Europe's travel strikes: Flight and train disruption you can expect in January and February

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.

On Monday, one European airline started inviting passengers to ‘weigh in’ before flights.

If your New Year’s resolution was to earn more miles and points, take more trips, and reap more value from loyalty programs, the best points and miles deals in February will definitely interest you. Airlines, hotels, and credit cards have promotions and deals to kick off your travel year. Here’s how you can benefit.

Volcanic activity in Iceland has been rumbling on for months, centred around the Reykjanes Peninsula near Reykjavík, in the southwest of the country. After multiple earthquakes, the most recent series of eruptions kicked off at the end of 2023, when an explosion along a 2.5-mile fissure sent lava into the air a couple of miles northeast of the fishing village of Grindavík; another followed shortly afterwards.

After graduating from college in 2022 and working for a year, I used my bonus and some of my savings to book a nine-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line for my partner and me. Our $7,657 cruise package included airfare from Atlanta to Barcelona, Spain, via Newark, and Norwegian’s own BookSafe Travel Protection Plan, which included travel insurance and also allowed me to “cancel for any reason” for a 75 percent credit. Weather delayed our first flight, we missed the connection, and United Airlines could not get us to Barcelona in time to embark. I called Norwegian and agents suggested I buy last-minute tickets on a different airline, but I don’t have that kind of money. And even if I did, there were no direct flights to later ports, and I was unwilling to risk missing another connecting flight. So we spent the night in the Newark airport, paid for a return flight to Atlanta the next morning and canceled the cruise and remaining air legs. I got $1,184 back right away from Norwegian, and then an additional $232 back (for my return flight) from travel insurance when I filed a trip delay claim, but a trip cancellation claim for the cruise was denied outright. I feel I should at least get the 75 percent credit — otherwise what was the protection plan for? Can you help?

Alaska Airlines has confirmed to Skift that it will launch a new advertising campaign during this weekend’s Super Bowl LVIII – and it comes just as the airline is trying to regain control of its messaging.

Valentine’s Day is for lovers, right? Lovers of airfare deals, that is (at least for us travel addicts). And we’ve admittedly fallen hard for the two-for-one sale launched by all-business-class airline La Compagnie that is running through February 14.

Flying with kids can be a stressful experience. But some airlines make the process easier by welcoming families with special comforts and conveniences. While it’s not always a given in the United States, most international airlines still offer early boarding for families with small children. Globally, on long-haul flights, most full-service airlines (versus a low-cost or charter airline) offer bassinets for infants, kids’ meals, and a kid-friendly category on the in-flight entertainment screen—at a minimum. For families looking for the smoothest in-flight experience, we’ve rounded up the airlines that offer the best services and amenities for people traveling with kids.

Romance a loved one in style with a business class flight to Europe thanks to La Compagnie’s Valentine’s Day sale.

There’s good news for those hoping to spend their summer basking on white-sand beaches, visiting sun-bleached ruins, noshing on tangy tzatziki, and sipping Greek vintages: Travel to Greece just got a bit easier.

As an Australian expat living in London and working in the travel industry, I'm no stranger to a very long and uncomfortable flight. From my travels, I can report that Seoul Airport is without a doubt the nicest airport in the world (yes, better than Singapore), the layover times at Doha Airport are never long enough, and Qantas is the best airline when it comes to free in-flight snacks. I know now that avoiding your reflection in the plane's bathroom mirror is an act of self-care, packing cubes in your hand luggage is essential and brushing your teeth before landing will always make you feel better.

European airline Finnair will become the latest carrier to ask passengers to weigh in before boarding this month in an effort to collect data on aircraft balance calculations.