December 30, 2021 Good morning from cold and rainy Los Angeles. Tomorrow is the last day of 2021 so it's worth repeating this important reminder: Make sure your airline credits don't go to waste and be sure to use any miles and points before they potentially expire tomorrow night.
If you use American Airlines' Business Extra points, know they can't be extended, so I just turned them into miles before I lost them. Pass these important tips on to your friends, family and colleagues.
Unless you've been stranded on a deserted island, you know all anyone talks about these days is Omicron. It's everywhere and according to the New York Times, the daily average of cases in the United States is now 301,000. Yesterday it was 267,000 and on December 20 it was 143,000. So in 10 days, that number has doubled.
On ABC News two nights ago, Dr. Jha said that number is most likely double or triple when you factor in unreported cases and I believe it, since so many of my friends are sick with it.
No wonder airlines, hotels, cruises are having staffing issues. For the sixth day in a row, airlines are canceling or delaying hundreds of flights. Here are today's numbers, according to FlightAware.com (as of 10:22am PT):
Total delays within, into, or out of the United States today: 3,377
Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today: 1,146
If you're traveling, here are my tips to help with delays and cancelations.
TSA Checkpoint Numbers
TSA officers screened 2,017,937 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, December 29. Two years ago on the same day: 2,133,253. So, we're not far off from pre-pandemic numbers but I have a feeling most of these are travelers returning home. I think the number will drop big time next week.
Passenger Quarantines in Bathroom After Testing Positive Mid-Flight
I wrote a tip a few weeks ago titled, “How To Save Tons of Money, Hassles and Headaches When Traveling During Omicron.” I wish Marisa Fotieo, a schoolteacher from Michigan, had read that post and I bet she wishes she had, too. Here's the crazy story.
The Only Face Mask Travelers Should Be Wearing, According to Experts
Sadly, I have friends of friends who are COVID positive and are still selfishly going out and not wearing masks because they feel like everyone is going to get it so why stop their daily routine. Crazy, right? One of them even took a flight. You know there are tons of others doing the same, which is why you really need to upgrade your mask to one of these, which experts say people need to wear for effective protection.
There's plenty of travel news today as well as my travel tip of the day so please scroll down to see it all. | 