big changes to air travel

The three major US airlines—Delta, United and American—each announced last week that they are “permanently” eliminating change fees. (“Permanently” is in quotation marks, because we suspect that it really means “indefinitely.”) In the meantime, some airlines are struggling to enforce the wearing of masks, while others (or at least one—Delta) is being rigid about keeping middle seats open.

In the meantime, other airline policies that were reviled by travelers remain in place. No leg room? It’s still a problem. Charges for checked bags, charges for carry-on bags and charges for advance seat selection? That’s still a problem, too. So-called “Basic Economy” fares, which would separate families into middle seats scattered throughout the plane? Yep. Those still exist.

On the other hand, the frequent and unpredictable schedule changes caused by the grounding of the 737Max have been replaced by the frequent and unpredictable schedule changes caused by reduced schedules and canceled flights because of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Looking for some good news? Well, how about this? Science tells us that your risk of contracting the virus on an airplane is much lower than you’d think. In fact, if you and the other passengers are masked up and the middle seats are kept clear (another reason to switch your loyalty to Delta, in our opinion, which, if you’re late to the party, what’s holding you back, people?), you’re pretty safe from the virus, as it turns out.

It’s no secret that travel is more difficult than ever, because of ….

• COVID-19 (and Zika, and Ebola and H1N1, and whatever comes next…)

• extreme weather events ( hurricanes, wildfires, derechos, bomb cyclones, dust storms)

• geopolitical tensions (terror threats and civil unrest)

• equipment malfunctions (the grounding of the 737Max)

• shifting airline policies (and cruise line policies, and tour operator policies and resort policies)

• closed borders (and new health screening requirements before you can travel)

…and on and on and on.

With all of this in play, its no wonder that travelers are coming around to understand that hiring a travel advisor makes more sense than ever before. Travel advisors aren’t just booking engines—we’re professional travel planners who have relationships with a network of preferred travel suppliers. We act as your consumer advocate, to step in to take care of you when you travel. We’re able to access preferred pricing and added amenities—you don’t necessarily have to have the top-tier of a loyalty program to be treated like a VIP when you book through a trusted travel advisor.

Even if it’s just a simple flight and hotel booking—booking through Huckleberry Travel means that you won’t have to deal with all of the hassles in the new reality of travel. So, if you’re flying domestically to visit your kids, or you’re planning a bucket list trip for 2021, when we’ll (hopefully) be on the other side of the pandemic—you should call us. We can help.