Politics of Travel: Been a Long Time Coming, Convention Must Attends

What good are apologies when you keep doing the same thing you are apologizing for? No Excuses GBTA Convention in San Diego is fast approaching. I hope to see you!

REMEMBER THE MAINE: Don’t fall for the fake news ETIAS Travel Authorization for EU Does Not Become Mandatory on January 1, 2023! European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will be a new system for many travelers to register for when travelling to the European Union and Schengen Area countries. Be aware there are many fake sites sending out incorrect information. Here is the correct information Note ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorizations are collected at this point. Applicants will be able to apply via an official website and/or app for mobile devices prior to the start of operation of ETIAS and will have to pay a fee of €7.

Out of the Blue: A deal emerged on Thursday from the U.S. Senate to propose a reconciliation package that includes tax, health care, energy and climate provisions.

The evening agreement between Majority Leader Schumer and Sen. Manchin (D-WV) caught lawmakers from both parties off guard, would raise an estimated $739 billion in revenue with about $433 billion in spending to fight climate change, invest in energy and extend the Affordable Care Act and around $300 billion going to deficit reduction.

Of interest to GBTA, it is contains language to initiate a Sustainable Aviation Fuel tax credit. For a variety of reasons (size of the jet fuel market vs. the on-road fuels market, relative industry maturity), SAF is not yet commercially available at scale. It remains considerably more expensive than conventional jet fuel and is disincentivized under existing policies relative to on-road fuels. The travel industry needs this to help spur production and help lead us to de-carbonized air travel.

This issue was one of three items the GBTA members took to Congress for support during the 2022 Legislative Summit. The second item was the ending of the US inbound testing requirement which the Biden Administration rescinded just a few days after the GBTA attendees made the case on the harm the rule was having on business travel.

Can we get two major business travel issues passed in the US? Seems like an insane possibility in this political environment, but here we are.

67% CAN’T BE WRONG: The compromise even contained language that pleased the Canadians. The new legislation specifies that to qualify for the clean vehicle credit, final assembly must be within North America. Previous versions of the language had specified U.S. angering the Canadian government and putting Canadian companies at a disadvantage.

SHAMELESS CONVENTION PLUGS: Since I write this, I can encourage you to attend the following education sessions:

Monday, August 15 2:30 GBTA Ladders: Talent risk is the number one threat companies face today to long-term growth. Hear how GBTA Ladders is addressing it! As a BONUS, Hear the 2022 winning team present their take on the season theme: Corporate Responsibility – What’s next? Location: Education Theater on Expo Floor

Tuesday, August 16 11:15 AM Inside Our Airports: Managing Innovation & Protecting Data Privacy. Come in and hear the latest from TSA, international airports (DFW) and CLEAR. The panel will be moderated by Company Dime’s Jay Campbell. Location: 20AB

And for those conditionally approved for Global Entry and waiting on an interview, Click here to schedule your appointment at the GBTA Convention

Before I bid adieu, Have you voted in the GBTA Elections? For those you watched the Annual Business Meeting, Rubio’s was the first and best fish taco stand in San Diego. Alberto’s had the best carne asada. I’m not sure they are still around as that was 88.

See you in Paradise City!