FAA Rule Cuts Into Major Business Class Perk
FAA Rule Cuts Into Major Business Class Perk
Courtesy of JetBlue
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/faa-rule-cuts-into-major-business-class-perk
And more of today's top travel news stories.
Today in travel, we have several stories that may have flown under your radar. Among them: airlines are banning humanoid robots; a French tourist has died in Death Valley; Greece’s air traffic control is strained; and the FAA is cracking down on an old rule.
Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news.
Some or all of this article was crafted with help from AI. An editor reviewed and vetted this article before publishing.
PHOTO: NATE HOVEE/SHUTTERSTOCK
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Southwest Airlines Bans Humanoid Robots From Its Flights
Southwest Airlines no longer permits passengers to transport humanoid or animal-like robots either in the cabin or as checked luggage, following an unusual flight involving a robot passenger earlier this year.
The policy was announced in May, shortly after North Texas business owner Aaron Mehdizadeh flew from Las Vegas to Dallas Love Field with Stewie, a 3.5-foot humanoid robot used for events. Mehdizadeh purchased a separate seat for the machine and substituted a smaller battery so it could meet security and airline requirements. Stewie then traveled through the airport and sat beside human passengers during the flight.
Southwest subsequently barred human- and animal-like robots from passenger cabins and checked baggage, citing concerns surrounding the lithium-ion batteries commonly used to power them. Mehdizadeh has argued that Stewie’s replacement battery was comparable to one used in a laptop and hopes the carrier eventually creates a way for compliant robots to travel. Other major U.S. airlines have since introduced similar restrictions.
PHOTO: NEIRFY/ISTOCK
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Record Traffic and Staff Shortages Strain Greece's Air Traffic System
Greece’s booming summer travel season is putting mounting pressure on its air traffic control network, contributing to delays during one of the busiest periods of the year. Greek airports typically handle roughly 1,000 to 1,500 flights per day during quieter months, but the average climbed to about 2,700 during the first week of July. Athens International Airport also handled 15.75 million passengers during the first half of 2026, up 4.5% from a year earlier.
Regional instability is adding to the workload. Eurocontrol estimates that roughly 300 additional flights now cross Greek airspace each day because of disruptions in the Middle East. At the same time, shift supervisor Giorgos Stamoulakatos estimates that the air traffic service has only 154 controllers despite needing around 250. During busy periods, controllers may manage as many as 40 aircraft in an hour, compared with roughly 20 under normal conditions, and have sometimes asked pilots to slow or alter course to preserve safe spacing.
Greece has begun installing new communications and radar systems as part of a roughly €300 million modernization program prompted in part by a major January communications failure. The upgrades are scheduled to continue through 2028, while expanding the controller workforce will take considerably longer because new recruits require years of training.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF AMERICAN AIRLINES
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Strict FAA Enforcement Cuts Short Pre-Departure Drinks for Premium Flyers
First- and business-class passengers may have less time to finish drinks served before departure as airlines adjust procedures surrounding a decades-old federal safety rule. Delta Air Lines has told flight attendants that beginning September 1, all company-provided service items—including disposable cups—must be collected before an aircraft pushes back from the gate.
Federal regulation 14 CFR §121.577 already prohibits airline-supplied food, drinks, and tableware from remaining at passenger seats while a plane is moving on the ground. Although the rule’s current surface-movement language dates to 1992, disposable paper and plastic cups had long been treated more leniently under FAA compliance guidance. Updated guidance issued this year removes that distinction.
Delta has advised crews to begin pre-departure beverage service earlier when possible, since drinks will now have to be retrieved sooner. The rule specifically covers items supplied by the airline. FAA guidance separately treats food and drinks brought aboard by passengers as carry-on items that should also be properly stowed during aircraft movement.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF VISIT CALIFORNIA
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French Tourist Dies After Vehicle Becomes Stranded in Death Valley Heat
A 68-year-old visitor from France died in Death Valley National Park after his vehicle became stuck on a remote road during temperatures that reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pierre Michel Formosa and a traveling companion were driving along West Side Road on August 17 when their vehicle became mired in mud near Queen of Sheba Mine Road. With no other motorists nearby, the pair set out on foot across the salt flats toward Badwater Road. Formosa was unable to continue after roughly 1.3 miles, while his companion pressed on until a passing motorist helped him reach authorities.
The emergency was reported at Furnace Creek Visitor Center shortly after 2 p.m., and park rangers and an Inyo County deputy launched a search minutes later. A California Highway Patrol helicopter eventually located Formosa about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road, where he was pronounced dead. The Inyo County coroner is responsible for determining the cause and manner of death.
The National Park Service is reminding visitors to carry ample water and emergency supplies, choose vehicles appropriate for remote roads, bring satellite communications equipment where possible, and generally remain with a disabled vehicle, which provides shelter and is easier for rescuers to locate.
PHOTO: ENGEL CHING/ISTOCK
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Honolulu Police Investigate Death of Southwest Flight Attendant in Waikiki
Honolulu police are investigating the death of a longtime Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was found dead while on a work layover in Waikiki.
Jenny Lupton, 50, of Moore, Oklahoma, died on August 20 while staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The Honolulu Police Department has opened an unattended-death investigation, with detectives from its Homicide Detail conducting interviews, collecting surveillance video, and examining evidence. Police say they have not yet determined the manner of her death.
Lupton’s relatives have said they were told she appeared to have fallen from the balcony of her 24th-floor hotel room and that a hotel employee found her body near a waste area. Those circumstances have not been independently confirmed by police. Family members have also said Lupton had been out with a fellow flight attendant and received a tattoo in the hours before she died.
Her relatives have publicly questioned whether the death was accidental or involved another person, but authorities have not announced evidence of foul play. Lupton had worked for Southwest for 29 years. The investigation remains ongoing.
