UK and US in Discussions to Launch a Travel Bubble In a potential bid to restart the persistent near standstill in transatlantic travel UK and US government officials are reportedly looking at establishing regional air corridors. Localized travel bubbles could allow for UK quarantine exemptions for passengers from low-infection rate areas, such as New York,…

GBTA Collaboratory Explores How to Drive Procurement Changes During a Pandemic As part of this week’s GBTA Collaboratory 2020 webinar series, Robert Schott, Managing Director and Chief Procurement Officer for PwC, and GBTA Interim-Executive Director Dave Hilfman discussed navigating procurement changes during a pandemic, and how to use this period to improve processes and strengthen…

Navigating Business Travel Through the Pandemic With some employees returning to the office, and many states now permitting non-essential business travel, business managers are beginning to reassess the feasibility of a mobile workforce. One barrier to business travel, however, is state by state travel restrictions which vary substantially and may be inconsistent. In addition, the…

U.S. International Airline Passenger Contact Tracing Plan Stalls, Sources Say The Trump administration’s efforts to require airlines to collect contact tracing information from U.S.-bound international passengers has stalled, five people briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday, adding such a mandate is unlikely this year. Major airlines and administration officials have held talks for…

GBTA Collaboratory 2020 Continues Next Week Navigating Procurement in Light of a Pandemic Monday, August 24 | 12:00 PM ET Overseeing sourcing, procurement and supply chain management is no small task in normal times, but how can organizations control spend, manage supplier relationships, minimize risk to the company, drive change, and enforce compliance during a pandemic?…

Airport COVID Testing Hubs and New Travel Corridors Are Part of a Plan to Revive U.S.-Europe Air Travel Germany’s main aviation industry group has proposed the creation of limited air-travel corridors between major U.S. and European hubs, in a bid to crack open the nearly shuttered market for trans-Atlantic flight. The pilot project would link…

The Road to Recovery Continues Next Week GBTA Collaboratory 2020 continues August 24 and is designed to provide perspectives, best practices, expert insight, and actionable takeaways to address the issues facing the business travel industry. The topic for Week 2 is Travel Sourcing: Buyer & Supplier Relationships. Webinars include: Are We Witnessing the Demise of…

TSA Notches Two Straight Sundays of 800k+ Passenger Screenings Passenger screenings surpassed 800,000 in one day for the first time since March on August 9th. A week later, on August 16th, the TSA again notched over 800,000 travelers. While this is still a new milestone, the slow growth in passenger numbers indicates that it is…

New Saliva-Based COVID-19 Test Could Be a Fast and Cheap ‘Game Changer’ After months of frustration over testing shortages and delays, a new saliva test could give Americans a fast and inexpensive option to learn if they have Covid-19. Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health created the SalivaDirect test, which received emergency use…

The Risk of Catching COVID-19 in a Hotel Room Is Very Low If It’s Properly Cleaned, Experts Say Sharing beds, silverware, and showers with strangers during a pandemic is understandably scary. That makes staying overnight in a hotel a no-no for many people these days. But according to two experts, the risk of catching COVID-19…