What to Know About the Alaska Airlines Merger with Hawaiian Airlines — and Why the Government Approved It

Alaska Airlines is simplifying its flight subscription pass, offering just two options.

Island cruising usually conjures up images of crystal-clear water and bright sunshine in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, and while MSC certainly offers sailings to both these popular destinations, the cruise line is also organizing a very different kind of island voyage.

There are two types of train trip: The long, slow, and often luxurious train journey that takes you through beautiful scenery that you book specifically to spend time on the rails; and the speedy, no-nonsense, cheap train ride you take to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the first category, you’ll find grand trips like Australia’s The Ghan, South Africa’s Blue Train, and Britain’s Caledonian Sleeper. In the second, there are trips from London to Brussels in just two hours, from Rome to Venice in four hours, and from Miami to Orlando in three hours. And if you’re a train traveler who belongs to the second category and likes getting places fast without flying, there are plenty of trains in this world that do just that at speeds previously unimaginable on land, including the fastest train in the world and its closest competitors.

When most Americans think of cruises, they probably think of island-hopping in the Caribbean or cruising by glaciers in Alaska from afar. That may be appealing for some people, but for others, the idea of being lazy on a ship of thousands of people for a week doesn’t sound like much of a vacation.

Germany’s got a big secret: It’s got islands. And not the rocky, desolate, and uninhabited kind, but islands with miles of sandy beaches, picturesque cliffs, peaceful, protected forests, and seaside luxury hotels. The Germans obviously are in the know, and because of their geographical locations, the Dutch and Danes are, too. But nobody else in in the world seems to remember that Germany has a coastline on both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, let alone that this coastline is peppered with dozens of islands. The biggest of all the German islands is Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, itself a wildly underrated area. While Rügen takes a little effort to get to, the trip is hardly insurmountable, and travelers who want to see Germany away from the big urban centers, internationally known beer festivals, and packed tourist attractions would be remiss to pass on it.

I think of myself as a well-traveled individual with a very solid knowledge of geography and tourist sights. Most of the people at Matador Network see themselves in the same way. After all, we live and breathe travel day in, day out. Yet, apparently, none of us know much about Germany.

Back in March, Alaska Airlines launched a new subscription service requiring a $5-per-month payment to get early access to Alaska fare sales, a personalized fare page and free Wi-Fi credits — the Seattle-based airline calls the service "Alaska Access." I was excited to test it out since, at the time, Alaska said it would give subscribers advance notice to some of its biggest deals of the year.

The EU's post-Brexit Entry/Exit System (EES) is due to launch in November, but recent reports suggest it may face further delays.

The chief executive of Alaska Airlines, Ben Minicucci, has big plans. Now, he has a second airline to help achieve them.

Much to my surprise, train rides were some of my favorite parts of my entire trip to Alaska.

Welcome to Where Chefs Eat on Vacation, a column in which chefs tell us what they ate on a recent trip.

Quark Expeditions is celebrating the success of flightseeing excursions over Axel Heiberg Island in the remote Canadian Arctic.