Saudi Attacks, Sydney’s New Airport & Ibiza Floods — 45 Stories From the Road

An Entire Winter at Sea Now Has a Price Tag: 142 Days on AIDAmar

AIDA will run its first world cruise on AIDAmar in 2028-29, 142 days from Warnemünde, from €20,995 per person.

JetBlue Is Opening Its New First Class to a Lot More Flyers

From February 1, 2027, all four JetBlue Mosaic tiers can get complimentary space-available upgrades to the new BlueFirst cabin.

Ryanair Is About to Shut the Bag Drop Twenty Minutes Earlier

From November 10, Ryanair’s airport check-in desks and bag-drop counters will close 60 minutes before departure instead of 40.

The FAA Wants a Closer Look at the Tail of 1,987 Boeing Jets

A final FAA directive orders tail-stabilizer freeplay checks on 1,987 US-registered 737 Next Generation aircraft from November 23.

Lufthansa Dropped the Word Green but Kept the Surcharge

Lufthansa Group replaced its Green Fares with Impact Fares on October 23, after a German court found some of its offset claims misleading.

A Baby’s First Passport Is Now a Holiday Perk

easyJet holidays will cover the £66.50 fee for a child’s first UK passport on eligible packages booked before November 26.

Premier Inn’s Owner Is Locked in a Boardroom Fight Over Its Future

Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, is defending its turnaround strategy against an activist investor.

Ask a Chatbot for a Hotel and the Hotel Barely Gets Mentioned

A study by hotel software company Cloudbeds suggests that when travellers ask AI tools to recommend hotels, the answers lean heavily on third-party booking sites rather than on the hotels themselves.

A $250 Million Loan Is Quietly Redrawing Morocco’s Hotel Map

Morocco’s hotel sector has landed a major financing deal.

Finnair Is Opening Its First Door to Australia, via Bangkok

Finnair is due to begin daily flights from Helsinki to Melbourne, with a stop in Bangkok, on October 25.

Disney World Is Waiving Park Reservations for Four Days, for Some

Walt Disney World is letting eligible Annual Passholders walk into its theme parks without a park reservation on four added “Good to Go” days, Monday, October 26 through Thursday, October 29.

British Airways Last Flew There Eleven Years Ago. Friday Changed That.

British Airways was scheduled to resume nonstop flights between London Gatwick and Colombo on Friday, October 23, restoring its presence in Sri Lanka after an absence of 11 years.

A Bermuda Cruise Became a Canadian Stopover With Two Days’ Notice

Royal Caribbean passengers on several East Coast sailings have seen itineraries rewritten at short notice.

Canada’s Biggest Airline Keeps Shrinking Its Map of America

Air Canada is cancelling five more routes to U.S. destinations for 2027: Montreal to Seattle, Vancouver to Nashville, Vancouver to Raleigh-Durham, Toronto Billy Bishop to Boston, and Toronto Pearson to Charleston, South Carolina.

Thailand Blinked on Its Plan to Charge You for Leaving

Thailand has postponed a proposed departure tax of 1,000 baht, about US$30, on travellers leaving the country by air.

A £362 Million Metro Rebuild Finished Two Months Early

The last of 46 new Stadler trains has been handed to Nexus, completing the biggest project in Tyne and Wear Metro’s history.

Four Seasons Just Put a Private Island, Berlin and Okinawa on One List

Four Seasons has published its development update for 2027 and beyond, naming 13 new hotels and reopenings across four continents.

Europe Now Has 1,000 IHG Hotels, and 280 More Are Coming

IHG says it has passed 1,000 open hotels in Europe, with more than 280 more in the pipeline.

Calgary Is About to Get a Direct Line to the Gulf

Etihad’s Abu Dhabi to Calgary flights begin November 3, which the airline calls the only nonstop link between the Middle East and Western Canada.

Europe Just Wrote the Free Personal Item Into Law, With a Long Wait

A new EU regulation guarantees a free under-seat bag on flights, but the baggage rules do not apply until October 2027.

Heathrow Is Nearly Full, Yet Six New Routes Just Squeezed In

From Phuket to San José, Heathrow has announced six route additions for the winter season even while operating close to capacity.

Sydney’s Second Airport Opens Tomorrow, and It Never Closes

Western Sydney International welcomes its first passengers on Sunday with no night curfew, a free shuttle from St Marys and a Jetstar flight to the Gold Coast.

Ireland’s Trains and Coaches Finally Share One Booking Screen

Trainline has entered Ireland, its first new domestic market in ten years, with rail and coach tickets side by side and no booking fee.

