Tag Archives: flying

Apps To Help You Survive Holiday Travel

Airport delays, flight cancellations, and long waits in the security line are some of the not-so-welcome gifts we get during the holiday season. Though we can’t avoid all holiday travel snafus, we can be prepared because our smartphones are a great resource. Check out this list of apps and other services that can help.

Your airline’s app
Flight status, gate changes, alerts, nearby lounge info, and your mobile boarding pass—you’ll get all of these through your airline’s app.

Tracking flight delays and cancellations
Apps like FlightStats and FlightAware track flight status and can alert you to delays or weather cancellations, sometimes more efficiently than the airline will. If your flight does get cancelled due to a storm and you want to do what I do—which is to find alternate flights that connect in cities that are having no weather issues—they can tell you which large hubs are unaffected by the current weather situation.

An app for monitoring the wait at airport security lines
The line at security used to be one of the most unpredictable pain points in your journey. Luckily, that has changed, because a few apps can now show you what to expect. The TSA’s official MyTSA app shows you estimated wait times, provides tips on what you can and cannot bring through security, and has a handy “Ask TSA” live-chat feature. MiFlight has real-time info crowd-sourced from fellow travelers using the app (available on iPhone only). You can also check the website of the airport; some (like JFK, EWR, and ATL) offer real-time waits at security and customs.

Real-time updates and answers from your airline
X (formerly Twitter) may have its flaws, but following your airline’s feed is typically one of the quickest ways to find out about delays or cancellations. It can also be an effective way to get in touch with an airline rep fast: Direct your question or complaint to the airline’s social media, and they’re incentivized to give you a speedy answer.

Emergency airline assistance
Cranky Concierge isn’t an app—it’s a website and (gasp!) a phone service—but when your flight is canceled or delayed, and you really need to get where you’re going, this is the help you need. Sure, you could choose to spend frustrating hours on the phone with unhelpful airline customer-service centers, trying to reroute your own trip—or you could let the Cranky team handle it. They have knowledge of and access to info you won’t be able to get on your own, and they can research and rebook you with the best possible option while you get a drink at the airport bar. Cranky Concierge’s urgent assistance service starts at $175 and is accessible through the website and via phone (U.S.: 888-747-1011 x9; global: +1-74-200-4200 x9).

Finding an airport lounge
You no longer need to hold special status or specific credit cards to access certain airport lounges—just pay a fee and you’re entitled to all the comfy couches, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary snacks the elite travelers get.

Priority Pass is a lounge subscription service. For an annual membership fee between $99 and $469, Priority Pass grants its members access to over 1,300 airport lounges and experiences worldwide. Some credit cards, such as American Express Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and certain Capital One cards, offer Priority Pass membership as a free perk, so check out your card’s benefits package before signing up.

Navigating the airport
FLIO covers nearly 6,000 airports globally, connecting you with information on the airport you’re in—everything from where to find power outlets to hotels that offer day-use rooms for long layovers. Services featured vary, depending on the airport. A check of services offered at Newark International Airport (EWR) includes details on where to find nursing suites and how to transfer to other New York-area airports. In Chile’s Santiago airport (SCL), you can find lounges and luggage storage. And at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the app tips you off to baby lounges, an in-airport park, and locations of massage chairs. It’s helpful to know your airport’s IATA code, since airports are listed alphabetically by their three-letter code, and these aren’t always obvious.

A quicker Global Entry experience
Global Entry members can use this app to skip the lines and kiosks at more than 75 airports: Snap a selfie with the app, flash the submission receipt on your phone screen to the Customs and Border Control officer, and you’ll be quickly waved through immigration.

The shortest immigration line without Global Entry
If you don’t have Global Entry, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which allows you to submit necessary customs and immigration paperwork electronically. I’ve seen much shorter lines for app users at the airports that recognize this speedier immigration option.

When you don’t speak the language
When you’re struggling to communicate with a taxi driver, a good translation app can be a godsend. Google Translate lets you speak right into the phone, and then it can translate, out loud, into the selected language. The app’s Google Lens function also decodes written text via your phone’s camera—super-handy for reading menus or museum display panels—and it’s all available offline with dozens of downloadable language dictionaries. Another good option is Apple’s Translate; it features type, voice, or picture translation, like Google, but only offers 17 languages at the moment.

Last-minute hotel stays if your flight is delayed
Sometimes things don’t go as planned, or maybe you didn’t plan at all, and you need a hotel room right now. HotelTonight is made for those times, offering last-minute discounts on hotels of various star levels. The app doesn’t cover every destination in the world, but it does include a lot of big cities and popular travel spots in the U.S. and overseas. One helpful feature is that it sorts urban areas both by neighborhoods and by airports.

Getting to or from the airport, or anywhere else
When you need a ride and you don’t want to drive (or shouldn’t), Uber and Lyft are still the go-to rideshare apps every traveler should have in their phone. Uber is particularly useful in many other countries around the world.

Another alternative to airport taxis
Landing in an airport in an unfamiliar city can be an unsettling experience if ridesharing is banned and you have no idea how reliable or reputable the taxis are. Welcome Pickups contracts with drivers and limo companies in 160 cities worldwide, and you can schedule a transfer from their app or site in seconds. For roughly the price of a local taxi, your driver will meet you at baggage claim or in a specified area and deliver you to your destination. Communication is done within the app, and you can pay by credit card.

Calling and texting for free
Forego costly international calling charges and use WhatsApp to communicate when you’re abroad—both with friends and family back home, and with your private guide or other locals in your destination. With WhatsApp, texts and calls are free anytime your phone is connected to Wi-Fi.

Restaurant reservations
The last thing a weary traveler wants after a long flight is to have to wander the streets looking for a meal. Google and Apple Maps will show you highly rated restaurants in your area, but I love the ease of the reservation app OpenTable to book a table. Particularly helpful, especially when visiting a new city, is the “near me” function. OpenTable, already well entrenched in the U.S., is expanding its international footprint and now serving countries such as the U.K., India, Singapore, Mexico, Australia, Italy, and beyond. One tip: You will want to establish your free account before you leave home.

Maps and navigation
What makes Maps.me so useful is that it offers complete city and country downloads, perfect for touching down in a foreign country where you don’t want to incur roaming data fees.

Getting around town and beyond
Rome2Rio incorporates public transportation schedules with drive, walk, and even scooter/bike times to give you step-by-step travel options in each format within a clean, clear interface. It’ll even tell you which train car to ride in and what subway exit to take. It’s not just city-focused; you can plan trips between cities, and Rome2Rio will offer recommendations of flights, trains, and buses, along with how much they cost.

Calculating currency conversions
An app like Currency lets you skip the mental math of currency conversions—and it saves the latest conversion rate so that it works offline too.

What other apps have saved you during holiday travel? Tell us about them in the comments below.

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Nonstop Flights To Make Your Travels Easier

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As airlines continue to expand post-Covid, travelers can access an increasing variety of appealing destinations all across the globe via nonstop flights—a smart choice that minimizes the chance of your trip getting disrupted by delays or cancellations.

Below are our favorite routes (some new, some revitalized since Covid) that savvy travelers should know about.

We’re updating this article frequently as airlines announce new nonstop flights, so bookmark this page and come back for the latest intel.

Europe
Canada
Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands
Middle East and Africa
Latin America and the Caribbean
Asia

Europe

Atlanta to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta and KLM
Atlanta to Athens, Greece, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Barcelona, Spain, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Brussels, Belgium, on Delta (beginning June 2025)
Atlanta to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS (began June 17, 2024)
Atlanta to Dublin, Ireland, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Edinburgh, Scotland, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany, on Delta
Atlanta to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Atlanta to London (Heathrow), England, on Delta and British Airways
Atlanta to Madrid, Spain, on Delta
Atlanta to Manchester, England, on Virgin Atlantic (seasonal)
Atlanta to Milan, Italy, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Munich, Germany, on Delta and Discover
Atlanta to Naples, Italy, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
Atlanta to Nice, France, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Paris, France, on Air France and Delta
Atlanta to Rome, Italy, on Delta
Atlanta to Shannon, Ireland, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Stuttgart, Germany, on Delta (seasonal, ending early 2025)
Atlanta to Venice, Italy, on Delta (seasonal)
Atlanta to Zurich, Switzerland, on Delta (began May 31, 2024)

Austin to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on KLM
Austin to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa
Austin to London (Heathrow), England, on Virgin Atlantic and British Airways

Baltimore to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways
Baltimore to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair and PLAY (seasonal)

Boston to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta
Boston to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Jet Blue (suspending service sometime between October 2024-March 2025)
Boston to Athens, Greece, on Delta (seasonal)
Boston to Barcelona, Spain, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
Boston to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
Boston to Dublin, Ireland, on Delta and JetBlue (seasonal, through September 30, 2024)
Boston to Frankfurt, Germany, on Condor
Boston to Funchal, Madeira (Portugal), on Azores (seasonal, June 4, 2024 to September 25, 2024)
Boston to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Boston to Lisbon, Portugal, on Delta
Boston to London (Gatwick), England, on JetBlue (seasonal)
Boston to London (Heathrow), England, on United (through summer)
Boston to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia
Boston to Milan, Italy, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
Boston to Munich, Germany, on Lufthansa
Boston to Paris (CDG), France, on JetBlue
Boston to Ponta Delgada, the Azores (Portugal), on Azores
Boston to Porto, Portugal, on Azores
Boston to Reykjavik, Iceland, on PLAY (seasonal) and Icelandair
Boston to Shannon, Ireland, on Delta (seasonal)
Boston to Vienna, Austria, on Austrian (began July 2024)

Charlotte to Athens, Greece on American (begins June 2025)
Charlotte to Dublin, Ireland, on American and Aer Lingus (both seasonal)
Charlotte to Frankfurt, Germany, on American
Charlotte to London (Heathrow), England, on American
Charlotte to Madrid, Spain, on American
Charlotte to Munich, Germany, on American
Charlotte to Paris, France, on American (seasonal)
Charlotte to Rome, Italy, on American (seasonal)

Chicago/O’Hare to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Athens, Greece, on American (seasonal, began May 2024) and United (seasonal, operates May-August)
Chicago/O’Hare to Barcelona, Spain, on United (seasonal)
Chicago/O’Hare to Brussels, Belgium, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
Chicago/O’Hare to Edinburgh, Scotland, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Frankfurt, Germany, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Chicago/O’Hare to London (Heathrow), England, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Madrid, Spain, on American (begins March 30, 2025)
Chicago/O’Hare to Milan (Malpensa), Italy, on United (seasonal, runs until early December)
Chicago/O’Hare to Munich, Germany, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Naples, Italy on American (beginning May 2025)
Chicago/O’Hare to Paris, France, on American (seasonal)
Chicago/O’Hare to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair and United (seasonal)
Chicago/O’Hare to Rome, Italy, on ITA and United (both seasonal)
Chicago/O’Hare to Shannon, Ireland, on United (seasonal)
Chicago/O’Hare to Venice, Italy, on American (seasonal, began June 5, 2024)
Chicago/O’Hare to Warsaw, Poland, on LOT
Chicago/O’Hare to Zurich, Switzerland, on United

Cincinnati to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways (seasonal)
Cincinnati to Paris (CDG), France, on Delta (seasonal)

Cleveland to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus (seasonal)

Dallas/Fort Worth to Barcelona, Spain, on American
Dallas/Fort Worth to Dublin, Ireland, on American (seasonal)
Dallas/Fort Worth to Frankfurt, Germany, on American, Lufthansa
Dallas/Fort Worth to Helsinki, Finland, on Finnair
Dallas/Fort Worth to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish
Dallas/Fort Worth to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways and American
Dallas/Fort Worth to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia
Dallas/Fort Worth to Paris (CDG), France, on American and Air France
Dallas/Fort Worth to Rome, Italy, on American (seasonal)
Dallas/Fort Worth to Venice, Italy on American (beginning June 2025)

Denver to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus
Denver to Frankfurt, Germany, on United and Lufthansa
Denver to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines (began June 11, 2024)
Denver to London (Heathrow), England, on United and British Airways
Denver to Munich, Germany, on Lufthansa
Denver to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France
Denver to Munich, Germany, on United
Denver to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair
Denver to Zurich, Switzerland, on Swiss

Detroit to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta
Detroit to Dublin, Ireland, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
Detroit to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa and Delta
Detroit to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Detroit to London (Heathrow), England, on Delta
Detroit to Munich, Germany, on Delta
Detroit to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France and Delta
Detroit to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Delta and Icelandair
Detroit to Rome, Italy, on Delta

Fort Myers to Frankfurt, Germany, on Eurowings Discover

Houston to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on United
Houston to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa and United
Houston to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Houston to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways and United
Houston to Munich, Germany, on United
Houston to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France

Indianapolis to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus (beginning May 2025)

Las Vegas to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta
Las Vegas to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus (seasonal, began October 25, 2024 and ends April 29, 2025)
Las Vegas to Frankfurt, Germany, on Eurowings Discover and Condor
Las Vegas to London (Gatwick), England, on Norse Atlantic
Las Vegas to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic
Las Vegas to Munich, Germany, on Eurowings Discover
Las Vegas to Zurich, Switzerland, on Swiss

Los Angeles to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on KLM
Los Angeles to Barcelona, Spain, on Iberia and LEVEL
Los Angeles to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
Los Angeles to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus
Los Angeles to Frankfurt, Germany, on Condor (seasonal)
Los Angeles to London (Gatwick), England, on Norse Atlantic
Los Angeles to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and United
Los Angeles to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia
Los Angeles to Oslo, Norway, on Norse Atlantic
Los Angeles to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France, Air Tahiti Nui, Delta, and Norse Atlantic
Los Angeles to Paris (Orly), France, on French Bee (seasonal)
Los Angeles to Warsaw, Poland, on LOT

Miami to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on KLM (halts service summer 2024)
Miami to Berlin, Germany, on Norse Atlantic
Miami to Frankfurt, Germany, on Condor
Miami to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Miami to London (Gatwick), England, on Norse Atlantic, British Airways, American
Miami to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia
Miami to Oslo, Norway, on Norse Atlantic
Miami to Paris (CDG), France, on American and Air France
Miami to Paris (Orly), France, on French Bee
Miami to Rome, Italy, on American (to begin June 2025)
Miami to Warsaw, Poland, on LOT

Minneapolis/St. Paul to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta and KLM
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus and Delta (began May 9, 2024)
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa (began June 2024) and Condor
Minneapolis/St. Paul to London (Heathrow), England, on Delta
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France, Delta and Condor
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair (seasonal)
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Rome, Italy, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Shannon, Ireland, on Delta (seasonal)

Nashville to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways
Nashville to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus (beginning April 2025)

