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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

☆ Summer Airline Woes Are Here: What to Expect Traveling This Weekend.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Niraj Chokshi | Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Endeavor had canceled about 12 percent of its flights, while JetBlue had canceled about 9 percent and Republic canceled about 8 percent. United and JetBlue attributed to the problems to the weather, but also to the F.A.A. frankly failed us this weekend.” JetBlue said in a statement that it had struggled to keep up with its flight schedule after air traffic control limited trips for all airlines into and out of New York airports. said it had no air traffic control staffing issues along the East Coast on Monday or Tuesday. In a report published last week, the Transportation Department found that most of the 26 critical air traffic control facilities it identified were understaffed by 15 percent or more, as of March 2022.

Persons: Scott Kirby, ” Organizations: Newark Liberty International Airport, Endeavor, JetBlue, Republic, United, ” JetBlue, Transportation Department, New York Locations: United, New York, What’s, East, New

☆ Money Can Buy a Visit to Space or the Deep Sea, but It Can’t Guarantee Safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mountaineers have long climbed atop Mount Everest, and scientists in submersibles have descended into the Antarctic Ocean. In recent decades, travelers with deep pockets and little expertise have joined these explorers or even ventured further, paying to visit the bottom of the ocean or the edge of space, touching the literal bounds of Earth. But as the deaths of five people aboard the Titan submersible make evident, there are no clear safeguards in place when something goes wrong. It also raises questions about when risk is too great and dangers too immense for rescue. This all comes at a time when an increasing number of thrill seekers are undertaking risky — and riskier — adventures and expeditions.

Persons: ”, Anthony Berklich Organizations: Mountaineers, Titan, Citizen Locations: Everest, submersibles

This week’s attempt to rescue the five individuals trapped in the submersible, includes both the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. But, she said, when the cost of search and rescue efforts “crosses a certain threshold, funds may be diverted from N.P.S. The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to questions about the expense of past extensive search and rescue efforts. Credit... U.S. Coast Guard, via Associated PressMr. Derreumaux said he was thankful to the Coast Guard for saving his life, along with the lives of many others in need of its help. “I would not have called the Coast Guard if it weren’t a life-threatening situation,” he said.

Persons: ”, Chris Boyer, —, Boyer, Cynthia Hernandez, Peter Anderson, Cyril Derreumaux, kayaker, Derreumaux, “, ” Claire Fahy Organizations: U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, National Association for Search, National Park Service, OceanGate Expeditions, Abercrombie, Kent, The Coast Guard, San Francisco Chronicle, Coast Guard helicopter, . U.S . Coast Guard, Associated Press, Guard Locations: United States, New Hampshire, N.P.S, California, Hawaii, Marin County, Calif, . U.S

☆ A Savory Stroll Under the Neon Lights of Singapore
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Open 24 hours, this restaurant has a menu offering dozens of reliably tasty items, ranging from sweet to savory, that only cost a few dollars each. There are steamed buns filled with spicy chili crab, crispy prawn-paste chicken wings and fluffy custard buns, all which you can wash down with icy-cold sugar cane juice. Place an order by writing down numbered dishes on a paper checklist and expect them to come out hot and fast. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling?

Persons: there’s Organizations: New York Times, Travel Dispatch Locations: Singapore

☆ Fate Brought Them Together During a Blizzard in Buffalo. Then They Reunited in Seoul.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

About five months ago, in the middle of a deadly and ferocious blizzard, Alexander and Andrea Campagna answered a knock on the door of their home near Buffalo. Outside were 10 South Korean travelers whose van had become stuck in the snow on their street. The Campagnas welcomed the stranded travelers in, and, in doing so, provided a much-shared story of compassion and good will during a vicious storm just before Christmas. They were about a week into a 10-day all-expenses paid tour of the city as guests of the Korea Tourism Organization, to reward their generosity and promote tourism to Korea as well. “It’s kind of a storybook situation that you could not have scripted,” Mr. Campagna, 40, said, in an interview at a cafe on the Gyeongbokgung grounds.

☆ Dogs (and Cats) on a Plane
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Christine Chung | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last Friday evening, as drizzle fell on the tarmac, 10 passengers boarded a Gulfstream G4 headed from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey to Farnborough Airport, just southwest of London. They didn’t seem to notice the plush leather seats or the treats nestled in champagne flutes in the armrests. The passenger manifest included nine dogs, mostly on the larger side, and one sphinx cat, as well as 10 humans. All had one thing in common: an aversion to putting their pets in the cargo hold. Pet owners seeking to transport their pets on commercial flights must navigate a patchwork of rules that vary by airline.

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