Edward Russell

Southwest Airlines' Robert Jordan is mostly excited about his new job but also "20 percent terrified." And for good reason, he takes the helm as the carrier navigates a hiring crunch in the midst of the recovery from the worst crisis in its history.

Vaccine mandates are the next big thing for the travel industry with many companies requiring staff get their jabs. Now Qantas may be the first to take the logical next step with a mandate that passengers on international flights do the same.

The Delta variant has set the travel recovery back with most U.S. airlines eating humble pie after overly rosy outlooks in July. With the business travel recovery delayed at least three months, the industry hopes to counter the tide of bad news with some possible year-end, holiday cheer.

Good travel gear that does what you want without fuss can make a good trip even better. But a lot goes into designing those goods, something industrial designer Graeme Wagoner, who has worked on some of the best bags of the year, knows well.

U.S. airlines avoided broad bankruptcies and cuts with the record $74 billion in government Covid-19 aid. But the relief was industry-specific and left out a lot of other sectors, including hotels and restaurants. That has meant a bumpy national economic recovery.

Few are surprised that JetBlue is pulling back on its initial London schedule as U.S.-UK travel restrictions persist. But that's a small concern for the airline that faces big expenses related to its new alliance with American Airlines and a still uncertain recovery outlook.

American likes to tout its strengths from more flights and a broader domestic network when it talks about the recovery. But with higher costs than competitors, it will continue to lag its peers even as some forecast profits in the coming months.

United has big aspirations for 2022 as the travel recovery continues to accelerate in the U.S. But very real concerns about the Delta variant and the broader recovery outside of the airline's control could set those plans back.

Amtrak and its partners are lining up a series of major infrastructure projects along the busy Northeast Corridor for possible infrastructure funds out of Washington. The plan is sprawling but with federal money available — and "Amtrak Joe" in the White House — the sky is seemingly the limit for rail proposals.

It's not often that major airlines get a new CEO, and even less common for Southwest Airlines. The carrier will get its sixth leader in half a century next February when Robert Jordan takes the reins from Gary Kelly.