France registers whopping 100,000 COVID cases in 24 hours

Dec 26 2021

France has also been hitting record high COVID cases as on their third consecutive day a whopping six-digit figure was reached.

Infections reached 104,611 on Saturday in France, just ahead of a video-conference meeting set for Monday by President Emmanuel Macron which seeks to discuss new pandemic safety measures.

With officials concerned about the effect of the spike of the Omicron variant all across the continent, the health authorities recommended adult receive a booster jab three months after first vaccination on Friday.

The government is also moving to make the health pass issued to those who received the vaccine valid only if people get their booster.

This is required for cafes, restaurants and even international travel. With some regions already enacting their own safety measures, the spike is worrying most of the world.

#MaltaDaily

Photo source: State Department, Financial Times

More cancellations as 480 flights for early 2022 cut due to pandemic

Dec 26 2021

Up to 480 flights from and to Malta scheduled to operate early 2022 have been cut as passengers fear the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Malta International Airport chief executive told Times of Malta that the first quarter for 2022 was already looking dismal for air travel.

He largely attributed this to the ‘hotchpotch’ of uncoordinated travel restrictions all across Europe, which are confusing and destroying consumer confidence in air travel.

The holiday season is typically very busy for Malta’s airport, with around 246,000 available seats on flights operated on up to 87 routes to and from Malta.

A well-needed recovery, Borg said, is being put into question due to the massive spike in cases both locally and abroad. This is leaving airports and airlines having to bear the worst of such restrictions.

Air Malta also revealed that it had around 2,000 cancellation refund requests just this month, with figures still going up. A spokesperson said that 2,000 were received in November and another 2,000 were requested as of last Tuesday.

As of the start of the pandemic, Air Malta has received around 300,000 ticket refund requests, refunding up to €32 million.

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Photo Source: Air Malta, Fodors Travel Guide

‘There were cases where I made mistakes;’ Joseph Muscat tells all in Ben Camille interview

Dec 25 2021

In his latest interview with local media personality Ben Camille, former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat admits that he too made mistakes, “too many mistakes to mention,” going on to discuss a number of hot topics surrounding his political career.

Muscat stated that he didn’t really like the concept of a politician or ‘stooping to the people’s level’, highlighting the importance of ‘remaining on the people’s level.’ The former Prime Minister said how certain people tend to use big words to impress other when in reality, they may not understand. He went on to mention how his grandmother was working class and had a relatively low level of education, but taught him quite a lot and he always keeps her in mind while speaking.

Muscat also reiterated his admission of making mistakes, telling some people to resign when he shouldn’t have while keeping others which he should have told to resign.

What do you think of the interview?

#MaltaDaily

Up to 4,500 flights cancelled due to COVID-19 understaffing

Dec 25 2021

Up to 4,500 flights have been cancelled over the duration of the Christmas weekend due to the effect of the Omicron variant on holiday travel schedules.

Delta Airlines and United Airlines cancelled over 600 flights on Friday and Saturday, with Delta cancelling 149 flights on Friday and 188 flights on Saturday while United axed 189 flights on Friday and 140 flights on Saturday. Despite cancellations from particular airlines, companies like American Airlines proceeded as normal, stating they have “nothing to report,” with Southwest Airlines highlighting that “things are running smoothly” as they proceeded with their holiday flight schedule.

Cancellations and staff shortages have been commonplace in the American airline industry this year, with airlines encouraging workers to quit in 2020 due to the collapse of air travel, resulting in an evident staff shortage. The rise of the Omicron variant continued to contribute to this issue, contributing to the mass cancellation of flights in 2021.

Have you cancelled any flights in 2021?

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