Category: Business travel

Teddy’s is seeing a slight uptick in daily trip counts since the end of the election

As you may have seen, in this space earlier, airports and air travel are proving to be exceptionally safe vis a vis the coronavirus. In fact, ‘companywide travel bans have become less common’ according to a State of the Industry report published by Business Travel News (Nov 5, 2020).

Only 5.6% travel managers said business travel is still suspended

The digital article goes on to say that while many business travelers are reluctant to travel, “plenty of companies and plenty of travelers say they want to travel.”

“Smaller companies, which are more growth-driven, are back on the road and traveling at half …their 2019 volume”.

After all, business travel has a 12:1 Return on Investment (ROI). We all now know that “phoning it in” leaves a lot to be said. JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon retorts online meetings lack “creative combustion.”

While Teddy’s is delighted to be back to helping our clients with a few airport trips each day we have not done much flying ourselves and wondered about the screening process you will face upon flying back into the Greater New York City airports, LaGuardia, John F Kennedy, Newark, Westchester County and Teterboro (codes LGA, JFK, EWR, HPH & TEB respectively).

Well Team Teddy’s member Emerson Osorio just got back from his very first trip to the Colorado Rockies and besides being very stoked about the majestic mountains, filled us in on his experience flying back into LaGuardia Airport today.

In a nutshell, all passengers boarding in Denver were told to visit https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Welcome-to-New-York-State-Traveler-Health-Form and fill out the quick form. He completed his before boarding, worried about intermittent internet access while airborne.

HOWEVER, it looks like if you are only passing through a New York City airport, to stay in Connecticut, you are actually responsible to submit a report to Connecticut. More below.

I started the NY form while here at the Teddy’s offices, but did not want to finish it because I’m not actually traveling today. The first page advised you not to submit the form more than 24 hours before you enter the State of New York.

The form’s first page called for name and birth date. Page 2 was phone numbers and contact info. Three was travel date and mode of transportation, i.e.: check a box for airplane, bus, private car, public transport, ship or train. Page 4 was about dependents traveling with you. There were 8 pages altogether and I’m sure I would have finished in 3 minutes.

Once finished, you were to screen shot the findings of the site. If the site returned a green checkmark, you did not have to quarantine. I’m not sure what the alternative response page looked like.

Just passing through NY to Connecticut?

Failure to submit this travel health form or to self-quarantine may result in a civil penalty of $500 for each such violation.

An Affected Traveler is a person entering into Connecticut after spending 24 hours or longer in one of the Affected States or Affected Countries within 14 days prior to arriving in Connecticut and who is staying in Connecticut for 24 hours or longer. To control the spread of COVID-19 in Connecticut, all Affected Travelers are required to (1) complete the “Connecticut Travel Health Form” and (2) self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of last contact with an Affected State or Affected Country, for any portion of such 14 day period they spend in Connecticut.

Can travelers be tested for COVID-19 instead of self-quarantine? Yes, an Affected Traveler is exempt from the self-quarantine requirement if the Affected Traveler (1) has had a test for COVID-19 in the seventy-two (72) hours prior to arrival in Connecticut or at any time following arrival in Connecticut, (2) the result of such COVID-19 test is negative, and (3) he or she has provided written proof of such negative test result to the Commissioner via email to: DPH.COVID-Travel@ct.gov or via facsimile to: (860) 326-0529.  (see more at item 14 here.)

For an ever-changing list of the Affected States, click here.

Hope it helps! Stay tuned while we keep an ear out for the process into Bradley (Hartford/Springfield) and Boston Logan. (Or if you know, please tell us by calling or writing contact@teddyslimo.com and we’ll post it here.)

For more about Teddy’s COVID safety protocols, click here.

Safe travels!

Team Teddy’s

Can you nail your bonus with a ‘secret” extra work week every month?

 ~  plus you’re looking for ways to get back to work without the trains anyway

Think about it: Ninety minutes or more into New York City every day from Weston, Wilton or New Canaan, right? (or Chappaqua, Pound Ridge or Bedford, NY for that matter)  …and double it to come home.

That’s 15-20 hours a week (60 hours a month, conservatively) lost to schlepping from house to car to railroad parking ..with a long walk to the platform. Then: train, subway and how many blocks to your office. ..never mind sometimes shoveling snow to start that whole process. With a Teddy’s, you work or rest door-to-door each way.

Try just a slice to start: Grab another commuter from your ‘social bubble’ and share the ride each day. Try 3 days a week, maybe only inbound – at least that cuts your exposure to crowded trains in half those days. We had two Goldman guys do that for years – they met their Teddy’s driver at the Westport train station three mornings a week for the ride in – at a great discount – and took the train back home. The hardest part was how to split their Teddy’s Platinum Reward Miles. Want to see some math on this? Contact sales@teddyslimo.com.

A pandemic record 800,000 travelers passed through TSA airport security Sunday, August 9. As well, daily trip counts at Teddyslimo.com continue to climb a little more every week and we are prepared for a big increase in business travel after Labor Day.

So, if you are feeling the pressure to dip your toes back into your business-travel routine soon, for a successful Q4, rest assured we professional business travel partners are looking out for you.

“Anything that we do that exposes us to other people is potentially risky, hotel stays included. But if proper precautions are taken, then it’s unlikely that they’re among the most risky things people could be doing,” Caitlin Howell, a chemical and biomedical engineer at the University of Maine, told Business Insider.

“Aspects of hotel stays that put people close together, such as talking with other patrons or exercising in a small space with others, are more likely to be risky than sleeping in a room,” she said. “…the risk of catching COVID-19 during a hotel stay is low if it’s properly cleaned.”

Well-run hotels and car services, like Teddy’s, are disinfecting services before every guest.

More at Business Insider.