London's Heathrow Airport has extended its cap on passengers through October in order to further mitigate the travel disruptions that led to chaos earlier this summer, reports Travel + Leisure. Heathrow announced on Monday that it will continue to cap daily passengers at 100,000 until at least October 29; the cap applies to departing passengers only. The airport said the cap was extended in consultation with airlines and has been successful at creating fewer last-minute cancellations and shorter wait times for bags since its implementation last month. Heathrow Chief Commercial Officer Ross Baker stated, "Our primary concern is ensuring we give our passengers a reliable service when they travel. That's why we introduced temporary capacity limits in July which have already improved journeys during the summer getaway […] We want to remove the cap as soon as possible, but we can only do so when we are confident that everyone operating at the airport has the resources to deliver the service our passengers deserve."

American Airlines has announced its agreement to purchase up to 20 jets that could travel faster than current commercial aircraft, reports USA Today. According to a joint press release with American and from Boom Supersonic, an aerospace startup, the “Overture” aircraft are “expected to carry passengers at twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft." The Overture aircraft will carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water, which is about twice as fast as current commercial airline options. Mach 1.7, roughly 1,300 miles per hour, is 1.7 times the speed of sound. Currently, flights from Los Angeles to Honolulu take around six hours, while flights from Miami to London take around nine hours; the airline hopes to cut those flight times in half. Boom Supersonic expects the Overture to roll out in 2025 and carry passengers by 2029.

United Airlines has announced it will extend three of its Corporate Preferred loyalty program benefits to select corporate customers across its joint venture with Air Canada and Lufthansa Group beginning this fall, reports Business Travel News. The three benefits are preferred boarding, preferred flight protection in the event of an equipment change or an overbooking situation, and preferred reaccommodation in the event of a service disruption. As part of this fall’s initial phase of this extension, all United Corporate Preferred Elite-tier customers will be eligible for the new benefits. The goal for the benefit extension is to provide a more seamless experience for travelers, particularly as the three carriers have different corporate programs and benefits. For example, Air Canada does not currently have a corporate loyalty program, but will launch one in the fall in conjunction with the launch of this benefit extension. United VP of sales strategy and effectiveness Glenn Hollister said. “We are exploring ways in which we can extend more of the benefits to more of our customers.” 

Delta Air Lines Delta has announced it will resume flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Tokyo Haneda beginning on October 30, reports Travel Weekly. The route will operate three-times weekly through November and then increase the frequency to daily flights. Delta last flew between LAX and Tokyo in March 2020; the airline said it is resuming the flights in anticipation of a broader reopening of Japan to foreign travelers. Delta will fly LAX-Tokyo Haneda with Airbus A330-900neo aircraft equipped with Delta One business class, Delta Premium Select premium economy class, and a main cabin split between Comfort Plus and standard economy seats. Delta additionally announced it will begin daily service on December 1 between Honolulu and Tokyo Haneda.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines, reports USA Today. Unvaccinated Americans no longer have to quarantine if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19, and those who test positive can isolate for a shorter time period if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms improve quickly. The CDC now recommends that people who are not fully vaccinated mask up for 10 days and test after five days if they are exposed to someone who is COVID-19 positive. Regardless of vaccination status, the CDC now advises people who test positive to quarantine at least five days, down from the previous 10. CDC spokesperson Tom Skinner said that additional guidance specific to travel would be coming soon, noting "CDC is in the process of updating guidance for K-12/ECE, healthcare settings, high-risk congregate, and travel […] So as of now, there are no changes to guidance for travel."