Latest Travel News tips

As reported by the Branson Tri Lakes News, a passenger on a Southwest flight in 2014 that landed at the wrong airport is suing the airline for $74,999.99.

Have you ever booked a last-minute trip because you suddenly realized you had a few days to spare? If you have, you’re not alone. More travelers than ever before are participating in the latest travel trend: Spontaneous vacations.

With strong demand in most parts of the world, the cost of travel has only one place to go: up. No big surprise there. If there’s anything surprising about the price creep, it’s how modest at least one analyst expects it to be.

Ever wish you could buy a rail pass for the skies? This summer, Norwegian regional airline Wideroe is once again offering a seasonal fly-all-you-want Norway air pass covering all of its routes. The airline flies a relatively dense route system throughout Norway, plus flights to/from Aberdeen, Goteborg, and Kobenhavn.

New York? San Francisco? When it comes to romance, they have nothing on … Biloxi, Mississippi?

As if air travel wasn’t already a stressful and hostile experience, a whole new threat emerged in late December: drones at airports. By being flown around the Gatwick Airport, at least one drone caused London’s second-busiest airport to shut down completely on two successive days.

It’s no secret that air travel is uncomfortable. And judging by the sheer volume of travel gear available at the airport, the market knows it, too. Every day brings a new type of travel gadget that promises to make travel better and more comfortable.

Add the new AAdvantage MileUp Card from Citibank to the (very) short list of no-fee credit cards that earn airline miles. It offers one American Airlines mile per dollar charged, plus double miles for purchases at grocery stores or with American Airlines.

Update: September 27, 2019

Looking for a last-minute Labor Day getaway? This is a good year for it, according to fare search data from Hopper. Average airfares for Labor Day weekend are lower this year than they have been in four years, but probably only if you buy your tickets before August 17.

If you’ve ever experienced a lengthy flight delay, cancellation, or been bumped involuntarily from a flight in the past three years, an airline might owe you money. A lot of Americans don’t know that, but that could soon change thanks to one air rights advocacy group: AirHelp. August marks “Passenger Rights Awareness Month” thanks to the flight compensation company, which handles claims to airlines on behalf of customers for their consumer rights, one claim at a time.

Although frequent flyer point programs usually get more attention, hotel loyalty program benefits are an important element of hotel choice among lots of travelers. And if you’re not sure which program is “best,” the folks at WalletHub have calculated ratings for all the major hotel chain programs.

The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and lasts through November 30. Fortunately, this year is predicted to be better than last year’s, which saw an unusually high number of devastating hurricanes. (If you’re planning travel to an area hit during the 2017 season, make sure to read our Caribbean Travel Update).

Most frequent travelers know that to find flash sales and other great deals on economy-class air tickets through alerts, you don’t have to look far: Our sister site AirfareWatchdog, for example, is a leader in the field. Lots of online travel agencies and metasearch systems offer up standard airfare alerts—but finding one that will flag premium airfare deals requires a little bit more insider knowledge, and some cash.

According to a stunning report by the Boston Globe, the TSA has been operating a secret airport surveillance program called Quiet Skies that tracks passengers who are not otherwise suspected to be a threat. “Federal air marshals have begun following ordinary US citizens not suspected of a crime or on any terrorist watch list,” the Globe reports, and is “collecting extensive information about their movements and behavior under a new domestic surveillance program that is drawing criticism from within the agency.”

Recently, airlines are announcing longer and longer flights—each trying to claim the title of world’s longest flight, but typically hovering just below the 18-hour mark. Today, Singapore Airlines has topped them all with the announcement of the world’s newest, non-stop flight. However, it isn’t so new …

As part of an ongoing effort to reassure tourists that Mexico is safe to visit, a new, 2,850-member military police base has opened just outside of Cancun, according to an Associated Press report published in The Washington Post. Military police officers have been used in Mexico to help the local police combat gangs, and it’s expected that a larger security presence near the popular vacation town will help visitors feel safer.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is the best of all the U.S. airline loyalty programs, says the U.S. News & World Report, and Marriott Rewards is the best of the large hotel-chain loyalty programs. The annual rankings emphasize benefits for basic members, and scores all loyalty programs on a scale of 1 to 5.

IdeaWorks is out with its annual reward seat availability survey, which ranks airlines’ reward programs based on how easy it is to redeem frequent flyer points or miles for reward travel. As any frequent flyer knows (and as common sense dictates), this metric is essential to determining the value of an airline reward program. It’s sort of the whole point, right?

As the sun sets in Genesee, New York, low-hanging clouds cast ominous shadows behind Rolling Hills Asylum. I’ve just arrived to find a surprisingly big crowd outside this abandoned asylum at 8:00 p.m. on a Friday night. The place is packed with ghost hunters. A long line of flashlight-wielding and glow stick-wearing visitors is lined up at the door, waiting to get inside and hoping to encounter something paranormal. Tonight, I am one of them.

From action-packed adventures to relaxing family getaways, everyone has their own particular way of traveling. But for most people, vacation planning is the same scattered process: Ask friends for recommendations, look up what sounds good, and try to keep track of all the ideas. The new TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) is aiming to change that.