Here’s the latest travel news from across the world:
Low-cost operator Flydubai is redefining its Economy class for customers with a better onboard experience from November 2025. The Dubai-based airline will include complimentary meals and in-flight entertainment across all Economy Class fares.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, flydubai's Chief Executive Officer, said: “By listening to customer feedback and responding to changing market dynamics, we're delivering more value and convenience while supporting Dubai's vision of becoming a global hub for trade and tourism.”
The carrier's in-flight entertainment system features more than 1,000 movies in multiple languages as well as interactive games, digital magazines, podcasts, and music playlists.
Chief Commercial Officer Hamad Obaidalla said: "Including meals and in-flight entertainment in every Economy Class fare adds tangible value while keeping us competitive as we expand our fleet and network."
All international flights into Ho Chi Minh City will move to Long Thanh International Airport, which officially opens on December 19, 2025.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) endorsed the plan to switch international flights from Ho Chi Minh City's current Tan Son Nhat International Airport to the mega-airport in neighboring Dong Nai Province.
The transition is expected in early 2026 and will ease the chronic congestion at Tan Son Nhat, which has long operated over capacity.
ACV’s preferred option is for Tan Son Nhat to serve domestic flights, which caters to about 29.5 million passengers annually. Long Thanh would handle around 19.1 million international fliers.
The newly opened Phnom Penh Techo International Airport will carry the IATA code KTI, which stands for Krong Ta Khmau Techo International, with the "Phnom Penh" reference disappearing completely.
While airlines are expected to cross-reference KTI with the old PNH code to minimize confusion, the move is unusual for a capital city gateway. Located 30 kilometers south of the capital, the new airport is connected to Phnom Penh via the newly built Hun Sen Boulevard highway.
Travel time to the city will range from 40 to 70 minutes, and ground transport will initially be limited to taxis and app-based ride services, with fares between $10 and $20 depending on the drop-off point. Bus services are expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.
News agency Kyodo reports that Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has called for a rise in the departure tax from the current 1,000 yen per person. The newly elected government hopes to use the increased revenue to address challenges posed by a surge in inbound tourism.
Japan saw a record 52.5 billion yen in departure tax revenue alone in 2024. The revenue is intended to make tourism stress-free by improving access to information and transportation, among other objectives.
The new proposal comes as a plan has emerged within the government of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to raise the international tourist tax to 3,000 yen. The panel concluded the tax is a stable revenue source, with Japan set to attract 60 million foreign visitors annually by 2030.
Direct flights between India and China have resumed after a five-year hiatus, marking a further sign of thawing relations between the world's two most populous countries.
Kolkata’s flight 6E1703, operated by Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo, landed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou after a 3.5 hour journey.
Direct flights were suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 and continued for political reasons following a clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers in a disputed Himalayan border region.
Additional routes, including between Shanghai and New Delhi, are expected to launch in November.
Norse Atlantic Airways has kicked off new winter services from the UK to Thailand. Flights from London Gatwick to Bangkok began with up to five flights a week and will be followed by a weekly service from Manchester to the Thai capital.
Chiravadee Khunsub, Tourism Authority of Thailand Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Europe, America, Middle East, and Africa, said: "The addition of these new routes reflects growing confidence in Thailand as a premier long-haul destination, and provides travellers from the UK and Northern Europe with greater convenience and affordability."
The Manchester–Bangkok service starts on November 26 2025, operating weekly through March 2026. Norse will also launch a new Stockholm–Phuket route on December 4 2025, and Oslo–Phuket flights starting on December 8 2025.
Emirates has been awarded the prestigious Gold Tier recognition in New York JFK Airport's 2024 Fly Quiet Programme, the only airline to achieve the distinction. Emirates' score of 92.9 outpaced other carriers flying into the airport and taking part in the programme.
The Fly Quiet Programme, developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, is a voluntary initiative that encourages airlines to minimize their noise signature through utilizing quieter aircraft, and embracing noise abatement procedures.
Since the programme's inception, Emirates has collaborated with the Port Authority, with the airline's Flight Operations team making sustained efforts to exceed all the programme's requirements.
Lufthansa is expanding its summer 2026 schedule, aided by the group's airlines, such as Lufthansa, Discover Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss and ITA Airways.
The company will offer over 14,000 weekly connections to 330 destinations in 100 nations. The schedule includes new long-haul and European routes, and increased frequencies on high-demand services.
The airline will boost transatlantic reach from Frankfurt by offering five weekly flights to St. Louis, Rio de Janeiro, and Cape Town. Raleigh-Durham, Washington, D.C., and Nairobi will move to daily service next summer.
Lufthansa will also launch four weekly flights to Trondheim, Norway, starting May 1, 2026. Combined with Munich, Trondheim will be connected at least daily from Germany. Other cities in Norway, including Bergen and Stavanger, will see frequency increases. In Munich, two long-haul routes introduced for winter 2025/26, São Paulo and Johannesburg, will continue through summer with three weekly flights each.
The US is to enforce a new biometric entry-exit rule for foreign nationals from December 26, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that all non-U.S. citizens entering or leaving the country may be required to be photographed as part of an expanded, nationwide system run by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP says facial recognition will be the primary method as it is faster and more scalable. US citizens remain outside the mandate and can opt out of facial photos used for identity verification.
The measure is intended to address concerns such as national security risks, fraudulent travel documents, visa overstays, and the detection of individuals without lawful admission.
The agency added that the expanded system will also eliminate the current exemptions for children under 14 and seniors over 79 in the photograph capture process.
The UK Foreign Office has added eight more countries to a list warning of the risks of methanol poisoning from counterfeit or tainted alcoholic drinks.
Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Russia and Uganda are included in the updated travel guidance following incidents involving Britons in those countries.
The advice previously covered Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Turkey, Costa Rica and Fiji and follows several high-profile incidents, including the death of six tourists in Laos last year.
Andy Probert is an independent journalist who writes about global travel news, airlines, airports, and business. His work has appeared globally on the BBC, and in many national newspapers and magazines.
