Southwest Was Just Fined a Record $140 Million for 2022 Travel Meltdown — What Travelers Should Know for This Year

A new pre-security sensory room at a New Jersey airport is aiming to make it easier for neurodiverse travelers, providing them with a space to wait for their flight as well as an easier way to get through security screening.

American was able to achieve this strong performance despite weather in many parts of the country and a significant volume of non-scheduled, non-air carrier operations that resulted in increased air traffic control delays.

Travel Counsellors, a UK-based tech platform for travel agents, has acquired Planisto, a similar company that specializes in trip planning and booking. 

Southwest Airlines experienced an epic meltdown last holiday season due to its outdated technology. Though it avoided any problems this year, there is still one issue it can’t avoid.

Sometimes traveling with your family or young children in tow requires a different set of needs from your hotel. For example, if staying on budget is important, you may value free parking more than room service. And on the other hand, if you're looking to splurge on spa or babysitting services, you'll find yourself looking for accommodations with those amenities instead.

Trip.com Group released its annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report for the fourth consecutive year, highlighting its sustainability practices across the business. ey findings in the report reveal the preference for low-carbon products across Trip.com Group. In the past year, more than 16 million Trip.com Group customers opted for low-carbon travel options.

Southeast Mexico is brimming with archeological sites, biodiversity, and Pueblos Mágicos known for their rich cultural heritage. Many visitors barely make a dent in the region’s offerings, though, by flying to Cancún and heading straight for the beach, perhaps booking an excursion or two to Chichen Itza or Tulum, but generally not venturing further.

This is a developing story and will be updated with more information.

If traveling lights you up and makes you happy, make space for more adventures in 2024—even if you have to go alone. Solo travel opens our eyes to the world around, allowing us to travel deeper with more introspection and self-awareness. When it’s up to you to get from point A to point B, you’ll not only be challenged outside of your comfort zone, but also, you’ll get to decide where to go and when. Whether you want to sleep in past noon, rise early to fill your day with loads of sights and attractions, or ease into a spa day with little else planned—go for it, you’re the boss.

Southwest Airlines canceled 16,900 flights and stranded more than 2 million fliers between December 2022 and early January 2023, as operations took a nosedive amid severe winter storms that disrupted holiday air travel across much of the United States last year. But while other major U.S. carriers recovered from the weather-fueled delays and cancellations, Southwest struggled to normalize operations and continued to cancel flights in the days following Christmas 2022. Now, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is making it very clear that that level of failed service comes with serious consequences.

Southwest Airlines will be fined $140 million for violating customer protection laws during its 2022 holiday travel operations failure, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday morning.

The Department of Transportation has ordered Southwest to pay a $140 million fine for numerous consumer-protection violations that resulted from last year’s holiday travel meltdown.