Want To Travel To Cuba? There Are Some Extra Rules You Need To Know.

Photo by Jason Leppert

It's easy to get excited about Cuba, but many travelers may be unaware of just how prepared they need to be. 

This isn't just grabbing extra sunscreen and bugspray for your tropical vacation — although, that's important — U.S.-to-Cuban travel carries with it the burden of being scrutinized at both ends of the journey thanks to governments whose relationship might be thawing, but is still less sunny than an afternoon in Havana. 

The hoops to jump through may be only nominally more difficult than traditional international travel, but it's important to note that they are new and different hoops than even veteran international travelers might be used to. For newer and inexperienced travelers, the process could be daunting, but it doesn't necessarily have to be.

Tourism to Cuba is technically still illegal under U.S. law. 

No, that is not a typo. 

The new Cuban travel guidelines have 12 legal reasons an American citizen can enter Cuba, but general tourism is not one of them. If all you're desiring is a chance to sample Arroz con Pollo, artisanal rum and a fine cigar, you may start to book your trip and find yourself rebuffed. 

On the other hand, the 12 legal reasons are objectively very general and broad. They are also objectively very subjective, and the burden of deciding who fits under those categories falls to the traveler alone. Is that scary in a way? Sure, because lying throughout the process is perjury and subject to penalty. However, when the categories include person-to-person educational travel, journalism and humanitarian projects, the hurdles to climb seem pretty low. 

Want to head to Cuba? Head to social media and find a Cuban or multiple Cubans who are willing to teach you about the country while you are there. Meeting new people and seeing the top sites? That's probably the exact reason you want to go. Cuba even has companies that set this sort of thing upprofessionally.

Or, in a social media age where everyone is a content creator, create your own blog or pitch other blogs on your trip to Cuba. "Freelance Journalism" is one of the subcategories of journalism according to the treasure, and that just means self-employed. One could quibble with being self-employed with zero income coming in, but everyone's got to start somewhere. 

 READ MORE: Air Travel To Cuba: Who Won and Who Lost? 

Humanitarian projects? My goodess, it's a gold mine. Even the most novice of Googlers should be able to find projects they could work on while down in Cuba. You can spend your entire trip on the beach if you spend some time cleaning it up. Want to take in the best cuisine? Spend an evening donating your time serving some if it to others. Is your Spanish rusty? You can get better at Spanish linking up teaching some English as a Second Language classes. 

Responsible tourism is all the rage anyway. 

There are other categories your travel may fit into, but none of them are heading down to a resort and enjoying yourself for a week and then returning to lie to customs. Plan ahead. Of course, the bonus for setting up some of these activities to legitimize your trip is that you'll make friends along the way. The next time you want to go to Cuba, visiting them is all you need to do!

Cuba also requires foreign travelers to have health insurance. If yours has lapsed for whatever reason, you can't go to Cuba. However, airlines are looking to bundle temporary health insurance right into tickets! Travel insurance companies also often bundle medical protection right into their plans. If someone isn't covered now, a host of ways to get covered already exist. It's just one more low hurdle to clear. 

 READ MORE: What's Next for Cuban Cruises? 

From there, the rules are just about over, but it's not quite as easy as hopping on a plane. U.S. cell phones aren't generally going to work in Cuba and neither are credit and debit cards linked to U.S. financial institutions. Internet access is hard to come by and Wi-Fi is next-to-nonexistent. No one who travels from the U.S. to Cuba will be as connected as when they left home. It's not just a culture shock, it could leave many unprepared. 

Again, plan ahead. 

An unlocked cellphone (even a disposable one) can become the home for a Cuban SIM card. American companies are increasing the availability of prepaid Cuba-ready cell phones as well. Still, those cell phones aren't going to have the data service Americans are accustomed to, and that means more preplanning your trip (no instant Yelp!) or depending on locals for advice—and fewer of them speak English compared to other tourism hotspots. 

