Two U.S. Airlines Launch Digital "Passports" for Passengers' Covid Status
Posted on 01/25/2021, 12:00 PM
Frommer's has been talking for months about the advent of vaccination passports, and it looks like the first iterations in the American air industry are here, by way of United Airlines and American Airlines. Both carriers have unveiled plans for portals—new additions to apps and websites—that are designed to both alert travelers to international health regulations and store the documentation needed...
Southwest Airlines Celebrating Its 50th Birthday with $50 Fares
Posted on 01/25/2021, 8:00 AM
At my 50th birthday party, a friend noted that this would likely be the last big celebration of my life—until my funeral. Yes, that came from a friend. But not all birthday wishes have to be as bleak. So we'll celebrate Southwest Airlines turning the big 5-0, and pay only passing notice to the millions of dollars U.S. airlines are losing each week—the very situation that's likely persuading South...
Biden Announces Quarantine Requirement for Those Returning to the U.S. from Abroad
Posted on 01/22/2021, 9:00 AM
Federal regulations regarding travel are changing by the day—if not the hour. On the day after his inauguration as president, Joe Biden announced that, starting Tuesday, January 26, travelers entering the United States from abroad will be required to self-quarantine in addition to showing proof of negative coronavirus test results. Note that U.S. citizens returning from vacations in other countri...
On Day One, President Biden Makes Masks Mandatory on Planes, At National Parks, and Elsewhere
Posted on 01/21/2021, 12:00 PM
Over the last 10 months, common sense sat on the back burner. Even though 33 transportation unions, most airline CEOs, the good folks at Consumer Reports, and hundreds of thousands of travelers begged the Trump administration to create pandemic safety regulations for the spaces that don't fall under state control, no action was ever taken. It was a national shame, and one that Joe Biden rightly fe...
Why You Should Never Order Coffee on a Plane (and Other Lessons from a Flight Attendant)
Posted on 01/20/2021, 2:00 PM
TikTok can make you laugh, it can make you dance, and now, thanks to the efforts of a savvy, personable flight attendant, it can also help you travel better (when it's time to travel again). Her name is Kat Kamalani and she's a Salt Lake City-based flight attendant for an unnamed major carrier. On her TikTok channel, she supplies plenty of advice on all aspects of the travel experience. Some of he...
These Last-Minute Rules from the Trump Administration Could Harm Travelers
Posted on 01/19/2021, 9:00 AM
Yes, travel is our focus at Frommer's. But that doesn't mean we can ignore the actions of government that affect how we travel—our safety, our rights as consumers, and the protection of the natural and historic sites we cherish. As the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica has brought to light, the outgoing Trump administration has enacted a high number of last-minute regulati...
Graceland Launches What May Be The Priciest Virtual Tours in the World
Posted on 01/15/2021, 1:00 PM
At the time of Elvis Presley's death in 1977, there were fewer than 200 Elvis impersonators. In 2015, the count was estimated at more than 250,000, according to Oddee.com. Clearly, the King's reign did not end when the Grim Reaper came for him. The pop idol, both in life and after it, has sold more than $1 billion worth of records; by most estimates, his estate is worth over $300 million today. H...
A New Government Rule Might Have Just Killed Involuntary Airline Bumping for Good
Posted on 01/14/2021, 12:00 PM
Midnight regulations are actions taken during the lame-duck period of a presidential administration. They tend to be controversial moves, especially if one party is taking over the White House from another. That has certainly been the case during the waning days of Pres. Trump's time in office. Since losing his bid for reelection in November, Trump has presided over the removal of LGBTQ nondiscrim...
Tomb of Rome's First Emperor to Reopen to Public After Years of Closure
Posted on 01/13/2021, 12:00 PM
Tourists heading to Rome will soon have one more magnificent ruin to add to their dance cards. In March, after 13 years of excavation, research, and renovation, the tomb of the ancient Empire's first emperor will reopen. The largest circular tomb in the world (pictured above), it has been closed to the public for the better part of the past 80 years. It was built by and for Augustus, which may ne...
What's the Airport Experience Without CNN? We'll Soon Know
Posted on 01/13/2021, 6:00 AM
As if the travel experience hadn't changed enough recently, the background drone of cable pundits pontificating will soon be gone from U.S. airports. On January 12, CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy tweeted the following statement from CNN president Jeff Zucker: "Today we are announcing that the CNN Airport Network will end on March 31. The steep decline in airport traffic because of COVID-19, coup...
