Monday Briefing: Lufthansa Pilots to Strike Again Through Wednesday, Miami Works to Fight Mosquito-Borne Illness

Fresh off a busy Thanksgiving weekend, a renewed strike by Lufthansa pilots, Miami’s efforts to combat mosquito-borne illness and Carnival Corp.’s decision to end Fathom cruises are the travel headlines to watch. 

Lufthansa Strike Continues Through Wednesday

A strike by Lufthansa pilots represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union, which canceled over 1,800 flights in Europe last week, has been extended through Wednesday, November 30, according to a statement from Lufthansa Group (LHG)

LHG has put into place a special strike schedule for Tuesday, November 29, and Wednesday, November 30, and is encouraging travelers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport on LH.com. The strike will affect all short-haul services from Germany on Tuesday and short-, medium- and long-haul services from Germany on Wednesday, LHG said. 

On Tuesday, LHG plans to operate 2,184 of its 3,000 scheduled flights, and 2,110 flights on Wednesday. The extended strike will cancel 816 short-haul flights Tuesday and 890 flights Wednesday. 

In total, over 525,000 passengers will be affected by the last six days of strike action since last Wednesday through a total of 4,461 flight cancellations, LHG said. 

Other LHG airlines, including Eurowings, Germanwings, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines, are not affected by the strike, and flights to and from Germany provided by other LHG airlines will operate as scheduled. 

Customers whose flight is cancelled through the strike action may rebook (once) or cancel their flight free of charge, LHG said. Customers also have the one-time option of rebooking free of charge if they hold a ticket for a flight with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS or Brussels Airlines from, to or via Germany on one of the days affected by the strike. For routes within Germany, flight tickets may also be exchanged for Deutsche Bahn rail travel vouchers. Customers can find additional information under “Current Travel Information” on LH.com.

Miami Works to Combat Mosquito-Borne Illness

In destination news, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), in partnership with VISIT FLORIDA, the Greater Miami and The Beaches Hotel Association (GMBHA), and Florida Lodging and Restaurant Association hosted a Travel & Tourism Industry Forum to help fight mosquito-borne illnesses, including the Zika virus. 

The event was held November 21 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel and included travel industry leaders from hotels, airlines, cruise lines, restaurants, attractions, retail and transportation partners. At the event the GMCVB in partnership with the GMBHA resolved to develop a pledge that will incorporate the industry's commitment and outline a series of mosquito mitigation efforts, with the final initiative to be announced in the near future. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women should consider postponing travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County due to the Zika virus. The CDC has identified Zika cautionary areas where local transmission of the virus has been identified, as well as Zika active transmission areas, where CDC officials have determined that the intensity of Zika virus transmission “presents a significant risk” to pregnant women. A map of the affected areas is available on the CDC’s website

Fathom to End Cruises

In cruise news, Fathom, Carnival Corporation’s recently-launched social impact travel brand, has announced it will cease operation as a stand-alone cruise line with a dedicated ship. The Adonia, which had been running social impact cruises to the Dominican Republic and Cuba for Fathom, will return to P&O Cruises in summer. Fathom cruises will continue running through the late spring. Travel Agent's cruise editor, Susan J. Young, spoke with Carnival Corp. officials and travel agents about the decision here

Stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for more details on Fathom’s decision. 

Finally…It’s Cyber Monday

Last but not least, Cyber Monday is officially upon us. We’ve rounded up the latest Cyber Monday travel deals here

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