Newark to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on United
Newark to Athens, Greece, on Emirates and United (seasonal)
Newark to Barcelona, Spain, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Bilbao, Spain, on United (beginning May 2025)
Newark to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
Newark to Dubrovnik, Croatia, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Edinburgh, Scotland, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Faro, Portugal’s Algarve, on United (begins May 2025)
Newark to Frankfurt, Germany, on United
Newark to Gothenberg, Sweden, on SAS (through mid-October)
Newark to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Newark to Lisbon, Portugal, on United
Newark to London (Heathrow), England, on United
Newark to Madeira, Portugal, on United (beginning June 2025)
Newark to Malaga, Spain, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Milan, Italy, on United
Newark to Naples, Italy, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Nice, France, on United
Newark to Nuuk, Greenland, on United (beginning June 2025)
Newark to Oslo, Norway, on SAS
Newark to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Palermo, Italy, on United (beginning May 2025)
Newark to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France and United
Newark to Ponta Delgada, the Azores (Portugal), on United (seasonal)
Newark to Porto, Portugal, on TAP Air Portugal and United (seasonal)
Newark to Reykjavik, Iceland, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Rome, Italy, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Shannon, Ireland, on United (seasonal)
Newark to Stockholm, Sweden, on SAS and United (seasonal)
Newark to Tenerife, the Canary Islands (Spain), on United (seasonal)
Newark to Warsaw, Poland, on LOT
Newark to Venice, Italy, on United (beginning late March 2025)
Newark to Vienna, Austria, on Austrian

New York/JFK to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta and JetBlue
New York/JFK to Athens, Greece, on Delta, Norse Atlantic, United, and American (seasonal, began March 2024)
New York/JFK to Barcelona, Spain, on Delta and American (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Belgrade, Serbia, on Air Serbia
New York/JFK to Berlin, Germany, on Delta and Norse Atlantic (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Brussels, Belgium, on Delta (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Catania, Italy, on Delta (beginning May 2025)
New York/JFK to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
New York/JFK to Dublin, Ireland, on JetBlue (seasonal, through September 30, 2024)
New York/JFK to Edinburgh, Scotland, on JetBlue (seasonal, May 22 to September 30, 2024)
New York/JFK to Frankfurt, Germany, on Singapore Airlines
New York/JFK to Funchal, Madeira (Portugal), on Azores (seasonal, April 1, 2024 to October 21, 2024)
New York/JFK to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
New York/JFK to Lome, Ethiopia, on Ethiopian Airlines
New York/JFK to London (Gatwick), England, on British Airways, Delta, JetBlue (seasonal), and Norse Atlantic
New York/JFK to London (Heathrow), England, on American, British Airways, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic
New York/JFK to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia
New York/JFK to Manchester, UK, on Aer Lingus
New York/JFK to Milan, Italy, on American, Delta, and Emirates
New York/JFK to Munich, Germany, on Delta (began on April 9, 2024)
New York/JFK to Naples, Italy, on Delta (seasonal, began May 23, 2024)
New York/JFK to Oslo, Norway, on Norse Atlantic
New York/JFK to Palermo, Sicily (Italy), on Neos Air (seasonal, June through October)
New York/JFK to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France, American, Delta, JetBlue, and Norse Atlantic (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Porto, Portugal, on Azores (seasonal April 3, 2024 to October 23, 2024)
New York/JFK to Ponta Delgada, the Azores (Portugal), on Azores (seasonal, April 1, 2024 to December 27, 2024)
New York/JFK to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair
New York/JFK to Rome, Italy, on American, Delta, and Norse Atlantic (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Shannon, Ireland, on Delta (seasonal, May-September 2024)
New York/JFK to Stockholm, Sweden, on Delta
New York/JFK to Terceira, the Azores (Portugal), on Azores (seasonal, June 1, 2024 to September 28, 2024)
New York/JFK to Warsaw, Poland, on LOT

New York State/Stewart Airport to Faroe Islands (Denmark), on Atlantic (seasonal)

Orlando to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta
Orlando to Frankfurt, Germany, on Eurowings (winter)
Orlando to London (Gatwick), England, on Norse Atlantic and British Airways
Orlando to London (Heathrow), England, on Delta (seasonal, October 26, 2024-March 30, 2025) and Virgin Atlantic
Orlando to Manchester, UK, on Aer Lingus
Orlando to Paris, France on Air France (beginning May, 2025)

Philadelphia to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on American
Philadelphia to Athens, Greece, on American (seasonal)
Philadelphia to Barcelona, Spain, on American
Philadelphia to Copenhagen, Denmark, on American (began on June 6, 2024)
Philadelphia to Dublin, Ireland, on American (seasonal) and Aer Lingus
Philadelphia to Edinburgh, Scotland on American (to begin May 2025)
Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany, on Eurowings Discover
Philadelphia to Lisbon, Portugal, on American
Philadelphia to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways and American
Philadelphia to Madrid, Spain, on American
Philadelphia to Milan, Italy, on American (to begin May 2025)
Philadelphia to Naples, Italy, on American (seasonal, began on June 5, 2024)
Philadelphia to Nice, France, on American (seasonal, began May 6, 2024)
Philadelphia to Paris (CDG), France, on American
Philadelphia to Rome, Italy, on American (seasonal, beginning June 2025)
Philadelphia to Venice, Italy, on American (seasonal, began April 2024)
Philadelphia to Zurich, Switzerland, on American

Phoenix to Frankfurt, Germany, on American
Phoenix to London (Heathrow), England, on American and British Airways
Phoenix to Paris, France, on Air France (began May 23, 2024)

Pittsburgh to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways
Pittsburgh to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair

Portland, Oregon to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta (moves to KLM on October 27, 2024)
Portland, Oregon to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways

Raleigh Durham to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa (began June 2024)
Raleigh Durham to London (Heathrow), England, on American
Raleigh Durham to Paris (CDG), France, on Delta and Air France
Raleigh Durham to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair

St. Louis to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa

Salt Lake City to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta and KLM
Salt Lake City to Frankfurt, Germany, on Eurowings Discover
Salt Lake City to London (Heathrow), England, on Delta
Salt Lake City to Paris, France, on Delta

San Antonio to Frankfurt, Germany, on Condor (began May 17, 2024)

San Diego to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways

San Francisco to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on KLM
San Francisco to Barcelona, Spain, on LEVEL and United (both seasonal)
San Francisco to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
San Francisco to Dublin, Ireland, on Aer Lingus
San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany, on Condor
San Francisco to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
San Francisco to Lisbon, Portugal, on TAP Air Portugal
San Francisco to London (Heathrow), England, on United
San Francisco to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia (seasonal)
San Francisco to Munich, Germany, on Lufthansa and United
San Francisco to Paris (CDG), France, on United
San Francisco to Rome, Italy, on ITA and United (both seasonal)
San Francisco to Zurich, Switzerland, on United (seasonal)

Seattle to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta
Seattle to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS (beginning May 2025)
Seattle to Helsinki, Finland, on Finnair (seasonal)
Seattle to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish
Seattle to London (Heathrow), England, on British Airways
Seattle to Munich, Germany, on Lufthansa (began June 2024)
Seattle to Paris (CDG), France, on Air France and Air Tahiti Nui
Seattle to Zurich, Switzerland, on Edelweiss Air (to begin June 2025)

St Louis to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa

Tampa to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Delta (seasonal, began October 26)
Tampa to Frankfurt, Germany, on Eurowings Discover
Tampa to London (Gatwick), England, on British Airways
Tampa to London (Heathrow), England, on Virgin Atlantic
Tampa to Zurich, Switzerland, on Edelweiss Air

Washington/Dulles to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on United (seasonal, began March)
Washington/Dulles to Athens, Greece, on United (seasonal, operates April 14-December 3, restarts late March 2025)
Washington/Dulles to Barcelona, Spain, on United (seasonal, began February 2024)
Washington/Dulles to Berlin, Germany, on United (seasonal)
Washington/Dulles to Brussels, Belgium, on Lufthansa
Washington/Dulles to Copenhagen, Denmark, on SAS
Washington/Dulles to Dublin, Ireland, on United and Aer Lingus (which adds a second daily flight through the 2024 holidays)
Washington/Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany, on United and Lufthansa
Washington/Dulles to Geneva, Switzerland, on United
Washington/Dulles to Istanbul, Turkey, on Turkish Airlines
Washington/Dulles to Lisbon, Portugal, on United (seasonal, began February 2024)
Washington/Dulles to London (Heathrow), England, on United and British Airways
Washington/Dulles to Madrid, Spain, on Iberia
Washington/Dulles to Munich, Germany, on United and Lufthansa
Washington/Dulles to Nice, France, on United (beginning May 2025)
Washington/Dulles to Paris, France, on Air France, United
Washington/Dulles to Reykjavik, Iceland, on Icelandair and PLAY
Washington/Dulles to Rome, Italy, on United (seasonal, began February 2024)
Washington/Dulles to Venice, Italy, on United (beginning May 2025)
Washington/Dulles to Vienna, Austria, on Lufthansa
Washington/Dulles to Zurich, Switzerland, on Swiss (began March 2024) and United

Canada

Atlanta to Calgary, on WestJet
Atlanta to Montreal, on Air Canada
Atlanta to Toronto, on Delta, Air Canada
Atlanta to Vancouver, on WestJet

Austin to Montreal, on Air Canada (began May 2, 2024)
Austin to Toronto, on Air Canada
Austin to Vancouver, on Air Canada (seasonal)

Baltimore to Ontario, on Southwest

Boston to Ottawa, on Porter
Boston to Vancouver, on Air Canada

Charleston to Toronto, on Air Canada (began March 2024)

Charlotte to Montreal, on American Eagle
Charlotte to Toronto, on American and Air Canada – Jazz Express

Chicago to Calgary, on United
Chicago to Montreal, on United
Chicago to Ottawa, on United
Chicago to Quebec, on United (seasonal, began May 2024)
Chicago to Toronto, on United
Chicago Midway to Toronto, on Porter
Chicago to Vancouver, on United

Dallas/Fort Worth to Toronto, on Air Canada (summer 2025)

Denver to Calgary, on United and Air Canada
Denver to Montreal, on Air Canada and United
Denver to Toronto, on Air Canada and United

Detroit to Montreal, on Air Canada, Delta
Detroit to Calgary, on WestJet

Fort Lauderdale to Ottawa, on Air Canada and Porter
Fort Lauderdale to Toronto, on Porter

Houston to Calgary, on United and WestJet
Houston to Montreal, on Air Canada
Houston to Toronto, on Air Canada and United
Houston to Vancouver, on Air Canada and United

Las Vegas to Montreal, on Air Canada
Las Vegas to Toronto, on Air Canada and Porter
Las Vegas to Vancouver, on Air Canada

Los Angeles to Kelowna, British Columbia, on Alaska (begins December 19, 2024, ends March 17, 2025)
Los Angeles to Montreal, on Porter (seasonal)
Los Angeles to Toronto, on Porter
Los Angeles to Vancouver, on Flair

Miami to Montreal, on Air Canada

Minneapolis/St. Paul to Calgary, on Delta

Maui to Vancouver, on Air Canada

Minneapolis/St. Paul to Montreal, on Air Canada
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Toronto, on Air Canada and Delta
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Vancouver, on Delta

Nashville to Calgary, on WestJet
Nashville to Toronto, on Air Canada and WestJet
Nashville to Vancouver, on WestJet

New York/JFK to Montreal, on Delta, American and Air Canada
New York/JFK to Toronto, on Air Canada, American and Delta
New York/JFK to Vancouver, on JetBlue

Newark to Halifax, on United (seasonal, began May 23, 2024)
Newark to Montreal, on United
Newark to Ottawa, on Air Canada (seasonal)
Newark to Toronto on United

Orlando to Ottawa, on Air Canada and Porter
Orlando to Toronto, on Porter

Palm Springs to Vancouver, on Flair
Palm Springs to to Toronto, on Porter

Philadelphia to Toronto, on American

Phoenix to Calgary, on Delta
Phoenix to Montreal, on Air Canada
Phoenix to Toronto, on Air Canada and Porter
Phoenix to Vancouver, on Air Canada and Flair

Portland to Vancouver, on Air Canada

Pittsburgh to Montreal, on Air Canada
Pittsburgh to Toronto, on Air Canada

Raleigh Durham to Montreal, on Air Canada
Raleigh Durham to Toronto, on Air Canada

St Louis to Montreal, on Air Canada (seasonal, began May 1, 2024)

Salt Lake City to Calgary, on Delta
Salt Lake City to Toronto, on Air Canada
Salt Lake City to Vancouver, on Delta

San Diego to Montreal, on Air Canada
San Diego to Toronto, on Porter

San Francisco to Calgary, on United
San Francisco to Montreal, on Porter (seasonal) and United
San Francisco to Toronto, on United
San Francisco to Vancouver, on United

Seattle to Montreal, on Air Canada
Seattle to Toronto, on Alaska (began May 16, 2024)

Tampa to Ottawa, on Air Canada

Washington/Dulles to Vancouver, on United (seasonal, began May 23, 2024)

Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands

Chicago to Auckland, New Zealand, on Air New Zealand (seasonal)

Dallas/Fort Worth to Brisbane, Australia, on American (began October 27, 2024)
Dallas/Fort Worth to Nadi, Fiji, on Fiji Airways (begins December 10, 2024)

Honolulu to Auckland, New Zealand, on Air New Zealand
Honolulu to Nadi, Fiji, on Fiji Airways
Honolulu to Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on Hawaiian
Honolulu to Sydney, Australia, on Jetstar

Houston to Auckland, New Zealand, on Air New Zealand

Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand, on Air New Zealand and Delta (seasonal)
Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, on Delta (Dec. 4, 2024 through March 28, 2025)
Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, on United
Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji, on Fiji Airways
Los Angeles to Papeete (Tahiti), French Polynesia, on Delta, Air Tahiti Nui, and Air France
Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, on American and Delta

New York/JFK to Auckland, New Zealand, on Air New Zealand and Qantas

San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand, on Air New Zealand and United
San Francisco to Brisbane, Australia, on United
San Francisco to Christchurch, New Zealand, on United
San Francisco to Melbourne, Australia, on United
San Francisco to Nadi, Fiji, on Fiji Airways
San Francisco to Papeete (Tahiti), French Polynesia, on French Bee and United
San Francisco to Sydney, Australia, on United

Seattle to Papeete (Tahiti), French Polynesia, on Air Tahiti Nui

Middle East and Africa

UPDATE as of September 23, 2024: Delta has paused its flights to Israel until December 31, 2024, though flights on its partners Air France and El Al will remain when available. American has suspended flights to Israel through March 29, 2025, and United has suspended indefinitely. El Al is operating its flights between the U.S. and Israel.

