New DOT Rules Aim to Spur Competition, Protect Travelers. Do They?

With weather disruptions and constant delays upending the conversation about air travel this summer, it’s actually not all bad news. Many carriers are working to improve what they offer as they invest in new aircraft, lounges and amenities, a welcome change following the pandemic years.

Are lengthy tarmac delays happening more often? It certainly feels that way, with several frustrating incidents having gone viral in recent times in which passengers were stuck on planes for hours before their flights were eventually canceled.

Calling all job hunters: the city of Wellington, New Zealand, is welcoming Americans to move and work in the county's capital — touting its great work/life balance.

The world’s fastest growing sport is becoming a year-round hobby for many. Pickleball, the tennis ping pong hybrid sweeping the nation, has made its impact on New York City this year, with outdoor courts across the boroughs, including in popular landmarks including Union Square and Central Park.

Royal Caribbean already operates the world’s largest cruise ship—Wonder of the Seas—but next January it will break that record with Icon of the Seas, which boasts 2,805 staterooms (including more than 1,800 with balconies) and 179 suites. Nearly 1,200 feet long, Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and features a 55-foot-waterfall, multiple pools and waterparks and a “chill island” and a “thrill island”—depending on a passenger’s vibe.

It’s been awhile since Hyatt’s last systemwide bonus promotion. That will be remedied beginning next month, with a new offer that, at least for high-frequency travelers, will have been well worth the wait.

The last day in August marks the unofficial end of summer, and now also a historic day for U.S.-Cuba relations. JetBlue announced last month that it would be the first to send a passenger plane to Cuba in 2016, and at 10:58 a.m. today, fulfilled this promise.

If you’ve never heard of Iceland-based booking website Dohop, you should check them out. The company has been nominated for two World Travel Awards—World’s Leading Flight Comparison Website and World’s Leading Travel Technology Partner—and recently launched an amazing tool called FLYR Fare Protection, in partnership with FLYR.

This summer, Norwegian plans to fly from New York to Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Shannon—and for these flights, “New York” means Stewart International Airport (SWF), also called Stewart Field.

If New York has its way, the popular accommodations-sharing company Airbnb will be toast.

United has come in for more than its fair share of criticism lately, from travelers, from employees, from Wall Street. Now, the Department of Transportation can be added to the list of United-bashers.

Four airlines—United, American, Southwest, and Alaska—have been fined by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for “providing inaccurate information to passengers about how much compensation they could potentially receive for being denied boarding against their will, or “bumped” on oversold flights, and for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage.”