Travel news, as it happens. · page 3
7 October 2026
1 brief- Travel Essentials
American's largest-ever Admirals Club lands in Charlotte for 2028
Spa-style showers, bars and a design inspired by Charlotte's tree canopy are promised, while the Flagship Lounge still has no date.
6 October 2026
5 briefs- Stay
Mandarin Oriental breaks ground on Brickell Key after $1.7bn residence sales
The two-tower KPF design anchors Swire Properties' long-term vision for Brickell Key.
- Stay
Historic artist-colony hotel reopens as the CORI Hornbaek with 77 rooms
Interiors by Afroditi Krassa pair hygge with Mediterranean ease, and every room has a fireplace.
- Journey
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to reach Monte Carlo from Paris in 2027
The first overnight departure from Paris Gare d'Austerlitz is scheduled for 10 May 2027, with fares from $5,461 per person.
- Journey
British Airways unveils A380 interior with 106 business seats
The refurbished superjumbo cuts economy from 303 seats to 215 while premium cabins grow, and the first jet is due later this year.
- Stay
Fairmont New Orleans opens bookings from 2 November in a 1970 bank tower
Emeril Lagasse is running the restaurants and bars, and Rockwell Group designed the interiors, inside 17 floors of a Skidmore, Owings & Merrill tower.
5 October 2026
1 brief- Journey
Etihad to launch Abu Dhabi to Calgary nonstop in three weeks
The four-weekly service uses a 303-seat Boeing 787-9, with a payload restriction possible on the return because of Calgary's elevation.
3 October 2026
2 briefs- Journey
Southwest adds 23 summer 2027 routes as it bulks up Austin and Nashville
The schedule extension runs to 2 August and covers 15 cities, led by new weekend links from the Texas capital.
- Journey
Qantas and Jetstar add Bali and Jakarta routes in first deal in 15 years
Qantas takes 4,500 of the new seats, and Jetstar's Bali flight becomes Western Sydney's fourth international route.
2 October 2026
2 briefs- Journey
Aman and Remote Lands unveil two private-jet expeditions for 2028
Both journeys fly an Airbus ACJ 319, and the shorter one now runs just 15 nights.
- Stay
Waldorf Astoria and Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya turn all-inclusive in 2027
Existing reservations are honoured, and guests under 18 after 10 January get help with alternatives.
1 October 2026
1 brief- Stay
Ennismore signs Delano Puglia, the brand's first hotel on Italy's Adriatic coast
The 76-room resort lands in the port city of Monopoli in 2028, with 13 suites and a reimagining of Miami's Rose Bar.
30 September 2026
1 brief- Journey
Hawaiian Airlines to fit 22 Leihōkū suites on each A330 from 2028
Retrofits across all 24 aircraft are due to finish within a few years, with bedding bookable from next summer.
29 September 2026
5 briefs- Journey
Virgin Atlantic's Seoul and Phuket flights are now its two longest routes
Phuket starts on 18 October with three flights a week, and only in winter, while Seoul has to be flown for at least three years.
- Journey
Emirates puts the Airbus A350 on Dubai to Orlando from 1 November
The Orlando flight filled 69.87% of its seats in the year to June 2026, and the A350's 1-2-1 business class gives every passenger aisle access.
- Journey
Alaska Airlines to fit lie-flat suites on 737 MAX 10s and add Premium Reserve
The airline is investing in premium cabins even though fuel costs erased its first-half profit and it has suspended 2026 guidance.
- Journey
Singapore Airlines adds 100+ new and refreshed dishes in every cabin
The first dishes are already on board, and new beverages, serviceware and service touches follow from November 2026.
- Stay
Vincent Darré opens Le Magnifique, a 62-room Paris hotel from €179
Floors are themed on the zodiac, Atlantis and a utopian cityscape, and the basement pool is lined with mosaics made with Bisazza.
28 September 2026
1 brief- Stay
Anantara Siam Bangkok completes a $50 million restoration of all 335 rooms
The hotel has preserved a 100 metre hand painted mural from 1983 while adding pool suites, a Muay Thai ring and a Jim Thompson designed suite.
27 September 2026
3 briefs- Journey
Emirates puts the A380 on the Dubai to Delhi route from 25 October
The jet carries 468 seats across four cabins and takes over just one of Emirates' four daily Dubai to Delhi departures.
- Stay
Anantara opens a Kafue River tented camp with a floating gym in Zambia
Rooms start from £5,500 a night on full board, and reaching the camp still means an 11 hour flight, another two hour flight and a five hour drive.
- Journey
Virgin Atlantic ties its newest Upper Class suite to just three US departure tiers
Which cabin a passenger gets can turn on the flight number, not just the airport, as older jets still cover some of the same routes.
26 September 2026
3 briefs- Journey
Avelo adds Denver route and bases three jets at new Dallas-area airport
The airport has never offered scheduled passenger service, and no other carrier has announced plans to fly there.
- Journey
KLM names first five routes for its new Airbus A350s from Schiphol
The SkyTeam carrier is starting the jet on transatlantic routes before deploying it to Tanzania, and the aircraft's own business class begins sealed off.
- Do & Explore
Fondation Beyeler opens £109.7m Zumthor expansion in Basel
The Wyss building is made almost entirely from rammed limestone quarried in the nearby Jura Mountains, and Zumthor says it is his first commission in Basel itself.
25 September 2026
3 briefs- Stay
Field & Stream Lodge Co. to open lodges in Bend, Oregon and Big Bear, California
Both properties are conversions of existing hotels backed by Starwood Capital Group and AJ Capital Partners, and follow the brand's debut lodge in Bozeman, Montana.
- Stay
Aman New York adds four private Homes with pools, butlers and a 6,300 sq ft residence
The largest of the four new residences runs to 6,300 sq ft with staff quarters and its own butler, above the hotel's existing 83 suites.
- Stay
Yotel makes Thailand debut with 250 room Bangkok hotel at Cloud 11
The 250 key hotel opens on 15 October as the brand's first Select by Hilton property in Asia.
24 September 2026
1 brief- Stay
Kimpton opens its first all-inclusive resort, a 355-room Riviera Maya property
Rooms at Kimpton Tres Rios start from $427 a night, with IHG members able to book from 35,000 points.
22 September 2026
1 brief- Stay
House of Gods opens its third and largest hotel, in London's Canary Wharf
The 79-room property is backed by leisure investor Imbiba and centres on Sacred Garden, a rooftop restaurant and bar for up to 300 guests overlooking Eden Dock.