Atlanta to Cape Town, South Africa, on Delta
Atlanta to Doha, Qatar, on Qatar Airways
Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa, on Delta
Atlanta to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Delta and El Al

Boston to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Delta and El Al

Chicago to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Etihad
Chicago to Amman, Jordan, on Royal Jordanian
Chicago to Doha, Qatar, on Qatar Airways
Chicago to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Emirates
Chicago to Tel Aviv, Israel, on United and El Al

Dallas/Fort Worth to Doha, Qata, on Qatar
Dallas/Fort Worth to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Emirates

Detroit to Amman, Jordan, on Royal Jordanian

Ft. Lauderdale to Tel Aviv, Israel, on El Al

Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, Israel, on El Al
Los Angeles to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saudia

Miami to Doha, Qatar, on Qatar
Miami to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Emirates

Newark to Cape Town, South Africa, on United
Newark to Cairo, Egypt, on Egyptair
Newark to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on United
Newark to Johannesburg, South Africa, on United
Newark to Marrakech, Morocco, on United (began October 24, 2024)
Newark to Tel Aviv, Israel, on El Al and United

New York/JFK to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Etihad
New York/JFK to Amman, Jordan, on Royal Jordanian
New York/JFK to Casablanca, Morocco, on Royal Air Maroc
New York/JFK to Doha, Qatar, on American
New York/JFK to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Emirates
New York/JFK to Nairobi, Kenya, on Kenya Airways
New York/JFK to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Uzbekistan Airlines
New York/JFK to Tel Aviv, Israel, on El Al and Delta (suspended through October 2024)

Miami to Tel Aviv, Israel, on El Al

Philadelphia to Doha, Qatar, on American

Seattle to Doha, Qatar, on Qatar Airways

Washington/Dulles to Amman, Jordan, on United (exited route indefinitely)
Washington/Dulles to Casablanca, Morocco, on Royal Air Maroc
Washington/Dulles to Dakar, Senegal, on United (beginning May 2025)
Washington/Dulles to Doha, Qatar, on Qatar Airways

Latin America and the Caribbean

Atlanta to Belize City, on Delta
Atlanta to Bogota, Colombia, on Delta
Atlanta to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Aerolineas Argentinas and Delta
Atlanta to Cancun, Mexico, on JetBlue and Southwest
Atlanta to Cartagena, Colombia, on Delta and LATAM
Atlanta to Cozumel, Mexico, on Delta
Atlanta to Curacao, the Caribbean, on Delta
Atlanta to Liberia, Costa Rica, on Delta
Atlanta to Lima, Peru, on LATAM and Delta
Atlanta to Guatemala City, on Frontier (through the holidays)
Atlanta to Manzanillo, Mexico, on Aeromexico (beginning November 2)
Atlanta to Mexico City, on Delta and Aeromexico
Atlanta to Panama City, on Delta
Atlanta to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Aeromexico and Delta
Atlanta to Querétaro, Mexico, on Aeromexico
Atlanta to Quito, Ecuador, on Delta and LATAM
Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Delta
Atlanta to San Jose, Costa Rica, on Delta and Frontier
Atlanta to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Aeromexico and Delta
Atlanta to Santiago, Chile, on Delta
Atlanta to São Paulo, Brazil, on Delta and LATAM
Atlanta to Tulum, Mexico, on Delta

Austin to Cancun, Mexico, on American
Austin to Cozumel, Mexico, on American and Southwest
Austin to Liberia, Costa Rica, on American
Austin to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Austin to Panama City, on Copa
Austin to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Southwest
Austin to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on American and Southwest

Baltimore to Cancun, Mexico, on Frontier
Baltimore to Panama City, on Copa (seasonal)

Boston to Bogota, Colombia, on Avianca
Boston to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Boston to Liberia, Costa Rica, on Delta (seasonal)
Boston to Panama City, on Copa
Boston to Santiago, Dominican Republic, on Jet Blue
Boston to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Jet Blue

Charlotte to Belize City, on American
Charlotte to Cancun, Mexico, on American
Charlotte to Cozumel, Mexico, on American
Charlotte to Curacao, the Caribbean, on American
Charlotte to San Jose, Costa Rica, on American
Charlotte to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on American
Charlotte to Tulum, Mexico, on American

Chicago O’Hare to Bogota, Colombia, on Avianca (began October 27, 2024)
Chicago O’Hare to Cancun, Mexico, on American and United
Chicago O’Hare to Guatemala City, on Avianca
Chicago O’Hare to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on American and United
Chicago O’Hare to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Chicago O’Hare to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on United
Chicago O’Hare to Tulum, Mexico, on United

Cincinnati to Cancun, Mexico, on American

Dallas/Ft. Worth to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on American
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Cancun, Mexico, on American and Frontier (holidays)
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Chihuahua, Mexico (twice daily beginning summer 2025)
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Cozumel, Mexico, (seasonal)
Dallas/Ft. Worth to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on American
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Mexico City (NLU), on Aeromexico and American
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Oaxaca, Mexico, on American
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on American and Frontier (holidays)
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Santiago, Chile, on American
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Tampico, Mexico on American (beginning March, 2025)
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Tulum, Mexico, on American
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Zihuatanejo, Mexico, on American

Denver to Belize City, on United
Denver to Cancun, Mexico, on United and Southwest
Denver to Cozumel, Mexico, on United (seasonal) and Southwest
Denver to Liberia, Costa Rica, on United
Denver to Monterey, Mexico, on Aeromexico (beginning December 21)
Denver to Panama City, on United and Southwest
Denver to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on United and Southwest
Denver to Roatan, Honduras, on United
Denver to San Jose, Costa Rica, on United
Denver to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on United and Southwest

Detroit to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Detroit to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, the Caribbean, on Delta (seasonal)
Detroit to Tulum, Mexico on Delta (beginning January 2025)

Fort Lauderdale to Belém, Brazil’s Amazon, on Azul
Fort Lauderdale to Bucaramanga, Colombia, on Spirit

Fort Lauderdale to Cancun, Mexico, on Jet Blue (daily beginning March 2025)
Fort Lauderdale to Kingston, Jamaica, the Caribbean, on JetBlue (began August 2024)
Fort Lauderdale to Manaus, Brazil’s Amazon, on Azul
Fort Lauderdale to Recife, Brazil, on Azul

Houston to Cancun, Mexico, on United and Spirit (begins March, 2025)
Houston to Medellin, Colombia, on United (began October 27, 2024)
Houston to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Houston to Oaxaca, Mexico, on United
Houston to Panama City, on United
Houston to Puebla, Mexico, on United
Houston to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on United
Houston to San Jose, Costa Rica, on United
Houston to Tulum, Mexico, on United

Kansas City to Cancun, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 18, 2025, ends June 7, 2025)
Kansas City to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 25, 2025, ends April 5, 2025)
Kansas City to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Southwest (seasonal)

Las Vegas to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Alaska (seasonal, began late October)
Las Vegas to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Las Vegas to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Alaska

Los Angeles to Belize City, on Alaska
Los Angeles to Grand Cayman, the Caribbean, on Cayman Airways
Los Angeles to Guatemala City, on Alaska, United
Los Angeles to Lima, Peru, on LATAM
Los Angeles to Manzanillo, Mexico, on Aeromexico (beginning December 21)
Los Angeles to Mazatlan, Mexico, on Delta (beginning December 21)
Los Angeles to Mexico City, on Aeromexico and American (seasonal)
Los Angeles to Nassau, Bahamas, on Alaska
Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on American and United
Los Angeles to San Jose, Costa Rica, on United
Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on American and United
Los Angeles to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on United
Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile, on LATAM
Los Angeles to São Paulo, Brazil, on LATAM
Los Angeles to Tulum, Mexico, on United

Miami to Barranquilla, Colombia, on American
Miami to Bogota, Colombia, on Avianca, American, LATAM, Emirates (began June 3)
Miami to Buenos Aires (EZE), Argentina, on Aerolineas Argentinas and American
Miami to Cali, Colombia, on American and Avianca
Miami to Cancun, Mexico, on American and Aeromexico (daily beginning mid-December)
Miami to Cozumel, Mexico, on American
Miami to Cartagena, Colombia, on Avianca
Miami to Fortaleza, Brazil, on LATAM
Miami to Guatemala City, on Avianca and Frontier (through the winter holidays)
Miami to Havana, Cuba, on Delta
Miami to Liberia, Costa Rica, on American
Miami to Lima, Peru, on American and LATAM
Miami to Medellin, Colombia, on American and Avianca
Miami to Mexico City, on American and Aeromexico
Miami to Panama City, on American
Miami to Quito, Ecuador, on America, Avianca, and LATAM
Miami to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on American
Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica, on American
Miami to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on Boliviana
Miami to São Paulo, Brazil, on American
Miami to Santiago, Chile, on American and LATAM
Miami to Tulum, Mexico, on American

Minneapolis/St Paul to Aruba, the Caribbean, on Delta (seasonal, December 20, 2024-April 20, 2025)
Minneapolis/St Paul to Belize City, on Delta (begins December 2024)
Minneapolis/St Paul to Cancun, Mexico, on Delta
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Cozumel, Mexico, on Delta
Minneapolis/St Paul to Grand Cayman, the Caribbean, on Delta
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Mexico City, on Delta
Minneapolis/St Paul to St. Maarten, the Caribbean, on Delta (seasonal, December 19, 2024-April 12, 2025)
Minneapolist/St. Paul to Tulum, Mexico on Delta

Nashville to Cancun, Mexico, on American and Southwest

New York/JFK to Antigua, the Caribbean, on Delta (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Belize City, on JetBlue
New York/JFK to Bonaire, the Caribbean, on Jet Blue (twice weekly beginning November 5, 2024)
New York/JFK to Buenos Aires (EZE), Argentina, on American and Delta (seasonal, through March 29, 2025)
New York/JFK to Cali, Colombia, on American and Avianca
New York/JFK to Cancun, Mexico, on Jet Blue, American (seasonal)
New York/JFK to Cartagena, Colombia, on Avianca
New York/JFK to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Delta
New York/JFK to Mexico City, on Aeromexico, Delta, and American
New York/JFK to Pereira, Colombia, on Avianca
New York/JFK to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 8, 2025, ends April 20, 2025)
New York/JFK to Punta Cana, Mexico, on Delta
New York/JFK to Quito, Ecuador, on Avianca
New York/JFK to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Delta
New York/JFK to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Avianca
New York/JFK to St. Kitts, the Caribbean, on Delta (seasonal) and JetBlue
New York/JFK to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean, on Jet Blue (twice weekly began October 9)
New York/JFK to Tulum, Mexico, on JetBlue (began June 13, 2024)

Newark to Aruba, the Caribbean, on Jet Blue
Newark to Belize City, on United
Newark to Cartagena, Colombia, on JetBlue
Newark to Guatemala City, on United
Newark to Mexico City, on Aeromexico (began October 27)
Newark to Panama City, on United, Copa
Newark to San Jose, Costa Rica, on United
Newark to Tulum, Mexico, on United

Orlando to Belize City, on Frontier
Orlando to Bogota, Colombia, on LATAM
Orlando to Cali, Colombia, on Avianca
Orlando to Fortaleza, Brazil, on Gol
Orlando to Liberia, Costa Rica, on Frontier
Orlando to Medellín, Colombia, on Avianca
Orlando to Recife, Brazil, on Azul
Orlando to Santiago, Chile, on LATAM
Orlando to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Frontier (holidays)
Orlando to São Paulo, Brazil, on LATAM

Philadelphia to Aruba, the Caribbean, on American
Philadelphia to Cancun, Mexico, on American
Philadelphia to Liberia, Costa Rica, on American
Philadelphia to Turks and Caicos, the Caribbean, on American

Phoenix to Cancun, Mexico, on American and Southwest
Phoenix to Mexico City, on American
Phoenix to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on American and Southwest
Phoenix to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on American and Southwest

Pittsburgh to Cancun, Mexico, on American

Portland, Oregon to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Alaska
Portland, Oregon to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Alaska

Providence, Rhode Island to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Jet Blue

Raleigh Durham to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
Raleigh Durham to Panama City, on Copa (began June 21, 2024)

Sacramento to Mexico City, on Volaris
Sacramento to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 11, 2025, ends April 19, 2025)
Sacramento to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 26, 2025, ends April 21, 2025)

St. Louis to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 25, 2025, ends April 5, 2025)

Salt Lake City to Mexico City, on Aeromexico

San Antonio to Mexico City, on Aeromexico

San Diego to Cancun, Mexico, on Alaska (begins January 2025)

San Francisco to Cancun, Mexico, on Alaska
San Francisco to Liberia, Costa Rica, on Alaska (begins December 21, 2024, ends May 10, 2025) and United
San Francisco to Mexico City, on Aeromexico
San Francisco to Panama City, on Copa
San Francisco to San Jose, Costa Rica, on United

Seattle to Belize City, on Alaska
Seattle to Cancun, Mexico, on Alaska
Seattle to Nassau, Bahamas, on Alaska

Tampa to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Frontier (holidays)

Washington/Dulles to Mexico City, on Aeromexico and United
Washington/Dulles to San Jose, Costa Rica, on Avianca

Asia

Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea, on Delta
Atlanta to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on Delta

Boston to Beijing, China, on Hainan Airlines
Boston to Seoul, South Korea, on Korean Air
Boston to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on American, Japan Airlines

Chicago to Delhi, India, on United and Air India
Chicago to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific
Chicago O’Hare to Tokyo (HND), Japan on Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, United Airlines
Chicago O’Hare to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on All Nippon Airways

Dallas/Ft. Worth to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Seoul, South Korea, on American
Dallas/Fort Worth to Shanghai, China on American
Dallas/Fort Worth to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on American

Detroit to Seoul, South Korea, on Delta
Detroit to Shanghai, China, on China Eastern and Delta
Detroit to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on Delta

Denver to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on United

Honolulu to Fukuoka, Japan’s Kyushu Island, on Hawaiian
Honolulu to Manila, the Philippines, on Philippine Airlines
Honolulu to Osaka, Japan, on Hawaiian and Japan Airlines
Honolulu to Nagoya, Japan, on Japan Airlines
Honolulu to Taipei, Taiwan, on Air China (began June 2024)
Honolulu to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on Delta and Hawaiian
Honolulu to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on Hawaiian

Las Vegas to Seoul, South Korea, on Korean Airlines

Los Angeles to Beijing, China, on Air China
Los Angeles to Hong Kong, on American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and United
Los Angeles to Manila, the Philippines, on Philippine Airlines
Los Angeles to Osaka, Japan, on Japan Airlines
Los Angeles to Seoul, South Korea, on Asiana and Korean Air
Los Angeles to Shanghai, China, on China Eastern, Delta (beginning June 2025), and United (began August 2024)
Los Angeles to Singapore, on Singapore Air
Los Angeles to Taipei, Taiwan, on Starlux
Los Angeles to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on United
Los Angeles to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on American Airlines, United, and ZIPAIR

Minneapolis to Seoul, South Korea, on Delta
Minneapolis to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on Delta

Newark to Delhi, India, on Air India and United
Newark to Mumbai, India, on Air India
Newark to Singapore, on Singapore Airlines
Newark to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Uzbekistan Airlines
Newark to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on United
Newark to Tokyo (NRT), Japan on United

New York (JFK) to Beijing, China, on Air China
New York/JFK to Delhi, India, on American Airlines and Air India
New York/JFK to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific
New York/JFK to Mumbai, India, on Air India
New York/JFK to New Delhi, India, on Air India, American
New York/JFK to Manila, the Philippines, on Philippine Airlines
New York/JFK to Seoul, South Korea, on Asiana, Korean
New York/JFK to Singapore, on Singapore Air
New York/JFK to Taipei, Taiwan, on Eva Air, Air China
New York/JFK to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Uzbekistan Airways
New York/JFK to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on Japan Airlines, ANA, and American (began June 28, 2024)

Salt Lake City to Seoul, South Korea, on Delta (beginning June 2025)

San Diego to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on Japan Airlines

San Jose to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on ZIPAIR

San Francisco to Beijing, China, on Air China
San Francisco to Delhi, India, on Air India
San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Vietnam Airlines
San Francisco to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific and United
San Francisco to Manila, the Philippines, on Philippine Airlines and United
San Francisco to Mumbai, India, on Air India
San Francisco to Osaka, Japan, on United
San Francisco to Seoul, South Korea, on Asiana, Korean Airlines, and United
San Francisco to Shanghai, China, on China Eastern and United
San Francisco to Singapore, on United and Singapore Airlines
San Francisco to Taipei, Taiwan, on China Airlines, EVA Air and United
San Francisco to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on ANA, Japan Airlines, and United
San Francisco to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on ANA, Japan Airlines, United and ZIPAIR

Seattle to Beijing (PKX), China, on Delta (seasonal) and Hainan Airlines
Seattle to Manila, the Philippines, on Philippine Airlines (began October 2, 2024)
Seattle to Seoul, South Korea, on Asiana and Delta
Seattle to Tokyo (NRT), Japan, on ANA, Japan Airlines, Delta, United and American
Seattle to Shanghai, China, on Delta
Seattle to Singapore, on Singapore Arlines
Seattle to Taipei, Taiwan, on Delta (began June 2024) and China Airlines (began July 2024)

Washington/Dulles to Delhi, India, on Air India
Washington/Dulles to Incheon, South Korea, on Korean Air
Washington/Dulles to Tokyo (HND), Japan, on United and ANA

10 Ways to Minimize Holiday Travel Hassles

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It’s that most wonderful time of the year when U.S. airports are jammed, overhead bins crammed, flights delayed, and travel headaches numerous. And this year will be no different. Nerves understandably frazzle when delays hit on a tight travel schedule, so prepare yourself with the following tips, don’t forget your documents, and remember what’s ultimately waiting at your destination: family, friends, and holiday cheer.

