The Week In Travel

The US travel sector experienced a major boost this week as a bill supporting the industry gained overwhelming support from a key government committee. The ‘Visit America Act’ calls for a Covid-19 pandemic recovery strategy to be created to assist the revitalisation of the US travel and tourism industry after two years of industry atrophy during the pandemic. The bill also calls for the creation of the role of assistant secretary of commerce for travel and tourism, whose responsibilities will include setting an annual goal for the number of international visitors to the US. As reported in Travel Weekly, the motion has been lauded by industry spokespeople for its focus on sustaining growth in the sector.

Staying in the US, renewable fuel company Aemetis has struck a deal with Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways to provide them with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the next seven years. The agreement will ensure that Cathay Pacific is supplied with 38 million gallons of blended SAF at San Francisco International Airport. The Hong Kong national carrier is aiming for 10% of its total fuel consumption to be sustainable by 2030.

Australian flag carrier Qantas has reported improved operational performance for September. The airline faced criticism over the summer as a result of the high rates of cancelled flights and mishandled baggage – a common story for many airlines as they emerged from the pandemic and faced staff shortages. Qantas reported that 71% of flights took off on time in the first two weeks of September – compared with 51% in June.

In UK news, employees of United Airlines Holdings at Heathrow Airport have begun voting on holding collective strike action. Unite Union states that the action is the result of complaints from workers over real-term pay cuts while the airline returns large profits. United has offered a 5% pay rise for this year, as well as a 4% rise for the next, but the union contends that this is not sufficient. The ballot will close on 11th October.

And finally, the holiday rental company Airbnb has come under increased criticism this week after guests revealed the growing number of demands made by homeowners on them during their stays. Users of the website came forward online with stories including instructions left for them to do the homeowners’ laundry, hefty cleaning fees, and orders to mow the lawn. One online commenter even said that their host required them to feed their pet chickens twice a day during their stay.