What Do Pilots Eat on Flights? And More Burning Questions Answered

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, December 21. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

It’s believed that the Norwegians invented modern skiing as we know it, and the first destination ski resort was Switzerland’s St. Moritz around 1864—more than half a century before the oldest operating mountain in the U.S. opened. It was the ski loving but mountain-challenged British that popularized the very notion of the ski vacation, traveling to the Alps for food, fun and skiing.

Walking inside the sustainable, wellness-minded 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the outdoors and indoors appear to seamlessly merge, thanks to stellar views of the hotel’s namesake bridge hovering over the East River, lower Manhattan and neighboring DUMBO; alongside calming interiors, earthy neutrals, reclaimed woods, plenty of natural light and native leafy greens (which seemingly pop in every nook and cranny).

As 2023 is wrapping up, the aviation business is heating up instead of slowing down. Airlines are ordering aircraft, and Boeing and Airbus are trying to up their order tally. It is not surprising that we are still hearing of new orders. 

Warsaw has just moved closer to Munich, Berlin nudged towards Paris, and Aachen slipped nearer to Salzburg. These are just three examples of city pairs that are newly linked, as of this week, by direct night trains. None of these city pairs currently has direct daytime trains, so the overnight options create a web of opportunities. As always in December, rail operators across Europe are introducing new schedules, along the way creating tantalising links where none existed before.

In some parts of Europe, high prices and Christmas markets go hand in hand. But in others, this year’s soaring costs have come as a shock.

It’s been mooted as “the most divisive film of the year”, with keen discussion among cinema-goers before they’ve even emerged from screening rooms. But one thing we can all agree on about Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn is its true star (OK, aside from Rosamund Pike): Saltburn itself.

As one of the world's favorite budget travel playgrounds, Bangkok has freebies galore. From golden temples, captivating monasteries and vast open-air markets to meditation sessions and people-watching on the most famous backpacker strip in the world, the Thai capital can keep you entertained for weeks, even on the tightest of budgets.

This story about Koreatowns is part of Home, Made, a collection of stories honoring Asian diasporas creating vibrant communities by weaving their heritages with their American hometowns. Read more here.

A few years ago, at a reception at the Polish embassy in Bern, Switzerland, an elderly Jewish man pulled the ambassador aside and relayed an unbelievable story. They were standing on holy ground, the man said, a place where near-secret acts of heroism played out during World War II. Intrigued, the ambassador, Jakob Kumoch, tasked his staff with looking into the man’s claims. Soon, an incredible history emerged.

To reach the top of the Waldspritz sledding run above the village of Grindelwald in the Swiss Alps, I hiked 90 minutes into the backcountry, dragging a small runnered sled by a rope to roughly 7,400 feet.

Airline will open its newest UK base at Birmingham International Airport early offering more flights across 29 routes. Flights on 16 new routes from the base will go on sale on Thursday 30 November at easyJet.com.