Lufthansa Is Adding New U.S.-to-Europe Routes Next Year — See Where

It's October, which means the leaves are changing, giant skeletons are taking over suburban lawns and people are apple-picking pretty much anywhere an apple grows.

The nearly 1,200 mile long Iberian Cycle Route, the newest addition to the EuroVelo Cycling Network, will begin in Lisbon, travel through Madrid, and end in Pamplona, Spain. The future EuroVelo 16, as it will be known, which will connect “two vibrant European capitals with beautiful rural regions, where cyclists will be able to discover remarkable natural and cultural heritage and enjoy excellent wine and gastronomy,” is expected to be ready to bike by 2028 at the latest.

The U.S. Virgin Islands will charge Royal Caribbean Group ships that dock in St. Thomas or St. Croix a new per-passenger fee in order to fund port improvements.

In case you missed it, Chicago's Midway International Airport (MDW) will land its first lounge next year as part of the Priority Pass network.

JetBlue on Tuesday became the latest airline to agree to status match for Delta Air Lines customers after the carrier changed how passengers can earn status for next year.

Voted BEST SKI RESORT IN THE WORLD again at the 2022 World Ski Awards. Verbier, in Switzerland, draws legends, royalty, pop stars (James Blunt has a chairlift named after him) and, yes, us ordinary folk too. Part of the largest ski area in Switzerland, “Four Valleys” has 410 kms of slopes that cater for all levels of skiers and boarders. These include the Medran with its cruisy blues, Les Savoleyres with lovely sweeping reds, and the more challenging black runs of Mont Fort. The resort is also known for its off-piste skiing – particularly the testing Mont Gelé – and each year Verbier hosts the finals of the Freeride World Tour. The mountain views are spectacular, particularly from the 3,300 metre high Mont Fort peak, one of the few places in the Alps where you can see the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc mountains simultaneously. 

Skift Global Forum is the most anticipated event for the travel industry insiders and travel enthusiasts alike. It’s half thought leadership conference, half essential networking opportunity, and all around way to connect with the ideas and people who are defining the future of travel.

“Fire Island is a very special place, especially for queer people,” Jimi Urquiaga, a.k.a. Missleidy Rodriguez, told me. While that might seem like a statement of the obvious, Urquiaga has experienced the island from an atypical vantage point: for the past two summers, they've been packing up their life in New York City as a costume designer, producer, creative director and drag queen to come work at the Pines’ plant shop, CAMP. Urquiaga called me on their break, sitting behind a desk at the plant shop, with a view overlooking the bay. “So that’s the fantasy,” they said with a laugh after describing their surroundings.

Qatar Airways plans to expand its flight schedule across U.S. airports and has its sights set on reaching 250 destinations worldwide, CEO Akbar Al Baker told reporters at a news conference in Seattle earlier this month.

As the summer travel season comes to a close, one airline is giving travelers a reason to start planning next summer's vacation. Delta Air Lines announced it will be operating its largest trans-Atlantic flight schedule ever, debuting just in time for summer 2024. The airline will be adding new destinations including Naples and bringing back service to Shannon, Ireland.  According to Delta, next summer it will operate 260 weekly flights to 18 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). This includes a new flight from JFK to Munich three times a week that will start on April 9, 2024, and a daily nonstop flight to Shannon, Ireland that will begin on May 23, 2024. The carrier will expand its existing service to Italy — it already flies to Milan, Venice, and Rome — with a new daily service to Naples. It will also resume service between Atlanta and Zurich, Switzerland, four times a week, which had originally been cut in 2019. 

Breeze Airways is continuing to expand with brand-new flights to Illinois, marking the first time the low-cost airline will fly to the state.

Skiers and riders, it’s time to start plotting out your 2023/24 season.