12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today

12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today
(This is a recurring post, updated daily with new information):

=== Sunday, May 17 === 

European Airlines Downplay Fears Of Summer Jet Fuel Shortage
European airlines, airports and tour operators are striking a bullish tone on jet fuel supply despite one of the worst crises in decades which has driven prices ‌to double from pre-Iran war levels as the conflict snarls oil flows via the Strait of Hormuz. The sector and regional officials are notably downplaying fears of shortages partly to reassure travellers ahead of the peak northern hemisphere summer and protect bookings at a critical time for earnings, analysts say. Reuters

Long Island Rail Road Workers Go On Strike After MTA, Unions Fail To Reach New Contract
Tens of thousands of commuters in southeastern New York will be impacted as the Long Island Rail Road shuts down due to a strike over contract negotiations. The strike stems from an inability to reach a deal on a new four-year contract. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and unions agreed to the terms of the first three years, but disputes arose about the final year. CBS New York

Jet Fuel Shortage Is A Myth From Airlines Who Want To Cancel Flights, Says Elevate Jet CEO
There is no jet fuel shortage, according to Greg Raiff, CEO of private jet services company Elevate Jet. The Strait of Hormuz may be closed, locking away more than 20% of the world’s supply of jet fuel. Major airlines have cancelled hundreds of flights all over the world. And Europe may reach a 23-day shortage threshold in June. But Raiff hasn’t seen a lack of jet fuel. Fortune

United Adds Nonstop Service To Sapporo, New Flight Between Chicago And Tokyo-Narita
United today announced it is expanding its service to Japan with new flights to Sapporo and Tokyo-Narita this winter. The airline will launch the first nonstop service from the continental U.S. to Sapporo, Japan and will be the only U.S. airline offering nonstop service between Chicago and Tokyo-Narita*. As the leading carrier between the U.S. and Japan, these new flights give travelers from across North America more ways to explore Japan and connect across Asia. PR Newswire

Mexico’s Uber Crackdown At Airports To Complicate Plans For World Cup Visitors
Mexico is cracking down on the use of ride-hailing apps like Uber and Didi at the nation’s airports, causing headaches for travelers as it prepares to host the World Cup next month. The dispute over the apps underscores a rare case of unresolved airport accommodations globally for the popular rideshare companies. A local Uber spokesman blamed Mexico’s sudden enforcement of a preexisting airport ban for creating problems the company doesn’t face elsewhere. Bloomberg

Southwest Airlines Lays Off 75 In Latest Restructuring
Layoffs announced: Southwest confirmed it cut about 75 jobs in a restructuring effort, offering displaced workers opportunities to apply for other positions. Industry context: The cuts follow baggage fee hikes and mirror cost pressures seen across U.S. airlines, including rising fuel expenses. Transformation ahead: CEO Bob Jordan calls this the largest transformation in company history, with new seating options and potential long-haul international routes. MSN

How Sole Survivor Of Ill-Fated Maldives Scuba Dive That Killed 5 Narrowly Escaped Death
Searches were halted due to rough weather Friday, and local police were investigating. Experts have said oxygen toxicity and sheer panic are possible factors that led to the deaths of the five scuba divers. “It’s likely that something went wrong with the tanks,” Pulmonologist Claudio Micheletto told the Italian outlet Adnkronos on Thursday. NY Post

Trump’s Big Trip Was Supposed To Sell 500 Boeing Planes
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg went to China with President Donald Trump amid hopes that the visit would result in China ordering about 500 Boeing airplanes. Trump said Thursday that China would be buying 200 jets, a much smaller order than Wall Street expected. It was a setback for Boeing and for the long-anticipated meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Boeing’s stock promptly fell and was logged its steepest drop in six months. MSN

Iran War Fallout Forces Singapore Airlines-Backed Air India To Cancel 27% Of International Flights
Singapore Airlines-backed Air India is scaling back international flights between June and August. The Airline is cutting nearly 140 flights per week, which roughly translates to 27% of its total international flights. Indian carriers have been among the worst affected since the start of the conflict in the Middle East. CNBC

The 10 Best Countries In The World. How Did The US Rank?
When deciding where to travel next or move abroad, why not start with the best countries in the world? U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best Countries Ranking on May 14, an evaluation of 100 countries by 42 global experts from academia, think tanks and other organizations. USA Today

The Night The Lights Went Out In Havana: Energy Blockade Pulls Plug On City’s Legendary Nightlife
Havana’s broad avenues are empty at night. Theatres are closed. Bars and cafés have curtains lowered. It’s hard to find lights in the streets or Cubans making money entertaining tourists. Travel Industry Today

