- Details
- Category: Industry News
On the same day that President Joe Biden was inaugurated as the nation’s 46th president, he signed an executive order that requires people to wear masks in airports, on certain modes of public transportation—including many trains, airplanes, and buses—and in federal buildings on federal lands. The executive order does not affect any local or state mandates that are already in place.
President Joe Biden signs mask mandate
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also issued an order requiring all air passengers arriving to the U.S. from a foreign country to get tested no more than three days before their flight departs and to present the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID to the airline before boarding the flight. Air passengers will also be required to confirm that the information they present is true in the form of an attestation. (This order is effective as of January 26, 2021). More information is available here.
"We must ensure all of our transportation systems—from aviation to public transit, to our railways, roads, ports, waterways, and pipelines—are managed safely during this critical period, as we work to defeat the virus," said Biden’s nominee for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was also a Democratic presidential contender and mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
ABA President Peter Pantuso
Additionally, American Bus Association President & CEO Peter Pantuso clarified how the executive order pertains to motorcoach and group travel, including:
Sec. 2 directs various Agency heads to take action, with relevant authority and to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to require masks to be worn in or on intercity bus services (and other transportation modes), in compliance with CDC guidelines. Agency heads are to update the President’s COVID-19 Response Coordinator on their progress in implementing this section, along with any categorical exceptions, within 7 days of the date of the order (January 21, 2021).
Sec. 3 directs Agency heads to make additional recommendations on how their respective agencies may impose additional public health measures for domestic travel.
Sec. 4 directs DOT and other agencies to support state/local/tribal and territorial authorities by informing them of options to incentivize, support and encourage widespread mask wearing and physical distancing on public modes of transportation.
Sec. 5 for international travel, among other things, directs the State Department, in consultation with DOT and others, to commence diplomatic outreach to Mexico and Canada regarding public health protocols for land ports of entry, and within 14 days of the date of the order, the various Agency heads are to submit a plan to the President on how to implement appropriate public health measures at land ports of entry.
"While we generally support the use of face masks for those riding our buses, we do not support this if it will cause harm or danger by forcing drivers to wear masks if it would cause them breathing problems or fogging glasses. We will work with the Biden Administration and FMCSA to ensure the safety of our drivers and their passengers," said Pantuso in his letter to members.
U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow
The news is being celebrated by travel associations as well.
“The CDC’s inbound testing requirement is the key to reopening international travel and it adds another important layer of safety. If the testing requirement is going to work on a global scale, it has to be flexible and reflect where testing resources are available and where they’re not. The executive order would allow for flexibility if it’s needed, said U.S. Travel Association President & CEO Roger Dow. “We also strongly support the president’s mask mandate for interstate travel, which is in line with the industry’s health and safety guidance and consistent with what countless travel businesses are already doing to protect travelers and workers.”
TL;DR version: Mask up!
The full text of the executive order is available here.
[01.25.21]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Keep yourself informed and connected to other members of the industry by attending these important virtual meetings
American Bus Association
Annual Meeting includes a vote for the new ABA Board of Directors, guest speaker Adam Sacks will explore what recovery is really going to look like, and a peer discussion about how other owners have kept their businesses moving forward during the pandemic.
1/27 at 3 p.m. ET online (registration required)
National Limousine Association
Open board meeting featuring the newly installed NLA Board after last fall’s election
1/28 at 2:00 p.m. ET on the NLA’s Facebook page
United Motorcoach Association
1/28 at 2:00 p.m. ET online (registration required)
Did we miss your association meeting? Let us know! Email susan@chauffeurdriven.com or rob@chauffeurdriven.com to be included in our calendar.
[01.25.21]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
#PlanForVacation
This year, National Plan for Vacation Day—which each year encourages Americans to plan all of their vacation days at the beginning of the year so they don’t lose them—takes on a special meaning. As we have been locked out of travel or even our normal routines, the urge to explore and take some time to reconnect outside of the digital trappings of work life have never been greater. And associations like the U.S. Travel Association are getting serious about helping Americans to find ways to relax and recharge.
This year, the annual celebration falls on January 26, at a time when more than six in 10 Americans (63 percent) report that they “desperately” need a vacation after trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data prepared for the U.S. Travel Association by the research firm Destination Analysts.
Destination Analysts has also found:
- Close to six in 10 American travelers (59 percent) miss traveling “very much” and 55 percent are excited about leisure travel in the next six months. (Destination Analysts, Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Index Report, 1/18)
- Close to three quarters (72 percent) of employed Americans indicated they set aside time to plan out vacation days for the coming year, and 84 percent of Americans are excited to plan a vacation in the next six months. (Destination Analysts, December 2020)
- More than nine in 10 (93 percent) American workers say it is important to use their paid time off to travel. (Destination Analysts, December 2020)
- Once a vaccine is available and accessible, 53 percent of American workers prefer to use their paid time off to take a vacation away from home. (Destination Analysts, December 2020)
Historically, National Plan for Vacation Day has been intended to help address the problem of Americans failing to utilize all of their earned time off each year (an issue that persists, according to the latest data). Taking time off—including as a business owner—is important for many reasons, including:
Looking ahead to a travel experience provides a psychological boost. After the significant suffering and anxiety of the past year, putting a trip on the books can lift our outlook: previous polling from the U.S. Travel Association found that 97 percent of Americans say having a trip planned makes them happier. And academic research has found that the positive effect of anticipating a journey rivals that of actually being on one.
It’s an ideal time for consumers to plan and book travel. With the chilling effect that the pandemic has had on travel, favorable offers from travel providers are abundant and change or cancellation policies are flexible throughout the industry—from flights, to hotels, to car rentals and theme parks. And as vaccines become more widely available and Americans’ pent-up demand for travel creates a booking surge, those offers are likely going to become harder to find.
U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow
“Vacation planners are going to be rewarded this year more than ever before,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “Not only will planners reap the significant personal benefits of looking forward to their next travel experience, but they will find some of the friendliest booking conditions we have seen in a very long time. After the very real peril and hardship that too many have endured due to the pandemic, National Plan for Vacation Day is the perfect opportunity to look ahead to a future travel experience when the time is right for you to travel once again.”
Dow cautioned that COVID is still a very present challenge, and that all Americans must continue to put health and safety first. Making the decision to travel again is a very personal decision, he said, and when people choose to travel they must continue to embrace the health and safety practices that can keep themselves and their fellow travelers safe.
You can find more information about the annual day on social media with tag #PlanForVacation.
Visit ustravel.org for more information.
[01.25.21]