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Amtrak Downeaster Resumes Limited Service June 15

PORTLAND, MAINE – The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) announced yesterday that the Amtrak Downeaster will begin Phase 1 of Service Restoration beginning June 15, 2020.   Service will resume with one round trip on weekdays only between Brunswick, ME and Boston, MA:  southbound Train 680 and northbound Train 685.  Downeaster service has been suspended since April 13, 2020.

A number of protocols and procedures have been implemented to protect the health and safety of passengers and crews. 

Highlights of Phase 1 Service Restoration Plan:

  • Amtrak has implemented new cleaning and disinfecting protocols nationwide, and train equipment used in Downeaster service will undergo enhanced cleaning before and after each trip.
  • Crews and passengers will be required to wear face covering while boarding and moving about the train
  • The number of passengers per train will be limited to no more than 50% of available seating capacity so riders are able to adhere to physical distancing guidelines. 
  • Advance reservations are required and cash sales will not be accepted.
  • Station facilities will not be open; passengers should go directly to the outdoor platform to wait for their train.
  • Café service will not be available, however complimentary water will be available upon request. 
  • Stations are being updated with signage and other enhancements to promote public health and physical distancing.

While NNEPRA expects Downeaster increase service throughout the summer months, no date has been set for subsequent phases.  The NNEPRA Board of Directors plans to meet later this month to evaluate the potential for adding more daily trips.

Pan Am Railways has expedited a series of track improvement and maintenance projects along the Downeaster corridor to take place this spring to avoid construction-related service interruptions later in the year.  The schedule for Train 680 has been modified slightly to adjust for construction-related delays.  Passengers on travelling on Train 685 to stations north of Haverhill should expect delays of approximately 15 minutes.  

Complete information about the steps Amtrak is taking to protect the health and safety of their passengers and crews is available at Amtrak.com

For additional Amtrak Downeaster information visit: AmtrakDowneaster.com

Amtrak Downeaster, Boston, MA, BON, Amtrak Conductor The Downeaster is a 145-mile regional passenger train service, managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, and operated by Amtrak.

Hawaiian Airlines to Focus on Critical Flights and Cargo Service

  • Airline to serve San Francisco and Los Angeles daily
  • American Samoa weekly starting in April

Hawaiian Airlines is reducing its April flight schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a commitment to continue offering its guests and cargo customers essential service within the Hawaiian Islands and between Hawai‘i and California and the U.S. territory of American Samoa.

The airline will maintain a reduced but still robust schedule of Neighbor Island flights, while bolstering all-cargo service to ensure goods continue to reach communities statewide.
 
“As Hawai‘i’s airline, we understand that our operation is essential to the state. We serve both guests who rely on us for important travel and the transportation of critical cargo,” said Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Peter Ingram. “This has been the hallmark of our mission for 90 years and our dedication to our guests remains unchanged as we look to overcome this global crisis together.”
 
Starting Sunday, Hawaiian’s long-haul transpacific network will consist of one daily nonstop flight between Honolulu (HNL) and Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), and one weekly flight connecting Hawai‘i to its Pacific island neighbor of Pago Pago, American Samoa (PPG). All routes will be operated with wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft.
 
The California routes present cargo opportunities to help maintain service for shippers affected by the reduction in passenger flights due to the state of Hawai‘i’s mandatory 14-day quarantine for overseas arrivals starting tomorrow in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The HNL-PPG route maintains vital service for the territory of American Samoa.
 
Guests traveling on Hawaiian’s Neighbor Island network will continue to enjoy convenient options throughout the day with 41 daily roundtrip flights scheduled for April. From Honolulu there will be 38 daily flights, including 13 to Maui, eight to Kona, seven to Kaua‘i, six to Hilo, and two each to Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i. From Maui there will be one roundtrip each to Hilo, Kaua‘i and Kona in addition to Honolulu service.

Hawaiian’s schedule reductions for April resulted from the state of Hawai‘i’s quarantine entry restriction and the ensuing drop off of travel to and from the islands. Hawaiian is operating its regularly scheduled long-haul flights through today before it begins suspending routes tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Hawaiian has expanded interisland cargo service to facilitate the movement of essential goods ranging from food to medical equipment and machinery.
 
On March 3, a fleet of all-cargo ATR-72 aircraft operated by ‘Ohana by Hawaiian began offering flights five days a week between Honolulu and Kahului (OGG) on Maui and Kona (KOA) on the western coast of the Island of Hawai‘i. The new routes add to all-cargo service launched in summer of 2018 between HNL and Līhu‘e (LIH) on Kaua‘i and Hilo (ITO) on the eastern coast of the Island of Hawai‘i.

