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The airline has announced that from 1 July it will begin to book flights at full capacity, in comparison to their cap of around 85% in previous months. The existing policy is already seen as a much less strict cap than competitors such as Delta Air Lines, who are booking to 60% capacity and blocking all middle seats. The move by American Airlines is seen as a sign that social distancing precautions will no longer be a priority - however the airline is reportedly due to still continue a policy which allows customers to change their flight at no extra cost if it's likely to be full.

In an update to a previous alert, EU officials are still due to finalise a confirmed list of countries whose residents will be permitted to travel to the European bloc from July, despite ambassadors from the 27 countries convening in the last few days. A re-drawn proposal of 10-20 countries was presented, but many said they would need to consult with their governments. The provisional list, however, is understood to not include the U.S., Brazil or Russia.

From 1 August, domestic U.S arrivals to Hawaii will not be subject to state quarantine if providing evidence of testing negative for COVID-19. Visitors seeking the exemption must produce results of an FDA-approved test taken within 72 hours before arriving in Hawaii. The 14-day mandatory self-quarantine for out-of-state visitors, which was recently extended to 31 July, will remain in effect for those who have not been tested.

A trade group representing most U.S. airlines has reportedly said that its members will refund passengers who fail mandatory temperature checks. Although such checks are not yet required nationally, they’re currently being trialed at Los Angeles International Airport. Members of the group, Airlines for America, include United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines.

The Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable have launched an interactive map to assist Canadian citizens with key travel information for destinations across Canada and beyond. The resource provides detailed information for domestic interstate travel, as well as advice and restrictions for international destinations.

Delta Air Lines have today resumed flights between Seattle and Shanghai, making it the first U.S. airline to restart operations between the U.S. and mainland China. From July and beyond it will operate once-weekly flights from Seattle and Detroit to mainland China, included connecting services via Seoul, South Korea.

European Union officials are reportedly racing to agree on who can visit European countries from 1 July - according to a report in the New York Times, draft lists currently exclude the U.S. based on how the country is handling, and is affected by, COVID-19.

The U.S. states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have asked people travelling from other states where COVID-19 cases are rising to go into self-isolation for 14 days. Currently those states are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Utah; anyone found to be violating the self-isolation requirement could be fined a minimum of US$1000.

Cruise sailings in the U.S have largely been suspended until 15 September, after member operators of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) have voluntary extended their pauses in operations. Although U.S authorities are set to lift the suspension on sailings of 250 people or more from 24 July, many operators agree that they will need more time to resolve barriers to resuming their cruises. Members of CLIA include Carnival, Disney, Holland America Line, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess Cruises.

Following an executive order signed by the U.S. president, entry to non-immigrant visa holders in categories H-1B, H-2B, J and L has been suspended effective today, 24 June. This includes those arriving for the purposes of participating in an intern, trainee, teacher, camp counselor, au-pair or summer work travel program; the decision was made on the basis that these visa holders present risk to the recovery of the U.S labour market during post-COVID-19 economic recovery. The suspension is valid until 31 December.

Turkey's national airline is continuing to resume flights to an increasing number of North American destinations, after our previous bulletin on services resuming to Chicago, Washington and Miami this past weekend. Flights to Los Angeles will start tomorrow, 25 June; New York and Toronto will follow on 1 July; San Francisco, Montreal and Houston are currently set to follow later in July.

The U.S. rail provider is ending daily services to hundreds of stations across the country; from October, trains will stop at many stations just three times per week, on a reduced schedule that could remain permanent. Amtrak has estimated that passenger numbers could fall by 50% over the next year, and ridership has already decreased by 95% during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SkyTeam, an international alliance of member airlines, has launched a pledge to enhance safety measures across all of its member airlines at every step of the customer journey. Named ‘SkyCare&Protect’, the pledge will allow passengers to make educated decisions about their travel plans.

The Caribbean island is set welcome international travelers again on 15 July. Visitors arriving at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport will have their temperature checked and will undergo a quick health check-up - free and voluntary COVID-19 testing is also available on site. The government is also working on exceptions to the mandatory 14-day quarantine that remains in place, for those who can provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test on arrival.

The airline has today announced that they are set to resume flights to an additional 17 destinations across their global network from August; this follows the previous news of passenger flights being set to resume from 20 July. Flights to the additional destinations will resume from 1 August through to early October, and include cities across the Unites States, India, South Africa and the Caribbean.

Carnival Cruise Line has extended its operations pause in North America through to 30 September. The announcement is the third extension of the operator's cruising suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first was a 30-day suspension that started on 13 March.

The airline resumed flights to the U.S. on the evening of 19 June, after a suspension of more than two months; two planes bound for Washington D.C. and Chicago took off from Istanbul at around 18.00 GMT. Back in the airline's hub, Turkey has this month reopened restaurants and cafes, allowed intercity flights and car travel, and lifted weekend stay-home orders.

Playa Hotels & Resorts have announced that they are set to re-open hotels across Mexico and the Caribbean from 1 July; the owner and operator oversees a portfolio of all-inclusive properties including flagship properties from the Hyatt, Hilton, Jewel and Panama Jack collections. The company has also created the Playa Safe Stay™ initiative in response to COVID-19 to create a safe environment for their guests.

The state of California yesterday announced a requirement for residents to wear face masks in 'most settings outside the home', in response to what it calls a neglect by citizens to cover their faces and limit the spread of COVID-19. Masks must be worn outdoors and 'in any indoor space', with exceptions made for diners while they are eating or drinking and people engaging in outdoor recreation, as long as they maintain 6 feet of physical distance.

Hilton has announced updates to a global program developed to introduce a new standard of hotel cleanliness and disinfection to ensure that guests enjoy an even cleaner and safer stay: Hilton CleanStay with Lysol protection. The program has been developed with experts from RB, maker of Lysol and Dettol - brands trusted for safely disinfecting surfaces. In addition, experts from the Infection Prevention and Control team at Mayo Clinic will advise and assist in enhancing Hilton’s cleaning disinfection protocols.