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1. Flight Cancellations Cause Meltdowns for July Fourth Travel
Another surge in air travel expected for the July Fourth holiday in the U.S. could further strain airlines that are struggling to find pilots and other crew members. Both analysts and passengers "are worried the system is poised for more summer meltdowns," the Washington Post reports.
American Airlines' regional carrier Envoy Air is now offering pilots triple pay if they pick up more trips during July, CNBC reports.
“As part of the proactive strategy to run a reliable schedule during the peak summer travel season, Envoy is offering pilots triple pay to pick up uncovered trips on their days off in the month of July,” the airline said in a statement. “This will only be offered if there are open trips available, and currently Envoy is fully covered with its flight schedule this summer.”
2. G7 Leaders Agree To Seek Price Cap on Russian Oil
Leaders of the Group of Seven, an informal bloc of industrialized democracies including the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.K., reached an agreement on Tuesday “to seek ways to impose a price cap on Russian oil,” Politico reports.
“The agreement ... follows growing frustration among Western countries that their embargoes on Russian oil have had the counterproductive effect of driving up the global crude price. This has led to a situation where Moscow ends up earning more money for its war chest and where oil market ructions help drive runaway inflation,” the news outlet reports.
3. US Gateway Cities Boosted by Return of International Travel
Major U.S. cities including New York City, San Francisco and Miami are experiencing healthy increases in hotel room demand thanks to the return of international travelers, reports Hotel News Now contributor Danny King.
“We’ve come out of this pandemic really strong, and what’s particularly pleasing is that it’s not coming from one particular segment,” said Bob Van Den Oord, regional vice president of operations for Langham Hospitality Group’s North American, Europe and Middle East regions. “Chicago was our first hotel to come close to 2019 numbers because Chicago relies so much on domestic travel, but L.A. [the Langham Pasadena] is now doing better than Chicago. New York took a little longer to come back, but gosh is it back.”
4. Churchwick Partners, Rockledge Complete Sonesta Portfolio Acquisition
Churchwick Partners as well as David Kaye and Joe Listhaus of Rockledge have completed the acquisition of a Sonesta-branded portfolio comprised of 347 rooms across three hotels, according to a news release.
The hotels in the portfolio include the Sonesta ES Suites in St. Louis, Missouri; Sonesta ES Suites Minneapolis in Eagan, Minnesota; and Simply Suites Detroit Southfield in Southfield, Michigan.
5. Florida Hotel Shortchanged Workers on Overtime Pay
A U.S. Department of Labor investigation shows the Executive Inn, a Panama City Beach, Florida, hotel owned by Fernwood Land, has paid employees nearly $30,000 in back pay and damages, the Miami Herald reports.
The investigation found that employees "were paid normal, straight time rates for overtime work, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and paid in cash, off-the-books," the news outlet reports. A total of 15 employees received $1,998.40 each.