Hawaiian also utilizes its Boeing 717 passenger fleet to carry critical, time-sensitive cargo like pharmaceuticals and Blood Bank of Hawai‘i shipments.

Hawaiian is still experiencing an unprecedented volume of calls from guests and respectfully asks that only those with immediate travel needs contact the airline for assistance. Options to reach Hawaiian’s reservations team, to make online changes to tickets, and to see a list of travel waivers are available at  Hawaiian’s COVID-19 hub.
 
The airline also explains how it is keeping employees and guests safe by disinfecting aircraft and airport spaces, modifying boarding processes to prevent congestion at the gate, and adjusting in-flight services such as by distributing disposable sanitizing wipes.

Delta to Suspend Los Angeles to Sydney Service March 18 Through mid-April

Following self-quarantine restrictions issued by the Australian government, Delta is temporarily suspending service from Los Angeles to Sydney beginning March 18 through April 11.

The last flight from L.A. to Sydney will depart Tuesday, March 17. The last flight from Sydney to L.A. will depart Thursday, March 19.

See here for a list of all current schedule changes.

CHANGING YOUR FLIGHT

Delta has waived change fees for customers traveling to, from or through Australia through May 31. Additional details are available on delta.com.

To help address customers with immediate travel needs, Delta is asking those who do not have travel in the next 72 hours to wait and contact the airline closer to their trip. Customers can also change or cancel a flight anytime before their travel date using My Trips on Delta.com.

To provide even more flexibility, any Delta ticket expiring in March or April is being extended to enable rebooking and travel until Dec. 31, 2020. If you’re not able to adjust your plans in time and don’t make your flight, your ticket number automatically becomes an unused eCredit within 24 hours that can be used to rebook a flight in My Trips or with Delta Reservations.

CAPPED FARES

To ensure customers can travel with financial peace of mind, Delta will cap fares to and from all destinations Delta serves throughout the U.S. and Canada through March 31. These fare caps are in place in all cabins, from Delta One to Main Cabin.

PROVIDING A SAFE AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT  

Delta’s highest priority is to ensure the health and safety of customers and employees. The airline is regularly disinfecting check-in kiosks, ticket counters, gate areas, jet bridges, and more multiple times a day. More information on our cleaning procedures can be found here. 

Emirates Introduces Generous Customer Waiver Policy

Emirates is providing customers more flexibility, choice and value through its newly introduced waiver policy for all booked tickets issued on or from today, 7 March until 31 March 2020, allowing customers across its network the choice of changing their travel dates without change and reissuance fees.

The move provides Emirates’ customers with peace of mind should they decide to change their travel plans due to the evolving COVID-19 situation. Customers can change their booking to any date for travel within an 11 month date range in the same booking class without change penalties. Difference in fare, if applicable applies. The policy covers all existing destinations across the Emirates network.

Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline, said: “We want our customers to feel fully supported, comfortable and confident when making travel plans, while offering them the best fares, without incurring change fees should they decide to delay or adjust dates. The situation remains dynamic and we will continue to look at ways to provide flexibility, convenience and peace of mind for our customers.”

Emirates Skywards will also be providing more flexibility to its members who have been impacted by the outbreak of the coronavirus through imposed travel restrictions and flight reductions. Skywards Platinum, Gold and Silver members can maintain their current status by fulfilling 80% of their tier travel requirements between 31 March and 30 June 2020. In addition, Skywards members booked to travel between 1 March and 30 June 2020 will be able to benefit from an additional 20% bonus Tier Miles.

For additional peace of mind, Emirates is also taking its aircraft cleaning process to the next level through additional precautionary measures of implementing enhanced disinfecting procedures after flights from destinations most affected by COVID-19. If the airline is alerted to any suspect or confirmed cases of infectious diseases, teams will be immediately deployed for a deeper cleaning to thoroughly disinfect all cabins of that aircraft with stronger, approved chemicals. Across all its aircraft, Emirates utilises HEPA filters, which are proven to remove more than 99% of viruses in the cabin environment. If there is a suspected case onboard, Emirates will go a step further to replace all the HEPA filters on the aircraft.

Customers are advised that fare differences or applicable taxes may apply if they wish to change their bookings to a different fare class. Current refund and rebooking conditions for tickets issued before 5 March still apply. Customers impacted due to cancellations of flights impacted by the COVID-19 virus are advised to check emirates.com for rebooking or rerouting options.

Customers who wish to change their travel arrangements after making bookings between 7 March and 31 March can visit their travel agent or contact the Emirates call centre at +971 600 555555.