Eye on Travel
Radio Guest List — Denizli, Turkey — February 27, 2021
National Transportation Safety Board
This week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel comes from Denizli, Turkey, as Peter reports on the continuing investigation into the engine failure aboard the United Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu earlier in the week. He’ll talk about the NTSB investigation, and the behavior of the FAA prior to the incident — and what it means to you. Joining Peter this week is commercial airline pilot Greg Morris, on what the flight crew did right on that flight. Then, Caryn Seidman-Becker, the CEO of CLEAR, argues for innovation in unity on the eve of a vaccination passport and the need to have a unified technological front when it comes to storing your data on health and travel. Tom Stuker, the World’s Most Frequent Flyer, checks in about his travels — or lack of them — during the pandemic. Josh Leibowitz, President of Seabourn Cruise Line, on how fast and where the cruise industry will recover from COVID-19. Plus, Kirk Whalum, Grammy Award-Winning Composer and Saxophonist, on the Black travel experience — from a musician and headliner perspective. There’s all of this and more on this week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel.
Tune in to PeterGreenberg.com from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET for the latest Eye on Travel on Saturday, February 27, 2021.
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National Transportation Safety Board
Greg Morris, Commercial Airline Pilot, joins the program to speak about the engine failure we saw this week on the United Flight 328 over Denver – was it really an uncontained fire? Greg goes into detail about this and how the airlines are responding with thermal imaging to look for possible fractures and engine fatigue. And what does this mean going forward about how we inspect the planes and the ongoing problem about the institution that inspects them in the first place? Greg also talks about the property course of action.
Caryn Seidman-Becker, CEO of CLEAR, speaks about the good and bad that has come out of the pandemic. It has given companies a chance to think about the travel and consumer experience. And what is the most seamless way to keep your data on health and travel? Nobody wants to have 12 apps for 12 different things, and Caryn argues for innovation in unity on the technological front. She gives us a travel update in Hawaii and gives us an optimistic prognostication on the future of travel. She argues that people want to travel now more than ever and that it’s going to be an exciting time for the industry.
Tom Stuker, the World’s Most Frequent Flyer, checks in with Peter about his travels during the pandemic, getting ready to get back to major travel and airline food. And what exactly does Tom Stuker do with his 22 million miles? He spends them as fast as he earns them and shares some tips for other frequent flyers about how to get the best value. Then, he shares more on going back and forth for miles, his status on United and what he’s up to now.
Martinique Lewis, Author of ABC Travel Greenbook: Connecting the African Diaspora Globally, speaks about the Academy-Award winning movie “Green Book” and why it didn’t do the actual Green Book justice. She wants to help Black people traveling around the world feel space and amplify Black businesses and accommodations in six out of seven continents around the world. She expands on the Black American expat community in random places in every corner of the globe, her biggest surprise in terms of the Black communities there and the significance in educating people and connecting people. And what about the Black stories that have never been told before? She speaks about things you don’t read about on Google or find in museums. She says there’s nothing new about Black travel, but people are ready to speak about it now.
Josh Leibowitz, President of Seabourn Cruise Line, joins the show to talk about the direction of the cruise industry moving forward to 2021 and beyond. Passengers are eager to travel in the wake of this extended isolation period. He says he has seen the spots fill up at a lightning quick pace for cruise expeditions in 2022 and 2023. New health procedures will be implemented as well. The cruise industry is one of the only industries that is committed to COVID-19 screenings before and during each trip, and Seabourn is introducing a new ventilation system that will include high UV levels and filter lights to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Many ports around the world are now operating individually, which could lead to cruise lines offering new, remote destinations that were not previously available.
Terry Dale, President of the U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA), speaks about the interest and pent-up demand he’s seeing for travel to National Parks and other open spaces – and how the tour operators have adapted. This is a great time to rediscover what’s in our own backyard and there’s a lot of great destinations in the United States, but that doesn’t mean Terry isn’t looking forward to traveling internationally again soon. Then, he shares some predictions on when international travel will return and how we’ll get back out there.
Kirk Whalum, Grammy Award-Winning Composer and Saxophonist, discusses growing up in the South and his memory of the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. We’re familiar with the outward racism – that still lives on in some places – but what about the subtle, passive aggressive kind? It’s alive and well, and Kirk speaks to this and his travels around the world as a Black musician and composer. He argues the reception is different internationally than it is in the United States. Kirk also shares more about his documentary which explores the meaning of Martin Luther King’s community, a vision for global harmony through music, and having the right resources to fight intolerance and create better awareness through communication.
