Latest Travel News tips

Do new free onboard snacks warrant a press release? JetBlue thinks they do.

What’s better than free hotel WiFi? Free fast hotel WiFi, of course.

There are heaps of travel apps that sound great in theory, but are not so great in practice. When you’re in a full-out sprint between gates on a tight connection, loading a couple of airport apps to find the pretzel stand nearest to your gate is not going to happen.

If you’re reading this post while waiting for your departure from Seattle, chances are it loaded quickly. That’s because Seattle-Tacoma International has the fastest airport Wi-Fi in the country, according to a new study by Speedtest.

Spirit Airlines is known for a lot of things, namely fees and quirky advertising, but one thing it isn’t known for is punctuality or service. According to the Department of Transportation, this past April, the most recent month for which data is available, only 73.4 percent of Spirit’s flights arrived on time—dead last among the airlines that report to the DOT. The average on-time rate for April was 84.5 percent. For 2015, the airline averaged a 69 percent on-time arrival rate. That’s bad.

Low-cost carrier Norwegian Air will introduce new direct service from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Copenhagen, Oslo, and London (Gatwick) this May, making it Boston’s largest international airline. Norwegian joins other low-cost carriers like WOW Air in targeting Boston as its gateway to Europe.

American’s AAdvantage program was the first modern travel-loyalty program, and for most of the years since its launch in 1981 it was not only the largest but also arguably the best of the airline mileage programs.

Alaska and Virgin America are two great airlines that consistently deliver low fares and an outstanding customer experience. By bringing them together, we are creating the premier airline for people who live anywhere on the West Coast.

The travel industry obviously doesn’t like true solo travelers much: Almost all tours and cruises are priced on a “per person, double occupancy” basis, and most hotels charge the same rate for either one or two people. If, as a singles traveler, you just want to avoid a stiff single supplement, the industry often promises to find someone to share with you so you can, in effect, travel at the couples price. But if you really want to travel solo, your options are limited.

Still haven’t booked a vacation, or curious about what other travelers are doing this summer? Synchrony Financial put together some initial data together on summer 2016’s travel forecast that might help.

Never mind the high-profile battle to acquire Starwood, featuring competing multi-billion-dollar offers from Marriott and a Chinese investment group. Starwood’s marketing machinery remains in high gear, just this month churning out a bonus offer for the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card and a discount on award stays at Caesars Resorts in Las Vegas.

Although the United Kingdom is one of the closest European destinations to the United States, it’s been out of reach for many Americans for a long time, due to the unfavorable pound to dollar exchange rate.

While traveling, being able to drink filtered water throughout the day can be challenging. And while buying bottled water might be a temporary solution, it’s terrible for the environment and expensive to do. Which is why bringing along a bottle like Kor’s Nava Filter Water Bottle on your trip is a good idea. This straw-filtered bottle is stylish, durable, and won’t be a pain to carry around.

With the launch of many new direct flights from the U.S. to Cuba, it may seem like the door to the formerly forbidden country is wide open for Americans. Unfortunately, that’s still not quite the case. Right now, you’ll still need to travel under one of the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) 12 categories of travel, the easiest of which is a “people-to-people” Cuba educational tour.

Members of JetBlue’s TrueBlue program now have another points-earning option: Icelandair flights.

In an industry that often seems intent on treating its customers with callous disregard, Alaska Airlines enjoys an enviable reputation for doing the opposite. Much of that acclaim is due to its loyalty program, Mileage Plan, which among other features boasts an outsized roster of airline partners available for earning and redeeming miles.

The market for Europe travel has softened, undermined by Brexit and terrorism concerns, among other factors. And what market there is is served by a growing contingent of cut-rate carriers like WOW and Norwegian Air.

Airport lounge memberships are a luxury that most can afford but very few can actually justify. If you don’t fly at least semi-regularly, it just doesn’t make financial sense to spend almost $500 for an annual lounge pass. A $50 day pass, maybe. But even that’s a stretch.

Bigger is better.

Norwegian Air, famous for offering ultra-low fares to Europe, has long had its legitimacy challenged here in the U.S. At question is the airline’s subsidiary headquartered in Ireland, which is seen as (possibly) a way of dodging local labor standards. Despite these concerns, the Department of Transportation (DOT) approved to fly to and from the U.S.

Turns out the friendly skies are, well…the jokes sort of write themselves.