The Industry's Stepped Up

The absence of passengers has forced a cascading number of flight cancellations, turning many of the nation's airports into ghost towns almost overnight.

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues its seemingly relentless spread, the travel industry continues its downward spiral. Cruises have all but ended as ships are moored in harbors with no plans for departure anytime soon. Of those hotels still open, their occupancy rates have fallen to single digits and they’re barely functioning with skeleton staffs. Meetings, conferences and conventions have been cancelled in the majority of American cities and airlines have drastically reduced their schedules. The word “CANCELLED” looms ominously with all-too-regular frequency on departure boards at virtually every airport in the country. US airport security checkpoints screened fewer than 125,000 people on Thursday, less than 5% of the 2.4 million who passed through just one year ago. But despite all the fear and inactivity, the travel industry has responded by doing what needs to be done, offering assistance to those most in need. For that they should be commended.

Port Canaveral on Florida's Space Coast is home to Carnival Cruise Line.

Nearly every cruise line has suspended their global operations until designated dates later in April, May or beyond. What’s happened to all those ships now stuck in port no longer plying the seas? For the most part, they’re simply docked at piers in their home ports waiting for better days. But not all of them. Carnival Corporation, which owns #CarnivalCruise Line, #HALcruises and #PrincessCruises, has offered 15 of their ships (out of their 105-vessel fleet) to be used as temporary hospitals with each ship able to accommodate as many as 1,000 makeshift hospital beds. Various governments and health agencies in several countries are considering the proposal which would not see coronavirus patients on board but other, less-critical patients, thereby freeing up beds at hospitals on land. Medical services would be provided by the governments or hospitals directly which would also cover the ships’ operating expenses while docked in port. The crews would maintain food, beverage and cleaning services. Roger Frizzell, senior vice president and chief communications officer for Carnival reports “Although we are early in our process, we’ve had more than a dozen initial responses so far with conversations underway. We don’t have any firm agreements in place yet, but we’re making good progress.”

A cabin on the main deck of the MS Splendid, normally cruising Croatia's Adriatic Coast.

Other reports have indicated that Saga Cruises, a UK-based operator, has made a similar offer to that government involving 2 of its ships. MSC Cruises, part of the European company called MSC Group, has converted its motor yacht Splendid into a floating hospital to serve the Liguria region of hard-hit Italy, providing up to 400 additional hospital beds. Two ships were also offered to the US Government for medical services or temporary housing needs by the Florida-based Bahamas Princess Cruise Line. The American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines are also consulting with the US Government on a plan to use their 6 ships as provisional housing for military personnel under quarantine in cities like Seattle, San Diego, St. Louis, New Orleans, Norfolk and Miami.

The Hotel Julian in Chicago is one of 5 city properties volunteered by Oxford Hotels & Resorts to house asymptomatic guests and those requiring isolation.

Despite plummeting revenue and occupancy rates, many hoteliers have volunteered to assist others during the pandemic. On Tuesday, the American Hotel & Lodging Association announced the launch of “Hotels for Hope.” This initiative aims to connect hotels with health workers and first responders in need of temporary housing. At the time, it reported that it had identified 6,500 properties near healthcare facilities that were ready to offer assistance. This program follows efforts in both Texas and California whereby hotels can volunteer lodging for use by the state. The California Hotel & Lodging Association’s Web site explained that the state would contract the entire property, not use any existing staff but compensate the hotel for what anticipated staff would have been had the hotel been at 100% occupancy. This seems like a fair deal all the way around.

Chicago's McCormick Place was transformed into an alternative care facility by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois National Guard.