1. Download must-have apps.

There are apps that tell you which security line at your airport has the shortest wait time, help you get the assistance you need when your flight plans derail, and more. Here are a few of my favorites.

2. Don’t wrap gifts before you travel with them.

The TSA can ask you to unwrap gifts in your carry-on for examination, slowing down you and everyone else in the security line (and ruining your crisp corner folds). They can unwrap gifts in checked luggage as well. Wrap your gifts when you arrive or send them by mail.

3. Pack so it’s a breeze to get your holiday gifts home.

You may have figured out how to get to Grandma’s with only carry-ons (maybe you ordered all your gifts for your aunts and uncles and cousins online and had them shipped), but what about getting home again with the gifts they give you? Here’s my strategy for bringing home a lot more stuff than you started with.

4. Check in for your flight online 24 hours ahead.

Checking in the day before reduces your chance of getting bumped from an oversold flight and increases your chance of snagging a better seat—one made available 24 hours in advance. That’s when elite-status frequent fliers get upgraded from coach, leaving behind prime empty seats in the forward cabin or exit rows.

5. Leave for the airport earlier than usual.

You know all those drivers you battle with for a parking spot at the mall? You’ll now be battling them on the road to the airport. And in the parking garage. Allow time for being stuck in traffic. Use the predictor function in your favorite navigation app (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, etc.) to estimate your travel time and alert you when to leave, based on the current traffic pattern and your desired arrival. And if possible, pre-book a parking spot; we’ve had good experiences with The Parking Spot. If you can’t prebook, some airports offer frequently updated availability reports for their own parking lots.

And: If you’re scheduling a car service or you’re ride-sharing to the airport, add an extra 15 to 20 minutes to your start time to account for any traffic delays.

6. Flight delayed? Relax in an airport lounge.

More and more pay-as-you-go independent lounges have been popping up all over the U.S. For $25 to $50 you can escape the circus in the terminal and kick back in comfy armchairs—with Wi-Fi, televisions, and snacks—or even shower or nap. As for club lounges run by airlines, many now sell day passes for $60—and give you access to airline agents who can be more helpful in fixing travel snafus than agents you talk to at the gate or on the phone. LoungeBuddy is an app that helps you find and book lounges in your airport; it’s being retired January 13, 2025, but should still be of use for the upcoming holidays. Priority Pass is among the membership organizations that offer access to lounges; pre-paid packages start at $99 per year (Priority Pass is also offered as a perk with credit cards such as American Express Platinum and Chase’s Sapphire Reserve).

7. Be the first to know if your flight is canceled.

If a storm cancels your flight, you’ll be in a mad race with everyone else to grab what few seats are available on alternate flights. If bad weather is brewing in the days before your trip, sign up for flight status alerts, and also check your airline’s website frequently so that, as soon as the airline announces it’s waiving ticket-change fees, you can take action. Also monitor the airline’s social-media feed; it sometimes provides the quickest updates. Be prepared for anything by downloading essential apps and tools for winter travel.

8. Flight canceled? Look for a storm-free hub to connect in.

FlightStats.com tells you at a glance which airports and airlines are suffering weather-related delays and, just as important, which are not. Note which hubs are having no weather issues (Las Vegas, for instance) and rebook to connect through one of them. (Vegas may not be in the linear path to your final destination, but you could end up at your destination much quicker than if you remain in a snowbound airport. And, if you need to overnight in Vegas, there are inexpensive hotels and frequent flights out.)

9. Don’t waste time waiting on hold.

Rather than phoning the airline’s jammed U.S. customer service line and getting stuck on hold for hours while the few available seats to your destination vaporize, call one of the airline’s English-speaking overseas reservations numbers—say, in England, Germany, Australia, or Singapore. (You’ll find these numbers on the airline’s website.)

Or check your airline’s app. You can often rebook yourself without paying change fees. Initiating a text chat session from the app (if available) will also result in quicker responses. Plus, your frequent-flier status can push you up the queue.

10. Score a free future airline ticket.

‘Tis the season for oversold flights, so there’s a chance you could score a free or discounted ticket by volunteering to take a later plane. Delta and American are among airlines that actually ask flyers to name their own voucher amount when checking bags at their kiosk, so passengers compete with themselves and avoid escalating gate auctions. Another strategy: If you’re willing to volunteer to be delayed for a few hours in exchange for a discounted or free future ticket, consider approaching the gate agent before they have made an announcement, so you’re first on the list of volunteers. But don’t accept a voucher without making yourself aware of all the restrictions (blackout dates, expiration date, etc.) and ensuring you have a confirmed seat on a later flight.

Get More Elbow Room When You Travel

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I won the lottery earlier this month. No, not Mega Millions, but something almost as good: I flew from California to Europe in economy class and had three seats all to myself. And I wasn’t the only one—about 20 of us in the back of the plane had three or four seats each.

Here at WendyPerrin.com, we love getting more elbow room when we travel, especially when it starts with the first flight of a trip.

I asked a flight attendant why the plane was so blissfully empty. He explained that I was flying a seasonal route (San Francisco to Zurich, on United) soon after the season had begun, and such routes often take time to build up a full passenger load. I immediately regretted not booking the same route for my trip home: On my return flight from Munich a week later, I could count the plane’s total number of empty seats on just one hand.

If you want to take advantage of this tip yourself, you can find seasonal flights from your home airport in Nonstop Flights to Make Your Travels Easier.

Another reason why the coach section of my flight was so empty? San Francisco and Zurich are popular start and end points for business travelers. The airline may have been willing to operate my flight with a mostly empty economy cabin because they made enough revenue from business travelers sitting up front. That’s another tip for trying to get an empty seat (or two) next to you in coach: Fly heavy business-travel routes. Think flights from business hubs like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., to business hubs like Brussels, Geneva, London, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, and Zurich. (Those hubs need not be your final destination; they are where you can connect to your final destination.)

Executive Editor Brook Wilkinson at an empty airport

WendyPerrin.com editor Brook Wilkinson shares tips for getting more personal space when you fly.

You may not score an empty row every time (I certainly don’t), but here are a few more strategies that I employ to maximize my space in economy:

Fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, when planes are less crowded. Fly in low season too, of course.
If you think your flight won’t fill up, choose a seat toward the back of the plane. If there are two of you, take the window and aisle in the same row. The middle seats in the back are the last ones to fill up, giving you the greatest chance of ending up with an empty seat beside you. I love having a window—partly for the view, partly so that I can rest my head against the plane’s fuselage when I sleep—but if you don’t need a window and you’re flying a widebody, choose an aisle seat in the center section in a row where the other aisle seat in that center section is already occupied. Chances are the middle seats between you will be occupied only if the entire plane is full.
Download your airline’s app and check your flight’s seat map so that you can change your seat if your row fills up. In the last week before a flight, I check the seat map daily. (Note that not all airlines allow you this visibility or flexibility: My ticket from Munich to San Francisco on Lufthansa required that I pay for a seat assignment, and then I could only change my seat by making a phone call.)
At the airline gate, ask the agent if there are any empty seats on the plane, and if so, politely request to sit beside one. (It may help to tell the agent that you’ve got a lot of work to do on the flight and you could use the elbow room.)

Consider carving out more elbow room for yourself after your flight has landed too: Work with a local fixer who will sprinkle your trip with secluded meals in special locations, rooftop restaurants with plenty of breathing room, private boat rides, and other hard-to-book experiences that provide an oasis from the masses. That’s how our travelers got the WOW trips you can read reviews of below.

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China: “Having a gourmet lunch prepared on the Great Wall was a very special moment…”

Travelers Emma Jacobs and her husband dining on the Great Wall of China during their WOW Moment.

Emma Jacobs and Patrick Woerner dining on the Great Wall of China.

“Our trip to China was excellent. We had an amazing dinner prepared and cooked in a private space by a chef and his team, curated by Mei’s office, as our WOW Moment in Beijing. Having a gourmet lunch prepared on the Great Wall was a very special moment. One of a kind!! Shanghai took us by surprise, what a great city with exceptional food. We had a wonderful foodie tour there too.” —Emma Jacobs

Read more reviews of China trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

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Italy: “A day on a private boat in Portofino was magical in every way…”

Elaine and Gregg Patterson on the rooftop of the Marrone Winery in La Morra, Piedmont, Italy after a lunch in their restaurant and before the private tour of the winery.

Elaine and Gregg Patterson on the rooftop of the Marrone Winery in La Morra, Piedmont, where they had lunch and a private tour.

“We had been to different parts of Italy about a dozen times before we started working with Maria and Brian and quickly learned that they can deliver itineraries and experiences that we could never arrange on our own. (And I say that even though I love doing travel research and have planned dozens of trips for us over 40 years.) For this trip, we gave Maria our wish list of Turin, Piedmont wine region, Genoa, Portofino and Lake Maggiore.

Her recommended itinerary checked every box. Wonderful hotels with spacious rooms and beautiful views, private vineyard/winery visits (most with amazing lunches), and the best tour guides who were great travel companions and also helped us plan our free days. Maria’s recommendation for a day on a private boat in Portofino was magical in every way, the restaurants she suggested were all local, delicious, and down to earth, and all the transportation arrangements (excellent drivers, comfortable vehicles) were totally seamless.

Our WOW Moment—a private lesson making cocktails at Martini & Rossi headquarters near Turin—was completely unexpected and completely fun! We learned so much and have so many unforgettable memories from this trip, thanks to Maria and Brian and their network of exceptional people on the ground.” —Elaine Patterson

Read more reviews of Italy trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

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France: “A 2-hour private tour after close at Sainte-Chapelle at the Golden Hour…. YES PLEASE!!!!”

The stained glass windows of Sainte Chapelle in Paris.

Saint Chapelle in Paris, France. Photo: Shutterstock

“What an amazing trip with a lifetime of memories! A 2-hour private tour after close at Sainte-Chapelle at the Golden Hour…. YES PLEASE!!!!

I have been to Paris many times. I have always done my own thing and enjoyed it. This trip we were taking my 82-year-old mother, who mentioned she had always wished she had gotten to Paris. Needless to say, I wanted to make it extra special for her and do a few things I hadn’t previously done. I knew that meant reaching out to someone on Wendy’s WOW List and, let me tell you, after giving Jennifer some background, she came back with a sample itinerary that was just jaw-dropping. She offered things I didn’t even know were possible!!!

On our first evening in the city, we took a 2-hour tour of the city in a vintage French car. It was such a cool experience, it felt like we were in a movie! We got to zip around the city with our informative guide who also expertly and strategically parked the car and took amazing pictures of us all over the city. It was the perfect way to kick off our stay in Paris.

We had a fantastic walking tour of the Marais with a focus on Jewish history. It was informative, moving and tasteful, as it incorporated a lot of food tastings at specialty shops as well. We had a gourmet picnic set up for us in the Luxembourg Gardens; it looked like a postcard! It was a gorgeous day and perfect for some down time and lounging around while enjoying the gardens and former palace grounds.

Jennifer and her team planned two half-day trips for us to get out of the city for a bit. I didn’t want to do Versailles again and she suggested Vaux-le-Vicomte, the inspiration for Versailles! The story behind Vaux-le-Vicomte, the owners and history were so interesting. Truly a beautiful chateau with a tragic history and—no crowds!!! The second half-day tour we spent in Giverny. I had always wanted to go but never made it. Well, I finally made it and it did not disappoint. One of my favorite places.

To cap off our trip, the crème de la crème, we were given a 2-hour private tour of Sainte-Chapelle after close!!!! Two hours all to ourselves in Sainte-Chapelle at the Golden Hour! It was absolutely magical. There are literally no words to describe how special this was. Perfect way to end our trip.” —Christine Stephenson

Read more reviews of France trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

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Malta: “Loved being able to visit a private palazzo in Mdina, which the owner had not yet opened to the public…”

The inside of the Palazzo Falson, in Mdina, Malta.

Palazzo Falson, in Mdina, Malta. Photo: Shutterstock

“Damon made arrangements for us to stay in a quieter part of Valletta, and all of our activities were structured to avoid the crowds arriving and departing on two huge cruise ships. Our hotel was in a 16th-century building, with a lovely view of the harbor, friendly staff, and excellent breakfasts. We could walk or take a little dghajsa boat during our free time to visit other parts of the city. We got to contemplate the two Caravaggios at St. John’s Co-Cathedral a bit ahead of the crowd.

Wendy arranged for us to have a unique WOW Moment, touring the Villa Guardamangia with the curator—and it was a WOW! It is not currently open to the public due to renovation; it is where Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived during the early years of their marriage, while Philip was in the Navy. We all loved the TV series The Crown and, of course, were thrilled to be able to visit!

We also loved being able to visit a private palazzo in Mdina, which the owner had not yet opened to the public. We learned about his family history, including a political murder that took place on his balcony, knick-knacks and treasures found in the attic, and what it takes to renovate a home dating back 400 years!

We also loved a private dinner at the Markus Divinus Winery during which the owner told us what is involved in growing grapes and making wine on this relatively small island. My inner nerd was pleased to visit the Hagar Qim, a prehistoric temple built to worship the fertility goddess and, according to UNESCO, the oldest continuously standing structure in the world.” —Stephanie Wright

Read more reviews of Malta trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

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Vietnam and Cambodia: “Our guide was able to time our sunrise visit to Angkor Wat so well that we thought we had the temple complex to ourselves…”

Travelers Mike and Lindsay Lanaux during sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Mike and Lindsay Lanaux—and no one else—at Angkor Wat at sunrise.

