High and Dry in the Sky: Airlines Stop Alcohol Servings. Plus Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants

No alcohol on flights. Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants. A re-opening today for Cabot Cliffs and Cabot LInks golf courses in Nova Scotia. Plus a Cuba re-opening for July 1. My Future of Travel blog for Friday, June 19.

Airlines Bounce Booze Offerings

I can live with masks on a plane. And gloves. And not getting a hot meal. But banning booze on an airplane is simply an outrage.

Okay, that’s not the case. Not at all. But it is another sign that travel has changed for the foreseeable future.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the following report:

“Some U.S. airlines will stop serving alcohol on flights to prevent the spread of coronavirus on airplanes, media outlets report. American, Southwest and Delta are among the airlines that will restrict or suspend serving alcohol, Consumer Affairs reported. The new policy is intended to limit interaction between flight attendants and passengers, according to the news outlet.”

Delta  won’t serve alcohol on domestic flights, but passengers will be able to partake on international flights, CNN reported. American Airlines will keep serving alcohol to first-class passengers and during international flights, the news outlet reported. However, the company says passengers in the main cabin won’t get liquor, beer or wine on flights shorter than 2,200 miles. Southwest has been providing cans of water and straws on flights longer than 250 miles, while service on all other flights is suspended.

Air Canada for now is serving only bottled water on its flights.

My original headline for this item was “Boozeless on Boeing,” kind of a take on “Sleepless in Seattle,” where Boeing is based. But my former Toronto Star colleague Stephen Wickens suggested “High and Dry,” which I adopted to be “High and Dry in the Sky.” Collaboration is a wonderful thing.

The Top 100 Restaurants in Canada

Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants announces the release of their sixth annual list of the country’s top dining destinations, available online today at https://canadas100best.com and on magazine newsstands on July 6th.

It’s always fun to see this list, even though I haven’t dined at many of these places (maybe 10 or 11).

Five of the top 10 are in Ontario, three in Quebec (all in Montreal and all in the top seven), plus one in B.C. and one in Newfoundland/Labrador. All told, 30 of the top 100 are in Ontario.

One of the most stunning places I’ve been is Hawksworth in Vancouver, which finished 19th. I also think Don Alfonso 1890 in downtown Toronto is truly spectacular, with remarkable design and terrific food. I would’ve expected a higher position than 36, but I’m not a food writer so I can’t really offer an expert comment.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Alo (Toronto)
2. St. Lawrence (Vancouver)
3. Joe Beef (Montreal)
4. Langdon Hall (Cambridge, Ontario)
5. Raymond’s (St. John’s, Newfoundland)
6. Toque (Montreal)
7. Montreal Plaza (Montreal, of course)
8. Giulietta (Toronto)
9. Edulis (Toronto)
10. Sushi Masaki Saito (Toronto)

Anguilla is Free of COVID-19

Anguilla is now officially categorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having “no cases” of COVID19.  As part of the continual review of the transmission classification of COVID-19 cases, Anguilla’s Ministry of Health was notified on June 16^th  that Anguilla’s classification was changed from “sporadic cases” to “ no cases”.  The change is reflected in the WHO’s situation report published on June 18^th, 2020.   

This is an important milestone and a major achievement for Anguilla.  The Ministry of Health and the Government of Anguilla expressed their sincere appreciation and congratulation to the people of Anguilla for this remarkable achievement and appealed for their continued cooperation moving forward.

As the government gradually begins to reopen the borders, they are encouraging the community to continue to practice the range of control measures that have been in place over the last few months.  This includes staying home if unwell, hand and respiratory hygiene and maintaining a physical distance of at least 3 feet from other persons, especially from those with respiratory symptoms, (eg. coughing, sneezing).  These practices are the new normal which must be maintained into the foreseeable future.

The island’s borders remain closed to commercial international traffic through June 30^th. 

Cabot Courses Open in Nova Scotia

Two of the best (and most spectacular) golf courses on the planet re-opened today. Here’s a note I got today from the folks at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs on Cape Breton.

We are thrilled to announce that as of today, we are open to golfers and guests who are currently in the province of Nova Scotia. While provincial border restrictions do not yet allow us to welcome guests from outside of Nova Scotia, we are excited to open our doors to more provinces and states as soon as we are given the permission to do so.

Committed to providing a safe environment for guests and staff, we have modified our policies and operating procedures according to the federal and provincial guidelines pertaining to COVID-19. Enhanced health and safety measures include personal protective equipment for staff, plexiglass barriers in lobby and pro shop areas, changes to the caddy program, modified food and beverage offerings and more.
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With the courses in great shape and our staff and caddies eager to get started, we are all set to kick-off the 2020 season. We know it’s been a challenging time for all, but we see great things on the horizon!

Biz Travel Rebound On The Way? I’m Not So Sure

Higher levels of optimism in the business travel sector have started to appear, according to new research issued yesterday by the Global Business Travel Association. Domestic and essential business travel will likely resume first, especially with industry standardized health and safety standards.

Based in Washington, GBTA is a business travel and meetings trade organization with operations on six continents. Its 9,000-plus members manage more than $345 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually.

According to a story on specialevents.com, there are some signs companies are slowly resuming some business travel. The poll reveals half (49 percent) of companies plan to resume domestic travel in the near future (one to three months) and one in five (22 percent) plan to resume all travel in the next one to three months as well. Finally, the poll reveals a small uptick in the number of companies allowing some essential travel (44 percent compared with 37 percent in the previous GBTA poll released on May 20).

Personally, I hope this happens as high-priced business tickets help keep fares low for the rest of us. But I’m not convinced we’ll get back to the kind of business travel demand we had in 2019 anytime soon. Given technological advances and Zoom and such, I’d bet it takes at least four or five years to reach those levels again.

Cuba Re-Opens for International Visitors July 1

Cuba re-opens to international travellers as travel restrictions lifted – First flights arrive in Los Cayo’s from Canada

“Cuba would like all Canadians as well as travel agents and tour operators that the time you have been waiting for is here!” said Lessner Gomez, Director for the Cuba Tourist Board, “Cuba with all its natural charm, vibrant culture and kind people await you all with open arms. We are ready to welcome you back!”

Over the past few months the Cuban government has focused its efforts in on the battle against the pandemic. During this time, government officials took steps to improve all hotels and tourism infrastructure. Hygiene and sanitary protocols were put in place in order to ensure the safety of the Cuban people and its international visitors, as tourism activities are reactivated.

Constant communication and coordination with all relevant stakeholders in the tourism industry has been a priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to keep them informed on all updates and current activities. A new promotional campaign will also be launched across Cuba Tourism Board social media platforms to reactivate and invite tourism to Cuba. 

For additional information, please visit www.gocuba.ca/en/