Guide to tipping in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific

Don't ask me how, but August is leaving and September is knocking — and while there are technically still a few weeks of summer left, I'm already dreading its end. This summer has been a good one for me, full of travel, friends and family. This month has been full of hotel news, too, including a few exciting things you might have missed.

It’s been a rough year for the Australian airline industry. In late April, low-cost carrier Bonza suspended its entire flying program and entered voluntary administration, a form of protection from creditors. Despite assurances that the measure was temporary, the company never returned to the skies and ultimately collapsed.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, August 30, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Qantas revealed fresh details on Thursday about its all-new aircraft. The Australian flag carrier is due to receive an initial batch of 28 Airbus A321XLR planes, with the first arriving in April next year.

Delta Air Lines is having one of its biggest sales of the year with flight deals on domestic and international travel through next spring. 

Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Splendor has emerged from dry dock with a fresh new look.

“Hop in, mate,” said Vaughan Mabee, the jovial mohawked executive chef of Amisfield, from inside his silver pickup. We are just outside the precincts of Queenstown, the most famous city in the New Zealand region of Otago, the birthplace of bungee jumping and the self-proclaimed “adventure capital of the world.” “I will show you there is a lot more to this area than leaping off a fucking bridge.”

It’s a steamy May morning in Thailand’s lush Khao Yai National Park, just a two-hour drive northeast of Bangkok, and the tok-tok call of a gecko sounds as I stand on a balcony overlooking the GranMonte wine estate. Among its holdings are 7 guest rooms and 40 acres of vineyards at the edge of a tropical jungle, all baking in the 80-degree heat. The winery’s workers protect themselves from the sun, wearing wide brimmed hats and long-sleeved layers as they prune the vines that tangle and twist around dozens of constructed frames. Later in the year, the grapes that they bear will become bottles of Grenache, Verdelho, and Cabernet Sauvignon—all of them with roots, literally, in Thai soil.

Thoughts of fall travel might conjure up images of cozy cabins and hiking through fiery red foliage. This autumn, however, a wave of new airline routes from the US is shaking up the usual pumpkin-spice-laced doldrums and offering easy new ways to access exciting destinations. Think city escapes in Northern Africa, beaches on tiny Caribbean islands, and lush nature in Oceania.

Aug 23, 2024 • 7 min read

A man was arrested after climbing out of a plane's emergency exit on Thursday, airline Jetstar confirmed to Australian media.

In a move it describes as shifting from “inspiration to action,” Asian experiences platform Klook has teamed up with TikTok to enable users in seven Southeast Asian markets and Japan to book travel experiences directly through the app.