Greetings from smoky Los Angeles! The air quality here has been so bad that we’ve stayed home most of the week, kept the windows shut and the fan on so it recirculates the inside air. The air quality here is nowhere near as bad as it is in Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. I especially feel bad for the Canadians. Robin Williams’ line about Canada being like a really nice apartment above a meth lab has never felt more true.
How to Measure Air Quality Where You Live or Where You’re Going
I often check my weather app before I pack for a trip to see the extended forecast and to find out things like what time the sunset and sunrise are, as well as the wind speeds the morning of my flight to see if it’s going to be bumpy or not. Rarely have I ever looked at the Air Quality Index in the bottom right-hand corner. But that changed this week as air quality levels where I live have been unhealthy and even worse in other destinations. So this week, I’m sharing the best websites and apps to find out what the air quality is where you live or where you’re going. One thing that’s for certain: Air quality is something travelers should be looking up when planning a vacation or just before arriving in a new destination. Here are the websites and apps.
Incredible American Airlines Transcon Deal: 5K Coach, 15K Business Class, 33K First
I thought about using my miles to split town since this week, AA opened up award inventory with some incredible deals on their plush transcon flights. I’m talking 5,000 miles for coach, 15,000 miles for business class and 33,000 miles for first. But most of the last-minute flights were not on sale so I ended up getting flights for 2021. Here are the details.
NY/NJ/CT Drop California and 5 Other States From Quarantine List
Another reason we didn’t get on a plane this week, besides the fact that fares were too expensive, was because we’re in the middle of a pandemic and flights were too full for my comfort (especially to Florida to see my dad). Also, the places we wanted to go, like Canada to see my mother-in-law or to New York City and my home state of Connecticut to see my relatives, had a strict 14-day quarantine. However, just 36 hours ago New York, New Jersey and Connecticut dropped California and five other states from their quarantine list. Here are those details.
United Airlines Interactive Map Helps You Navigate Travel in the USA
Since it’s not that easy to figure out which states Americans can travel to during COVID-19, United Airlines created a nifty interactive map to help customers figure it out more easily. Read the story.
Where to Find the Latest Quarantine Rules in Each State
The United interactive map is a handy tool but since it’s powered by a third party, I would definitely double check every state’s tourism board website to make sure the information is correct before booking any tickets. I created a page with direct links to every state’s tourism board so you don’t have to spend aggravating time Googling it. Find the list here.
How To Prevent American Airlines Miles From Expiring and Great News For Those Under 21
Speaking of American Airlines (AA) miles … I just called AA to check on my son’s and my mother-in-law’s miles since they both received emails that they were expiring soon. Well, it was a very productive call and with some unexpected good news. Armed with that info I wrote a post on how to prevent your American Airlines miles from expiring. Here’s how.
Disposable Gloves: To Wear or Not to Wear?
There are countless things that I miss about travel, including learning new tips and tricks. Each time I get on a plane, I always pick up some new piece of advice. Lately, I’ve been finding travel hacks through articles and one that I’ve read about a couple of times recently is wearing layers of latex gloves. Here’s the story.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Face the Nation
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby was on CBS’ Face the Nation this week and he said, “People are not going to get back and travel like they did before until there’s a vaccine that’s been widely distributed and available to a large portion of the population. And I hope that happens sooner, but our guess is that’s the end of next year.” He also went on to say, “And borders, as you say, are closed around the world. And that’s 50% of our revenue. And until borders open up, that’s not coming back. Business travel is almost nonexistent as people are doing things like this as they get through the pandemic. And even leisure travel is down significantly from where it was before. And that’s just the reality. And in a business like ours, demand is not going to come back until people feel safe being around other people. And that’s going to take a vaccine. And that’s just the reality. Some businesses can recover earlier, but in aviation and all the industries that we support, it’s going to take longer.” Here’s the whole transcript of the interview.
