impact those passing through this airport. And that’s not all, airport workers and flight attendants have started demonstrations across 24 airport around the U.S. and London. While these demonstrations aren’t an official strike and shouldn’t affect Air Travel at this time this could lead to future strikes that will hinder travel. We are keeping a close eye on this as we approach the busy Holiday Travel season.
United Airlines to Return to Cuba
United Airlines suspended flights to Cuba in 2020, but that’s about to change. The airline has announced that it is working to resume flight to Cuba later this year. In order for United to keep the allocated routes it needs to resume flights by October 31st, however the airline says that it is facing challenges and has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation for a 30 day extension to the deadline. We haven’t seen details on the challenges United is facing but if I had to guess I’d say its probably staffing shortages. United, like every other airline has faced staffing challenges which have caused some issues over the summer, however the airline has been aggressive in hiring. They’ve also been holding by holding numerous job fairs and offering generous signing bonuses. Hopefully United will soon join American Airlines and JetBlue Airways in offering daily flights to Cuba.