Editorial desk

Outspoken Digest Travel Desk

Destinations, airlines, borders and the practicalities of getting there.

Stories by Outspoken Digest Travel Desk

Travel

Ryanair Warns European Fares Will Rise 10 to 20 Percent Next Year as a 2 Billion Euro Fuel Bill Looms

Half-year profit fell 15 percent to 2.15 billion euros as cheap hedges ran out. Michael O'Leary says a temporary pay freeze, fewer crew per flight and more AI are on the table.

Nov 3, 2026/2 min read

A white and blue Ryanair Boeing 737-800 with its landing gear down on final approach to Frankfurt Airport under a grey sky, photographed on 28 November 2021, a file photograph of a Ryanair jet and not of Monday's results

Travel

Naples Airport Shuts for All of November for a New Runway, With 15 Routes Moving to Salerno and a 12 Euro Shuttle

Capodichino closes from 1 to 30 November while 500 workers rebuild the runway around the clock. Some flights shift to Salerno Costa d'Amalfi, others to Rome; hotel bookings are down 40 percent.

Oct 30, 2026/2 min read

The apron and terminal buildings of Naples Capodichino airport with airliners at their stands, a light tower and the slopes of Vesuvius in the haze behind, photographed on 15 October 2011, a file photograph of the airport and not of the runway works

Travel

Thailand's Tourist Arrivals Are Down 4.1 Percent This Year While Its Hotels Keep Expanding

Thailand has had 24.4 million visitors to 17 October, and the government cut its 2026 goal to 33 million. Developers still plan 167 hotel projects and new airlines are returning.

Oct 30, 2026/2 min read

The Bangkok skytrain and glass towers glowing at sunset above a busy road near Silom, photographed on 4 June 2004, a file photograph of the city and not of this year's visitor numbers

Travel

KLM, Finnair and Wizz Air Skip Dubai Until March as Lufthansa Pushes Its Return to 25 November

At least 16 non-Gulf airlines are still not flying to Dubai, Skift counts, while British Airways restarts on 3 November. Here is who is back, who is not, and what stranded passengers are offered.

Oct 29, 2026/2 min read

Aircraft parked at stands on the Terminal 2 apron at Dubai International Airport with the long terminal building and desert scrub behind, photographed on 24 October 2024, a file photograph of the airport and not of this winter's schedules

Travel

British Airways Is Back in Sri Lanka: The First Gatwick to Colombo Flight Lands After 10 Years

BA2045 touched down at Bandaranaike airport on Saturday morning, ending a decade without a British Airways service. Here are the days, times, cabins and launch fares for the winter route.

Oct 24, 2026/2 min read

A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER on final approach with landing gear down against a blue sky, photographed on 30 April 2025, a file photograph of the aircraft type and not of the Colombo inaugural flight

Travel

Etihad Starts Abu Dhabi to Calgary Nonstops on Sunday, Western Canada's First Gulf Link

Calgary gains its first direct flight to the Middle East when an Etihad 787-9 leaves Abu Dhabi on 25 October, nine days earlier than first announced. Days, timings and what to check.

Oct 23, 2026/2 min read

An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 on final approach at Washington Dulles International Airport, photographed on 30 April 2025, a file photograph illustrative of the aircraft type and not of the Abu Dhabi to Calgary service

Travel

Western Sydney Airport Opens to Passengers on Sunday: First Flights, Airlines and How to Get There

Jetstar's 11am Gold Coast service starts Western Sydney's new airport on 25 October, with Air New Zealand next day, Singapore Airlines in November, Qantas in March and Qatar Airways late next year.

Oct 22, 2026/2 min read

The glass-fronted terminal building of Western Sydney International Airport under a blue sky, with its name above the entrance, photographed in July 2026, a file photograph of the terminal before the first passenger flights

Travel

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines Will Fly Nonstop From Seattle to Osaka and Tahiti From Spring 2027

Two new Pacific routes on lie-flat Airbus A330s start in May and June 2027, with sale fares from $999 for a limited time, subject to government approval.

Oct 20, 2026/2 min read

A Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-200 parked at a gate at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, photographed on 21 June 2024, a file photograph of the aircraft type and not of a new Seattle service

Travel

Norte Fire Put 16,000 Under Evacuation Orders in San Clemente, and They Are Now Lifted: What Travelers Should Know

The 570-acre blaze burned six structures and sent thousands to shelters, but by Saturday evening it was 25 percent contained, Santa Ana winds had eased and most roads had reopened.

Oct 18, 2026/2 min read

San Clemente Pier in San Clemente, California, with palm trees and a beach in the foreground under an overcast sky, photographed on 10 June 2023, a file photograph of the pier and not of the Norte Fire

Travel

Tropical Storm Trudy Is Forecast to Become a Major Hurricane as It Nears Mexico's Pacific Coast

Forecasters expect rapid strengthening before the storm nears the southwest and west-central coast this weekend, with dangerous surf first, so travellers to Acapulco should watch updates.

