Eye on Travel

Radio Guest List — New York — September 19, 2020

On this week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel, an update on more parked planes, more scrapped cruise ships, and more closed hotels; the attempted relaunch of the Boeing 737 Max, and the attempted reopening of Hawaii. Jon Ostrower, Editor-in-Chief of The Air Current, with a report on the disappearance of business travel and the triage in the airline business, and a disturbing Congressional report on the FAA, Boeing and how planes are certified as airworthy. Travel Weekly Editor-in-Chief Arnie Weissmann on the real reasons behind major U.S. airlines eliminating the dreaded ticket change fees. And at least one cruise line is sailing with passengers: we’ll talk with the President of MSC Cruises about the Grandiosa’s fifth Mediterranean sailing — what’s been changed and lessons learned. Plus, during these extraordinary times, a perfect opportunity for perspective: Peter speaks with author Helen Small on her new book: The Function of Cynicism at the Present Time. There’s all this and more on this week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel.

 

Tune in to PeterGreenberg.comfrom 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET for the latest Eye on Travel on Saturday, September 19, 2020

Have a travel question? Then ask Peter. E-mail him at peter@petergreenberg.com, or tweet your questions to @petersgreenberg (include #AskPeter).

 

Arnie Weissmann, Editor-in-Chief of Travel Weekly, says that older generations with money are staying home and younger generations who see COVID-19 as a boomer disease are taking the opportunity to travel. The current top locations for those willing to venture out are around the United States and then unsurprisingly, Mexico. Then, Weissmann dissects the continuing issue of airline change fees. For most airlines, Basic Economy tickets will still see change fees, but if you buy tickets above that baseline, you’ll be able to change without a fee. This is an incentive for people to pay more initially in these uncertain times. You really have to read the fine print though and look at the locations where the change fees do and do not apply.

 

Jon Ostrower, Journalist & Editor-in-Chief of The Air Current, explains the immense impact that business travel has on the travel industry and how that sector may not be coming back any time soon. It’s not a wave that went down and will be coming back up, but he says we are going to see the fallout for the next decade. Many airlines are looking away from business travelers coming back in the next year and will be relying on leisure travel in a way that they have not previously. Then, he switches gears and speaks about Boeing’s ongoing problems with the 737 MAX and now the 787. The aircraft manufacturer is now in the final stretch of getting the 737 MAX recertified, and it could be cleared to fly in the United States within the next few months.

 

Ruben Rodriguez, President of MSC Cruises USA, talks about how it has developed an extensive protocol to keep guests safe and still give them a rich experience on the Grandiosa. The experience is different, but that doesn’t mean that it is lessened. It’s operating theaters with live performances but limited capacity. It has buffets, but people are served instead of serving themselves. Shore excursions are still available but done in a “socially distanced bubble.” This is a larger ship, which allows it to space guests and make them feel safer and socially distanced while on board. The Grandiosa is about to complete its fifth cruise with these new protocols, and guests are responding well and more than willing to follow guidelines.

 

Helen Small, Author of The Function of Cynicism at the Present Time, explains how cynicism has been with us for centuries. Cynicism is something you hear a lot about when there is something wrong or when people would like something to be different. What these people are really trying to do, she says, is find a way to protect themselves. What a lot of people are doing now might be true cynicism, but rather it’s more of a “trying it on” and analytical approach to life. Being momentarily wary of things like masks and vaccinations doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a true cynic, but it is a momentary distrust of the world we live in. In times of pandemic or war, it’s hard to put the interests of others first. She explains how it’s easier to look to ourselves first and keep our own national interests before others, because it feels more life and death than normal times.

 

Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, Co-President & Owner of Valerie Wilson Travel, describes how travel advisors are the advocates for the traveler. She says that everybody wants some sort of certainty and to know how to protect their investment. There are very few things that can be guaranteed, but she can guarantee that travel will return. She explains that it’ll just look different for the next few years. Masks are here to stay for the immediate future, border openings are going to be fluid, and there are going to be a lot of changes but travel will return. Especially in these uncertain times, the role of travel advisors have become even more important because they have special tools and relationships to help ensure travelers get the experience that they are looking for and to protect them.

 

David Campany, Curator for the International Center of Photography, talks about the center’s #ICPConcerned project. The center has had high resolution images submitted from around the globe, based on events that started in March. Through these images, you see the difference between how lives are unfolding with COVID-19. Then, you can see the shifting anxieties to George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. When its physical location opens soon, it’ll be an exhibition that unfolds between late September through the U.S. elections in November. People are looking for a way to connect and this has given them an outlet to share part of their experience during these unprecedented times.