Travelers to or through Germany will have a tougher time than usual this week as workers walk off the job in wage disputes.

Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf report widespread cancellations and delays today as members of the Ver.di union working in administration, check-in, aircraft handling, passenger and crew transport, and baggage handling went on a 24-hour strike today (Monday). But the big one is yet to come, as a two-day strike is planned at Munich Airport, from midnight Wednesday and until midnight Friday.

In the second strike this month at Düsseldorf Airport, at least 30% of the 334 scheduled flights are being canceled. Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), meanwhile, a strike has canceled more than 100 flights.

In Munich, the second-largest airport behind Frankfurt, “significant impacts on traffic operations are to be expected,” the airport website cautions.

All three airports urged passengers to check the status of their flights with their airline or tour operator before traveling to the airport.

With tensions easing a bit in the Middle East, Delta Airlines will become the first US carrier to resume direct service from New York JFK to Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 1, in time for the busy Passover/Easter holidays that bring millions of faith-based tourists to the Holy Land.

Israel-based airline Arkia, meanwhile, will begin three weekly flights from JFK next week, on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, with tickets priced from $1,199. It joins Israeli flag carrier El Al, the only airline to fly continuously throughout the hostage crisis.

Other international airlines resuming flights are: Air India, starting March 2; Air France, starting January 25; British Airways, starting April 24; and The Lufthansa Group (including Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, and Eurowings) starting February 2025.

Travel to Israel fell 68% in 2024, after the hostages were taken on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) said, but rebounded 44% in December. Still, almost a million tourists visited the tiny country last year.

“While 2024 brought historic challenges for Israel’s tourism industry, we thank those who came to visit loved ones, participate in solidarity and volunteer missions, as well as those who supported us from near and far,” said Yael Golan, Interim Tourism Commissioner to North America at the Israel Ministry of Tourism. “Our community is incredibly resilient, and the news of a ceasefire and the ongoing return of hostages continues to bring us hope for a peaceful future. Israel’s tourism infrastructure continued to move forward during these challenging times with the introduction of new hotels, restaurants and museum exhibits. Whether you are planning a visit in 2025 or in the hopeful future, Israel looks forward to welcoming you.”

In preparation for what it hopes will be an influx of travelers in 2025, the Jerusalem Convention Bureau has launched a website for meeting planners that offers about suppliers, shares attractions in Jerusalem suitable for groups, and allows planners to submit RFPs.

Notable high-end hotel openings include the David’s Harp Galilee Resort, on the Sea of Galilee, which reopens with 18 new luxury suites and two presidential suites, plus a new spa, and the extensively renovated Galilion Hotel in the Upper Galilee, as well as the brand new adults-only Roxon Red Sea Eilat. There’s also a new national park, Yam Caesarea, Israel’s first marine national park, where guests can swim or snorkel in King Herod the Great’s Caesarea Harbor, openned in 10 BCE.

Jewish young adults are invited to visit their homeland at no cost through Birthright Israel, which will host 6,500 young Jewish adults from all over the world on internships and volunteer opportunities.

With tensions in the volatile Middle East rising once again, Delta and United Airlines have canceled all flights to Tel Aviv effective today, and some European carriers are halting flights to the region as well. But despite earlier reports to the contrary, British Airways has said it will continue to fly, as will Israel’s flag carrier, El Al.

Delta in a statement said it is pausing flights between New York-JFK and Tel Aviv through Friday, Aug. 2, and suspending sales of flights for DL234 on Jul. 31 and Aug. 1, and DL235 on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2.

Delta.com notes that “our hearts are with all who are impacted as we work to find safe alternatives for customers trying to travel to/from Tel Aviv,” and offers a waiver to any customers currently booked through Sept. 6, 2024, who want to change flights.

United, which has been operating 14 flights a week to Tel Aviv, says that while its service to Tel Aviv is “currently suspended,” it still flies to Amman, Athens, and Dubai, where travelers can transfer to other carriers.

