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☆ Scheduled to Fly on a Boeing Max 9? Here Are Your Options.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

approved inspection and maintenance procedures for the planes, clearing the way for the grounded Max 9 planes to fly again. Airlines said they planned to resume flying the Max 9s this week. Which airlines use the Max 9? Of the 215 Boeing Max 9 airplanes flown globally, United Airlines operates 79, the most of any airline, and Alaska has 65, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider. Their combined fleets represent about 70 percent of the Max 9 jets in service.

Persons: Max Organizations: Alaska Airlines Boeing, Max, Federal Aviation Administration, Airlines, Boeing Max, United Airlines Locations: Portland ,, Alaska

☆ Will Passports Be Replaced by Biometrics?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the year ahead, the use of biometrics — an individual’s unique physical identifiers, such as fingerprints and faces — will be expanded at airports in the United States and abroad, a shift to enhance security, replace physical identification such as passports and driver’s licenses, and reduce the amount of time required by travelers to pass through airports. Biometric technology will be seen everywhere from bag drops at the check-in counters to domestic security screening. This program is currently available at 30 airports nationwide, including Salt Lake City International Airport and Denver International Airport; the T.S.A. said it will expand to more than 400 airports in the coming years. The pilot program is now available at five airports, including La Guardia Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

Persons: Greg Forbes, Delta’s Organizations: Transportation, Administration, Salt Lake, International Airport, Denver International Airport, Delta Air Lines, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, La Guardia Airport, Los Angeles International Airport Locations: United States, Salt

☆ War-Inflicted Slowdown Ends Robust Year for Tourism in Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted in early October, has halted international tourism to Israel and severely blunted travel to neighboring countries in a ripple effect spreading across the entire Middle East. While the slowdown in international visitors is only one of the war’s economic repercussions in the region, it poses a significant threat to the economies of Egypt, Jordan and other nations heavily dependent on tourism and has swiftly reversed a banner year of travel in the Middle East. The war has affected all segments of the travel industry, with international travel operators scaling back or postponing excursions, cruise lines redeploying ships and airlines dramatically reducing service. And many travelers, heeding government warnings and their own worries, are increasingly wary about visiting the region, prompting waves of cancellations. “We foresaw the Middle East evolving into the ‘New Europe’ with the Iran-Saudi Arabia rapprochement and Saudi Arabia’s integration into the tourism system,” said Khaled Ibrahim, a Cairo-based consultant for Amisol Travel Egypt and a member of the Middle East Travel Alliance.

Persons: ”, Khaled Ibrahim, —, Hussein Abdallah, hasn’t Organizations: Amisol Travel, East Travel Alliance, UNESCO Locations: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Europe, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Cairo, Amisol Travel Egypt, Lebanon, Beirut, Baalbek

☆ No Thanks, Grandma, I’m Saving Room for Airplane Food
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some of the 30 million passengers expected to fly domestically over this Thanksgiving holiday may be stunned by what’s available to eat and drink 30,000 feet up in the sky. There are onboard espresso martinis, dessert carts and even tapas service. Some passengers believe the complimentary meal and beverage service in the most expensive cabins is the best it’s ever been, both in breadth of options and in taste. From the standard pretzels and Biscoff cookies to pricey cheese plates and sandwiches, the chasm between premier and main cabins continues to widen. First, it was reduced seat space and extra fees.

Persons: ”, Bobby Laurie Locations: U.S

☆ Yes, Maui Is Open. But the Loss of Lahaina May Reshape Tourism.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Lahaina, in the weeks and months to come, increasing tourism will coexist with ongoing relief efforts. ‘We might be in the way’In the days after the fires, tourism to Maui was in a free fall. Messaging spread on social media for tourists to avoid all of Maui and paralyzed the economy, where tourism accounts for 70 percent of every dollar generated. Last year, about three million visitors spent $5.82 billion on Maui, according to state data. State and local leaders have spent the last two months pleading for tourists to visit.

Persons: who’ve, “, it’s, Josh Green Organizations: ”, CBS Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

☆ Need a Visa to Go to Europe? Get in (a Very Long) Line.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For most travelers from the United States, going to Europe is a relatively smooth experience, without the need to apply for visas or pay steep fees for short visits. These appointments, usually outsourced to for-profit companies, have been scarce in recent months. Applicants have failed to receive visas in time for their trips, or receive visas for the full duration of their travel. Ms. Yildirim, an assistant professor, said that she had applied for at least 10 Schengen visas in recent years. There are no visa centers in her area, forcing her to travel to other states for hard-to-find appointments.

Persons: Yildirim, it’s Organizations: Turkish, Travelers Locations: United States, Europe, Knoxville, Tenn, Europe’s, Turkey, India, South Africa, China

☆ What Worries Delta’s Lead Meteorologist? Snow in Atlanta, Yes, but Also Volcanic Ash
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From thunderstorms and limited visibility to scorching temperatures and turbulence, the weather dictates when and where planes can fly. Severe weather is the leading cause of air travel disruptions in the United States. Aviation meteorologists plan for and around difficult conditions, crafting weather forecasts used to determine the nuances of flights, from altitude to optimal routes. Several major domestic carriers, including Delta Air Lines, have in-house meteorologists who monitor global weather 24 hours a day. In this cavernous and screen-filled room, Warren Weston, Delta’s lead meteorologist, recently spoke about the importance of data, the difference between surface weather and upper-air hazards, and how even one degree of temperature can change a flight plan.

