10 Jan Travel Talk: Wrapping up 2017 and Looking Ahead to 2018
It has been an interesting year, to say the least, in the travel industry. From airport power outages, to hurricanes and the ever-changing political climate, travelers have been bombarded with information on destinations all over the world. Below are some of the latest trends, and products, as well as upcoming changes you’ll see in the coming year.
The Best and Worst U.S. Airlines of 2017
You may be surprised to see that Delta Air Lines comes in first in the annual Middle Seat scorecard ranking of the best and worst U.S. Airlines of 2017. Delta endured more than one passenger-stranding issue in 2017, including a scheduling fiasco during spring break, and a power outage at the world’s busiest airport, which is also one of Delta’s main hubs. However, they earned the top spot, even beating out Alaska Airlines as the top carrier, which has been No. 1 for the last four years.
This article includes details on each of the the eight major U.S. airlines as well as evidence to support their ranking, including the full scorecard used in the evaluation.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-and-worst-airlines-of-2017-1515594783
The best up-and-coming places to visit in 2018
TripAdvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice awards, released earlier this week, showcases the top destinations on the rise for the upcoming year. Topping the list, which compares 44 global destinations, is Kapa’a, Hawaii (for the U.S.) and Ishigaki, Japan (for the world). Omaha, NE earned the No. 9 spot in the top US destinations on the rise, citing Waren Buffet’s love of his hometown, plus the world’s largest indoor desert.
One attribute used to analyze these destinations is the search and booking interest. In addition, they took into account travel review ratings for the destination and for local businesses catering to travelers. See the full list of rankings here.
Source: https://www.today.com/money/2018-travel-spots-rise-according-tripadvisor-t120975
State Department rolls out new travel advisory program
This new system assigns a travel advisory level from 1 to 4 to every country in the world. For instance, Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) is the lowest-level advisory level for safety and security risks. Level 4 (Do Not Travel) is the highest advisory level, reserved for destinations in which the U.S. government deems they may have “very limited ability to provide assistance” to travelers.
The new system allows for security information about travel destinations to be more accessible as well as more understandable.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-department-rolls-out-new-travel-advisory-program/
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