In Travel News for January 18th, 2023 we talk about mask mandates for Air Travel, the EU’s biometric entry system, and more Cruise lines will get StarLink Internet.
Carnival Corporation to Deploy StarLink Across All Cruise Brands
Carnival Corporation has announced that they will be deploying SpaceX StarLink across their entire fleet of Cruise brands. StarLink is a web of satellites that allow for high speed internet anywhere on the planet. The always available nature of the system makes it very attractive to travel companies with more cruise lines and airlines adopting the technology every month. This low latency, high bandwidth service allows guests to always be connected during the entire sailing, which hasn’t been possible in the past. The Carnival Corporation owns many popular cruise brands such as Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line, all of which will be gaining StarLink internet in the near future.
The E.U. Delays Rollout of EES
The European Union has pushed back deployment of their updated Entry-Exit System from May this year to the end of 2023. This new system will automate registration of non-EU travelers through the use of passport scanning kiosks and biometric information. The system was originally scheduled for deployment in 2022 but was later rescheduled to May 2023, as of right now we don’t know the new timeline for deployment. The updated timeline should be made available in March. Currently the deployment of the European Travel Information Authorization System is still on track for a November rollout.
CDC Wants To Bring Back Mask Mandates
Back in May, 2021 a district judge in Florida ruled that the CDC’s public transportation and travel Mask Mandate was unlawful. The U.S. Justice Department has recently asked the appeals court to reverse the ruling. The CDC is hoping that they will have the power returned to implement mask mandates without having to go through public comment. The recent appeal follows the European Union’s recommending that travelers from China wear a mask while traveling. If overturned it’s believed the CDC will require masks on all Air Travel from China.