Boeing, Toyota Donated $1 Million Each To Transportation Secretary’s Road-Trip Show
Boeing and Toyota donated $1 million each to help fund a new reality-television inspired show starring Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy with his family on a road trip. “The Great American Road Trip” features the Duffys traveling throughout the U.S. in a video series celebrating the country’s 250th birthday. Costs were covered by a nonprofit backed by big companies his agency oversees, including the sums given by Boeing and Toyota, according to people with knowledge of the agreements. WSJ

What Is The Schengen Shuffle And Who’s Doing It?
The Schengen Area, established in 1985, is an agreement between member countries, guaranteeing free movement between member countries — meaning no border controls or required passport stamps. The 90/180 rule doesn’t require the maximum 90 days in the Schengen Area to be consecutive but entails careful math to be sure travelers don’t stay longer than 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. When entering the area, officials look back 180 days from the current date to ensure visitors haven’t exceeded 90 total days in the zone. CNN

FBI Director Kash Patel’s Hawaii Trip Included ‘VIP Snorkel’ At A Pearl Harbor Memorial
When Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer, the FBI took pains to note the director was not on vacation, highlighting his walking tour of the bureau’s Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement. Left out of the FBI’s news releases was an exclusive excursion that Patel took days later when he participated in what government officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona in an outing coordinated by the military. The sunken battleship entombs more than 900 sailors and Marines at Pearl Harbor. AP

=== Thursday, May 14 === 

Hawaii ‘Lani’ Monk Seal: US Agents Arrest Tourist After Video Shows Rock Hurled at Endangered Animal
A tourist who drew widespread condemnation in Hawaii after a witness recorded him throwing a coconut-sized rock at “Lani,” a beloved endangered Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents. Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is charged with harassing a protected animal, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Honolulu. NOAA special agents arrested him near Seattle, and he was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday. CNN

United Flight Attendants Approve Five-Year Contract With 31% Pay Hike
United flight attendants approved a landmark five-year contract that includes a 31% average wage increase, boarding pay, and $741 million in retroactive compensation for nearly 30,000 workers. The agreement was ratified by 82% of voting flight attendants after an earlier version was rejected. Industry observers say the deal could reshape compensation expectations across the airline sector amid ongoing bankruptcies and merger discussions. MSN

1,700 Passengers Held on Cruise Ship Over Potential Acute Stomach Bug Sickness
As many as 1,700 passengers are being held aboard the cruise ship Ambition in southwest France following dozens of suspected gastroenteritis cases. The ship had departed from Belfast and Liverpool earlier this month for a cruise around France and Spain. Authorities are monitoring the situation as health concerns continue onboard. CNN

U.S. National Parks See Decline in International Visitors, Surge in Domestic Interest
Tour operators say international bookings to U.S. national parks are down while domestic demand continues to rise heading into peak summer travel season. Operators including Intrepid Travel and Globus report softer demand from overseas visitors, even as Americans continue prioritizing domestic travel experiences. National parks remain one of the country’s biggest tourism draws. Travel Weekly

Two Budget Airlines Just Became One: What Travelers Should Know
Allegiant Air has officially completed its merger with Sun Country Airlines, creating one of the largest leisure-focused carriers in the U.S. The combined airline will operate 195 aircraft across 175 cities and more than 650 routes. Sun Country’s Minneapolis-St. Paul hub will remain a key operating center during integration efforts. USA Today

Ryanair Is Axing Millions of Seats in Major Flight Schedule Update
Ryanair is cutting millions of seats from its schedule across destinations including Spain, Portugal, and Greece as the airline pushes back against rising airport fees. Greece alone is expected to lose roughly 700,000 seats as part of the carrier’s winter schedule reductions. Daily Mail via MSN

US Plans $22 Billion Rebuilding of Washington Dulles Airport
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans for a $22 billion overhaul of Washington Dulles International Airport. Speaking at a conference in Washington, Duffy said the federal government intends to completely rebuild the airport as part of a major infrastructure initiative. Reuters via MSN

Australia’s Trump Tower Plans Scrapped as Developer Says Brand Has Become ‘Toxic’
Plans for Australia’s first Trump Tower on the Gold Coast have been canceled just months after being announced. Developer Altus Property Group said the Trump brand had become increasingly unpopular in Australia amid global political tensions. The proposed 91-story tower would have included a luxury hotel, residences, retail space, and restaurants. CNN via MSN