Oct 15, 2026/2 min read

Acapulco Bay in Mexico seen from the hillside with high-rise hotels along the shore and a ship alongside a pier, photographed in February 2010, a file photograph of the bay and not of Tropical Storm Trudy

Travel

Portugal Picks Lufthansa Over Air France-KLM for a 44.9 Percent Stake in TAP Air Portugal

The government chose the German group after Wednesday's cabinet meeting, citing a bid 16 percent higher than its French-Dutch rival and a plan for pilots, fleet and Lisbon airport.

Oct 14, 2026/2 min read

A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320 on the runway at Lisbon airport, photographed in March 2020, a file photograph of the airline and not of Wednesday's announcement

Travel

Riyadh Airport Lost 353 of 354 Departures on Sunday, and Airlines From Lufthansa to Cathay Are Cancelling Saudi Flights

The shutdown at King Khalid has no reopening date, 17 October is only the day the restriction expires, and the disruption has spread to Dammam, Jeddah and the carriers that serve them.

Oct 13, 2026/2 min read

Road signs for international parking and the Riyadh centre on the approach road to King Khalid International Airport, photographed in 2025, a file photograph and not from the days of the closure

Travel

Hurricane Simon Closes Puerto Vallarta's Airport and Sends Tourists to Shelters as a Category 4 Storm Nears Mexico

With hurricane warnings up from Manzanillo to Punta Mita, hotels pausing bookings and flights cancelled until Monday, here is what travellers on Mexico's Pacific coast have been told on Saturday.

Oct 10, 2026/2 min read

Palm trees and hotel buildings along the Malecon seafront in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, photographed in February 2023, a file photograph illustrative of the resort area and not of Hurricane Simon's approach

Travel

Lufthansa Group Suspends Riyadh Flights to 16 October After Houthi Strikes as Nearly Half of Departures Are Cancelled

Foreign carriers have pulled out of the Saudi capital's main airport for days or weeks. Here is who has stopped flying, for how long, how many flights were scrubbed and what to check first.

Oct 9, 2026/2 min read

An orthorectified satellite image of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh showing its terminals and runways, dated August 2006, a file image illustrative of the airport layout and not of the damage reported this week

Travel

Hurricane Isaias Closes Gulf Coast Airports and Clears Alabama's Beaches as Airlines Waive Change Fees

Destin-Fort Walton Beach shuts at 9 p.m. Thursday and Pensacola's terminal on Friday, as Delta, United, American and Southwest open rebooking waivers ahead of a landfall expected late Friday.

Oct 8, 2026/3 min read

Hotel towers and people on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama, photographed in March 2015, a file photograph of a resort town covered by evacuation orders and not of Hurricane Isaias

Travel

Oktoberfest 2026 Ended With a Record 7.4 Million Visitors, Beating the Previous High by 200,000

Munich's final tally put the 16-day festival at 7.4 million guests and 6.7 million litres of beer, with the Oidn Wiesn heritage area up almost a quarter and lost property down.

Oct 4, 2026/2 min read

Crowds inside the Hacker-Festzelt tent at Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese in Munich, photographed on 3 October 2025 and not this year's festival

Travel

Hawaii's 90-Foot Hōlei Sea Arch, About 550 Years Old, Collapsed Into the Pacific During Storm Nolo

The National Park Service says one of the Big Island's best-known landmarks was standing on 23 September and gone by the night of 27 September. Rangers are warning people to stay back from the unstable cliffs.

Oct 3, 2026/2 min read

The Holei Sea Arch on the Kalapana coast, Hawaii, photographed while it was still standing, long before the collapse in September 2026

Travel

Hilton's First Hawaii Curio Collection Hotel Opens on Kauai This Week With Views of the Ocean Course

Hale Hokuala Kauai, a 210-room resort near Lihue Airport, began welcoming guests on 1 October as Hilton's first Curio Collection property in Hawaii, with access to the Ocean Course at Hokuala and a working farm on site.

Oct 1, 2026/2 min read

The coastline at Wailua on Kauai, illustrative of the island where the new resort has opened and not the resort's own grounds, photographed in December 2011

Travel

Heathrow's Terminal 5 Is Getting a Bigger Flagship Lounge Built Like a British Country House

No1 Lounges released renders of the flagship space replacing Club Aspire at Heathrow Terminal 5, a 28 per cent larger lounge with rooms styled as an Orangery and a Library, due to open in spring 2027.

Sep 29, 2026/2 min read

Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5, where the new flagship lounge is being built, photographed ahead of the announced redevelopment

Travel

Hurricane Nolo Grounded Two Dozen Flights and Shut Trails on Hawaii's Big Island Over the Weekend

Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest cancelled 21 flights out of Hilo and four major carriers issued travel waivers as the storm parked south of the island, closing state parks, trails and coastal tours even after its hurricane watch was lifted.

Sep 27, 2026/2 min read

An aircraft coming in to land at Hilo International Airport on Hawaii's Big Island, the airport where flights were cancelled ahead of Hurricane Nolo, photographed in March 2013