Ovation's weekly client e-newsletter, the Informed Traveler, keeps readers updated on travel industry news and trends.
Following is a recap of January's Top 5 (most clicked by Ovation clients) e-newsletter stories.
1. REAL ID Act Update: DHS Grants Extensions for Louisiana, Michigan and New York
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granted deadline extensions for the U.S. states (Louisiana, Michigan and New York) that had pending extensions to comply with the REAL ID Act. With the exceptions of American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands, where extension is still under review, all states/U.S. territories are either now compliant or have been given an extension until October 10, 2018 and there will be no change in enforcement status until then. This means that for states and territories that are already compliant or non-compliant but received an extension for 2018, their residents can use their existing state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards, even though those IDs might not, within themselves, be REAL ID compliant. During this time, federal agencies (including TSA) will continue to accept driver's license and identification cards issued by these states in accordance with each agency's policies.
Click here to view the list of FAQs regarding the REAL ID Act. To view each state/U.S. territory's current compliance status and other various topics involving the REAL ID Act, you can access the Department of Homeland Security's website by clicking here.
2. U.S. State Department Introduces New Travel Advisory System
The U.S. State Department has implemented its new travel advisory system for alerting Americans about possible security risks abroad. The State Department has removed Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts and replaced them with a four-level ranking structure that identifies the risk for every country from safest to most dangerous. The State Department's travel website will continue to offer detailed information about each country along with the advisory level and the risk indicators. For each country at level 2 or above, the advisory will also include one or more risk indicators explaining why the country has been ranked at that level. Countries may also carry multiple advisory levels for specific regions. Countries with a level 1 or level 2 ranking will go through official reviews every year to see if the advisory needs to change, while those countries with a level 3 or 4 ranking will be reviewed every 6 months. Click here to read more from Condé Nast.
3. Airline Wi-Fi Availability is Expanding and Improving
Eighty-two airlines worldwide now offer Wi-Fi and the availability of high-speed Wi-Fi more than doubled in 2017, reports Travel Weekly. According to the Routehappy 2018 Wi-Fi report, airlines now offer passengers a chance to enjoy what Routehappy calls "Best Wi-Fi" on 16% of the world's available seat miles, compared to just 7.2% availability a year ago. Routehappy defines "Best Wi-Fi" as a service that is capable of advance streaming movies and other media. The worldwide availability of all Wi-Fi, including slower offerings which Routehappy calls "Basic Wi-Fi," now stands at 43% of available seat miles, up from 39% a year ago. Additionally, U.S. carriers now have Wi-Fi fully installed on 85% of their available seat miles. To read more, click here.
4. Delta and American to Collaborate in Rebooking Passengers During Disruptions
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines will restore their previous arrangement, which was cancelled in 2015, that allows the airlines to rebook passengers on each other's flights during disruptions that cause flight delays and cancellations, reports Skift. "American and Delta have agreed to terms on a new interline agreement, which takes effect Jan. 24, and will give the airlines the option of rebooking customers onto each other's flights in the event of unexpected flight disruptions," American spokeswoman Leslie Scott said. To read more, click here.
5. Hyatt Changes Cancellation Policy to Match Hilton, IHG and Marriott
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced its new 48-hour cancellation policy, effective for reservations made or changed on or after January 1st, reports Skift. Hyatt joins Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Marriott as the latest hotel company to implement said cancellation policy. Guests must now cancel at least 48 hours in advance to avoid a cancellation fee. Please keep in mind that most hotels participating in Ovation's Preferred Hotel Partners Program have more flexible cancellation policies.
