Travel Week in Review – January 12th, 2024

Inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft remain on hold. After Boeing yesterday offered an initial version of instruction for inspections and maintenance, the company now is revising it “because of feedback received in response” to the instructions, according to the FAA. “Upon receiving the revised version of instructions from Boeing, the FAA will conduct a thorough review.” As of Monday, service on the Boeing 737 Max 9s remained suspended. Read More…

Sleeping on a plane, particularly on long-haul flights, can often be a challenge. First and business class flatbeds provide the best chance in this regard, but, for most customers, the reality of long-haul flying is an upright seat in economy class. While these recline to a certain extent, they’re a far cry from our beds at home. Sitting upright for more than six hours is not the most comfortable, and having to sleep in a seat surrounded by strangers can be stressful. Read More…

MSN has partnered with The Points Guy for our coverage of credit card products. MSN and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers. Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information. As a traveler, I am firmly team carry-on and will very rarely check a bag, while some of my colleagues prefer to always check a bag. Even if you insist on checking a bag, certain items should always go in your carry-on. Here are 10 items to never check, according to our TPG travel team. Read More…

There’s no end in sight for cancellations triggered by the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft across the country in the wake of a harrowing inflight emergency late last week. Alaska Airlines on Wednesday announced plans to cancel hundreds of flights through at least Saturday, five days after one of its aircraft experienced an “explosive” loss of cabin pressure when a door plug separated from the fuselage of a MAX 9 aircraft. Read More…

The next time you fly to the United Kingdom, you might be able to leave your passport safely tucked away in your bag. The nation’s airports will reportedly begin testing new facial recognition technology at “e Gates” for arriving passengers, which would replace border control’s standard physical passport check. Trials of the technology could begin in UK airports as soon as this year, according to a report in The Times of London.  Read More…