World Cup Attendees From Certain Countries Can Enter US Without Bonds
The Trump administration is suspending a policy requiring some foreign visitors to post bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the United States if they are attending the World Cup and already hold tickets. The bond requirement had been imposed on countries with high visa overstay rates as part of broader immigration enforcement measures. AP News

More Canadians Snubbed U.S. Travel Than Previously Thought, Cell Phone Data Shows
New cell phone data suggests the slowdown in Canadian travel to the U.S. has been steeper than previously estimated. Tourism-dependent destinations like Las Vegas continue urging Canadian visitors to return as geopolitical tensions and trade disputes impact cross-border travel patterns. Fortune

Daily Honolulu Service Takes Off With Inaugural Flight From Burbank Airport
Alaska Airlines launched a new daily seasonal route between Hollywood Burbank Airport and Honolulu, marking the return of nonstop Honolulu service from Burbank for the first time in more than 20 years. Airport and airline officials celebrated the inaugural flight Wednesday morning. KTLA

Tor Hagen Steps Down as Viking CEO
Viking founder Torstein Hagen is stepping down as CEO and transitioning into the role of executive chairman while remaining chairman of the company’s board. Viking president and CFO Leah Talactac has been promoted to CEO, while executive vice president of finance Linh Banh will take over as CFO. Travel Weekly

=== Tuesday, May 12 === 

Military Planes Evacuate Hantavirus-Exposed Passengers From Cruise
Passengers evacuated from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship began flying home Sunday aboard military and government planes after the vessel anchored in the Canary Islands, where travelers were escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. Spanish passengers were the first to leave the Hondius following its arrival in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the West African coast. They were then flown to Madrid and taken to a military hospital. Travel Weekly

Man Who Caused Crash At Denver Airport Died By Suicide, Officials Say
A 41-year-old man who scaled a remote fence and walked onto a runway at Denver International Airport was intending to end his life when he was struck and killed by a departing aircraft, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. Sterling McLaren, the chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver, stated that the cause of death was determined to be suicide following a post-mortem examination. No note was recovered, and further details were not provided. The Independent

A Death On Denver Airport’s Runway Highlights The Challenge Of Securing A Facility Twice The Size Of Manhattan
Denver International Airport is conducting a safety analysis after a person who jumped over a fence into a runway was struck and killed by a plane during takeoff late Friday. The fatal incident has drawn scrutiny to the airport’s security protocols – and highlighted the challenges of securing a facility twice the size of Manhattan. CNN

UK Flight Cancellations Increase Amid High Cost Of Jet Fuel
Airlines have increased the number of flight cancellations for May, new figures show, amid high jet fuel prices and fears of shortages. Aviation analytics company Cirium said that as of Tuesday, airlines have axed 296 departures from UK airports this month, equivalent to 0.75% of the total. That is up from 120 cancellations six days ago. Evening Standard

Air India Slashes Flights To Canada: Blames Soaring Jet Fuel Prices
Air India has slashed its flight schedule due to soaring jet fuel prices, leaving Canadian residents hoping to visit the subcontinent with fewer options and higher fares. In an internal message to staff CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline has cut flight volumes for April and May, with plans for more schedule trims in June and July. “This is in response to the massive rise in jet fuel prices which, together with airspace closures and longer flying routes, has caused many of our international flights to become unprofitable to operate,” Wilson said in the memo. Travel Industry Today

Brussels Airlines Sees No Flight Cancellations ‘For Now’ Amid Middle East Tensions
Brussels Airlines will not cancel flights “at the moment” despite potential jet fuel shortages linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a spokesperson told Euronews. With mounting fears of summer flight cancellations, the Belgian airline said 80% of its jet fuel needs for 2026 are covered. EuroNews

Summertime Blues: Air Canada Cuts Some U.S. Flights Due To Jet Fuel Costs
Air Canada says it’s cutting the number of flights to the United States this summer as the war in Iran creates jet fuel shortages that have sent prices soaring. The airline said in a statement that flights from Toronto to Sacramento, Calif., will cease Aug. 1, and service to Charleston, S.C., will end Sept. 6. Travel Industry Today

Route 66 Is Turning 100. So I Drove All 2,448 Miles Of It — And Watched It Burst With New Life
Friends, motorists, fellow Americans: The road ahead is far from straight. But it will take us through eight states and dozens of small towns, past Muffler Men and Patel motels, beneath the bright lights of Tulsa and Tucumcari, up close to Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” and Angel Delgadillo’s barber chair. In other words, it’s Route 66, an American artifact that turns 100 in November and seems to contain more curiosities and paradoxes than the Midwest has cornstalks. LA Times