Cancellations are affecting European carriers heading to the Middle East as well. Lufthansa Group on Monday said three of its airlines — Lufthansa, Swiss, and Eurowings — have suspended flights to and from Beirut “up to and including” August 5, and Lufthansa on Wednesday night canceled a flight from Cyprus to Tel Aviv after Iran announced it was temporarily closing its airspace. Air France also suspended some of its flights, while other airlines changed their flight schedules.

Meanwhile, an ad in The Jerusalem Post notes that under EU regulations, travelers whose flights are canceled may be entitled to up to €600 compensation.

Tourism is booming and the Olympics are looming—but travel to Paris is on shaky ground once again. The air traffic controllers are calling for a strike at Orly next week and Ryanair has been forced to cancel 100 flights today due to a last-minute action at Paris Beauvais, where it operates flights from Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh and Belfast.

A Ryanair spokesperson said, “EU passengers are sick and tired of suffering unnecessary cancellations during ATC strikes. It is inexplicable that Ursula von der Leyen and the EU Commission have failed to take action to protect EU passengers’ Freedom of Movement during these repeated French ATC strikes.

A previous strike by French air traffic controllers saw almost 70% of flights canceled.

The threatened strike, called for  June 11-13, will affect more than just British travelers, though. It is expected to disrupt flights at Paris Orly and possibly Charles De Gaulle.

It’s been five years since the federal government announced that it would require REAL IDs for travelers over 18. But in just a year from now, the regulation actually is likely to take effect.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act was the result of a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses” before allowing people to board a commercial airplane. The Act establishes minimum security standards for driver’s licenses that are used as identification, and prohibits certain federal agencies—including the Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—from accepting IDs that do not meet the Act’s standards.

Delayed three times over the past five years, the requirement likely actually will take effect on May 7, 2025. Beginning on that date, a driver’s license will only be acceptable ID at the airport if it has a REAL ID seal.

While many travelers will need to get a new, compliant driver’s license even to fly domestically, many other forms of ID are also acceptable, including:

• A US passport book or card
• An enhanced driver’s license, available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington
• A DHS trusted traveler card (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• A US Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• A permanent resident card
• A border crossing card
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized, Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe
• An HSPD-12 PIV card
• A foreign government-issued passport
• A Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credentials
• A US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• A US Merchant Mariner Credential
• A Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

Since driver’s licenses are issued by the states, each one has its own requirements for a REAL ID. But DHS requires as a minimum proof of your full legal name, date of birth, social security number, and two proofs of address of your principal residence.

Note that while these forms of ID will get you on a plane, they can’t be used to travel across any border, including Canada or Mexico, DHS points out.

For more details on REAL ID, go to REAL ID FAQs | Homeland Security (dhs.gov)

It may not last forever, but for now the new Delta Digital ID speeds passengers through security faster than PreCheck or CLEAR—and it’s free to boot.

After successful beta testing in Detroit and Atlanta, the biometric program now has expanded to LAX, LGA and JFK, and since the program is so new, its dedicated security lines rarely have a wait.

Delta Digital ID lets customers quickly move through bag drop and security checkpoints without having to show photo ID to an agent. To register, travelers must have:

• TSA PreCheck® membership
• Their passport information and a Known Traveler Number stored in their Delta profile
• A (free) SkyMiles membership
• The Fly Delta app

Eligible customers will receive a notification in their Fly Delta app when traveling from a Digital ID-enabled airport, or can opt-in through their SkyMiles profile on Delta.com once the four requirements have been met.

They then can use the dedicated bag drop line – the one with the green “Delta Digital ID” icon – and security line.

Using Digital ID this week, I walked right through security behind just one other passenger at LGA, while my husband spent 10 minutes in the CLEAR line.

Disasters are following one another in Japan, where two airports are closed and searchers are looking for survivors of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that rocked the western coast on Monday.

Japan’s Tokyo Haneda Airport is closed following a crash between a Japan Airlines jet and a Coast Guard plane on its way to provide earthquake relief.

