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):

=== Friday, December 19=== 

American Airlines No Longer Lets Basic Economy Flyers Earn Miles
American Airlines quietly ended the ability for customers traveling on basic economy tickets to earn miles and status. Basic economy tickets are airlines’ most restrictive and already do not allow for changes or seat selection. American customers with elite frequent flyer status who are flying on basic economy tickets will still be eligible for domestic upgrades. CNBC

US Suspends Green Card Lottery Scheme After Brown Shooting
President Donald Trump has suspended the US green card lottery scheme in the wake of a mass shooting at Brown University last week in which two people were killed. The suspect, a Portuguese man who was found dead on Thursday, entered the country through the diversity lottery immigrant visa programme (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. BBC

Avelo Flight From Tweed New Haven Delayed 11 Hours Before Cancellation
An Avelo flight from Tweed New Haven to Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport was delayed for 11 hours before being canceled. Courtney Goff, a spokeswoman for the Texas-based airline, said the flight was delayed and ultimately canceled because of several unrelated factors. CT Insider

American Airlines Announces 16-Route Expansion for 2026
American Airlines is adding a new state capital to its route map and expanding regional service to America’s heartland. The carrier unveiled a 16-route expansion that includes new service from Lincoln, Nebraska, with three new routes from Lincoln Airport. The Points Guy

Wiz Khalifa Sentenced to 9 Months in Prison in Romania for Weed Possession
Wiz Khalifa was sentenced in absentia to nine months in prison in Romania following an appeal of a drug case brought after the rapper allegedly smoked weed on stage last year. He was detained in July 2024 and later apologized, saying he meant no disrespect to the country. Rolling Stone

The World’s Fastest Roller Coaster Is Opening This Month at a New Six Flags
Six Flags Qiddiya City will open in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 31 as part of a new entertainment hub near Riyadh. The park will feature 28 attractions, including five world record-breaking roller coasters, marking the first Six Flags built from the ground up outside North America. Travel + Leisure

Sean Duffy’s Daughter Rails Against TSA After Airport Pat Down
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s daughter criticized the TSA after what she described as an invasive pat down at an airport security checkpoint. She said the screening caused her to nearly miss her flight after opting out of a body scanner due to pregnancy. The Independent

Trouble in Trinidad? Worries Country Will Be Launchpad for US Attack on Venezuela
Trinidad and Tobago says it will allow the U.S. military access to its airports as tensions rise between the United States and Venezuela. Officials deny the country would be used as a launchpad for an attack, saying new radar installations are intended to combat local crime. Travel Industry Today

Elliott Starts to Sell Its Southwest Stake
Elliott Investment Management disclosed it has begun selling down its stake in Southwest Airlines after the stock surged. The activist investor first revealed a more than 10 percent stake in June 2024 and has pushed for significant changes at the airline. Cranky Flier

Spirit Is Again in Merger Talks With Frontier
Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines are once again discussing a potential merger, according to a Bloomberg report. If an agreement is reached, a deal could be announced as soon as this month. Travel Weekly

Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein to Retire in February
Delta president Glen Hauenstein will retire on Feb. 28 after 20 years with the airline. A key architect of Delta’s premium and international strategy, he will be succeeded by longtime executive Joe Esposito. CNBC

U.S. Admits Liability in Army Helicopter Collision With American Airlines Jet
The U.S. government admitted liability in the January collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people. The filing cites failures by both the helicopter pilots and the FAA. CNBC

=== Wednesday, December 17 === 

Trump Expands Travel Ban And Restrictions To Include An Additional 20 Countries
The Trump administration announced Tuesday it was expanding travel restrictions to an additional 20 countries and the Palestinian Authority, doubling the number of nations affected by sweeping limits announced earlier this year on who can travel and emigrate to the U.S. The Trump administration included five more countries as well as people traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority to the list of countries facing a full ban on travel to the U.S. and imposed new limits on 15 other countries. Associated Press — Yahoo News

Oakland Airport Now Lets Visitors Go Past Security To Say Goodbye
The scene once common at American airports — families lingering for one more hug at the gate, friends waving until a jet bridge door closed — is returning to Oakland, at least for travelers willing to plan ahead. Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport began offering what it calls an OAK Guest Pass on Monday, allowing members of the public without airline tickets to enter the post-security side of its terminals. San Francisco Chronicle — SF Chronicle

