The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is changing how airlines treat their customers, including increasing passenger rights to a refund when they face canceled or extremely delayed flights.

The DOT already requires airlines to offer refunds if they cancel flights for any reason, but airlines keep their policies a bit more vague—and sometimes downright confusing—for refunds for delays. This often means passengers are uninformed about their rights and end up leaving money on the table, money that is rightfully theirs.

To combat this issue, the DOT is creating a new interactive dashboard that will provide “easy-to-read, comparative summary information on the services or amenities that each of the large U.S. airlines provided. When the cause of a cancelation or delay was because of circumstances within the airline’s control,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a letter sent to all U.S. airlines on Aug. 18.

We expect the new dashboard to go live on the department’s Aviation Consumer Protection site.
“When passengers experience cancellations and delays, they deserve clear and transparent information on the services that your airline will provide, to address the expenses and inconveniences resulting from these disruptions,” Secretary Buttigieg wrote.

This move from the DOT comes after a tumultuous year for air travel, particularly this summer, which saw thousands of delays and cancellations weekly. According to Secretary Buttigieg, nearly a quarter of domestic flights were delayed. And over 3% of domestic flights were canceled; during the first six months of 2022.

The DOT is now considering setting clear rules and standards for all airlines to follow when requiring refunds for passengers experiencing delays or flight cancelations. The department currently has an open forum where travelers can comment on what they think the DOT should do. The department is also seeking public comments as it aims to potentially regulate the continuously shrinking size of airplane seats.

Royal Caribbean is officially among the growing list of cruise lines that plans to drop their COVID-19 vaccine requirement starting in September. The change in rules, however, is not as straightforward as it seems.
Effective Sept. 5, the cruise line, which is the largest in the world, will no longer require COVID-19 vaccines for adults sailing on specific itineraries.
Passengers departing from California, Louisiana, Texas, and all European ports will no longer have to show proof of vaccination to board. Vaccine cards will still be required for most passengers sailing from other U.S. states, including Florida, which is home to several major hubs for Royal Caribbean.

Travelers should still double-check requirements not only for their specific sailing but also for the ports where the ship will stop, as there are several caveats to dropping the vaccine requirement.
Passengers sailing from Europe will need to be “up to date” on the COVID-19 vaccine series by European standards (this could mean a required booster sometimes) or take a COVI-19 test on board if they want to disembark in Greece and Spain.

Sailings from Texas and Louisiana also have similar exemptions. Grand Cayman, a common stop for ships departing from those states, requires cruise passengers to show proof of vaccination.
Royal Caribbean hopes to make a universal vaccine policy in the future, but for now, local rules and COVID restrictions have made it impossible, especially in places like the Caribbean.

“We are collaborating with local governments throughout the Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for additional itineraries,” Royal Caribbean said in the statement. “It’s important that all of our guests enjoy their experience at any destination while also meeting local measures.”

Other recently announced plans to drop their vaccine requirement include Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and Celebrity Cruises.

If this summer’s spike in flight prices kept you from traveling, relief is on the way, and it’s coming just in time to make plans for the holidays.
Hopper, a website and app that tracks flight prices and advises travelers when to buy, expected domestic airfare to drop 25% in August, compared to the peak prices seen in May.

Hopper recently released its Late Summer (Q3) Travel Index, with data pointing to domestic airfare dropping to $286 in August. Airfare will fluctuate but remain at or below $300 through September. Prices will begin to rise again in October and November and are expected to average $368 in December. As always, last-minute holiday bookings will be the most expensive, with Hopper predicting that these flights will peak at $390.

The data also reveals the multiple factors currently influencing the higher-than-usual airfare, with jet fuel prices topping the list. According to Hopper, US Gulf Coast jet fuel is averaging $3.60 per gallon, an increase of 80% compared to 2019 and 90% to 2021. Jet fuel prices, which typically account for 15-30% of airline operation expenses, will “continue to be a significant contributing factor to the high airfares seen by travelers this year until prices fall.”

