It may be hard to believe there were some positive outcomes from a year that near crippled the travel industry, but a silver lining always helps any tough situation. As we look forward to the year ahead, we can at least thank 2020 for these three travel improvements… 

1. Better Customer Service. While those that spent the better part of their April or May on hold with customer support might gawk at such a claim, research indicates that customer service has in fact improved over the course of the year. The well-regarded American Customer Satisfaction Index’s travel industry reports that nearly every major airline carrier, from Southwest to Delta to American, increased their customer satisfaction rating at least one point from April to September. 

2. Increased flexibility. Finally—we are no longer burdened by the steep change fees that came along with rescheduling flights. Where before changing your flight could cost you close to $200, a wave of announcements took the travel industry by surprise in September when Alaska, American Airlines, Delta and United followed each other’s lead and eliminated change fees altogether.

3. Overdue updates on cleaning measures. If 2020 taught us anything, it was to wash our darn hands (for 20 seconds). Travel is, by default, a very germy endeavor. Thankfully, Covid-19 has forced every single airline, airport, hotel, restaurant and car rental service to implement greater cleaning measures and take more caution of hygiene and safety.