Chaos On San Francisco Street After Cable Car Slams To An Abrupt Halt, Leaving 15 People Injured
Chaos erupted on a steep San Francisco street on Monday afternoon after a cable car came to a sudden, violent stop, injuring 15 people and triggering an emergency response in one of the city’s busiest corridors. The incident unfolded on California Street between Hyde and Leavenworth near Nob Hill, where the San Francisco Fire Department rushed to the scene amid reports of multiple injuries just after 3pm. Daily Mail — MSN

Travelers Say These Are The Best U.S. Airlines For On-Time Flights, Customer Satisfaction And More
In November, AirHelp, a service that helps airline passengers claim compensation for flight disruptions, released its annual ranking of the best U.S. airlines. To determine the ranking, the organization looked at on-time performance, claim processing and customer experience — analyzing data from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. Each airline was given a score out of 10. CNBC — MSN

Why $10,000 Bonuses For Air-Safety Workers Are Backfiring
Bonus payments aim to motivate hard workers and inspire them to go the extra mile. For many air-traffic controllers and airport security officers, they are having the opposite effect. After the U.S. government shutdown this fall, the Trump administration pledged $10,000 bonuses to hundreds of air-traffic controllers, technicians and Transportation Security Administration officers, intended to recognize workers who consistently came in despite working without pay. Wall Street Journal — MSN

Alaska Man Charged After Trying To Open Plane Door Mid-Air, Feds Say
An out-of-control Alaska Airlines passenger had to be restrained by fellow travelers after authorities say he tried to yank open the cabin door while the aircraft was in midair, insisting, “The wings have disappeared. We’re all going to die.” Just prior to the incident, Wasilla resident Kassian William Fredericks, 36, was overheard saying, “Stop the plane, stop the plane,” according to an FBI probable cause affidavit. The Independent — MSN

Where Are Your Best Chances For A White Christmas This Year?
AccuWeather’s Anna Azallion breaks down your chances of a white Christmas across the U.S. for 2025. AccuWeather — MSN

Arctic Is Again The Hottest It’s Been In 125 Years, With Record-Low Sea Ice, NOAA Report Says
The Arctic last season was the hottest it has been in the past 125 years. The extent of sea ice during its usual maximum in March was the lowest in 47 years of satellite recordkeeping. These findings come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic report card, highlighting how rapidly the region is changing as the planet warms. NBC News — MSN

U.S. FAA To Spend $6 Billion On Air Traffic Telecom, Radar
The Federal Aviation Administration is committing $6 billion by year-end on air traffic control telecom infrastructure and radar surveillance systems to be deployed by 2028. The move follows repeated system failures and is part of a broader congressional effort to modernize the aging air traffic control system. Reuters — Reuters

Princess Cruises Kicks Off “Pitch-Perfect Vacations” With Fleetwide Broadcast Of FIFA World Cup 26™
Princess Cruises will broadcast every match of the FIFA World Cup 26™ across all 17 ships in its fleet, allowing guests to watch all 104 matches live from June 11 through July 19, 2026. Games will air on stateroom TVs and select big screens onboard, ensuring fans don’t miss a moment at sea. PR Newswire — PR Newswire

Is It Really Cheaper To Visit Disney Tokyo Than Its U.S. Parks? Inside The Viral Question — And Its Unexpected Answer
Travelers are crunching the numbers to see whether a trip to Tokyo Disney is actually cheaper than visiting U.S. parks. The answer depends on airfare, hotels, timing, and travel style, but the debate has gone viral across social media and travel blogs. New York Post — MSN

Forget The $1.50 Hot Dogs. Have You Tried A Costco Vacation?
Costco Travel remains one of the retail giant’s best-kept secrets, offering vacation packages, cruises, and luxury stays that often undercut traditional booking platforms. Many travelers are unaware the warehouse club even sells travel — despite deals that can rival or beat competitors. Wall Street Journal — MSN

=== Tuesday, December 16 === 

=== Monday, December 15 === 

JetBlue Flight Near Venezuela Avoids ‘Midair Collision’ With US Air Force Tanker
A JetBlue flight from the small Caribbean nation of Curaçao halted its ascent to avoid colliding with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker on Friday, and the pilot blamed the military plane for crossing his path. “We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot said, according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic control. “They passed directly in our flight path. … They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.” AP News

