U.S.Government travel tips

A canceled flight can be devastating for travelers looking to attend an important meeting or family gathering. Fortunately, new data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) reveals that flight cancellations are at historic lows for the first half of 2024, despite a record number of flights taking to the skies. Only 1.4 percent of flights were canceled over the first six months, which is the lowest rate in over 10 years, the DOT shared in a release.  For comparison, in 2022, nearly 3 percent of flights were canceled, and in 2023 the number improved to 1.4 percent.  “This year’s record-breaking air travel is another good sign for our economy as more Americans take to the skies than ever before.

Alex Lasry has been sworn in as the new deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lasry will report to Brian Beall, director of travel and tourism, who started on May 8.

A U.S. Senate panel on Monday announced an investigation into airline fees for baggage, seat selection, ticket changes and other services, demanding justifications from the CEOs of five major carriers for these charges that generate billions of dollars in annual revenue for them.

Multiple state tourism agencies ended their growing participation on the short-form video sharing platform TikTok to comply with their state executive orders. As they exit, they plan to move the resources allocated for TikTok into their other social media channels.

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell on Wednesday said the panel intended to hold hearings after Southwest Airlines’ recent meltdown that led to nearly 16,000 flight cancellations in the week ending Dec. 29.