Although the demand for flights continues to grow compared to earlier this year, much of that growth has slowed since many travelers have taken much-needed and often postponed summer vacations. Slowing demand will encourage airlines to lower prices in the fall, hoping to encourage travelers to hop on a flight during shoulder season.

Meanwhile, airlines are maintaining their domestic seat capacity below 2019 levels to prevent future disruptions. This means flights are likely to be booked at total capacity as more customers compete for fewer seats.
As travelers look ahead to planning their fall and winter travels, the best advice would be to wait for prices to drop below $300 this month. For more tips on securing the lowest-priced flights possible, click here.

Recently, flight prices have sky-rocketed as travelers flock to tourist destinations worldwide to enjoy their long-awaited vacations. While there’s no way around this sudden spike in costs, there are tried and accurate methods that can at least help you secure the lowest-priced flights possible.

Sign Up For Price Alerts

Keeping track of all the flight deals and fare glitches that pop up can be a full-time job. Instead of constantly monitoring your favorite airlines and booking websites, sign up for an aggregating flight service like Scott’s Cheap Flights, Next Vacay, or Dollar Flight Club. When you sign up for alerts from these companies, they will email you when lower-than-usual fares are available from your local airport. Travelers with more flexible schedules would significantly benefit from one of these services.

Buy At the Right Time

Forget the outdated advice about buying flights on Tuesday morning or another particular time. With constantly updating flight inventories, the time and day you buy no longer matter. What truly makes a difference in purchasing your flight far enough in advance. Book one to three months before you’d like to travel for domestic flights. For international trips, the window becomes two to eight months. Add a month or two to that timeline for holiday travel or other peak seasons. Flight search engines like Google Flights and Hopper will often tell you if the price you’re seeing is higher than average. Be sure to pay attention to that recommendation as well.

Fly On the Right Days

If possible, avoid flying on the weekends. With the highest demand for flights on Fridays and Sundays, those can be two of the most expensive days to fly. That sometimes even extends to Mondays. Search engines such as Google Flights and Sky Scanner have the option to look at flight prices on a grid. Use this feature to compare how the costs might change if you move your trip forward or backward by a few days.

Be Flexible With Your Destination

The best way to save money on flights is to be flexible with the destination. Several search engines, including Google Flights and Sky Scanner, allow you to leave the destination field empty when you search. That means you can input your starting point and the dates, and the engine will compile a list of all the flight options from cheapest to most expensive. If you absolutely must go to a particular destination, these flight aggregators also allow you to search without a specific date. So you can see which month of the year is the most economical for traveling. Just be sure to check the weather! Sometimes cheap flights mean you choose a not-so-great time of year to visit, like monsoon season.

As the cruise industry continues embarking on its busiest summer in the last two years, it’s also celebrating a new milestone: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially ended its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships as of July 18.  

“CDC has worked closely with the cruise industry, state, territorial, and local health authorities, and federal and seaport partners to provide a safer and healthier environment for cruise passengers and crew,” the government agency’s website now reads. “Cruise ships have access to guidance and tools to manage their COVID-19 mitigation programs.” 

Admitting that cruising still poses a risk of COVID-19 transmission, the CDC also stated that it “will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for crew, passengers, and communities going forward.” Cruise lines will also still report onboard cases to the CDC. 

They welcomed the news for the cruise industry, which has been at odds with the CDC throughout the pandemic.  

“This is an important step forward in the CDC aligning the guidelines for a cruise with those it has established for other travel, hospitality, and entertainment sectors,” said Anne Madison, a spokesperson for Cruise Lines International Association, in an email to USA TODAY.  

One cruise line has already changed its regulations. When the CDC announced the end of its program, Azamara announced that starting on July 25, its passengers would no longer be required to undergo pre-embarkation COVID testing, except in “ports where still required under country regulations.” 

Azamara now recommends that “all guests departing from any port get tested at their leisure before travel to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience.” Though these results will not be required to sail, the cruise line will still require proof of vaccination.  

Azamara is unlikely to be the only cruise line to make a change like this, but only time will tell if other companies follow suit.