Flight tips

If noise-canceling headphones don’t help you doze off, you may need to consider a more heavy-duty fix: sleeping pills for flights. Certainly, some flights don’t warrant sleeping aids—such as when you’re taking a short trip or traveling west against a time difference, says Aneesa Das, M.D., a sleep medicine specialist at the Ohio State University (at that point you may as well stay awake). But if you’ll be on a plane overnight and waking up in a vastly different time zone, logging some shuteye on the plane is crucial to arriving refreshed—or close enough to it.

Looking to travel to Europe? Is an island vacation on your bucket list? Want to take that dream trip for fewer points than you thought you could?

Andrea Maglidt got a terrible surprise when she attempted to redeem a $422 American Airlines travel credit she'd been saving.

It took the better part of a decade, but Lufthansa's new, cutting-edge cabins are finally here. Mostly.

Air Canada has just launched a direct flight from Vancouver to Singapore. This new direct flight not only marks Air Canada's newest international route but also represents the only non-stop service that links the country of Canada directly with Singapore. The route spans an impressive distance of 7,965 miles (12,818 kilometers) and is the longest in Air Canada's portfolio. The total flight duration can reach up to 16 hours and five minutes.

Global Airlines completed its first transatlantic flight with an Airbus A380 on Wednesday.

After inking a revised labor agreement with its pilots last month, NetJets has signed a deal that could see it spend over $6 billion with options for up to 232 of Bombardier's Challenger 3500s.

It was a 40-minute flight that airline insiders had been anticipating for seven years: the official launch of Lufthansa’s Allegris, the German flag carrier’s state-of-the-art cabin overhaul that was first announced in 2017 and finally confirmed last year.

In April 2020, United MileagePlus removed its partner award chart. Partner awards continued pricing at the lowest Saver level from the last-published award charts for a while. But over time, United Airlines has slowly raised its unpublished partner award rates. Last month, United devalued first-class partner redemptions, increasing award prices up to 100%. Now, the loyalty program has struck again with another devaluation.

Avianca is making some noteworthy upgrades to its business-class experience.

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. A relaxing week in Paris and Normandy on a Viking river cruise sailing down the Seine ended with a multi-hour delay once I arrived at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) for my flight home on United Airlines.

Starting April 30, Southwest Airlines is required to provide a transferrable voucher worth at least $75 for any controllable cancellation or delay that causes passengers to reach their destination three or more hours after their scheduled arrival time, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

Travel advisor Betty Villani was at a trade show in 2022 when she discovered Go-Be Sleeves, covers for airplane tray tables, being displayed by Barbara Booth, the product's developer.

An Australian airline's frequent flyers were left puzzled after a technical glitch with its app logged users into the wrong accounts.

April was another busy month for airline network planners — both at home and abroad.

Spirit Airlines is once again adding a slew of new routes that double down on the airline's recent strategy of boosting service in entrenched hubs of network carriers.

A record 4.7 billion people are expected to travel by air this summer and several factors may converge to create chaos at the country’s airports. A recent report from global travel technology company Amadeus found that “flight disruption remains above historical norms,” and the situation isn’t going to get better any time soon. According to the report, the global airline industry is still struggling with the rapid increase in demand for air travel.

Southwest Airlines' settlement terms with the Department of Transportation (DOT) are kicking in — leading to future customers receiving compensation if they experience a significant flight delay. As part of the settlement sparked from the airline’s 2022 holiday meltdown, Southwest has agreed to award $75 or more in transferrable vouchers to travelers who reach their destination at least three hours late due to an airline-caused disruption or cancellation, according to the DOT.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a new rule last week detailing when airlines owe travelers a refund and how they have to pay. But like all good things, it comes with a few caveats.

Buying a Delta gift card just got more rewarding with the airline’s latest promotion. “Enjoy giving the gift of travel this Mother’s Day with the Delta Gift Card,” the airline shared about the promotion in an email. “For a limited time, buy $300 or more in Delta Gift Cards to earn a $20 Starbucks eGift.” This deal ends on Monday, May 13, at 11:59 p.m. EST, but may be taken down sooner as the offer is only available to the first 7,000 buyers. It's also worth noting that travelers will only receive a $20 Starbucks eGift when purchasing gift cards directly through Delta, not a third-party site. 

On Monday, lawmakers revealed a bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization deal that includes measures to address the nation’s shortage of air traffic controllers and the recent spate of runway near-misses. Lawmakers also agreed to prohibit airlines from charging extra for families to sit together, and they tripled the maximum fines imposable on airlines that violate consumer laws.