“After listening to the way that we like to travel, Sandy and Ethan planned a trip that catered to our interests in history, architecture, culture and food. We started in Hanoi where we stayed at the Metropole. We really appreciated the history and architecture of the Metropole, as well as the bunker tour of the hotel. In Hue, we were simply awed by the Imperial Palace and the Tombs of the Emperors. Lunch at the home of a local family was one of the highlights of the trip. It was fascinating to see the kitchen where they cooked and to talk to the host about his family history. It truly was one of the best meals of the trip.

In Hoi An, we loved our hotel situated on the river. Watching the boat traffic at night was magical. We also enjoyed our eco tour where we got to ride bikes through the rice paddies and try farming and fishing Vietnamese style. In Saigon, we loved the rooftop bar at our hotel and the history associated with it. The powerboat ride down the Mekong River to the Cu Chi tunnels was fascinating. But the highlight had to be the nighttime Vespa tour exploring the back alleys of Saigon and eating some great street food.

Ending the trip in Siem Reap was a dream come true. The Jaya House River Park Hotel is an excellent mix of luxury and intimacy. Another rooftop bar and spa treatments every day. Our guide was able to time our sunrise visit to Angkor Wat so well that we thought we had the temple complex to ourselves. But the most outstanding experience was being blessed by a 19-year-old monk at his temple and being able to talk with him afterwards. It was truly an exceptional trip that we will always remember.” —Mike and Lindsay Lanaux

Read more reviews of Vietnam and Cambodia trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

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Germany and Czech Republic: “Having a guide in the Palace and Monastery in Prague was invaluable, and Claudia arranged for us to have lunch within the walls…”

Ian and Suzy Crabb on the Charles Bridge in Prague.

“We were in Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden and Prague. It was fantastic and Claudia and Juliet were amazing. They added SO much value to our trip. Claudia personally knows the guides and they were all wonderful. All had personal stories about the history that really made it come alive and touch us. Claudia and Juliet helped us get concert tickets and dinner reservations. I had done this myself for a trip to Spain and having someone else do it was such a relief.

We had so many amazing experiences. We visited two brothers we had hosted who then hosted our children, and we had not seen them for 20 years. Took a train to Braunshweig which Claudia arranged for us. We had a really interesting dinner at CODA in Berlin where every course looks and tastes like a dessert but it’s not. Having a guide in the Palace and Monastery in Prague was invaluable, and Claudia arranged for us to have lunch within the walls with a magnificent view of the city. Touring the Meissen factory was also not on our agenda—a Claudia suggestion—and that day trip (boat down the Elbe to Meissen) was great. Everything went incredibly smoothly and we were SO pleased with our first WOW experience.” —Ian and Suzy Crabb

Read more reviews of Germany and Czech Republic trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

START A TRIP TO GERMANY OR THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Norway: “We essentially had this fjord to ourselves while we rowed and fished…”

Beautiful Nature Norway natural landscape aerial photography. lovatnet lake.

Lovatnet Lake, Norway. Photo: Shutterstock

“What a fantastic trip! Jan did an excellent job planning an amazing self-drive itinerary in Norway. Norway is breathtakingly and relentlessly beautiful. Driving above, around, and on (via car ferry) the fjords is the perfect way to see it. One stunning sight after another comes into view. Waterfalls are everywhere, mountain views, glaciers, fjords, fields in the mountains all overwhelmed with us their beauty. We had so many unique and incredible experiences on this trip but will list only a few:

RIB boat adventure: This three-hour private RIB boat trip from Gudvangen on the Nærøyfjord, Aurlandsfjord, and the Sognefjord eventually docked in Solvorn at the Hotel Walaker, our home for the next two nights. Along this exhilarating fast boat ride we saw stunning beauty, cascading waterfalls and other sights that are too beautiful to adequately describe in words. You might ask what happened to our car while we were zipping along the fjords? No problem—Jan arranged for someone to drive our car the two-and-a-half hours to the hotel for us while we had all the fun!

A day on the fjord: Perhaps the most unique and beautiful experience of the trip was a full day with Sverre and his dog Rondor on an antique rowboat on the fjord just outside the Hotel Union Øye where we stayed. We essentially had this fjord to ourselves while we rowed and fished. We caught two small haddock and Sverre rowed us to shore where he cleaned, deboned and cooked the fish over a fire he built in minutes. His love of nature and his ability to share the beauty of Norway with us was truly special.” —Jonathan and Suzanne Scharfstein

Read more reviews of Norway trips. To get your own WOW trip, start with our trip questionnaire, reached via the black button below.

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Here’s Why Your Family May Want to “Pool” Your Airline Miles

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More and more airlines are allowing passengers to “pool” their miles in a shared account. What does this mean? It’s a quicker path to award tickets, particularly for families. If two parents and two kids each have 15,000 miles in separate accounts, those miles aren’t particularly useful. But a combined pool of 60,000 miles can probably cover at least one person’s flights on the family’s next trip.

Here’s how it helped me snag two free seats: My husband and trumpet-playing son are headed to a trumpet conference. By pooling the mileage they had collectively earned on past United flights, we were able to accumulate enough miles to cover this trip. Airlines that don’t allow mileage pooling extract hefty fees when you don’t have quite enough for an award ticket: You must pay either to “gift” miles to someone else or to buy the extra miles you need.

In this case, my husband and son each had enough miles for one ticket, but purchasing their flights separately would have required identifying my son as an unaccompanied minor—even though his dad would be on the same flights under a separate ticket—and it risked having their reservations rebooked separately if anything went wrong. So pooling their miles provided additional benefits to make their travel smoother.

United is the latest airline to adopt mileage pooling, but a bunch of other airlines already have this system in place, from JetBlue and Hawaiian to British Airways and Emirates. The rules of who can pool mileage and how to do so vary by airline, but I can tell you that United’s process takes several days—you have to wait 72 hours after you join a pool to contribute or redeem miles, and there’s an additional 24-hour waiting period between when you transfer miles into a pool and when you can use them to book a flight. By the time I jumped through all those hoops, the miles required for the flights I wanted had gone up, so I had to add more miles and wait an extra day. But it was still preferable to shelling out more than $600 for the flights; next time I’ll make sure our pool has more miles than what’s needed for the flights I have my eye on, in case the required redemption amount goes up in the interim.

So now that it’s easier for your family to redeem your collective frequent-flier miles, where do you want to go? If you know when you can travel, check out our favorite destinations by month. You’ll also find inspiration in our travelers’ reviews of their best trips, organized by traveler type, trip theme, destination, and more. If you’d like our advice on where to go, click the black button below.

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Best International Stopovers: Two Trips for the Price of One

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Most everyone prefers nonstop flights, but when they’re not available or not affordable, consider turning your flight connection into a fascinating multi-night stopover. A handful of airlines have stopover programs that allow travelers to experience two countries for the price of flying to one—and you might even get a free hotel stay out of it. We reached out to miles-and-points expert Gary Leff, the genius behind award-travel sites View From the Wing and Book Your Award, to get his picks for the best international airline stopovers.

Istanbul via Turkish Airlines (en route to Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and India)

“If you’re flying on a Turkish Airlines ticket with a stopover in Istanbul of more than 20 hours, they will give you a free hotel stay,” says Gary. Business-class passengers can stay in a five-star hotel for two nights, while economy-class passengers can stay in a four-star hotel for one night.

Turkish Airlines has another service called Touristanbul, which offers free sightseeing tours for layovers between 6 and 24 hours (you cannot combine this offer with the hotel offer). Fliers can sign up for one of five daily tours to visit Istanbul landmarks like Galata Tower and Dolmabahçe Palace.

Lisbon or Porto via TAP Air Portugal (en route to Europe, Turkey, Morocco, and Southern Africa)

“I’m a fan of TAP Air Portugal because it frequently runs very deep discounted business-class fares—sub-$1,000 round trips to much of Europe from the airline’s various U.S. gateways,” says Gary. The airline’s stopover program allows travelers to stay up to 10 days in either Lisbon or Porto—a great way to break up a trip to the rest of Europe, or even certain countries in southern Africa.

It’s important to note that the free stopover applies to airfare only, but passengers can also take advantage of exclusive offers and discounts at partners ranging from hotels to transportation to admission fees. (See all benefits here.)

Dubai via Emirates (en route to Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and India)

Dubai Connect offers one free hotel stay, one free meal, and ground transportation to and from the airport; it’s available to any Emirates passenger (regardless of cabin) who has a layover between 10 and 24 hours. The one caveat is that you must be booking the shortest connection possible for the package to be applicable; so you can’t choose the longest layover if a shorter one is available. (“This is to encourage you to use Emirates even when their flight schedules may not be ideal,” says Gary.)

While Emirates doesn’t include free city tours, it does offer hundreds of discounted activities through Dubai Experience—a collection of custom itineraries sorted into different categories such as “Adventure” and “Spa & Relaxation.” You can buy the Dubai Experience either at the time you buy your flight or afterward.

The I.M. Pei–designed Museum of Islamic Art in Doha

Doha via Qatar Airways (en route to Australia, Africa, India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia)

To break up ultra-long flights to places like Australia and Southeast Asia, consider booking a flight with Qatar Airways with an extended stopover in Doha. For layovers longer than 12 hours, Qatar offers discounted hotel stays (very discounted—starting at $14 per night in a four-star hotel), as well as airport transportation and city tours.

In addition, you can also book stopovers for up to four nights, where the price for four nights of four-star accommodations starts at $73.

“Visiting the Museum of Islamic Art is worth the stopover alone,” says Gary. “The museum was I.M. Pei’s last building design, and is a piece of artwork in itself.”

These airline stopover programs can help break up a long journey—but remember that if you want the ultimate on-the-ground experience during a three- or four-night stopover, the folks on our WOW List of Trusted Travel Experts are your best resource. Check out these recent trip reviews to see the difference that Wendy’s WOW approach to trip planning makes.

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How Never to Wait on Hold with Airline Customer Service Again

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While there are many apps and online tools that you can use to get help when your flight is canceled, delayed, or changed, sometimes you just really need to talk to a live person at your airline. Of course, being put on hold forever doesn’t help anyone (you or the customer-service rep you’re about to unleash your frustration on), so here are a couple of tricks to help you avoid endless waits on hold.

Call the airline’s customer-service office in a different country.

Major airlines have overseas locations where staffers speak English—in the U.K., Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, for example—and they are typically just as able to help you as their U.S.-based counterparts, as long as their office is open (not all call centers are open 24 hours) and not dealing with a local weather event. So if you need to speak with someone at, say, American Airlines, try calling one of their worldwide phone numbers. To keep the cost of the call down, use WhatsApp, Skype, or Google Voice.

Let someone else wait on hold.

Gary Leff, the airline expert who writes View From The Wing and founded point.me, taught me about GetHuman.com a few years ago when Snowmageddon hit. This site offers many sanity-saving aids, including: phone numbers (with shortcuts) to many companies, step-by-step guides on how to solve certain problems, and representatives who can solve the problem for you if you simply don’t want to deal with any of it.

Turn to social media

During an Antarctica cruise last year, WendyPerrin.com contributing editor Carolyn Spencer Brown learned that weather would delay her ship’s return to port. On Twitter (now X), she sent a direct message to American Airlines, which was able to quickly rebook her flight home. Reader Kathy Wood tells us she’s also had good experiences using social media to make last-minute flight changes. “I have had great luck with Delta through their Facebook page and Facebook messenger,” she tells us. “I think it does help to be polite in your post and email… not belligerent. I am really impressed with how quick and efficient this has been and how helpful the reps have been.”

Let someone else handle it all.

CrankyConcierge.com offers urgent air-travel assistance, such as rerouting when your flight is cancelled or delayed. Run by longtime airline-industry expert Brett Snyder, the company can also plan your flights from the get-go. Emergency help starts at $175.

Something to keep in mind

When you give your credit card to a customer-service agent based in another country, your card may assess a foreign-transaction fee. So use a card that does not charge foreign-transaction fees.

Smartest Airports for Making Connections

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It seems like every day this summer, there’s been news of massive flight cancellations. And if it’s not cancellations, it’s lost luggage, long security lines, or extreme delays. It’s enough to make any traveler wish they had a private jet at their disposal (which is actually more affordable than you’d think). However, that said, most of us are going to fly commercial and we just want the easiest, most stress-free flying experience possible. Our top recommendation is to fly nonstop whenever possible (and there are great nonstop routes coming back online all the time), but we know that’s not always an option. So when you do have to make a connection, here are the airports that will make it as hassle-free as possible. (And, if you’re flying in business class, they have great lounges.)

Thanks to our go-to air-travel gurus for their input and first-hand experience recommending the best airports for connections: Brett Snyder of Cranky Concierge, and Gary Leff of View From the Wing. (Hear more from both of them in our Q&A travel talk on the best flights, fares, miles and seats.)

European airports

Zurich, Switzerland: Wendy chose this airport for her layover en route to Romania, and it was a breeze.
Munich, Germany: Wendy chose this hub for her flight back, and while the distances can be long, getting through is easy and efficient. Gary suggests this hub instead of Frankfurt airport, which can be confusing to navigate. However, he adds that while Frankfurt isn’t the most user-friendly airport, the upside is that it (and other similarly large but unpleasant hubs like Paris’s Charles de Gaulle) probably offer more flight options if something goes wrong. “While I often find smaller airports friendlier for transit,” he explains, “what I like more than a small airport with an easy layout is a place that has a lot of flights to your destination [like Amsterdam]. You can fly LOT Polish through Warsaw to a number of places, but if your flight is delayed, there may not be as many ‘backup flights’ to get on as traveling through the larger hubs.”
Amsterdam, the Netherlands: The headlines this summer might make you think Schiphol is not a great option, but don’t be misled, says Brett: “That’s really been for local passengers who go through security checkpoints, not connectors.”
Vienna, Austria

Asian airports

Qatar’s Doha International Airport has a pool, a spa, and other amenities. Photo: Billie Cohen

It’s important to make sure you meet the entry requirements of any country you transit through in Asia. Some countries in Asia still have strict pandemic restrictions, so make sure you can actually get into whatever country you’re connecting through, in case you miss your connection and there’s not another flight that day. “Before the pandemic,” says Gary, “I’d have said that Hong Kong is a great airport. Now, there are fewer flights and I wouldn’t want to get stuck there.” With that in mind, he and Brett recommend:

Changi, Singapore: “There’s a reason Singapore is considered the best airport in the world by many. It’s a marvel for everything it offers,” says Gary.
Incheon, South Korea
Dubai, U.A.E.
Doha, Qatar

South American airports

Brett feels that there aren’t any great airports for connections in South America. Instead, his recommendation is that if you can connect in the US, that’s your best bet.

