A Runaway Cruise Ship, an O’Hare Exit Call & Rising Fares — 21 Stories From the Road

The FAA Is About to Let Software Rewrite Your Schedule

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford met the CEOs of American, United, Delta and Southwest on 10 September over SMART, an $875 million system that starts rolling out this month to cut delays.

American Deleted First Class and Called It an Upgrade

American’s first retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER has entered service with 70 Flagship Suite business seats, 144 premium seats in total, and no first-class cabin at all.

Seventy-Five Knots Was More Than the Ropes Could Hold

AIDAperla tore loose from her berth at Le Havre in 75-knot gusts on 8 September, struck a quay wall and lost her next two port calls to inspections.

A Texas Star Went on a Ship That Does Not Exist Yet

Carnival cut the first steel for Carnival Tropicale at Meyer Werft on 10 September and opened bookings the same day for an April 2028 Galveston debut.

United’s CEO Says a Billion-Dollar Hub Is About to Fold

Scott Kirby says economic gravity will push American Airlines out of Chicago O’Hare, where he claims it lost $1.1 billion — and American flatly rejects the idea.

One Airline Filled 95.6% of Its Seats in August

Wizz Air carried 8,699,468 passengers in August at a 95.6% load factor, up 25.9% year on year and 115.5% above pre-pandemic levels.

A Route Thailand Flew for Thirty Years Is Coming Back Early

Thai Airways will restore Bangkok to Auckland nonstop service in March 2027, a year earlier than planned, restoring a link cut during the pandemic.

Getting From Jordan to China Has Never Been One Flight

Royal Jordanian and Air China have signed an agreement opening the way to the first-ever nonstop Amman to Beijing service, targeted before the end of the year.

Dubai Just Wrote Off Twenty-Five Million Passengers

Dubai Airports has cut its 2026 forecast to around 70 million passengers, down from 95.2 million last year, after Gulf airspace closures gutted the first half.

Southwest Is Building Something It Spent Fifty Years Refusing To

Southwest has begun construction on the first airport lounges in its history, at Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu and Nashville, with at least seven more planned.

The Baltic Capitals Are Losing a Third of Their Routes

airBaltic’s restructuring will cut nonstop routes across Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius from 112 to 78 next summer, with Tallinn and Vilnius taking almost all of the damage.

Ryanair Says Some of Its Rivals Will Not See Next Summer

Michael O’Leary told Ryanair’s AGM that if oil stays above $100 a barrel, European short-haul fares rise materially next year and less-hedged competitors may not survive the winter.

Eighty-One Planes Rewired in Six Months, and It Is Free

SAS has finished installing Starlink across all 81 of its Airbus A320neos in six months, and EuroBonus members pay nothing to use it.

Cairns Got Too Shallow for a 113,000-Ton Ship

Carnival Splendor will anchor off Yorkeys Knob instead of berthing at Cairns after the port warned that channel depths could not safely take the 113,300-ton ship.

The World Cup Bump Lasted Exactly One Month

New federal data shows international visitors spent $20.4 billion in the US in July, down almost 1% year on year, erasing June’s World Cup lift.

Disney Is Reopening the Building It Emptied Out

The new Magic of Disney Animation opens 14 September at Hollywood Studios, anchoring a reimagined Animation Courtyard with character encounters and drawing sessions.

Five Weeks Early Means Five Cruises Cancelled

Holland America is moving Oosterdam’s refit forward by five weeks, cancelling published 2027 voyages between 11 September and 9 December in order to add five new sailings.

Delta Picked Up What American Put Down the Same Day

Hours after ending its enhanced partnership with American Airlines, Hyatt announced a long-term deal linking World of Hyatt and Delta SkyMiles for elite members.

One of Asia’s Easiest Stopovers Just Got a Warning Label

Macau is the only destination newly placed at Level 3 in the State Department’s first-week-of-September advisory update, over consular access and arbitrary law enforcement.

Legal at Home Is Still Legal Trouble at the Border

The State Department has warned Americans not to carry marijuana, THC, CBD or edibles across international borders, including prescribed medical cannabis.

A Sixty-Year-Old Name Disappeared From European Rail Today

As of 10 September the Eurail Pass no longer exists by that name: travellers from outside Europe now buy an Interrail Pass, with the product itself unchanged.