21 travel stories from the last 24 hours — here’s what’s moving:
A Broken Pipe Has Emptied Every Hotel on the South Rim
Grand Canyon National Park has extended the closure of all South Rim overnight lodging through 30 September after an August flash flood destroyed much of the Transcanyon Waterline.
Emirates Spent Twenty-Two Years Trying to Land in Berlin
Germany has agreed to give UAE carriers a fifth German destination, finally clearing Emirates to fly Dubai-Berlin after a campaign that began in 2003.
Twenty-One Nationalities Lose Thailand on Tuesday
From 15 September Thailand shrinks its visa-exemption list from 93 nationalities to 60, and travellers from 21 countries including Mexico, Morocco and Sri Lanka will need a visa to enter.
Kauai’s Airport Is Open. The Island Is Asking You to Wait.
Lihue Airport reopened on 8 September after Hurricane Lowell, but Kauai is still restoring power and services and visitors are being asked to consider postponing near-term trips.
Leaving the Country on Monday Could Change Your Visa on Tuesday
From 15 September the US ends duration-of-status admission for F-1 and J-1 holders, replacing it with a fixed period of up to four years that applies on any re-entry after that date.
Japan Is About to Make You Pay the Tax First
From 1 November, Japan replaces duty-free-at-the-till with a refund system: visitors pay the 10% consumption tax up front and claim it back before departure.
A Ship Left Piraeus as a Costa and Arrives as Something Else
Costa Fortuna finished her final Costa Cruises voyage on 11 September after 23 years, and now heads for drydock in Northern Ireland before joining Margaritaville at Sea.
Your Flight From Madrid Is Fine. Your Suitcase Might Not Be.
Maintenance staff on Madrid-Barajas’s automated baggage system are striking on a rolling weekly schedule through 30 September, putting checked bags rather than flights at risk.
The First New TGV in Decades Is Now Carrying Passengers
SNCF has begun running its next-generation TGV-M in commercial service after European authorisation, with the fleet due to reach 13 trainsets by the end of the year.
United Found Ten Cities Nobody Else Flies From America
United has announced the largest international expansion in its history for summer 2027, adding ten new destinations and pushing Newark to a record 43 nonstop routes to Europe.
Free Entry Day Is Not Free If You Flew In For It
US national parks waive entrance fees on 17 September for Constitution Day, but the nonresident fees introduced in January still apply to international visitors that day.
You Can Walk Someone to the Gate Again, at Thirteen Airports
TSA has launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck, a free pilot that lets vetted PreCheck members without plane tickets clear security and go to the gate at 13 US airports.
Shoulder Season Stopped Doing the One Thing It Was For
Airline fares are running about 25.5% above a year ago and the Travel Price Index is climbing at more than double the rate of general inflation, erasing the discount September usually delivers.
Auckland Spent a Decade Digging 3.45 Kilometres
Auckland’s NZ$5.5 billion City Rail Link opens to passengers on 13 September, adding two underground stations and turning the city’s dead-end rail network into a through-running system.
Omni Has Never Opened a Resort Outside the US. That Changes in 2027.
Omni Hotels & Resorts has named the general manager for Omni Pontoque at Punta de Mita, the Dallas company’s first luxury resort in Mexico, opening spring 2027.
A Winter Route Sold So Well It Stopped Being Seasonal
Etihad has upgraded its Abu Dhabi to Gothenburg service from a four-month winter season to a year-round route, before the first flight has even operated.
Amtrak Wants to Become Three Companies, and You Can Object
Amtrak is designing a split into three business units covering trains, track and fleet, with a public comment portal open until 30 October and a board decision due in December.
A Hundred Towers Can Now See Through Fog
The FAA has installed its 100th Surface Awareness Initiative system, giving controllers a live view of aircraft and vehicles on the ground at nearly half the 220 airports slated to receive it.
Galveston Just Signed Its Seventh Cruise Line
Margaritaville at Sea will base its new flagship Beachcomber in Galveston from October 2027, becoming the port’s seventh cruise line with a 13-destination itinerary lineup.
Six Flags Invented a Coaster Category to Put You on a Hovercycle
Six Flags Magic Mountain has revealed Thrill Glider, a Vekoma-built ride the park calls the world’s first thrillglider, with riders prone on hovercycles for 80 seconds in 2027.
JetBlue Moved Into the House Spirit Left Behind
JetBlue is building toward roughly 130 daily departures at Fort Lauderdale — more than 75 percent above 2025 — with 11 new destinations and a status match aimed squarely at former Spirit loyalists.
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