Consider Donating to JohnnyJet.com
Listening to Scott Kirby made me realize, it’s going to take some time before I can count on revenue coming in again. Last week, I had to let my editor go after seven years because I’ve been steadily losing money since March. I’ve never asked for donations before and it’s not easy to do but times are truly tough. COVID-19 has crushed the travel industry, my wife and I (and most of our colleagues) have lost all of our sponsors and clients. Multiple friends and colleagues, including Leo Laporte, have recommended that I add a donation button to my website since there are a lot of people who haven’t lost their income and find my information valuable. So, if you’ve ever saved some money or time from my travel advice or have the means and desire to support a small business, please consider donating either monthly or one time. Subscribers can either Venmo using my email (Johnny@JohnnyJet.com) or mail a check to Johnny Jet, Inc (JohnnyJet.com, 425 15th Street #3213, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266). I understand that times are tough for so many people and my heart goes out to everyone who is struggling. Please know that I appreciate any support you can give (even encouraging friends and family members to sign up to this newsletter is a huge help) and hopefully, when this nightmare pandemic is over, there will be a surge in travel and things will start to look up for everyone. Thanks for considering and for all the support you’ve shown me over the years.
Hawaii Sets Re-Opening Date
I don’t know about you guys but I’m seriously getting antsy and ready to travel – so I was excited about this good news announced yesterday. Hawaii’s governor has set a reopening date for the islands! Here’s what you need to know.
Once again, there’s a ton of travel news so I created separate posts for each category (air, cruise, domestic, international…) to help organize it. Below are links to most of the major travel industry stories…
Airline and Airport News:
- Southwest Airlines will leave middle seats open through November
- United Sued for Packing NFL Charters With Young, Blond Crews
- See all the airline and airport news that’s got people talking this week…
Cruise News:
- River cruise ship in Europe on lockdown after COVID-19 outbreak
- Here Are The Cruise Ships Back In Service
- See all the cruise news that’s got people talking this week…
Domestic News:
- Hawaii Likely to Delay Tourism Reopening Beyond October
- Go home for the holidays? Yours truly is quoted in this L.A. Times article.
- See all the domestic travel news that’s got people talking this week…
International Travel News:
- How Singapore’s COVID-19 Response Has Been a Model for Others
- Germany links Covid-19 outbreak at ski resort to US citizen who failed to quarantine
- See all the international travel news that’s got people talking this week…
Hotel and Lodging Travel News:
- Park MGM is first casino in Las Vegas to ban smoking
- Breaking Down Hotel and Resort Fees—And Why They Still Exist During the Pandemic
- See all the hotel and lodging news that’s got people talking this week…
Miscellaneous Travel News:
- Caddyshack’ star Michael O’Keefe gets wish to caddie at 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot (kind of)
- WSJ: How Travel Will Change Post-Pandemic: 10 Expert Predictions
- See all the rest of the travel news that’s got people talking this week…
Travel Deals
In case you’re planning your next (safe) getaway, here are a few of the best travel deals out there right now:
- $599 — New Ship Alert: Rollercoaster, Premium Cabins & More
- $1298 — Spend a Long Weekend in Tahiti incl. Air
- Deals & Tips — Northern Utah: Mountain Towns, Nature, City Life & Skiing
- Deals & Tips — Sonoma County: Nature, Wine & Relaxation, up to 50% Off
- Deals & Tips — Kansas City: Visit the New Midwest & Save up to 35%
- 20% Off — Rent an Audi for Luxe Summer Road Trips
- Deals & Tips — Miami Hotels & Activities, Save up to 50%
- $32 & up — Miami Car Rentals
- $19 & up — Fort Lauderdale Car Rentals
- $34 & up — New York City Car Rentals
- $24 & up — Las Vegas Car Rentals
- $19 & up — Los Angeles Car Rentals
- Up to 40% Off — Rent an SUV for Trips Through September
- $1399 & up — Luxe Mediterranean Summer Cruise w/Free Upgrade
- $2199 & up — Luxe Greek Isles 10-Night Summer Cruise w/Free Upgrade
- More deals
