While many reports this time of year are focused on looking at what lies ahead, Skyscanner is taking a different approach.The global travel marketplace has crunched its voluminous booking data from the past 12 months to provide an insider's review of the “Year in Travel” for 2023. All of the Skyscanner number crunching resulted in insights surrounding the most popular travel destinations of the past year among U.S. travelers, cheapest flights, biggest hotel bargains, and even the most budget-friendly car rental destinations. Let’s start with the most popular travel destinations, shall we?Drumroll please….Sin City aka Las Vegas, Nevada nabbed the top spot in the hearts of American travelers in 2023, attracting more visitors than any other location.“From visiting one of the many world-famous casinos or checking out world-renowned restaurants and shops on the Las Vegas strip, US travelers loved to visit and feel the vibes of Sin City,” says the Skyscanner report. Coming in second place among Americans was the eternal favorite, London.
How American Airlines Is Aiming to Limit Taxiing — or Any Delay — After Landing
01.12.2023 - 15:21 / travelandleisure.com
Arriving ahead of schedule may come as a pleasant surprise for flyers, but the joy quickly fizzles out when the gate is occupied by another aircraft.
Thankfully, American Airlines’ Smart Gating technology tool addresses this common issue at busy airports by using real-time data to assign planes that have just touched down to the nearest available gate. First rolled out at Dallas-Fort Worth in 2021, the tool has also been implemented at a few more hubs: Charlotte, Chicago, Miami, and Washington-Reagan, American shared with T+L.
“We’re always looking for ways to drive operational improvement,” Anne Moroni, American’s vice president of operations planning and performance, said in a statement. “We make gating decisions thousands of times a day. Saving precious time on the ground ensures more customers make their connections and we use our resources efficiently.”
The airline has reported that the tool has helped minimize taxi times by one to two minutes per flight at Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth, which rank as the top 10 busiest airports in the U.S. according to the FAA. The use of Smart Gating technology has also helped reduce aircraft congestion, which is crucial at airports like Washington-Reagan where there’s limited ramp space.
Over the past week, American reported a “record-setting Thanksgiving operation” with 55 cancellations out of more than 59,000 scheduled flights. Even with the snowstorm impacting the Midwest over the holiday weekend, the airline reported zero cancellations out of its Chicago-O’Hare hub.
In total, the use of Smart Gating technology has helped American reduce taxi times across its network by 17 hours each day and save roughly 1.4 million gallons of jet fuel every year.
«Smart Gating has been a game changer at our large hubs,” said Sumit Batra, American’s managing director of operations performance and analytics. „This technology is another example of American's non-stop focus on innovation.”
Ask Skift: How Does Visa-Free Travel Impact Tourism?
Destinations worldwide have increasingly moved to lift visa requirements as part of their strategy to increase visitor numbers — visa processing delays are a major obstacle to the industry’s full recovery.
It Just Got Easier to Get to the Philippines Thanks to American Airlines New Codeshare Partnership
Philippine Airlines just joined American Airlines' ever-growing list of international partners, putting the Southeast Asian archipelago much closer in reach.
Bilt Rewards adds Avianca LifeMiles as its first South American airline transfer partner
Good news for Bilt Rewards members: The program has added a new airline transfer partner. Starting Dec. 15, 2023, Bilt Rewards members can transfer points to Avianca LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio.
2024 Paris Olympics: How I used points and miles to save money on business-class flights and hotel nights
2023 is coming to a close, which means the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are fast approaching. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 26, with the Games finishing Aug. 11; the Paralympics will run from Aug. 28 through Sept. 8.
American Airlines Now Has Routes to Cancun From Nearly All of Its Hubs Thanks to Latest Expansion
American Airlines will fly as many as 40 daily routes to Cancun and the Riviera Maya this winter, perfect for travelers plotting their winter escape.
American Airlines credit card spending now earns Loyalty Points based on purchase date
Cobranded American Airlines credit cards let you earn American miles and Loyalty Points when you make purchases with your card. But on Wednesday, Dec. 6, I got an email from the American Airlines AAdvantage program titled "Reaching AAdvantage® status with your credit card." The highlight of the email is displayed under the "What has changed?" heading:
American Airlines Passenger Alleges Carrier Forced Him to Remove 'Palestine' Sweater
The war between Israel and Hamas has made the already skittish airline industry even more diligent about messaging on passenger attire.
Earn more! American Airlines adds Aer Lingus as an earn-only partner
If you're an American Airlines AAdvantage member, you can now earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points on most Aer Lingus-issued and -operated tickets, as first reported by Award Wallet.
What's Next for the Alaska-Hawaiian Airline Merger
Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, December 5. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.
American Airlines delivers record-breaking Thanksgiving operation
To date, American has canceled fewer flights than any other Thanksgiving period in its history.
American Airlines plans record summer schedule at DFW
American will offer more seats than ever before out of Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) next summer, offering more than 10,000 one-stop connections around the world. New service to Barcelona, Spain (BCN) and Redmond, Oregon (RDM) will take off next summer.