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We’re proud to announce the winners of the 2017 SmarterTravel Editors’ Choice Awards. We spent six months and enlisted eight subject experts to select our Editors’ Choice winners, and then turned it over to you, our readers.

U.S. commuters wasted 8 billion hours sitting in traffic last year.

For travelers to, from, or through Los Angeles International Airport, it may seem as though the airport, the world’s seventh busiest, is in a semi-permanent state of modernization and remodeling, with all the construction, traffic, and delays that entails. A pretty picture it ain’t.

With multiple airlines (at the time of writing Delta, Alaska, and American) instituting a “smart luggage ban,” travelers have a right to be concerned if they travel with that pricey smart bag they bought. The part of the product in question is the suitcase’s battery, which with new regulations, must be removed in order to bring the bag onboard.

Southwest manages to succeed where most companies, and airlines in particular, fail, selling a mediocre product, at a price that is rarely the lowest, racking up an industry-leading record of profitability, all the while maintaining a firm hold on the hearts and minds of its customers. Very few companies make so many people so happy so consistently.

It would be an understatement to say that travel to Cuba hasn’t met the airlines’ expectations.

Headed Down Under? Delta has announced a new bonus-mile promotion for Australia flights. But it’s not the only option.

Enter the Williams-Sonoma “Trip to Spain” sweepstakes by August 19, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-night trip to Spain for two, including air, accommodations, meals at two Michelin-starred restaurants, a cooking lesson, winery visits, and city tours.

All travel suppliers want consumers to book direct, making their reservations on the company’s website, via the company’s smartphone app, or by phone through the company’s reservations center. Direct booking means the airlines and hotels pay no commissions to intermediaries, so the full price of the flight or room night flows to the provider, not to Expedia or a Main Street travel agent.

Yep, that’s “billion” with a ‘b’.

What’s better than an Uber ride? A cheaper Uber ride, naturally!

After years of biting criticism by animal-rights groups and the general public, SeaWorld this week announced that it will immediately cease breeding killer whales, arguably the company’s signature attraction.

Predictably, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory following yesterday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels.

New flight routes mean more competition and bigger savings for travelers. Here are seven new routes from JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, WOW Air, and others that’ll drive bargains this year.

Yoga retreats are a perfect way to rejuvenate yourself while simultaneously satisfying your travel itch and desire to go somewhere new and beautiful. But if you’ve ever Googled “yoga retreat,” you probably realize there are thousands upon thousands of options, some of which might not even be legitimate.

Yesterday’s crash landing of Emirates flight EK521 in Dubai generated a flood of images of panicked travelers, loaded down with their carry-on bags, fleeing the burning B777-300. The headline of Bloomberg’s coverage of the incident said it all: “Crashing, Burning Planes Don’t Stop Passengers From Grabbing Their Luggage.”

Bad news for beachgoers in southern China this summer: Many Hong Kong-area beaches are now covered with thick blankets of garbage that are making them unusable and environmental hazards.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

The AP reports that while travelers are currently enjoying a prolonged period of cheap fares, even for international flights, airlines are already taking steps that will result in steadily increasing airfares over the coming months. All good things must come to an end.

Got a nut allergy? Fine, don’t eat the nuts.

Yesterday’s big travel story was Delta’s announcement that the airline’s CEO, Richard Anderson, will retire on May 2, and be succeeded by Ed Bastian, currently Delta’s president.