Latam Airlines Surpassed American and United for Lead in U.S.-Brazil Traffic

JetBlue became the latest airline on Thursday to expand service to the popular Mexican vacation spot Tulum. 

Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines overwhelmingly rejected a new contract over the weekend. The move is the latest in the mounting tensions between cabin crew and U.S. airline management that could result in the industry’s first labor action in more than a decade.

In a major bit of unwelcome news for U.S. travelers, British Airways has increased award prices for many award flights operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as flagged by AwardWallet. Unfortunately, this comes with no notice, as the new award rates are now showing up through British Airways' search engine.

If holiday shopping makes your head spin, why not search for a gift that has no cost at all. This winter, there are several contests, sweepstakes and giveaways for free trips in the new year that could be worth the five minutes it takes to sign up. Here are some of the top offers available this month.

Dubai’s home-grown hotel group FIVE is looking at potentially expanding beyond the emirate into the world’s largest hospitality markets. This includes a potential resort in party haven Las Vegas and in the conservative Gulf kingdom Saudi Arabia.

LATAM Airlines will operate the route between the UK capital and Peru with five weekly frequencies on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. This is the first time a Peruvian crew has operated a flight between Peru and the UK. This represents a milestone in aviation in the Andean region.

The U.S. airline industry today is dominated by four big airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Together, they fly 78% of all of the seats in the U.S. market.

Alaska Airlines plans to purchase Hawaiian Airlines in a transaction that will likely take more than a year to complete and may make flights more expensive for travelers.

Peru has announced plans to introduce a digital nomad visa. It will enable remote workers to stay in the country for 365 days, with the possibility to extend.

The Middle East exceeded its pre-pandemic international tourist arrival numbers by over 20% through September this year, according to the UN World Tourism Organization’s latest data. That’s before the Israel-Hamas conflict started in early October.

A diverse crop of new ships will set sail in 2024, including intimate yacht-style vessels to never-before-seen mega ships from luxury players like Silversea and Cunard. There will be plenty of bells and whistles expected of these brands, including restaurants from top chefs, but also a few features new to the industry (think glass domes on the hull). Some are sister ships to those already on the waters, but with enough points of difference to feel like something entirely new—including the soon-to-be-sailing largest ship in the world, from Royal Caribbean, of course.

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly flight down south—you’re in luck. Southwest Airlines has announced it will be expanding its international flight schedule by next summer—with new routes flying to Mexico, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, and more.