Articles

Air Travel

Article / Passportable

Airport Will Be Renamed to Honor Frederick Douglass

Greater Rochester International Airport in Rochester, New York, is getting a name change to pay tribute to one of the city's most important past residents. Pretty soon, visitors to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What Are Your Chances of Catching Coronavirus on Planes? MIT Study Has Answers

Not long ago, a dear friend reached out to me for advice. His aunt was dying of cancer, and his mother wanted to fly across country to be at the deathbed. My friend was trying to…

Article / Passportable

Major Airfare Search Engine Now Includes Covid-19 Safety Ratings

Scientists are still piecing together evidence to figure out how dangerous airline travel is (judging by this study, it isn't) during the pandemic. But the fact remains: Consumers are…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. State Dept. Lifts Warning Against International Travel: So What?

Let us flag this moment. Today, the U.S. State Department announced that, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control, it was lifting its blanket travel warning against all…

Article / Passportable

Schmoozing United Airlines Gate Agents for Upgrades Is a Complete Waste of Time Now

Remember when travel articles weren't all about airborne pathogens and instead were full of advice like "dress nicely if you want to be upgraded to first class" or "bring a small gift…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Advice from an Airline Pilot About Flying Safely in 2020

Like me, my friend Andrea Eldridge, a pilot with a major airline, has been barraged by questions from family and friends about the wisdom of flying right now. In response, she posted a…

Article / Passportable

Is Brazil Nuts? Amid a Covid-19 Surge, It Reopens Tourism

In a move that feels downright Floridian, the government of Brazil reopened the borders to international tourists on the same day the country reported single-day records for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is This The World's Safest Airport in the Battle Against Coronavirus?

When I'm in Dubai International Airport (DXB), I'm impressed not only by the fact that it has camel's milk chocolate bars for sale—gamy, but tasty—but also by the of-the-moment design…

Article / Entry Requirements & Customs

Prisoners in Their Own Country: Three Ways America's Government Is Betraying the Freedom to Travel

We hold these truths to be self-evident: By neglecting to ensure we retain access to our right to travel, we have lost it.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

New Yorkers Can Have Global Entry Again (Because Homeland Security Lied About It)

After six months, residents of New York State are again allowed to apply for Trusted Traveler Programs, including Global Entry. Why? Because the Department of Homeland Security made…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Does This Look Fun to You? Vloggers Show What Travel Is Like Now

What's travel like these days? Now that things are reopening elsewhere in the world, are you missing out on the fun? You don't have to wonder. YouTube has the answer. The first…

Article / Passportable

JetBlue Offers BOGO Airfare for Autumn and Winter Travel

JetBlue, like all airlines right now, needs to boost both business and passenger confidence. So the carrier has announced a flash buy-one-get-one sale for 3-night air-and-hotel…

Article / Passportable

CBP Changes Tune Again: Delays Global Entry Enrollment for Third Time

U.S. Customs and Border Protection just can't seem to get it together. Yet again, the agency has delayed the reopening of enrollment centers for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. The…

Article / Passportable

American Airlines and JetBlue Become Partners

The first sign that something was unusual was that my cell phone rang, and it wasn't a scam. My friend Jill was on the other line, and she asked breathlessly, "Is it true?" When I…

Article / Passportable

Yes, Americans Can Go to Tahiti! Just Follow These Steps

French Polynesia, known to many by the name of its most populous island, Tahiti, is accepting visitors again. We know, we can't believe it, either. If Americans try going most other…

Article / Passportable

Airline Now Requires Full Face Shields Plus Masks During Flights

As part of an effort to ramp up safety precautions amid the global health crisis, Qatar Airways is now requiring passengers to wear full face shields as well as masks throughout…

Article / Slideshows

What We Don’t Miss About Pre-Pandemic Travel

As we might have mentioned a few dozen times lately, the pandemic has changed travel dramatically. And in many ways, that’s sad (remember when Americans were allowed to enter Europe ?…

Article / Passportable

Can Airlines Legally Force You to Wear a Mask?

Their airline, their rules. If you don't like the rules, get your own plane. That's what it boils down to. Catharine Hamm of the Los Angeles Times looked into the legality of airlines…

Article / Passportable

Airline Accidentally Gives Multimillion-Dollar Refund for Canceled Flight

Given the high volume of cancellations and refunds that airlines are processing amid the pandemic, it should come as no surprise that mistakes are popping up. An eyebrow-raising one…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Miss Broadway? You Can Still Perform Safety Theater at the Airport

On Sunday, a family emergency required me to fly from Nantucket, Massachusetts, to New York City. As I was heading out of the secure passenger area toward baggage claim at JFK…

Article / Passportable

German Airports Open Covid Testing Labs That Could Serve as Models

We'd rather have a Cinnabon, but in a move that could serve as a model for air travel around the world, airports in Frankfurt and Munich have opened onsite Covid-19 testing labs. The…

Article / Passportable

Global Entry Enrollment Centers Soon to Reopen

Update, July 1: Shortly after announcing that enrollment centers would open on July 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection backtracked and postponed their return until at least August…

Article / Passportable

Denied Boarding Because of High Temperature? You Can Get a Refund

If a U.S. airline denies you boarding because you failed its temperature check, you can get a full refund for the cost of the flight. If something like that happens to you, the refund…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

American Airlines Will Now Book Flights to Full Capacity

On Friday, June 26, the United States registered a new single-day record in coronavirus infections—more than 40,000, many of them in young people who exhibit no symptoms. Hours before,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Tourist Industry Crash: Visitors Are Avoiding the USA for Their Own Safety

The rest of the world now sees America as a mortal danger. "At all costs, you do not want to go into a U.S. hospital without insurance," one Canadian told the Palm Springs Desert Sun.…