Chip Rogers departs AHLA

This article originally appeared in the March issue of AGENTatHOME magazine.  Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.

WHY IT RATES: The fresh faces should only help in the foundation's efforts to improve the hospitality industry.—Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse Senior Editor

Something of a mini-continent, the island of Sicily in Italy ticks most boxes. Adventurer, art lover, beach bum, ruin explorer: this rugged chunk of sun-spun land at the crossroads of the Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Mediterranean seas has enticed ancient and modern peoples with its charms since time immemorial. The result: one of Europe's richest and most extraordinary histories, with an unmatched booty of artistic and drop-dead-gorgeous natural treasures. The food and drink's not bad either.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been rolling out facial recognition technology at airports across the United States over the past few years. Billed as a “touchless screening” process, the technology allows flyers to pass through airport security without showing an ID or boarding pass. Instead, facial recognition technology is used to verify travelers’ identities by matching their faces to the photo on their government-issued ID.

The City of Chicago and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) announced the full lineup and programming highlights for the 2024 edition of the beloved Chicago Blues Festival, taking place June 6 – 9 as part of Millennium Park’s milestone 20th anniversary season.

Amid mounting U.S. legislative pressure on "junk fees," hospitality industry leaders say they welcome regulation as long as it is evenly applied across the lodging sector as a whole.

In May 2022, Spirit chairman Mac Gardner made a blunt assessment as the airline's board explained to shareholders why it wanted to stay the course with original buyer Frontier instead of accepting a more lucrative offer from JetBlue.

Boeing has been under increased scrutiny ever since a door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines plane in mid-flight.

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines blowout incident that took place January 5, according to The Wall Street Journal.

I was eating homemade crostata (jam tart) on a roof terrace in the Sicilian town of Cefalù and reading about Helius, the ancient Greek god of the sun. Sicily is supposedly the inspiration for the deity’s island in The Odyssey and this makes perfect sense – with more than 300 days of sunshine a year, Helius would like it here. The island is especially lovely in spring, when it’s quieter, cooler and more peaceful than in the scorching summer.Cefalù is an ancient fishing village almost exactly halfway along Sicily’s north coast. It’s prized by Italians as one of the island’s loveliest beach-side places. Barbara De Gaetani, a licensed tour guide who grew up here, told me the allure of the place is difficult to explain: “Many other places are gorgeous but not as seductive. You can feel life flowing here, and it’s no accident that many film-makers have used the town as a location.”

On April 8, parts of Indiana will experience its first total solar eclipse since August 7, 1869, and its last until September 14, 2099. Up to 600,000 eclipse chasers could arrive on April 8, many of them heading to cities like Indianapolis, Bloomington, Muncie, Richmond & Wayne County and Terre Haute.

Many travel trends have proved fleeting, like revenge travel or buddymoons. But some evolve and help shape the future of travel.