As travel The Points Guy explains:
In April, American Airlines became the first to retire its global travel waiver, and just one month later, three of its largest competitors are pulling the plug as well.
On May 1, Alaska, Delta and United all let their flexible travel waivers expire, restoring many of the most punitive restrictions to basic economy fares. Going forward, all newly purchased basic economy tickets on the aforementioned carriers will return to being non-changeable and non-refundable.
Tickets purchased before the travel waiver expired should still have the added flexibility.
Among U.S. airlines, JetBlue is the lone holdout, as its coronavirus travel waiver doesn’t expire until the end of May. Southwest also doesn’t charge change fees on any reservations a policy that existed long before the pandemic.
A growing number of people have turned to the dream of a “digital nomad” lifestyle answering emails from the beach or the cloud forest as remote working goes mainstream during the pandemic.
Costa Rica hopes to attract more of these workers through a bill that would grant year-long visas for qualifying digital nomads.
If the bill is approved in the Legislative Assembly, remote workers could obtain a permit to stay for one year in Costa Rica, extendable for one additional year. They would also have the possibility of opening local bank accounts and could drive in Costa Rica using their country’s license, among other benefits.
Twenty-four travelers have been penalized after presenting falsified coronavirus test results when trying to leave Costa Rica through Juan Santamaría International Airport, according to a report from La Nación.
Deputy prosecutor Alejandro Araya told La Nación that some passengers had found forms online that they had filled out and were trying to pass off as legitimate.
“We cannot, under any circumstances, allow as an authority for these people to return to their country of origin or the country to which they are traveling with altered or false documents,” Araya said.
Passengers caught faced an expedited judicial process culminating in either a monetary fine or mandatory donation to social charities. In addition, they were required to obtain a legitimate coronavirus test before being permitted to leave Costa Rica.
Costa Rican authorities detained two passengers on suspicion that they had presented falsified coronavirus test results when trying to leave the country, according to a report from CRHoy.
The Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) provided a short statement of the events that occurred at Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José, Costa Rica.
One of the arrested passengers is a Brazilian who intended to fly to Brazil. The second case is a Venezuelan who was also presenting documentation for two minors who were flying to Colombia.
“In both cases, the test lacked legitimacy after confrontations carried out with the authorized laboratories,” the OIJ reported.
The Environment Ministry is promising to invest more than $3.6 million to improve infrastructure at Costa Rica’s national parks in 2021, the government announced Wednesday.
The single greatest commitment is 850 million colones (about $1.4 million) to improve tourist facilities at Tenorio Volcano National Park. That project is expected to begin in the second half of this year.
The remaining 1,400 million colones (about $2.3 million) will be distributed between projects at Marino Ballena National Park, Corcovado National Park, La Amistad National Park, Piedras Blancas National Park, and the Golfito National Wildlife Refuge.
Those works will be completed within 12 months of their groundbreaking dates later in 2021. Details of the projects were not made immediately available.