US airports

Even if your destination is international, it can be smart to make a connection within the US rather than overseas. As an example, Gary explains: “I live in Austin…so choosing between Detroit and Frankfurt is relevant if I’m going to, say, Paris.” Brett offers these recommendations:

Charlotte: “It’s a big airport, so you don’t necessarily want the really short connecting times. But it avoids much of the airspace crunch that hits the northeast, so delays are less of an issue. Even better, if you are delayed, they have rocking chairs available for you to pass the time.”
Detroit: “The big Delta hub makes it easy to get to and from smaller airports in the northeast. It’s a big operation, but it’s not hard to get around. Besides, it has a train running back and forth in the terminal, and that’s just fun. It can be a useful jumping-off point for Europe and Asia alike, so it’s a good way to avoid the coasts.”
Seattle: “Seattle is a big and growing airport, just opening its new customs and immigration facility. If you’re heading to Asia, it’s easily the best pick of the three West Coast gateways. The constant threat of fog delays in San Francisco, along with the maze of terminal hopping that may be required at LAX, makes Seattle an easier experience. As an added bonus, it is closer to the great circle path to Asia from most US cities, so it can mean a shorter connection time.”
Salt Lake City and Phoenix: “People don’t think of Salt Lake and Phoenix as global hubs, and they’d be right. But Delta and its partners fly from Salt Lake to Europe, as do American and its partners from Phoenix, so for those in the western US, this is an easy way to get to Europe. The airports are easy to navigate and rarely have weather delay issues.”

Airports close to your final destination

If your connection is at an airport really close to your final destination, you give yourself more options if that flight is delayed. As Gary found out recently when helping out a cousin with a trip from Porto to Brussels. “I booked an award flight on Air France that included a train segment [from Paris] to Brussels. And if he missed the last train of the night, well, it’s just not that hard to get from Paris to Brussels where he absolutely needed to be.”

New Nonstop Flights To Make Your Travels Easier in 2022

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My, how things can change in just a short couple of years. In 2019, there was so much promise for a host of new and exciting airline routes, but, well, we all know what happened. Very few, if any of those new flights, actually started while the pandemic raged.

Now there is hope on the horizon again. Many airlines are planning to launch those long-awaited routes next year and relaunch a few older nonstops that had been temporarily shelved, What’s more, some airlines have already announced exciting new trips that weren’t even on their minds before the pandemic.

To help you find your own excitement and inspiration, let’s take a look at the new airline routes that have either just started or are slated to start in 2022.

Europe

Austin to Amsterdam, on KLM
Austin to London/Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic

Baltimore to Reykjavik on PLAY

Boston to Athens, on Delta
Boston to Barcelona, on LEVEL
Boston to London/Heathrow, on United
Boston to Reykjavik on PLAY

Chicago/O’Hare to London/Heathrow, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Milan/Malpensa, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Reykjavik, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Rome, on United
Chicago/O’Hare to Zurich, on United

Dallas/Fort Worth to Helsinki on Finnair
Dallas/Fort Worth to Istanbul, on Turkish
Dallas/Fort Worth to Madrid, on Iberia

Denver to Paris/CDG, on Air France
Denver to Munich, on United

Detroit to Istanbul, on Turkish, will begin but no details are available

Fort Myers to Frankfurt, on Eurowings

Las Vegas to Munich, on Eurowings Discover

Los Angeles to Dublin, on Aer Lingus
Los Angeles to Frankfurt, on Condor
Los Angeles to London/Heathrow, on United
Los Angeles to Paris/Orly on Frenchbee

Newark to Athens, on United
Newark to Barcelona, on United
Newark to Bergen (Norway), on United
Newark to Dubrovnik, on United
Newark to Frankfurt, on United
Newark to London/Heathrow, on United
Newark to Nice, on United
Newark to Palma de Mallorca, on United
Newark to Paris, on Air France starting Dec 12, 2023
Newark to Ponta Delgada (Azores), on United
Newark to Rome, on United
Newark to Tenerife (Canary Islands), on United

New York/JFK to Paris, on Air France
New York/JFK to Stockholm on Delta

Orlando to Edinburgh, on Virgin Atlantic

Portland (OR) to London/Heathrow on British Airways

Raleigh/Durham to Reykjavik on Icelandair

Salt Lake City to Frankfurt, on Eurowings

San Francisco to Frankfurt, on Condor
San Francisco to London/Heathrow, on United

Seattle to Helsinki on Finnair
Seattle to Istanbul, on Turkish

St Louis to Frankfurt on Lufthansa

Washington/Dulles to Amsterdam, on United
Washington/Dulles to Athens, on United
Washington/Dulles to Berlin, on United
Washington/Dulles to London/Heathrow, on United
Washington/Dulles to Madrid, on Iberia
Washington/Dulles to Reykjavik, on United

One last thing worth noting over the Atlantic: European leisure operator TUI will move its Florida gateway to… Melbourne, a small and easy airport located a little over an hour southeast of Orlando.

Melbourne, FL, to Birmingham, Doncaster/Sheffield, London/Gatwick, and Manchester

Melbourne, FL, to Bristol, Glasgow, and Newcastle in May with Edinburgh

Canada

Atlanta to Montreal, on Air Canada

Austin to Vancouver, on Air Canada

Boston to Calgary, on WestJet

Chicago/O’Hare to Toronto on Flair

Detroit to Montreal, on Air Canada

Las Vegas to Ottawa, on Flair
Las Vegas to Victoria (BC), on Swoop

Los Angeles to Montreal, on Air Transat

Nashville to Edmonton, on Flair

New York/JFK to Toronto on Flair

Salt Lake City to Toronto on Air Canada

San Diego to Montreal, on Air Canada

San Francisco to Montreal, on Air Transat

Seattle to Montreal, on Air Canada

Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands

Honolulu to Auckland, on Air New Zealand

Houston to Auckland, on Air New Zealand

Los Angeles to Auckland, on Air New Zealand
Los Angeles to Papeete (French Polynesia) on Delta, Air Tahiti Nui and Air France

New York/JFK to Auckland, on Air New Zealand, starts Sept 17, 2022

San Francisco to Auckland, on Air New Zealand
San Francisco to Papeete (French Polynesia) on United and French Bee

Middle East and Africa

Atlanta to Cape Town, on Delta, starting Dec 17, 2022
Atlanta to Tel Aviv, on Delta, starting May 10, 2023

Boston to Tel Aviv, on Delta
Boston to Tel Aviv, on El Al

Chicago to Tel Aviv, United and El Al

Dallas/Fort Worth to Tel Aviv, on American

Los Angeles to Tel Aviv, on El Al

Miami to Dubai, on Emirates

Newark to Cape Town, on United (year-round)
Newark to Johannesburg, on United
Newark to Tel Aviv, on El Al and United

New York/JFK to Doha on American
New York/JFK to Tel Aviv, on El Al, American and Delta

Miami to Tel Aviv, on El Al and American

San Francisco to Tel Aviv, on United

Washington/Dulles to Amman, on United
Washington/Dulles to Lagos, on United
Washington/Dulles to Tel Aviv, on United

Central and South America

Austin to Cozumel on American
Austin to Liberia (Costa Rica), on American

Denver to Roatan (Honduras), on United
Denver to San Jose (Costa Rica), on United

Fort Lauderdale to Barranquilla (Colombia), on Spirit
Fort Lauderdale to Bucaramanga (Colombia), on Spirit

Los Angeles to San Pedro Sula (Honduras), on United

Minneapolis/St Paul to Roatan (Honduras), on Sun Country

New York/JFK to Belo Horizonte (Brazil), on Eastern
New York/JFK to Cali (Colombia), on American
New York/JFK to Cartagena on Avianca
New York/JFK to Puerto Vallarta, on JetBlue

Newark to Cartagena, on JetBlue

New Orleans to San Pedro Sula (Honduras), on Spirit

Ontario to San Salvador, on Avianca

Orlando to Belize, on Frontier
Orlando to Cali (Colombia), on Avianca
Orlando to Liberia (Costa Rica), on Frontier
Orlando to Medellín on Avianca

San Francisco to Liberia (Costa Rica), on United

Seattle to Belize, on Alaska

Asia

New nonstop flights to Asia are slowly being added. In addition to several nonstops that have resumed.

Chicago to Delhi on United and Air India

Los Angeles to Singapore, on Singapore Air
Los Angeles to Tokyo/Haneda, on United, expected by October 29, 2022
Los Angeles to Tokyo/Narita on Zip Air

Newark to Delhi on Air India
Newark to Mumbai on United and Air India
Newark to Tokyo/Haneda, on United, expected by October 29, 2022

New York/JFK to Delhi on American Airlines and Air India
New York/JFK to Mumbai on Air India
New York/JFK to Singapore on Singapore Air

Portland (OR) to Tokyo/Haneda, on Delta
Portland (OR) to Seoul/Incheon, on Delta

San Francisco to Bangalore, on United, starts October 28, 2022
San Francisco to Delhi on United and Air India
San Francisco to Singapore, on United

San Francisco to Singapore, on Singapore Air

Washington/Dulles to Tokyo/Haneda, on United, October 29, 2022

Washington DC to Delhi on Air India

Vancouver to Bangkok, on Air Canada, December 1, 2022

Brett Snyder is President at Cranky Concierge, a service that Wendy recommends to WOW List travelers seeking the savviest help with international airline travel. Brett’s service ferrets out the smartest routes and fares, monitors your flights, and provides emergency rerouting assistance if your flight is delayed or cancelled.

Be a safer, smarter traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know. And read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip.

Live Answers to Your Travel Questions: Join Us on Zoom for WOW Week 2022 May 2–6 at 6pm EDT

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UPDATE: WOW Week is now over. Thank you all for joining us! We have posted the Zoom recordings below, in case you missed any talks or want to share them with your friends. Stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter.

More than two years of pent-up travel demand has suddenly been unleashed, and the result is that May and June are nearly sold out in some parts of the world. Prices are soaring, the global travel landscape is still changing weekly because of Covid, war, and other current events—and travelers who want a safe trip of the highest caliber need new strategies and tools to navigate the when, where, and how.

That’s why we’re gathering plugged-in experts for WOW Week 2022, our annual virtual get-together, which, this year, will focus on intel to help you ace 2022 and winter 2023 specifically.

At 6:00 p.m. EDT each evening, May 2–6, we’ll host a live Zoom happy hour with insiders from different parts of the travel world—including airline, insurance, and on-the-ground destination experts—who will share what you need to know, and answer your burning questions, on the timely topics below. These chats are open to all—and they are free, thanks to a generous sponsorship from Medjet, the global medical transport, travel security, and crisis response company—so tell your friends!

Registration is open now by clicking the link for each Q&A that interests you.

We can’t wait to see you there!

—Wendy and the team

Unique Travel Opportunities For 2022 And Beyond

Monday May 2 at 6pm EDT

The shift in the pandemic and other current global circumstances have led to a unique travel landscape this year, from which unusual opportunities are emerging. Join us to learn about how and where to get a better travel experience in 2022.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

How to Protect Yourself and Have Peace of Mind

Tuesday May 3 at 6pm EDT

It may feel like the pandemic is over, but if you are planning a trip, there are specific things you need to do in order to protect yourself. In this talk, experts from the fields of health, travel insurance, and emergency assistance tell you how to prepare.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

Solutions for Summer

Wednesday May 4 at 6pm EDT

It seems like everyone in the world is flooding back to Italy, France, and Greece this summer. Given the sold-out hotels and soaring prices in many dream locations, where can you still get a Covid-safe and iconic experience this summer? We’ll discuss your smartest options.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

Winter Travel: The holidays and beyond

Thursday May 5 at 6pm EDT

Did you get shut out of France and Italy this summer? Consider those countries’ festive holiday spots for Thanksgiving or Christmas instead. We’ll talk about smart and unexpected winter options—from tropical beaches to European Christmas markets to Antarctica cruises to seeing the northern lights—for this year’s winter holidays all the way through to 2023’s spring break.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

Smart Airline Travel in 2022: Best flights, seats, and fares

Friday May 6 at 6pm EDT

Is there any affordable airfare anywhere in the world this year? And, if so, where? Air travel watchdogs Brett Snyder, founder of Cranky Concierge, and Gary Leff, founder of View From the Wing and Book Your Award, reveal what you can expect from airlines and airfares in 2022: when to buy your tickets, how to choose the safest flights, where to find business-class bargains, how to get the most value for your miles, and much more.

WATCH THE ZOOM RECORDING

A big thank-you to our WOW Week sponsor, Medjet.

Medjet is a global air medical transport and travel security membership program that can give travelers greater peace of mind. Their sponsorship enables me, Billie, Brook, Kristine, and the rest of our growing team to spend time answering your travel questions and finding the smartest trip-planning specialists for you.

The Best Credit Cards for Travelers

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Whether you’re actually traveling or working your way toward a trip, the right credit card can be a big help in getting you there.

There are three things that rewards credit cards can do for you, and it’s important to know why you’ve taken a particular card, and to use it accordingly.

Some are best for the initial bonus miles. They’ll give you a ton of points for taking the card, but there’s not really a reason to keep the card after you’ve earned the bonus.

Some are best for ongoing spending. They reward you with valuable points, and lots of them—bonuses for spending on travel, dining, groceries, and the like.

Some are best for the valuable perks. If you fly an airline a lot but not quite enough to earn elite status, the airline’s co-branded credit card will give you many of the same perks, such as priority boarding and free checked bags. Still others get you lounge access or special discounts on airfare. You want to carry these cards, but you don’t necessarily want to put spending on them.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card became the ‘it’ card on the market when it launched three years ago with a 100,000-point sign-up bonus, though that’s been dialed back to a still-generous 50,000 points. Ongoing spending is rewarded generously with triple points on travel and dining. The points can either be used to purchase airfare directly at 1.5 cents in value per point or transferred to a variety of airline and hotel frequent-flier programs. And though the annual fee was just increased to $550, the card’s perks are still generous: a $300 travel credit, credit of the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS, and a Priority Pass Select card with unlimited visits and privileges for two complimentary guests each time, providing lounge access in over 30 U.S. airports and to about 1,300 airport lounges around the world. In terms of travel protections, you’ll get primary collision-damage coverage when you rent cars, along with coverage for lost bags and long flight delays (something Citibank cards lack), and there are no foreign-transaction fees. However, along with the increased fee there have been some nips and tucks to the benefits: The trip cancellation coverage no longer includes when a travel provider goes bankrupt; you’re limited to two guests in airport lounges, they no longer give points on the spending that’s rebated to you as part of the $300 travel credit, and they no longer give you the travel credit twice in your first year. On the other hand, the card now offers Lyft benefits (ten points per dollar) and a complimentary DoorDash DashPass for discounted food delivery.

Here are some of the best cards in each category:

Cards With the Best Bonuses for Signing Up

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: You’ll earn 80,000 points after spending $4,000 on the card within three months. This isn’t the biggest number bonus you’ll ever see, but the points are among the most valuable out there, transferring to airlines including United, British Airways, Air France KLM, Emirates and Singapore, and to hotel programs including Hyatt and Marriott. The card has a $95 annual fee.

If you have a small business, then the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card will be very tempting. You’ll earn 100,000 points after spending $15,000 on purchases within three months of opening your account. This card earns the same transferable points as the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve, so they transfer to various airlines and hotels.

Cards that are Best for Ongoing Spending

All of these cards earn flexible points that can be transferred to a variety of different airline or hotel programs. That way you aren’t locked into a single program—you can choose where to put your points once you know where you’d like to travel and who has the best award availability at that time. The flexibility of points alone makes them more attractive than airline-specific credit cards, and they often earn points at a faster rate, too.