The coastal city of Wajima, home to more than 27,000 people, appeared to be among the worst hit; CNN reports 15 dead there, as well as smoldering fires and destroyed buildings. At Noto Airport, damage to the terminal and its access roads has left about 500 people. Officials say the airport will be closed until at least Thursday.

At Haneda Airport, meanwhile, all 379 people on the passenger plane, JAL flight 516, were safely evacuated, but five crew members on the second aircraft, operated by the Japan Coast Guard, were killed.

The majority of departures from Haneda Airport are now canceled and it’s unclear when flight services will resume, Japan’s NHK news reports.

CLEAR lovers will lose one benefit of the program in 2025, as the TSA says it will begin requiring them to produce a REAL ID or passport at airport checkin.

The CLEAR program is based on two premises: it takes you to the very front of the checkin line, and its biometric checkin process means you do not have to pull out your ID. But beginning in May, 2025, that second advantage seems about to disappear.

TSA in July announced it already is screening a limited number of randomly selected CLEAR travelers after “security incidents.” There reportedly have been three cases in which travelers managed to get through the CLEAR line without having valid ID, prompting a congressional investigation.

For an annual fee of $189 (plus $60 for up to three family members), CLEAR offers its own lanes at TSA checkpoints in more than 50 airports. Rather than standing in the ever-growing checkin lines, travelers walk up to the CLEAR kiosk, scan their eyes or fingerprints, and then are guided to the very front of the checkin lines, including the Pre-Check line if they are eligible.

While the cost may sound high, many credit cards cover the fee, promotions often are available, and frequent travelers from busy airports find the program to be a great timesaver.

Storms are getting bigger, airplane parts are hard to come by, and the aviation industry is understaffed. So what’s a travel advisor to do when air travel is one big snafu and less dependable than ever?

To a certain extent, it depends on where your customer base is. In New York, for example, Laurie and Paul Bahna, owners of a Dream Vacations franchise in Plainview, found an easy option for taking the flying out of the equation altogether: cruising out of your home port.

“Paul and I truly believe that people are really tired of the airline cancellations,” Laurie says. “So many customers are saying that airline prices are very high and the airlines are just not consistent Read the rest of this entry »

If you can avoid traveling through London’s Heathrow Airport on weekends this summer, go for another option. More than 2,000 security officers will be staging walkouts at Terminals 3 and 5 every weekend except one this summer, running from June 24 through August 27.

The strike schedule is:

• June 24-25, 28-30.
• July 14-16, 21-24 and 28-31.
• August 4-7, 11-14, 18-20 and 24-27

Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates that about 4 million passengers, on 20,000 flights, are scheduled to depart Heathrow’s four terminals on the strike dates.

While no airlines have announced cancellations yet, a strike by security officers at Terminal 5 over the Easter holidays resulted in British Airways canceling hundreds of flights on short notice. And the strike this summer also will include Terminal 3, gateway to flights by American, Delta and United, Emirates, Qatar and Virgin.

**Update as of June 13th, 2023**

In some rare good news for travelers to Europe this summer, security workers at Heathrow Airport have called off the first in a series of strikes they had announced for the next two months.

The canceled strike, by more than 2,000 security officers, was scheduled for Heathrow’s Terminals Three and Five on June 24 and 25. It now has been put on hold while the union members consider a new and improved offer from airport authorities.

“Following extensive talks with the workers’ union Unite last week, an improved pay offer was made by HAL and, as a gesture of goodwill by the union, the initial strikes were called off,” the union said. But the rest of the series of strikes, scheduled for 29 days over every weekend but one in July and August, will proceed if this offer is rejected.

The current strike schedule is:

• June 28-30
• July 14-16, 21-24 and 28-31
• August 4-7, 11-14, 18-20 and 24-27

Unite members at Glasgow airport, meanwhile, have approved a deal that grants them a 7% increase in basic salary and allowances and a one-time payment of £1,000.
French air traffic control strikes

Union workers in France, meanwhile, marched on the headquarters of the Paris Olympics and slowed traffic at Orly Airport last week over changes to the national social security program, which would raise retirement age from 62 to 64.