Hotelier calls for the return of international inbound travel
Highgate Hotels sees group performance growth outside World Cup
https://www.costar.com/article/1731874968/hotelier-calls-for-the-return-of-international-inbound-travel?
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Even with U.S. hotels performing above expectations, Kerry Mack, chief revenue officer at Highgate Hotels, said the dip in international inbound demand has taken its toll.
"Outside of the World Cup, the international pullback is a little tough in markets that are heavily reliant on international travelers, she said in an interview at the recent Hotel Data Conference. "We're hoping that all of the good press and the good news and the excitement of all of the international travelers during World Cup spurs people to book their next trip."
Some of Highgate's hotel markets — such San Francisco and New York — are outperforming and the group bookings are strong even outside of the World Cup, but there's still a need for the return of international travelers.
"We still need the international back. They stay longer. They book further in advance. They spend more in the outlets. We need that segment back to where it was," she said.
Highgate Hotels, which manages more than 450 branded and independent hotels, spun off a tech-focused company over 15 years ago. Mack said this has allowed Highgate to find the right technology that works for the company and its properties. That's more valuable now than ever as artificial intelligence use increases.
"We are very big on trying everything, and I think in this sort of new AI world, you don't know exactly what is going to be the winning technology for a hotel specifically," she said. "You don't know which of the vendors are going to really come up on top for AI search discoverability and how to get your hotel and your brand out there. So we are constantly testing and trying and evaluating, and not everything is the right fit for every hotel."
The Canadian Wilderness Lodge You Can Only Reach by Seaplane
George Apostolidis
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/canada/experiences/news/going-off-the-grid-in-canada-helped-save-me
Going off-the-grid to this Canadian lodge helped me find my way back to myself.
I have been recovering from a serious illness. The kind of thing that shifts your perspective, makes you look at ordinary days differently. When I got the green light to travel again, I was honestly scared to death.
What if my body wasn’t ready? My first trip back felt like a huge deal, and I did not want to get it wrong, but Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge turned out to be exactly right.
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge sits on 600 acres of untouched wilderness on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. You can’t just drive there; you arrive only by seaplane or boat. That journey alone tells you something: this is a place that asks you to leave the world behind.
Once you arrive, you’re greeted by 25 canvas tents nestled along the banks of the Bedwell River, surrounded by old-growth rainforest and mountains. These aren’t your average camping tents—they’re elegantly appointed with handcrafted furniture, antiques, plush bedding, and wood-burning stoves. Many have heated bathroom floors, private decks, and indoor-outdoor showers. And most of the property is off-grid. It’s just you, nature, and the sound of rain on canvas.
The old-growth temperate rainforest surrounding Clayoquot Sound almost didn’t survive at all. In the summer of 1993, this remote stretch of Vancouver Island became the unlikely center of one of the most significant environmental battles in North American history.
When the British Columbia government approved a plan allowing the logging of the majority of Clayoquot Sound’s remaining old-growth forest, some 12,000 protesters blockaded the logging roads, resulting in the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.
Out of that extraordinary stand emerged new provincial logging policies, the growth of Tofino’s eco-tourism economy, and First Nations gaining greater ownership over their region’s logging rights. The forests that surround the lodge today—those cathedral-like groves of ancient cedar and Douglas Firs—are standing in part because thousands of people were willing to be arrested to protect them.
I thought about that a lot during my stay. Every trail I walked, every breath of that clean forest air carried weight. Someone fought for this. That knowledge made the beauty feel even more profound.
Of just 100 properties worldwide, and of only two Canadian hotels, Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge was listed as one of Fodor’s Finest Hotels. But the Fodor’s recognition isn’t the only major honor on the lodge’s shelf. Clayoquot also holds three Michelin Keys—the highest Michelin rating.
Between the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve designation of Clayoquot Sound, the First Nations cultural partnerships woven into every detail of the experience, and a genuine commitment to eco-luxury, it’s not hard to see why this property clears every bar.
George Apostolidis
When I stepped off the seaplane and breathed the fresh rainforest air, something immediately relaxed in me. It’s clean in a way that’s almost disorienting when you’re used to city life. I could feel it in my lungs, in my whole body. It was replenishing.
I was nervous about activities. I didn’t know what my body could handle. But that’s where the team at Clayoquot genuinely shone. They met me where I was at. Some guests are canyoning, cold plunging, hiking, and horseback riding. Others, like me, are doing yoga or trying their hand at archery for the first time. But there’s also space—beautiful, unhurried space—to simply be. To sit on your private deck and watch the river. To wander torch-lit boardwalks. To breathe.
The food was restorative in the most literal sense. Chef Ben Godin’s dining program draws on fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from Vancouver Island—every meal felt intentional, nourishing, and connected to the land around you. After weeks of eating whatever I could manage during recovery, sitting down to those meals felt like being genuinely cared for.
And the Healing Grounds Spa—I cannot say enough. While I’d normally consider the spa an indulgent extra, it felt essential here. The setting, the quiet, the skill of the therapist… it was the kind of rest that reaches into something you didn’t even know was depleted.
By the end of my stay, I realized that what I had been most afraid of had become the opposite of what I found. Clayoquot didn’t demand anything of me. It just held space. The rainforest did its work. The silence did its work. The food and the spa did their work. I came back different than I arrived. A little more like myself again.
There’s something poetic about a place that was fought for being the place that helped me fight my way back too. The forests of Clayoquot Sound were worth protecting. And I’m so grateful they were.
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to experience somewhere truly extraordinary—whether you’re celebrating something, recovering from something, or simply ready to be reminded that the world is staggeringly beautiful—Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge is worth every bit of the journey to get there. And it is, without question, one of the most remarkable places I have ever been.
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