3 takeaways from Delta's big CES event: Bluetooth, AI, and new seatback screens

Last year was an exciting one for Delta Air Lines lounge lovers. The Atlanta-based carrier launched its swanky business-class-only Delta One lounge concept, which it unveiled at three airports—New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), and Boston (BOS). A first and only Sky Club lounge also opened in Charlotte, North Carolina, plus two existing Sky Clubs in Miami and New York’s LaGuardia were expanded. And Delta has no plans to slow down in 2025.

Jan 24, 2025 • 9 min read

In “Domestic Bliss,” a tenderly realized portrait of American life in the 1990s at Alexander Berggruen gallery in New York, the artist Stephanie Shih draws us into a fraught family narrative. The ceramic objects on view play various roles in the interior drama: Cigarette butts and a crushed beer can signal temptations acquiesced to; the complete “Buns of Steel” workout series on VHS and Suzanne Somers’s ThighMaster offer proof of an investment in personal improvement. Viagra tablets point to lust, perhaps hope. Frozen dinners — one for each member of the titular “Nuclear Family”— sit atop a white Panasonic microwave oven, suggesting an uneasy coexistence. On an ironing board, an iron keeps company with the paperback bodice-ripper “Prisoner of My Desire.” The book that inspired this body of work? 1998’s “Divorce for Dummies,” which Shih has rendered here as part of a self-help library. The artist builds the pieces by hand, using a fine brush to decorate their surfaces. There are subtle signs that each object is handmade, evoking the crafted pop sensibility of Corita Kent or Liza Lou — a slightly dappled finish here, a hint of hand lettering there. The net result is the uncanny feeling that the whole room has been seen, recorded, lost, then lovingly recreated, each element conjured by a human being with a memory that aches. “

The 2025 forecast on pricing: Mixed. Airfares are up, hotel rates are mostly flat and cruise lines are more likely to waive your gratuities than slash your fare.

In 2025, air passengers will see lounge openings and changes in frequent flier programs, and the number of premium and elite offerings will continue at a steady ascent.

Mullets in Australia. Ice swimming in Norway. Strict rules in Switzerland. These national features are united by their ability to surprise the British, according to a new ranking of culture shocks in popular expat countries. 

When I started working remotely in 2017 with the hopes of advancing in my career while traveling, my parents thought I was throwing away a successful life for no reason. To them, success meant the stability of a job that required staying in one place, working traditional hours, and showing up in person.

In the world of hotel openings, 2025 will be a year of firsts: Oetker Collection makes its debut in North America, 1 Hotels is heading to Australia, and likewise Aman to Mexico and Auberge Resorts to Italy, to name just a few. Grande dames like the New York City Waldorf Astoria will reopen (after an eight year closure, no less), and boutique concepts like NIHI will find footing in second locations. Here, we’ve scoured the globe for the most exciting hotel openings to have on your radar for 2025. Whether you’re an armchair traveler just looking for inspiration, or you’re ready to book your next flight—happy new year of travels.

Travel options to Alaska are shifting a bit this summer.

This week, Delta Air Lines announced big plans for expanding and improving its lounge portfolio in 2025.

Maud Bailly is entering her third year as the CEO of the high-end collection of Accor brands like Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery and Emblems.

Last year was a milestone year for Delta Air Lines' portfolio of airport lounges. While the carrier technically only opened one new Sky Club — in late December, no less — it made waves with high-spending travelers by debuting its first-ever business class-only outposts at three of its biggest coastal hubs.