Chase Sapphire Reserve: The card earns a valuable currency that transfers to several airline and hotel programs, and it also earns triple points on all travel and all dining. It’s a Visa card, so it is accepted almost everywhere, and there are no foreign-transaction fees either.

American Express Gold Card: American Express renamed the “Premier Rewards Gold” card and really improved it. It earns 4 points per dollar at U.S. restaurants and supermarkets (the latter on up to $25,000 in spend annually), and 3 points per dollar with airlines. It has a $250 annual fee, which is somewhat offset by a $120 annual dining credit with certain food delivery services and restaurants and $120 annual Uber credit.

Capital One Venture X: The cards above all earn well in spending bonus categories. Consider the one that best matches your own spending patterns. But use it only for spending in those categories! You don’t want to earn just 1 point per dollar on the rest of your spend. If the opportunity cost of $1 in spending on a rewards card is $1 in spending on a 2% cash back card, then you’re effectively buying points at 2 cents apiece when using the rewards card for un-bonused spending. That’s too expensive! Earning with a card like Capital One Venture X for all of the rest of your spending makes sense, since it earns 2 points per dollar on all charges—and the points can either be redeemed directly against paid travel or transferred to airline and hotel loyalty programs. This card has a $395 annual fee, but comes with a $300 annual travel credit for bookings made at Capital One Travel (whether hotels, airline tickets, etc.) plus 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary and comes with a Priority Pass membership for airport lounge access as well as access to Capital One’s own airport lounges. They have a partnership that provides Hertz Presidents Club status, and authorized users of the card come at no annual fee—and these cards are entitled to Priority Pass and Hertz status as well.

Cards With the Best Perks and Benefits

Generally, airline co-branded credit cards are worthwhile for the benefits if you fly one airline most of the time but don’t fly enough to earn elite status. You’ll get waived checked-baggage fees and priority boarding (so you can avoid having to gate-check your carry-on when the plane runs out of overhead-bin space). With United’s card you’ll also get two annual airline lounge passes. These cards aren’t as rewarding as the others on this list, though, for your ongoing spend. So consider getting them for the benefits, but put your spending on other cards.

American Express Platinum: This card is great for lounge access. It gets you into Delta lounges when flying Delta, as well as into American Express’s own network of Centurion lounges and it comes with a Priority Pass Select card, which provides access to lounges around the world (but not credit at Priority Pass airport restaurants). You also get National Car Rental’s Executive status (that means you can pick from better cars when you rent), Hilton’s Gold status (good for upgrades and breakfast), and Marriott’s Gold status (which enables you to avoid unfortunate rooms and get 2pm late checkout). You also get an annual credit of $200 for airline fees, an annual Uber credit of $200 and an annual credit of $100 at Saks; $240 Digital Entertainment Credit; $179 CLEAR credit; $300 Equinox credit and more. That all, to me, makes this card’s $695 annual fee worth paying.

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature: This Bank of America card comes with the unique benefit of a $99+tax companion ticket that isn’t like most companion tickets in travel—it really is good for any seat on any of their flights. If you pay for an economy ticket on Alaska, you can book a companion for only slightly more than $100. I consider the companion ticket to be worth the card’s $75 annual fee, since it’s good throughout Alaska’s route network—even for trips between the U.S. East Coast and Hawaii.

Be a smarter traveler: Use Wendy’s WOW List to plan your next trip. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

When and Where to Use Your Airline Miles This Year

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Frequent travelers want to know the best time to start tapping into that stockpile of credit card points and miles they’ve been racking up during the pandemic, plus the destinations and airlines where those awards will stretch the furthest. For some timely tips, we reached out to miles-and-points expert Gary Leff, who reports on this topic on a daily basis at View From the Wing and who founded Book Your Award, the go-to flight-planning service for getting the best value for your miles and points.

In his own words, here are ten things Gary wants travelers to know about airline miles right now:

1. Points are worth less now than pre-pandemic and will continue to devalue over time. So use them now!

“Airlines tried to hold onto cash during the pandemic. As a result, awards they typically have to pay cash for (like award seats on their partners) became more expensive. Delta’s SkyMiles and United’s MileagePlus now charge more for award travel on partner airlines (like Vietnam Airlines and Air Canada, among many others) than they used to. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points can be used on any seat on the airline—that’s expensive, so Southwest has also reduced the value of their points.

In short: Points are worth less today than they were before the pandemic, and they will most likely continue to devalue with time. The lesson, though, is the same as it was pre-pandemic: Points will never be worth more in the future than they are today. You should use your points now and then start earning them again, rather than saving them all for a future date.”

2. Award flexibility, however, is more lenient than ever—so go ahead and book tickets now, then cancel and rebook if a better deal comes along.

“Cancellation and mileage-redeposit policies of each airline will vary, but in general, award flexibility is greater than before. There were pandemic travel waivers, but also fundamental changes in airlines’ awards programs. American AAdvantage eliminated cancellation and redeposit fees entirely. United has eliminated cancellation and redeposit fees entirely for domestic itineraries, and allows free cancellation for international itineraries a month in advance. Delta has eliminated these fees entirely for travel that originates in the U.S.

Traditionally, the best times to book award travel have been when schedules load: around 12 months out, 6 months out, and in the few days prior to departure. But since tickets bought with points provide such flexibility right now, there’s no downside to locking in a trip ASAP and then canceling/rebooking if a better deal comes along later.

Given the uncertainty in the world, airlines have been holding back more seats until closer to departure. The pandemic has meant that booking late can lead to better results more often than in the recent past. So while there is a good chance that better options (a nonstop versus a connecting flight, or a better airline partner) will arise closer to your travel dates, current ticket flexibility means you can make those improvements at little or no cost.”

3. You’ll find the most valuable seats on long-haul, international flights. The least valuable seats are on domestic flights to leisure destinations.

“During the pandemic there’s been greater demand for domestic travel to leisure destinations (like Florida and Colorado) and close-in international leisure destinations (especially Mexico). That makes awards for those routes tougher to get and pricier when you get them—and thus worse value. The best value comes from the most expensive tickets for seats that are going unsold; right now, that applies to long-haul international premium cabin travel on flights that aren’t full. For example, you could spend as few as 60,000 miles to fly roundtrip business class between the East Coast and Spain on Iberia.

Those differences in value were there before the pandemic, but it’s become doubly true over the past couple of years.”

4. You’ll also generally find better seats on non-U.S. airlines.

“Uncertain times may mean that airlines are a bit more conservative making award seats available—they don’t want to risk giving up a seat for points that they might sell for cash. And many airlines haven’t fully rebuilt their international networks and schedules yet, so there’s fewer international seats available than pre-pandemic. That can make it tougher to get these seats. I’m finding the best availability, though, on non-U.S. airlines that fly to the U.S. On the whole they bring back their flights earlier than demand, there are more empty seats, and so more mileage awards are available.”

5. Unfortunately, business class seats are tougher to buy with awards right now.

“One thing that’s made business class awards harder to get is that many airlines have retired their larger planes or kept them grounded. There are relatively more smaller Boeing 787s flying than larger 777s, and several airlines have dropped A380s entirely. That means fewer seats and fewer premium seats on each flight, making business awards harder to get.

If you are specifically looking for business class seats, however, some award programs are better than others. Right now (e.g. over the past week) there’s been great availability on Emirates (for their U.S.–Europe flights), Turkish (from most U.S. gateways. and they serve more countries than any other airline in the world), Singapore Airlines, and SWISS (especially their New York JFK–Geneva and Montreal–Zurich flights, great for connecting most places in Europe). That covers Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. South America is often tougher.

Note that award availability changes frequently with many airlines, so this can all come and go in a matter of days.”

6. Now is the time to start (or continue) using travel credit cards.

“Card programs have become more robust during the pandemic. American Express and Chase were already strong, but Capital One has gotten much better improving its transfer ratios with nearly all partners to 1:1, and Bilt [a loyalty program for rent payments] has entered the scene in the past few months as a strong transferable points currency. Any of these can deliver great international business class awards because their points transfer to a variety of airlines across Star Alliance, oneworld Alliance, SkyTeam, and non-alliance carriers.”

limestone rock jutting out of water in the islands of Thailand

Award travel availability to Southeast Asian destinations, like Thailand, are good right now. Photo: eltonmaxim / Pixabay

7. Flights to Southeast Asia are currently a great value for your points.

“Right now is the moment in time to grab award tickets to Asia, as countries are just re-opening and many travelers have already booked their 2022 plans. For instance, Singapore Airlines has had great award availability and represents a great way to get to Southeast Asia. It’s becoming possible to travel to Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, for instance, but much of this year is a loss for those destinations.”

My general advice is to travel where it’s desirable to go but where other travelers aren’t going, because that means excess unsold airline seats for awards and other elements of the trip may be better value, too (and the destination less crowded). While tourism in Europe has started to regain its footing, that isn’t yet true for many destinations outside of the continent.”

8. If you do want awards tickets to Europe, Emirates has been a strong option.

“Emirates has just recently had great availability in business class to Europe; and while Emirates Skywards has raised the cost of many awards, they’ve left Europe untouched.

Over the past couple of months I’ve had great luck with redemptions on Emirates, and they don’t just fly from the U.S. to Dubai but also from JFK to Milan and Newark to Athens. Every major transferable bank currency’s points can be moved to Emirates Skywards. (But never do this until you find the availability you want!)”

9. For travel to Africa, try British Airways points through Qatar Airways

Just last week, Qatar Airways awards became substantially cheapers using British Airways Avios. You can use Avios to fly Qatar Airways to Doha and beyond, including Africa. (BA just reduced the number of points and surcharges required for this, and they are a transfer of Chase, American Express, and Capital One.)

10. Consider flights to countries that aren’t fully re-opened yet.

“Airlines are usually making their ‘low level’ mileage awards available out of seat inventory they don’t expect to sell—this availability varies by airline, but most international airlines that are reopening routes before there’s demand have more inventory. One great strategy is to book awards far in the future for destinations that aren’t fully re-opened, assuming that they will be at some point. There’s usually little demand for flights to these countries and reasonably good award inventory. If it turns out the destination still isn’t open enough to be viable to visit, you can probably cancel the ticket for free now.” (See tip #2.)

One more tip

If you have lingering questions about premium international air travel to specific destinations or routes, reach out to Gary’s team at Book Your Award (here’s how it works). He also recommends point.me—a new subscription tool for searching awards across a variety of airlines. “You enter where you want to go, then it shows you the options available for your dates and walks you through booking the flight with helpful step-by-step guides, and even videos showing how to transfer points where needed and how to make the reservation,” he says. “This product just launched with substantial venture capital backing.” Otherwise, each airline lets members search for award tickets for free.

Be a safer, smarter traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know. And read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip.

When Is the Best Time to Buy Airfare This Year?

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Given the rise in fuel prices that’s happening now, given the surge in people who want to travel this summer, and given the no-fly zone over Russia, when should travelers buy their airline tickets for flights this year? We spoke to two air travel experts to get their insights.

If you’re traveling this summer

“For summer, buy now,” says Brett Snyder, founder of Cranky Concierge, a service that not only helps people find and book the best flight options, but also monitors those flights for schedule changes. “Things are starting to get tight, and it might already be too late for the best availability.”

Savanthi Syth, Global Airlines Analyst for Raymond James Financial, agrees. “If there is no change fee, I think travelers should book tickets now. Fares are likely to remain high for the summer due to strong demand, constrained supply (as airlines make sure they have enough crew to avoid operational issues experienced last year), and fuel likely to remain elevated at least in the near term and possibly longer.”

Snyder is seeing that too. “You are starting to see higher fares, especially in premium cabins,” he says. “The lowest fares are long gone—especially to Europe.”

If you’re traveling this fall or winter

“For the fall and beyond, I would hold off, especially for airlines that have change fees,” Syth says. “If you plan on traveling around Thanksgiving or Christmas, I would recommend booking if you see a good fare, but can probably be patient otherwise. That said, I would not recommend waiting on booking those flights too close in, as demand around peak leisure travel periods has been resilient throughout the pandemic, once travel restrictions were lifted.”

And as Snyder explains, airfare pricing is tied to demand. “Loosely, 100 days before travel is when airlines start to play close attention to demand and set pricing to match.” That means that if you buy a ticket, say, a year in advance, that fare is just a rack rate—and most likely high. “There may be exceptions like on Christmas or Thanksgiving. But for normal travel periods, they just put in high fares.”

So when is the right time? “The answer is always ‘whenever you’re ready’,” says Snyder. “If travelers want the comfort of having it locked in, great for them. Others want to wait to see if it comes down. We just always tell people, if you see a ticket at a price you think is fair, get it. You’re going to spend so much time and energy trying to game the system and get the best deal that it’s often not going to be worth it.”

Not everything is changing, though. “You will continue to see fare sales at certain points, as you have seen in the past (like the end of summer), and I would take advantage of those if you can,” Syth says. “Some airlines are trying to encourage the use of points, so I would recommend checking what it would cost based on dollars or points before booking.”

The benchmarks or flags that travelers should look for

Contrary to what you might think, the red flag is not the increase in fuel prices. It’s the decrease in airlines’ capacity. “Fares don’t move just because gas gets pricey,” Snyder explains. “What changes is the number of seats the airlines put out there. They’ll look at their plan and say, ‘This made sense back when fuel was cheap, but now we need higher fares. We can’t just raise fares, so we’re going to cut back on flights and reduce the number of seats we’re putting out on the market because more people are fighting for fewer seats.’ So if you see them cutting capacity, you can expect higher fares.”

Where will you see it? Right in the news. Alaska and JetBlue both made mainstream headlines when they recently trimmed their flights and routes (and Cranky Concierge’s newsletter also covers those updates).

Will economy fares and premium fares be affected differently?

Syth thinks they are both likely to go up. “However, if there is a strong recovery in business demand, premium fares might go up faster this year,” she says. She notes that during the pandemic some travelers were willing to pay more for that better experience. “So far that seems to be holding, but I am not sure how long that lasts.”

Snyder also wonders about this. “They can raise the price, but if people won’t pay it, it doesn’t matter. Now people are paying more for their gas in cars and more for other goods, so they have less to pay for airfare.”

How international fares are likely to be affected

As both Syth and Snyder point out, fare trends depend on the destination, as well as factors such as how many flights go there, how big those planes are, how many travelers want to travel to go there, and global politics.

“I suspect Latin America will see cheaper fare offerings in the near- to medium-term than the Transatlantic, particularly to South America (although possibly not on U.S. airlines),” says Syth. “Asia will be a bit more mixed. Demand is low, so you would expect good fares, but capacity has also been pared back significantly. Also the Russia-Ukraine conflict has made it difficult for U.S. airlines to serve some South Asian destinations. Here too, it will vary by country.“

That said, both experts say Europe is going to be expensive because everyone wants to travel there. “You have two things going on: You have general demand of everyone wanting to travel, and you also have Asia off limits, so everyone is focusing on Europe,” Snyder says.

Tips for Surviving The Flight Delays of Summer 2021

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NOTE: This was written in July 2021, during Covid, when airlines were trying to ramp up service again for the first big wave of summer travelers since the pandemic started in 2020.