Kruger’s Entry Price Is About to Jump, but Not for Everyone

South Africa’s national parks agency is lifting foreign-visitor daily fees by roughly 15 percent from November 1, while residents see far smaller rises.

Holland America’s Private Island Just Got a VIP Section

Holland America Line has officially welcomed guests to a new Beach Club at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, its private island in the Bahamas.

Air Canada and United Want a Bigger Shared Map of North America

A cluster of new US-Canada routes announced this week all trace back to the same place: a proposed amended joint business agreement between Air Canada and United that has been submitted to Transport Canada for approval.

Belgrade’s Airline Just Announced Six New Routes, Including Miami

Air Serbia has announced six new routes from Belgrade for 2027, according to Aviation Week’s weekly network roundup.

Alaska Airlines Is Pointing Its Widebodies at Osaka and Tahiti

Alaska Airlines has added two long-haul routes from Seattle for 2027, both flown with Airbus A330-200 widebodies.

United Out-Sold Delta by Revenue and Still Lost the Profit Race

United Airlines reported third-quarter revenue of about $17.88 billion, up 17.4 percent from $15.23 billion a year earlier, narrowly beating Delta’s $17.59 billion.

Southwest’s Leaked Briefing Admits Top-Tier Flyers Stopped Spending

A leaked internal briefing reported by View from the Wing on October 21 offers a blunt explanation for Southwest Airlines’ loyalty overhaul: some customers reached A-List Preferred status and then stopped spending.

Hilton Will Now Let Points Pay the Hotel Bill at Checkout

Hilton has introduced Pay with Points, a feature that lets Hilton Honors members apply loyalty points to eligible charges on their hotel bill.

One Antarctic Cruise Now Lasts 59 Nights and Circles the Whole Continent

Ponant Explorations has published its 2028-29 Antarctic season: 12 expedition itineraries and nearly 30 departures ranging from 10 to 59 nights, with fares starting at $15,450 per person.

Antarctica’s Fastest Route Just Got Its Biggest Season Yet

Antarctica21 has opened bookings for its 2028-29 air-cruise season with 47 scheduled departures, the most in the company’s history.

Royal Caribbean Is Already Selling Europe for Summer 2028

Royal Caribbean has unveiled its 2028-29 European program, spreading seven ships across the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Canary Islands and Morocco on sailings from 3 to 12 nights.

WHO Says Skip Travel Bans as Ebola Spreads. Some Governments Haven’t

The African Travel and Tourism Association has urged vigilance and accurate information as a Bundibugyo virus outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May, continues to spread.

Qatar Airways Picks Sydney’s Newest Airport, 14 Months Out

Qatar Airways has announced it will fly from Doha’s Hamad International Airport to Western Sydney International Airport starting December 15, 2027.

Spain Spread Its Tourists Out Better Than Italy or Greece

Roughly 47 percent of Spain’s tourism activity now happens outside the peak season, according to analysis from The Data Appeal Company presented on October 20 at the Turespana convention in Zaragoza.

America’s Tourism Slump Has a Few Surprising Winners

Overseas arrivals to the United States fell 5.7 percent year on year in the first nine months of 2026, to about 24.11 million, according to preliminary figures from the National Travel and Tourism Office.

Brussels Is Asking Booking.com About the Rooms That Don’t Exist

The European Commission opened an investigation on October 21 into how Booking.com handles fraudulent accommodation listings and phishing scams.

Europe Wants Airlines to Stop Making You Chase Your Refund

The European Parliament voted 652 to 2, with 8 abstentions, on October 20 to approve an updated passenger rights regulation covering air, rail, maritime and road travel.

Wizz Air Just Wrote Off an Entire Winter in the Gulf

Wizz Air has cancelled every flight to Dubai and Abu Dhabi from October 25, 2026 through March 27, 2027.

Ibiza Just Recorded More Rain in a Day Than Ever Measured

Ibiza Airport measured 173 millimeters of rain in 24 hours on Sunday, October 18, the highest daily total since records began there in 1944.

A Surprise Inspection Cost 200 Norwegian Passengers Their Flights

On the evening of October 22, hundreds of travelers at Copenhagen Airport found themselves stuck in security lines that simply refused to move.

Riyadh Reopened, but the Airlines Aren’t Coming Back Yet

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh reopened on October 18 after being shut for more than a week, yet the reopening has done little to restore normal air service.

Four in Ten Travelers Keep Hunting for a Cheaper Room After Booking

A Skift Research and McKinsey survey finds 41% of travelers keep checking prices after they book.