Since national trade shows and conventions have been postponed or cancelled, major venues across the nation have taken on a new and very important role. Some are serving as makeshift medical facilities to relieve the non-COVID-19 strain on hospitals and staff who have to care for more serious and critical patients. Others are caring for coronavirus patients themselves. On Thursday, President Trump approved NY Governor Cuomo’s request to make the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, epicenter of the American pandemic, a COVID-19 hospital with medical services provided by the Federal Government. The effort was spearheaded by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Alan Steel, Javits President and CEO stated, “Thanks to the dedication of our employees and support of partners at the federal, state and local levels of government, we were able to build the station in less than a week using contractor supervision and equipment.” An alternative care facility comprised of 123,000 square feet of exhibit space is expected to open at the Baltimore Convention Center on April 24 with the assistance of the Maryland National Guard. In Florida, Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center is making its off-site and remote parking locations available for temporary drive-through COVID-19 testing. Officials said the effort is being coordinated in partnership between the Orange County Government, the Florida National Guard, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health. The vast McCormick Place in Chicago is being transformed into a makeshift hospital to care for coronavirus patients. The Army Corps of Engineers has said the “hospital” will span all 3 halls of the convention center and include up to 3,000 beds. As of this writing, similar noteworthy efforts are underway in Santa Clara, Dallas. Portland, New Orleans, Detroit, Atlantic City and San Diego.

Planes are flying but with few passengers. This was the scene aboard a recent American Airlines B737 en route to Los Angeles.

The US Government considers airlines to be essential services and wants them to fly, even during the crisis. In fact, they reinforced this position with a key provision within the $2 trillion package approved by Congress last week and signed into law by the President. Airlines that accept a portion of the $50 billion set aside for the industry must maintain a minimum level of service through at least September. However, on Wednesday, President Trump acknowledged that he may consider grounding some or all flights as a pandemic mitigation effort for those airlines that continue to operate from some of the worst affected areas in the country like New York City. He then said he hesitates to apply too much pressure on carriers as it would be difficult for them to resume operations once the crisis subsides. “These are very big decisions from the standpoint of the future of our country,” he added. Discounting these mixed messages, we see that airlines continue to fly even if devoid of paying passengers, albeit on a vastly reduced schedule. #United Airlines' narrow body aircraft have been repurposed to deliver vital medical supplies while several of their wide body planes are now being used as dedicated charter, cargo-only flights.

Hawaiian Air will be offering free, inter-island flights to medical personnel.

In order to help keep business moving, #AmericanAir is using its currently grounded passenger aircraft to move cargo between the United States and Europe. The first of 4 scheduled cargo-only flights departed from Dallas on March 20 landing in Frankfurt the following morning. The B777-300 has 14 cargo positions for large pallets and can carry more than 100,000 pounds. This was the first scheduled cargo-only flight since 1984 when American retired the last of its B747 freighters. Two weeks ago, the carrier transported its first shipment of COVID-19 test kits from Raleigh's #RDUAirport to Chicago's #fly2ohare Airport and reports its smaller, narrow body aircraft that are still flying are playing an important role in delivering medicine and e-commerce goods. In other news, #HawaiianAir has announced they will begin offering medical workers free flights between islands during the month of April. “This virus has presented an unprecedented test for all of us who call Hawaii home, and we are glad to be able to support the exceptional and important work our medical providers are carrying out across our islands each day to meet our state’s healthcare needs and help us overcome the challenge,” claimed Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. As part of this initiative, the airline partnered with hospitals and healthcare service providers on the islands.

REAL ID requirements for domestic travel have been extended for one year.

The disruptions to our daily lives have also resulted in a number of other changes of interest to travelers. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now allowing one liquid hand sanitizer container up to 12 ounces per passenger in carry-on bags until further notice. The 3.4 ounce rule for all other liquids permitted through the security checkpoint remains in effect. The US Department of Homeland Security has extended the deadline by one year after which the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will accept only drivers licenses or state ID cards with REAL ID as valid to fly domestically. The former October 1 2020 deadline has been extended to October 1, 2021. Until then, TSA will continue to accept conventional state IDs as adequate for domestic air travel. They will also accept a conventional license or state ID that expired on or after March 1, for a year after expiration or 60 days after the duration of the national emergency, whichever is longer. These changes are in the works as a result of the COVID-19 shutdowns which affect the ability of state DMV offices to process REAL ID applications. Other valid forms of ID include a passport, passport card or a trusted traveler card. However, be advised that US Customs and Border Protection has also closed all Trusted Traveler Program enrollment centers nationwide and Global Entry renewals have also been suspended indefinitely. The US State Department has also stopped issuing passports with no clear date set for when they would start accepting applications again.

Everything has changed so very quickly.

Until next time…stay safe.