Latest Updates on Hurricane Idalia Impacting Travel
UPDATE: August 30, 2023 at 3:17 p.m. ET
According to CNN, significant flight disruptions continue this afternoon as Hurricane Idalia sweeps across Florida and makes its way up along the Atlantic coastline.
Several airports remain closed, including St. Pete-Clearwater, Tallahassee, and Tampa, although the latter plans to reopen to inbound flights at 4:00 p.m. ET and reopen fully on Thursday. Sarasota’s airport reopened Wednesday morning, while St. Pete-Clearwater plans on reopening in the afternoon.
Affected travelers should continue to check with their airlines regarding flight status and monitor the National Airspace System Status website for updates....read more
TSA slows push to require additional ID checks for some travelers
Recent reports of new security incidents involving Clear have some lawmakers concerned that TSA isn’t doing enough to keep airports safe. The Transportation Security Administration has altered a plan that would have required all travelers enrolled in Clear’s expedited screening program to undergo additional identification checks, even as reports have surfaced about additional security incidents. In a letter to the company last week, the TSA said it would require that a smaller proportion of Clear members undergo additional identity vetting, according to two people Thursday who have seen the letter but weren’t permitted to speak publicly about it. The shift from screening all travelers to a lower percentage is a victory for a company whose business model depends on speeding travelers through the airport screening process, in part, by skipping some of the same identification checks required of other travelers. Clear has aggressively pushed back against the TSA’s plan....read more
Travelers say these are the best — and worst — airports in North America based on wait times for check-in, customs and more
In an August study, Casago, a full-service rental property management company, analyzed passenger reviews on airlinequality.com, that rate waiting times for lines like check-in, baggage drop, baggage pickup, customs and more on a scale of one to five stars.
Individual airports and locations were then ranked to identify which one has the highest percentages of positive reviews.
Every one of the best airports in North America for wait times according to passengers is located in the U.S. In contrast, the worst airports on the continent are spread out across different countries...read more
How to Make a Long-Haul Flight More Comfortable
Even for the most experienced travelers, the actual process of getting to your destination is hardly ever the fun part. Unforeseen inconveniences aside—think flight delays and last-minute cancellations—there are certainly travelers who enjoy the aviation experience (myself included), and have fine-tuned the art of packing for a strenuous long-haul flight.
For the seasoned explorer with rusty travel skills or the newbie headed to their first far-flung destination, we’ve asked those frequent travelers to share their best tips, tricks, and gear to get through—and maybe even enjoy—a long-haul flight...read more