After my fifth flight this summer, I wanted to share some tips for other people flying in the U.S. now because U.S. airports and airplanes are like the wild west. Anything can happen, and you may need to fend for yourself. Expect long waits, lines, closed services, and staff shortages.

Every flight I’ve taken during Covid has been delayed at least an hour and a half, and multiple times we’ve been on a six-hour flight for nine or ten hours. They may not serve drinks or food on the plane, and many shops and restaurants in the airports are closed, which means you might be thirsty or hungry for long periods of time. I’ve seen long lines for lost luggage, so do not pack anything with significant value. On a flight from San Francisco to New York, we were diverted to Cleveland and stuck on the tarmac for two hours in the middle of the night because there was nobody in the airport who had the proper certification to operate the gate. They had to go wake someone up at their house. The next morning, we had to stand in line for a paper boarding pass to get back onto our flight, since none of the check-in machines worked and we had to see an agent (who spent 25 minutes trying to get a dog ticketed for another flight). Our TSAPre didn’t work with the paper ticket either. In addition, boarding was alphabetical because they didn’t have a scanner at the gate.

Based on the flight problems I’ve seen and experienced this summer, here is my advice for families headed to the airport:

1. Bring two different types of masks that sit on your face differently. Because you could be in your mask for a very long time. From entering the airport to exiting your destination airport, it may be many hours before you can get outside again.

2. Pack for any climate. You could land in a place where the climate is completely different from where you expected to land. The air temperature on the plane can vary greatly too. So, if you’re wearing shorts and a T-shirt, bring long pants and a hoodie. And always have a spare toothbrush and toothpaste in your carry-on.

3. You might not have access to food when you want it, so bring enough snacks to last you. We were stuck on a plane for more than nine hours (on a five-hour flight) with basic snacks served early in the flight. A lot of airport shops aren’t open yet or are closed when you’re there. Especially if you need special foods like gluten-free or vegan, bring it with you!

4. Expect your flight time to change at the last minute. It could likely change multiple times. Make sure you’re getting notifications from your airline to your phone. We were getting updates on the phone while the pilot said she was getting none.

5. For long delays in the gate area, quickly find a spot off the floor where you can lie flat. Quickly because you may find yourself in competition with 250 other passengers. We found a very wide padded windowsill where we could sleep. Or at least lie flat and keep our carry-ons with us.

6. Use the restroom right before you get on the plane. Because of delays on the tarmac, you may not be able to get up from your seat for a long time after takeoff. You may be stuck in your seat for a while after landing too, because they’re trying to find a gate for your plane. So use it again before the landing process starts and the seatbelt sign goes on.

7. If you land in a different location than expected, don’t rely on the airline for anything. Be prepared to find your own hotel room and transportation to it. We were on the last plane to divert from Newark, so the other planes had gotten all the hotel rooms near the airport. The airline made an announcement that we all had to figure it out for ourselves because every room near the airport was booked. (They gave us a paper that stated their reimbursement policy of approx. $200 per passenger.) I managed to find us a room in Cleveland at 1:00 a.m. because I searched for one downtown, farther away. At the hotel, I had to explain our situation to the night manager so that she would waive the two-night minimum stay.

8. Don’t assume you’re getting back on the same plane you took off on. When you leave a plane, take everything with you. And make sure your bags have your mobile phone number on them, in case they get lost.

9. Fly nonstop when you can. On each delayed flight, the only thing that made it better was that we didn’t have to catch a connecting flight. A lot of people missed their connecting flights. So take nonstop flights when you can. And if you’re flying to an event you can’t miss—like a wedding or boarding a cruise ship—you might want to fly a day early.

As for our night in Cleveland, we wish we’d had either much more time there (to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or a Cleveland Indians game) or much less.

6 Things I Learned About Taking an International Flight to a Recently Reopened Country

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I’ve just landed in Greece, after a nine-hour nonstop flight from New York. Here are five things I learned about taking an international flight to a recently reopened country.

Check the situation at the gate at least an hour before boarding—it is likely to be hectic.

When I arrived at JFK two hours before my flight to Athens, I passed through security in less than a minute (really!), but at the gate I found a scene that was a mess. For one thing, the flight was packed—it was a big plane (2-4-2 configuration in economy) and nearly every single seat was taken, which meant that there were a ton of people huddled around the gate. But what made it worse was that everyone was queued up in a very, very long line for a reason that few people seemed to understand. Some thought it was the usual pre-boarding lineup. Others thought we had to get verified for something before we’d be allowed to board. Still others weren’t sure if this was a verification line only for people who had to show their Covid test and if there was a separate line for vaccinated people.

Delta representatives were at the gate, but they were not using a PA system to make announcements, just shouting occasionally—so you couldn’t hear anything. We all waited, wondering what we were supposed to be doing. I got the feeling that the airline staff was feeling the same way. As rules change and solidify for the countries we’re traveling to, the airlines are tasked with a lot of the prep work—and they don’t yet have good systems in place. This is why boarding was scheduled to start an hour before departure, but it was still a confusing hour. So if you’re the kind of traveler who usually saunters to the gate right around boarding time, do yourself a favor and (a) get to the airport at minimum two hours ahead of your flight and (b) head to the gate as soon as you get through security so that you can evaluate the situation and find out whether you need to start queuing up early for any verification process that has suddenly popped up.

In my case, it turned out that the airline staff wanted to look at everyone’s passport, boarding pass, and official Passenger Locator Form—a contact-tracing form from the Greek government that had to be submitted online prior to departure. (To make things more complicated, when some passengers had filled out the form, me included, they got confirmation emails that the QR-coded, approved document wouldn’t arrive in their email inbox until midnight on the day of their arrival in Greece—and since our flight was an overnight flight that started the day before, we only had proof of submission but not the actual approved form. In the end, the frazzled single Delta staff member tasked with checking the documentation allowed this, but there was a lot of stress among my fellow passengers as to whether they’d be allowed to board.)

Print everything out.

If you keep all your documents on your phone (boarding pass, vaccine/test proof, and any government-required health forms), you’re going to have to shuffle through a bunch of apps when an official asks to see each one. If it’s allowed, you might want to go old-school and print everything out on paper so you can hand over the stack in one fell swoop rather than wrestling with your phone. In fact, the Delta attendant asked me for a paper boarding pass—maybe it makes their lives a little easier too.

Carry a scarf—it’s even more important now.

This is a classic tip, but there’s a new reason why a scarf is part of my essential plane gear. Delta put a blanket and pillow on every seat (yes, even in economy) for the overnight flight, but I couldn’t help but wonder: How clean are they? How are airplane pillows sanitized? The blanket came wrapped in plastic, which I guess indicates that it came from the cleaners. However, the pillows were not wrapped in anything—it was just a pillow in a pillowcase, and I couldn’t tell if the pillowcases were disposable or had been cleaned, as they were just sitting there on the seat on top of the blanket. So throwing a scarf or an extra shirt over the top can act as a personal pillowcase.

Eat at a different time than everyone else.

We took off at 5:15 pm NYC time, and dinner was served shortly after we boarded. Of course everyone took off their masks to eat (quick shout-out to all the passengers, because almost everyone wore their masks correctly; and kudos to the Delta flight crew, who politely nudged noncompliant passengers throughout the flight). Even though I’m vaccinated, and I know that airplanes are pretty safe environments, I still didn’t feel entirely comfortable dining with a few hundred strangers with their masks off. So I decided to wait to have my meal until everyone around me had finished eating and put their masks back on. This had two additional perks: First, I was able to use the bathrooms before the inevitable post-meal rush left them nasty. Second, delaying my meal meant that I could go right to sleep after we took off and therefore get on Greece time more effectively (it was midnight in Greece when our flight took off, we landed at 10am, and I am writing this feeling well rested and ready to get on with my day). When I woke a few hours later, I could eat while everyone else was masked. (I had brought my own food, but if you prefer to eat what they’re handing out, ask a flight attendant to hold your meal.)

Look for open seats at the last minute.

On my way to the airport, I checked the seat plan on the Delta app to see if there were any open rows left on my flight. I already knew the plane was going to be packed, but I also knew there’d been a few of the paid “preferred” rows still available when I checked that morning, and I was considering using my miles to upgrade. But I wanted to wait until closer to the flight time because I also knew I’d be frustrated if I spent the miles expecting to have a two-seat row to myself only to have someone snatch up the other seat at the last second. It was a bit of a gamble, but it paid off: I got the aisle spot in a two-seat row, and no one took the window. I don’t know why that row was considered “preferred”—it wasn’t an exit row, and the seats were the same size as the others—but my 9,500 SkyMiles points purchase ended up being worth it. I had more space for my own Covid-related comfort, and I could stretch out to sleep. If you don’t want to upgrade to a premium class or even a comfort-plus category seat (which was sold out on this flight), you could try this hack and see if you can get a little more space at the last minute.

Get the VIP fast-track pick-up for when you land at your destination.

Ironically, the entry process once I landed in Greece ran a lot smoother, and took a lot less time, than the boarding process in New York. That’s partly because the ground staff in the country you’re traveling to probably knows exactly what they need and how the process works. But it’s also because Mina Agnos, one of Wendy’s recommended travel fixers for Greece, booked a VIP fast-track pick-up service for me: A guide met me with a sign before I entered the passport control area and whisked me past the line of other passengers. First I flashed my CDC vaccine card and my Passenger Locator Form (as promised, the official version with the QR code was in my inbox when I landed, although no one ended up actually scanning the code). Then my fast-track fixer brought me to a special, no-line window to get my passport stamp. Several dozen people were on the regular line, and I expect there would be even more of a crowd as our plane continued to unload all its passengers. Not only did this whole process take just a few minutes, but it also alleviated the stress of dealing with the unfamiliar logistics of our Covid-travel era. With my fast-track fixer at my side, I knew that if I ran into a problem, she could communicate with whatever authorities might have questions, aid me in solving them, and help me get any additional support I needed.

Where to Travel in 2021: What’s open, what’s worth it

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Every week more countries are reopening to U.S. travelers, but which will deliver a Covid-era experience you’ll be happy with? We asked our WOW Listers based around the world to share on-the-ground intelligence in a live conversation and Q&A on May 3, 2021. During this WOW Week talk, they shared smart options for travelers and weighed in on whether you’re better off going soon, or later this year, or next year instead.

The hour was packed with valuable trip-planning insights, which we’ve outlined here for quick reference. Watch the video above for the full conversation (start at 3:25, which is when viewers had arrived and we got started in earnest.) For a complete list of the countries that are open to U.S. travelers now, click here. And for a list of the countries where vaccinated U.S. travelers can go with no pre-trip testing required, click here.

North America

The most popular U.S. national parks will be packed this summer. Forward the video to 10:40 to learn about lesser-known yet spectacular national parks. Read reviews of superb national-park trips that our readers have taken during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire to ensure your own national-parks trip is extraordinary.

To hear about Colorado ski resorts in summertime (where you’ll find 5-star hotels at 3-star prices) and Hawaii specials, skip to 13:10. Read reviews of exciting ski-resort and tropical-resort vacations during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire for a five-star mountain or beach vacation.

To learn how to visit Disney World safely, skipping the lines and enjoying private experiences, forward the video to 16:10. Read reviews of Disney trips during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire for a low-risk, high-reward Disney trip.

For Alaska by small expedition ship (think Glacier Bay all to yourself, with no large cruise ships and everyone on your ship vaccinated), skip to 17:45. Use our questionnaire for a low-risk Alaska adventure.

To learn about safe travel to Mexico, with no pre-trip Covid testing required, skip to 20:47. Read reviews of successful Mexico trips during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire for a low-risk, high-reward experience there.

Tropical Islands

Think Belize for Caribbean beaches, coral reefs, and boating adventures, and forward the video to 25:00. Read reviews of Belize trips during the pandemic so you can understand why we’re recommending it so highly, and use our questionnaire for a low-risk, low-hassle trip there.

If your dream is a private overwater bungalow in Tahiti or Bora Bora, skip to 28:30 to learn how French Polynesia has kept Covid cases low. Read reviews of these islands during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire to get your own extraordinary experience of French Polynesia.

To learn about safe sailing in the Galapagos Islands, with few other boats around, skip to 32:00. Read reviews of Galapagos trips during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire for a low-risk, high-reward trip there.

Pre-Covid-style private-island idylls in the Maldives are addressed at 36:14. Read about Brook’s trip to the Maldives during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire for a low-risk, high-reward trip there.

“Outdoor Museums”: A Unique Moment for Iconic Sights Without the Crowds

Soak up Croatia‘s medieval walled towns and charming islands, minus the tour groups and cruise hordes that normally pack the streets in summertime. Learn more at 48:06. Read reviews of carefully planned Croatia trips during the pandemic, and use our questionnaire for your own low-risk, high-reward experience there.

Turkey‘s legendary archaeological sites are all but empty, no tour groups or cruise crowds in sight. Watch the video at 50:42, and use our questionnaire for an extraordinary Turkey trip.

In Morocco, you can stroll the winding alleyways in the medinas of Marrakech and Fez with few people around and enjoy private, plush, well-ventilated villas, with external entrances off charming courtyards, at a great value. Watch at 1:16:08, and use our questionnaire for an extraordinary Morocco trip.

Egypt has few visitors at its tombs and temples now, and you can spend most of your time outdoors, sailing in feluccas along the Nile and dining al fresco. Skip to 1:13:10 to learn more, and use our questionnaire for an extraordinary Egypt trip.

African Safaris: If You’re Vaccinated, an Optimal Moment is Actually Right Now

A well-constructed Kenya safari can be safe from start to finish, with physical distancing, private vehicles, standalone accommodations, and abundant wildlife throughout. Local infections are low in much of Africa, and in Victoria Falls, the gateway to Zimbabwe, the entire local population has been vaccinated. Watch at 1:03:18 and read reviews of safe safaris during the pandemic. Then use our questionnaire for your own low-risk, extraordinary safari.

In Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia, private and socially-distanced experiences are easily had now, and you will pay much less this year than next. (As we learned from professor of pathology Dr. Timothy Triche in our to-be-published-soon WOW Week Zoom talk on May 4, the situation in South Africa has improved dramatically, it looks like herd immunity has been reached there, and the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are highly effective against the South Africa variant.) Watch at 1:05:50, and use our questionnaire for a low-risk, high-reward safari.

Western Europe: Summer and Fall Possibilities

Consider France in the fall, once the summer crowds from other European countries have dissipated. Forward the video to 41:20, and use our questionnaire for an extraordinary trip to France.

Italy’s iconic museums and monuments, as well as transportation around the country, are all operating at reduced capacity, so book ahead to get the timing you want. A WOW trip should be feasible starting in July. Watch at 56:10, and use our questionnaire for an extraordinary trip to Italy.

Fall is a lovely time for Italy’s many outdoor delights, from ancient ruins to village-to-village hikes to cooking experiences on farms and in vineyards. Skip to 59:00 and use our questionnaire for safe itineraries in Italy’s countryside this fall.

Thanks to the success of the vaccination roll-outs in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, travel without quarantine could resume between the two countries as early as this summer. Watch at 1:01:17, and use our questionnaire for an extraordinary trip to the U.K.

Be a safer, smarter traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know. And read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip.

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