AFAR Media

Is there anything better than jetting off to Paris, Nice, or Milan? Yes, yes there is. Jetting off to Paris, Nice, or Milan in business class. For a limited time (and just in time for gift-giving season, cough cough), French airline La Compagnie is offering airfares as low as $2,000 round-trip for its all-business flights to those three cities in France and Italy.

For many air travelers, sitting in a cramped economy seat for a long-haul flight isn’t exactly their idea of a good time. But a handful of airlines are making it easier to snag some extra space in economy, thanks to what are generally referred to as “neighbor-free seat” offerings.

United Airlines is making changes to its MileagePlus frequent flier program—and thankfully, the elite status qualification requirements for 2024 will remain the same as 2023. What is changing—and for the better—is how travelers can earn Premier qualifying credit with cobranded MileagePlus credit cards (which are offering increased welcome bonuses currently). This good news comes at a time when earning elite status has become a hot topic. Here’s what you need to know about United’s 2024 program adjustments and why, despite the positive modifications, achieving even basic elite status in the MileagePlus program remains difficult.

There are the typical Black Friday travel deals and discounts and then there is a showstopping new offer from Air Tahiti Nui, the flagship carrier of French Polynesia. In honor of 25 years of service, Air Tahiti Nu has developed a new multi-flight pass, for $1,525, which includes round-trip tickets to four international destinations to be used over the course of a year.

Sometimes, air travel rules seem to challenge common sense. Why do we have to close our laptops but tablets can remain open? Why do we have to switch our phones to airplane mode and what happens if we don’t? Why do we have to wear seat belts while taxiing at 5 miles an hour, but not always while hurtling through the air at 500 mph?

For all the holiday travel planning procrastinators out there, this one is for you. Alaska Airlines just announced a Mexico fare sale—and the deals don’t exclude holiday travel dates.

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are chock-full of tempting travel and flight discounts, Travel Deal Tuesday or Travel Tuesday, as it’s become known, has actually become one of the best days of the year to score a travel deal, according to the flight booking site and app Hopper.

One of the questions that most plagues frequent travelers is, “Should I book my flight now—or could the price still go down?”

For the estimated 5.5 million Americans who use a wheelchair, it’s about to get a bit easier to travel by plane—at least with one U.S. carrier. United Airlines recently announced plans to release a new search filter on its website meant to make flying more equitable for travelers with mobility vehicles.

Amid all the recent headlines about aviation safety lapses and a troubling rise in close calls, it’s easy to forget that commercial air travel has never been safer.

AFAR partners with CreditCards.com and may receive a commission from card issuers. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Compensation may impact how an offer is presented. Our coverage is independent and objective, and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of the AFAR editorial team.

It’s been a busy week for JetBlue.

The southern Algarve region of Portugal has some of the warmest weather in the country and a dramatic coastline dotted by golden-hued craggy cliffs, patches of pristine sandy beaches, and quaint, cobblestone towns. While this idyllic Atlantic retreat is no secret among Europeans, it still flies relatively under the radar for visitors coming from farther afield.

With the busy holiday travel season nearly here, many of us will be taking to the skies to visit friends and family and embrace warm-weather and wintry getaways. In between stressing about high ticket prices and potential flight delays and cancellations, travelers may also be thinking about the grimiest areas on an airplane—and how not to get sick while flying.

As a travel editor, one of the questions I get asked the most when friends or family are booking flights is: “If I wait, will the price go up or down?”

Iceland has been a waystation for budget travelers hopping the pond ever since Icelandair first burst on the scene with cheap transatlantic flights in the 1960s. While the deals are often irresistible, doubts crept in about the risks of flying to Iceland on the cheap when in 2019, Icelandic low-cost carrier Wow went bust in spite of (or perhaps because of) stunts like $49 fares from the United States to Europe.

Die-hard fans of Southwest Airlines (you know who you are) recently got a welcome boost in service. The low-cost airline last week unveiled an expanded flight schedule that includes two dozen entirely new routes—six of them to international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America—and six pre-existing routes that the airline is bringing back next year.

Earlier this year, Air France announced some exciting upgrades to its business-class seats for its long-haul flights. The French airline’s previous (and, on some routes, current) business-class offering already used a pod-like, lie-flat seat and continues to do so in this latest upgrade. However, new seats now include a retractable door between each pod and the aisle for additional privacy, a do not disturb button, and Bluetooth connectivity to the personal entertainment screen. Bulkhead seats also swap the footwell for an ottoman, where a passenger can sit.

AFAR partners with CreditCards.com and may receive a commission from card issuers. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Compensation may impact how an offer is presented. Our coverage is independent and objective, and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of the AFAR editorial team.

Usually when loyalty programs announce changes, frequent fliers prepare for the worst. However, Southwest’s recently announced changes to its loyalty program, Rapid Rewards, are all for the best.

JetBlue is on a Europe growing spree with the most recent additions to the airline’s transatlantic lineup being Dublin and Edinburgh. The airline announced Wednesday that it will be adding new seasonal service to the Ireland and Scotland hubs starting in spring 2024.