US FAA To Review Boeing Cockpit Alerting System For MAX 10
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday it will review Boeing’s proposed enhanced flight crew alerting system for the Boeing 737 MAX 10, which will include a synthetic enhanced angle-of-attack system and a means to shut off stall warning and overspeed alerts. In December 2022, Congress agreed to waive a deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for the MAX 7 and MAX 10, but required retrofitting planes with future safety enhancements within three years of the MAX 10 certification. The requirements were adopted by Congress as part of aircraft certification reform passed after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia and led to the plane’s 20-month grounding. Reuters

Scam Compounds Become Targets In Thai-Cambodian Border War
As part of deadly border clashes, the Thai military has struck several Cambodian casino and hotel complexes it says had been used to run transnational cyberscams. The targeting of the compounds marks the collision of two crises that have plagued Southeast Asia this year: the expansion of transnational scam networks across the region and the re-ignition of a century-old border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. WSJ

Travelers See Delays, Flight Cancelations Due To Winter Storm In Northeast
A weekend storm sent temperatures plunging well below zero in the Midwest and dumped heavy snow on parts of the Northeast on Sunday, creating many airport delays and slick roads. The storm began Saturday and brought up to several inches of snow in the New York-New Jersey metro area, the region’s first significant snowfall of the season. Light snow fell over parts of New England. The storm was expected to weaken by Sunday night, followed by arctic conditions with overnight windchill temperatures at or plummeting below zero degrees. WRAL.com

Less New York, More Nashville: Europeans Head To Smaller US Cities
European travelers, nearly a year into President Donald Trump’s administration, are popping up in less-heralded—and often more affordable—destinations in the U.S. like Tennessee, Montana and Idaho, while skipping hot spots like New York and Washington D.C. Even as tourism from Western Europe to the United States has dipped, less obvious destinations have seen an uptick in arrivals as tourists seek out classic Americana experiences, and airlines add flights to smaller cities. Reuters

Forget That European Vacation. Your Trip Of A Lifetime Is In Mozambique.
Nina Flohr was following her father, Thomas Flohr, through Kenya and Tanzania, cheering him on as he sped across thousands of miles in a Porsche 911. It was 2011, and Thomas—who, in addition to founding the private jet charter company VistaJet, is an amateur racing driver—was competing in the East African Safari Classic Rally. WSJ

Passengers Landing At JFK Got Stuck On The Tarmac For 3 Hours After A Snowstorm Hit New York
Nearly five inches of snow fell at JFK Airport on Sunday. Passengers were left waiting on the tarmac for hours after landing. As congestion built up, Delta flights into JFK were temporarily stopped from taking off. Daily Mail

Gatwick Airport Drop-Off Charge Rises To £10
Gatwick Airport is increasing the price of its drop-off zones by £3, bringing the minimum charge to £10. The fee to allow drivers to stop outside the terminal for 10 minutes is set to increase on 6 January, making the West Sussex airport the most expensive to drop passengers off in the UK. BBC

How To Avoid An Airbnb Fail
When my husband and I followed our GPS to the charming Maine saltbox home we’d rented on Airbnb last July, we blew right past. We circled back, finally accepting that we’d arrived. Surely, this sad shack on top of a retaining wall at the back of an empty lot was not where we’d planned to spend our summer vacation, was it? The listing for the three-bedroom home — a seven-minute drive from the touristy section of a charming town on Maine’s midcoast — depicted a clean, unfussy, light-filled interior. The owner was a “Superhost,” and the 73 reviews averaged 4.9 stars. But inside was a sad, dank version of that listing: We found spiderwebs in the toaster, gray water gurgling from the taps, and a misaligned exterior door that wouldn’t bolt shut. The New York Times

Can Your Phone Get You Deported? What To Know About Device Searches
Many people view their phones and personal devices as private, but it can be a different story at U.S. borders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has long held the right to search through the devices of those trying to enter the country, but a January executive order by the Trump administration aimed at increasing national security led to heightened vetting. Now, some travelers may be wondering whether the content on their phones or social media profiles could get them denied entry. USA Today

Defining Photos From AP Photojournalists In 2025
Years come and go, sometimes before we even realize that time has passed. Events blur and run together. The news is overwhelming, and even those who follow it closely can feel a sense of unremitting vertigo. Such is 21st-century life on a connected and chaotic planet. AP News

How To Plan A Family Vacation With Three Generations — Without Going Mad
If you’re planning to travel with children and parents this holiday season, may the grace of whatever god you believe in descend upon you with alacrity. May you never grow weary, frustrated or borderline psychotic when your 80-something mom questions your every decision moments after you make it, or when your child loses that wildly overpriced souvenir hours after you finally agree to buy it. LA Times