Morning Brief: Thanksgiving Air Travel, A UC Strike, And Maná

Good morning, L.A. It’s Nov. 17.

If you're traveling on Thanksgiving, be prepared.

Gone are the early pandemic days of empty planes and airports — which is a good thing, in many ways! — but they'll be replaced by the same old long lines and wait times, and of course, the pleasure of traveling alongside your fellow passengers.

As of Nov. 7, bookings for Thanksgiving week flights are up 78% over last year and they're even slightly ahead of 2019, according to the Adobe Digital Insights, which has been tracking airline recovery.

"We're seeing a lot of people looking to travel and fly for Thanksgiving this year and make up for maybe staying at home last year," Vivek Pandya, a lead analyst for the company, told NPR.

Along with more flights, you’ll also likely see higher fares. But you might be paying for not-as-great service as airlines struggle to staff back up in the wake of the pandemic’s peak.

And speaking of the pandemic, you may also encounter, I’m sorry to say, new brands of poor passenger behavior. 

"It's been a really difficult almost two years now for our flight attendants," said flight attendant Paul Hartshorn, Jr., a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. "We've had flight attendants shoved, punched, pushed to the floor and hit their head on the armrest on the way down. Really, really serious injuries that we're dealing with here."

So let’s try to keep our holiday spirit intact this year, shall we? And remember that we’re all just trying to muddle through as best we can.

Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A., and stay safe out there.

What Else You Need To Know Today

• A few months after ending its contract with the police department to staff local schools, the Pomona school board voted to reinstate the program.
• L.A. employees are under a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but about a fifth of them have yet to get it done.
• Tenants are demanding a long-term fix to the broken elevators at Cathay Manor, a low-income senior housing complex in Chinatown.
• UC lecturers are set to go on strike starting today. 
• A new Medi-Cal benefit is designed to help connect California families to resources like food banks, legal aid, parenting classes or therapy before they leave the doctor’s office.
• More restaurants and food businesses, like Proof in Atwater and Diamond Bakery in Fairfax, are moving toward a new business model — worker-owned co-ops.

Before You Go ... Maná Returns To LA

The Forum will be the only place fans can see the grammy-winning band next year.

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(Courtesy of Maná)

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Maná, one of the most popular Mexican rock groups, will play exclusively at the Forum in Inglewood next year. The band, whose members are originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, is beloved in the U.S., Mexico and abroad — but they trace their legacy back to L.A.

“L.A. is a second home for us,” Maná said in a statement. “We started here 30 years ago at the Hollywood Palace and we’ve been rocking with L.A. fans ever since.”