Hersheypark May Not Open For Summer 2026 Season, New Report Reveals
Tensions are rising as The Sweetest Place on Earth prepares to open for its 2026 summer season. Hersheypark is scheduled to open seven days a week starting May 21, but a union strike vote scheduled for this week could delay operations at the largest theme park in Pennsylvania. Inside the Magic

Tourist Who Couldn’t Secure Lounge Chairs At Hotel Pool Due To Rampant Seat-Saving Wins Large Payout
A German tourist was awarded $1,200 in court after his family couldn’t secure pool loungers during their luxury resort stay. The court ruled the lack of loungers violated agreed-upon travel conditions under German Civil Code. The Greek resort had rules against guests reserving loungers with towels but reportedly failed to enforce them during the family’s trip. People

Parking Just Got Easier In San Francisco With New Apps And Online Reservations
Young drivers in San Francisco are probably baffled by tales of the old days, when people had to scrounge for quarters to pay for parking. Today, we “feed the meter” through our phones, a payment method that makes the food analogy a little more confusing, and the process a lot more convenient. According to leaders at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, it just got even easier. SF Chronicle

Virgin Atlantic Becomes First Airline To Launch App In ChatGPT
Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline to integrate ChatGPT into its travel experience, in a move aimed at making trip planning smoother, more intuitive and, inevitably, boosting sales too. Gone are the cumbersome searches for the best destination, the endless switching between tabs, or the need to compare fares across multiple windows. Or so Virgin is betting on with its new ChatGPT integration, which it has designed to offer passengers a more seamless and conversational booking experience. Travel Tomorrow

The Two Airlines That Had The Best Q1
Well that does change things, doesn’t it? Frontier may have had good revenue performance, but its profitability is… not good. Allegiant absolutely crushed it once again. But look at Southwest which quietly tied Delta for the best operating margin outside of Allegiant after losing money last year in the same quarter. That is a huge change. With all that data, what do we learn? There are some smaller takeaways, but the key here is that both Allegiant and Southwest are sitting at the top of the heap. Cranky Flier

Toronto’s Pearson Airport Launching Multi-Billion Dollar Modernization, Expansion Project
Officials at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport have announced the start of a multi-billion dollar construction project aimed at modernizing and expanding the facility. The airport is launching the first phase of a long-term investment in facilities and terminals to improve its airfield and baggage systems, CEO Deborah Flint said. Flint said the project is expected to take a decade to complete and is crucial to the passenger experience. The first phase, estimated to cost $3 billion, will include expanding the airfield, overhauling baggage carousels in Terminal 1 and 3, better lighting systems and expanded electric vehicle charging for maintenance vehicles. ABC News

Disney Adventure Sailing After Canceled Cruise, Guests Disembarked
Disney’s newest cruise ship is sailing again, after a mechanical issue unexpectedly canceled its previous voyage. Guests had already boarded Disney Adventure in Singapore on May 7, when their cruise was canceled and they were asked to disembark. “We completely understand this was an unfortunate situation for our guests and worked with them directly to support their travel needs, help make their trip home as smooth as possible and invite them back to a future sailing.” USA TODAY

Here’s What’s Going To Happen To The 91 Planes Abandoned By The Failure Of Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines ceased operations abruptly last week after two bankruptcies, high fuel prices, and a government bailout that failed to go through. Within a near instant, some 17,000 people were out of a job, thousands of flights were canceled, travelers were stranded, and Spirit’s fleet of bright yellow Airbus A320 series aircraft was grounded wherever they sat or landed. The Autopian

Aussie Singer Denied Entry To US As Partner Apologises For Trump Post
Australian musician Keli Holiday has been forced to cut his tour short after being denied entry in the US – with his incident at the border being followed by an apology from his girlfriend over an old social media post about Donald Trump. Holiday, who performs solo and as one half of the electronic duo Peking Duk, said he was “detained” at the border while trying to travel from Canada back into the States for a concert in New York. MSN

Trump ‘Considering’ Venezuela As 51st State, Acting President Responds
More than five months after the United States captured now-former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump has again suggested that his administration would try to annex the oil-rich country. The president told Fox News correspondent John Roberts on Monday, May 11, that he was now “seriously considering a move to make Venezuela the 51st state.” But the South American nation’s current leader quickly pushed back on the idea. Yahoo

=== Sunday, May 10 ===