Fewer protestors turned out than for previous actions, the media reported, but a third of flights at Orly Airport, and 10% of trains around France, were disrupted.

Wouldn’t it be nice to just wear your ID on your wrist as you go through the airport? Apple’s been working on it, and it’s live now in four states.

Apple users in Arizona have been carrying their driver’s licenses and state IDs in their Apple Wallets for a year now, passing through TSA checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with just a flick of their wrists. Since then, Maryland, Colorado and Georgia have come aboard—and the tech giant is working to add the other 46 to the list.

Each state has its own verification process, but the goal is to have a digital ID stored on your iPhone. Users just click on the ‘+’ sign in the Apple Wallet’s top right corner and follow the instructions. The system works on an iPhone 8 or newer.

TSA also is testing Delta Air Lines Biometric Facial Identification and GET Mobile Drivers Licenses, its website says (https://www.tsa.gov/digital-id). The technology is available at 25 airports including Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, DC, and San Francisco.

While users do not have to produce their physical driver’s licenses, the TSA still requires that travelers carry them.

One more time, failed talks with labor unions are disrupting operations at Heathrow Airport.

Striking security officers at Terminal Five have caused British Airways to cancel around 5% of flights for 10 days, from March 31 to April 9 (midnight Easter Sunday), and stop selling new tickets.

For existing customers, the union says the strikes will cause disruption to flights, but Heathrow says it has contingency plans to keep passengers moving along. Still, approximately 1,400 members of Unite who are expected to take part in the walkout will be replaced by 1,000 extra staff being added by the airport.

Elsewhere in Europe, EasyJet cabin crew in Portugal have voted to strike April 1-3, and a wave of strikes by air traffic controllers continues to affect operations in France.

As of today, September 29, many airports in Florida remain closed due to the now downgraded tropical storm Ian.

The storm was a category 4 hurricane when it made landfall in the southwestern region of Florida. The center of the storm headed northeast, coming within 40 miles of Orlando.

Airports affected include Jacksonville, Tampa, and Orlando.

• Tampa International Airport is closed, but currently slated to open back up at 10am Friday.
• Jacksonville International Airport was closed today, and has no information on reopening as of writing this article.
• Orlando International Airport was also closed today, and the website had no specifics on when it was opening back up.

It is uncertain at this time the full damage dealt by the storm, as news is still coming out about the current flooding.

Funny how things change. “Check in” used to mean you had arrived at the airport and were ready to fly. It told the airline you had gotten to the airport on time and hadn’t got stuck in a traffic jam and missed the flight. But now you can check in online the day before your flight. The airline doesn’t know if you have made it to the airport until you have boarded. Or if you check a bag. This time I checked a bag. Later I wished I had gate-checked it.

My flight from Newark to Kansas City was my first in nearly two years. I used to fly about once a month. Since the onset of Covid layoff it’s been a long time of not setting foot in an airport. It was wild to plunge back into the madness. I forgot how mad it is.

I had planned to use Uber to get to the airport, but the app on my phone wasn’t working. It needed an update to even function. And time was fleeting. I updated the app, but then it wouldn’t take my credit card. My account showed an old expiration date, and it wouldn’t let me update the information. “You already have this card on file,” it commanded. “Try another one.” I didn’t want to use another one. But I did. You can’t argue with an app Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, I flew roundtrip from Los Angeles to Oakland to see my grandson and his parents. It was my first time in the air in more than a year. Here’s a report card on how everyone did.

Southwest Airlines: Grade B-

Southwest was nearly the same as it was pre-pandemic. Fast on-time flights, courteous service by flight attendants with a sense of humor, and reasonable prices. Except for wearing masks on the flights, it was like the Delta variant of COVID-19 didn’t exist.

Because my wife and I are both fully vaxxed, but are “Infected Flier Hesitant,” we took an aisle and window seat in the front of the plane and put this sign on the middle seat between us. Read the rest of this entry »