Persons: —, Warren Weston, Delta’s Organizations: United States, Aviation, Delta Air Lines, Customer Locations: United, Delta, Atlanta

☆ Hurricane Hilary: What Travelers Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Friday morning, Southern California was placed under its first ever tropical storm watch. While it’s unclear where Hilary will make landfall, this severe weather may disrupt travel and impact flights this weekend, particularly through Los Cabos International Airport in San José del Cabo, Mexico. On Friday afternoon, Hurricane Hilary was moving north toward the Mexican peninsula with sustained winds of up to 145 miles per hour. The storm is expected to weaken in the coming days as it nears the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula on Saturday, and Southern California by Sunday. Currently, there is a hurricane watch in effect for most of the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula.

Persons: Hilary, Hurricane Hilary Organizations: Southwestern, Cabos International, Hurricane, Sunday Locations: California, Southwestern United States, Los Cabos, Mexico, Southern California, San José del Cabo

In the throes of responding to the Maui wildfires that razed the celebrated town of Lahaina and claimed over 110 lives, Hawaii remains mostly open for tourism, despite the misgivings of both residents and tourists. “Do not come to Maui,” Kate Ducheneau, a Lahaina resident, said in a TikTok video that has been viewed more than two million times since it was posted on Sunday. Last week’s tragedy has intensified long-simmering tension over the archipelago’s economic reliance on tourism, a dependency that sparked anti-tourism protests in recent years and brought the state to its knees during the pandemic. Many residents, particularly in Maui, are furious over the uncomfortable, contradictory scenario of visitors frolicking in the state’s lush forests or sunbathing on white-sand beaches while they grieve the immense loss of life, home and culture. Others believe that tourism, while particularly painful now, is vital.

Persons: Kate Ducheneau, “, ” Locations: Lahaina, Hawaii, Maui

Large wildfires burning across the islands of Maui and Hawaii, fueled by intense winds, turned scenic beach destinations into smoky, catastrophic scenes on Wednesday. The fires are most intense along the western coast of Maui, according to local news reports, with the historic town center of Lahaina severely damaged. Here’s what travelers need to know. According to the local news outlet Hawaii News Now, at least three wildfires are burning on Maui, including one in Lahaina, a major tourist destination on Maui, and the upcountry section of the island. There are at least three blazes on the Big Island, in North Kohala and South Kohala, which includes the Mauna Kea beach area, according to Big Island Now.

Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Lahaina, West Maui, North Kohala, South Kohala, Kea

☆ Whether You Call it ‘Skiplagging’ or ‘Hidden-City Travel,’ It’s Contentious
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the last day of June, American Airlines agents at Gainesville Regional Airport in Florida canceled a North Carolina teenager’s flight after realizing that he had used a booking tactic called “skiplagging” or “hidden-city travel,” forbidden by airlines but used by some travelers to net flight bargains. He was forced to pay for a direct flight. Skiplagging is buying a ticket for a connecting flight, with a layover in the city that’s the real destination for the traveler. Often the fare is cheaper than if they’d actually bought a direct flight to their desired destination. Mr. Parsons said that American banned his son from traveling with the carrier for three years.

Persons: Hunter Parsons, Parsons, didn’t, they’d Organizations: American Airlines, Gainesville Regional, Flyers Locations: Gainesville, Florida, Carolina, Charlotte, New York

☆ Mother, Accused of Human Trafficking While Flying With Daughter, Sues Southwest Airlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The mother and daughter had flown a Southwest Airlines flight to Denver for a funeral. Unbeknown to Ms. MacCarthy, a flight attendant had suspected Ms. MacCarthy, who is white, of human trafficking, Ms. MacCarthy said in an interview Monday. Moira, her daughter, is Black. The officers questioned them, Ms. MacCarthy said, adding that her daughter cried in her arms throughout the entire interaction. Ms. MacCarthy showed her driver’s license to the officers; they did not ask for identification for Moira, proving that they were related.

Persons: Mary MacCarthy, Moira, MacCarthy’s, Unbeknown, MacCarthy Organizations: Denver International Airport, Denver, Southwest Airlines Locations: Denver

☆ The E.U.’s New ETIAS Entry Requirement Is Coming. Someday.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But a new entry requirement called the European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS, is set to go into effect next year. First, ETIAS is not a visa, and it doesn’t guarantee entry. It’s a travel authorization to enter 30 European countries, including the 27-country Schengen Area, as well as Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus. The authorization is valid for three years or until the expiration of the traveler’s passport, whichever comes sooner. It grants a traveler entry to participating countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

Organizations: European Union, Travel Locations: Europe, United States, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus

☆ Delays and Cancellations: Know Your Rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Christine Chung | More About Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It can help to know what airlines your carrier partners with, in case you need to be rebooked on another airline. This information isn’t always readily available online; experts suggest calling an airline’s customer service for more guidance. Go deeper than the dashboardThe Transportation Department’s airline cancellation and delay dashboard is a helpful resource that spells out what 10 of the larger domestic airlines offer passengers. Customer-service plans for specific airlines (located on their websites, and with links from the D.O.T. If a room is not available at the airline’s hotel, and you must find another accommodation, United will reimburse you for “reasonable hotel costs.” There’s nothing on the United customer-service site indicating that food receipts or taxi receipts will be reimbursed.

Organizations: Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, United

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