Travel Week in Review – January 13th, 2023

The airline industry slowly resumed service after a Federal Aviation Administration system outage caused thousands of flight delays and cancellations across the United States Wednesday. The FAA briefly halted all domestic flight departures across the US Wednesday morning, lifting the ground stop around 9 a.m. ET after it restored a system that provides pilots with pre-flight safety notices. Read More…

Southwest Airlines is offering some customers who were affected by the Christmas week chaos a bonus of 25,000 points, a goodwill gesture as the airline works to sort out ongoing baggage issues and refunds. The airline issued the Rapid Rewards points to customers who had their flights canceled or significantly delayed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2 and who did not elect to rebook or travel. Read More…

Delta Air Lines will begin offering free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights starting February 1. The free Wi-Fi service will be available on more than 500 planes serving Delta’s most popular routes across the continental US beginning February 1, and will be rolled out across the airline’s global fleet by the end of 2024. To tell if you will have free Wi-Fi on your flight, look for a “fast, free Wi-Fi” decal near the boarding door as you get on the plane. The catch? You’ll need to be a Delta SkyMiles member to get the free Wi-Fi. Read More…

Hilton announced the launch of Spark by Hilton, the newest addition to its portfolio of world-class brands. Following extensive research, the introduction of Spark by Hilton fills an open space in the industry by creating a new premium economy lodging option to meet the needs of even more guests and owners seeking value, quality, and consistency. Spark by Hilton provides a simple, reliable, and comfortable stay for every guest, ​​all at an accessible price. Read More…

United Airlines has announced that it is bringing its ice cream sundae cart back to all long-haul international flights in a move that will be well-received by its customers. The announcement comes amidst a strong pandemic recovery that the American carrier looks to ensure robust growth in 2023. For decades, the ice cream sundae cart has been an essential part of the United travel experience. Read More…