Cash is a must, and exchanging those dollars into Cuban pesos is a first-things-first sort of activity upon entering the island. Thankfully, Cuba recently got rid of a 10 percent tax on the exchange of American dollars, but being without money in a foreign, semi-friendly country is not likely on anyone's to-do list.

In all, no one should be deterred from visiting Cuba, but the trip to Havana is going to take a little more than a trip to Seattle or Cancun. Go, absolutely go as soon as you can, but it takes just a little extra ambition to make sure your trip of a lifetime doesn't turn into a major headache. 

By | MICHAEL SCHOTTEY | www.travelpulse.com

Travelore News: US Airlines to Start Scheduled Flights To Cuba

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In this Thursday, June 9, 2016, photo, Galo Beltran, Cuba country manager for American Airlines,... Read more

HAVANA (AP) — Six airlines won permission Friday to resume scheduled commercial air service from the U.S. to Cuba for the first time in more than five decades, another milestone in President Barack Obama's campaign to normalize relations between Cold War foes.

The airlines — American, Frontier, JetBlue, Silver Airways, Southwest and Sun Country — were approved by the Department of Transportation for a total of 155 roundtrip flights per week. They'll fly from five U.S. cities to nine cities in Cuba other than Havana.

U.S. law still prohibits tourist travel to Cuba, but a dozen other categories of travel are permitted, including family visits, official business, journalist visits, professional meetings and educational and religious activities. The Obama administration has eased rules to the point where travelers are now free to design their own "people-to-people" cultural exchanges with little oversight.

Most of the airline service is expected to begin this fall and early winter, the department said.

Approval is still required by the Cuban government, but some carriers say they plan to start selling tickets within the next few days while they wait for signoffs from Cuba.

More than a year ago, Obama announced it was time to "begin a new journey" with the communist country. "Today we are delivering on his promise," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

As it considers opening routes to Havana, the department's selection process has been complicated because airlines have requested far more routes than are available under the U.S. agreement with Cuba. A decision on Havana routes is expected later this summer.

The routes approved Friday were not contested because there was less interest among U.S. airlines in flying to Cuban locations other than Havana. The routes include service from Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Cuban destinations are Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

All flights currently operating between the two countries are charters, but the agreement the administration signed with Cuba in February allows for up to 110 additional daily flights — more than five times the current charter operations.

The Transportation Security Administration is in the process of completing a security review of Cuban airports expected to have direct flights to the United States, and it is working with the Cuban government to schedule and complete the security assessment of any additional airports that propose to begin service, the agency said.

American Airlines has been the most aggressive in its approach, requesting more than half the possible slots to Havana plus service to five smaller Cuban cities. The airline has a large hub in Miami, home to the largest Cuban-American population. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline has also been flying on behalf of charter companies for the longest time, since 1991.

U.S. airlines have been feverishly working to establish relationships with Cuban authorities. For instance, American had a number of meetings this week in Havana with Cuban aviation and banking officials.

"We have been working for months on this plan," Galo Beltran, Cuba country manager for American Airlines, told The Associated Press this week during the trip to Havana. "For us, it is going to be fairly easy because of the experience we have."

Cuba already has seen dramatic growth in flights. Last year, it saw 18 percent more passengers than in 2014, according to government aviation officials.

Currently, 46 airlines fly to Cuba, including Air France, Aeromexico, KLM, Air Canada, Aeroflot and Iberia.

Cuban aviation officials say they are ready for the extra flights but that questions remain, especially at Havana, about where the additional planes will park.

There has been plenty of interest by Americans in visiting Cuba since relations between the two nations started to thaw in December 2014. Nearly 160,000 U.S. leisure travelers flew to Cuba last year, along with hundreds of thousands of Cuban-Americans visiting family.

Prices for an hourlong charter flight now are about $500. Commercial airlines will probably offer flights for significantly less, although none has publicly discussed pricing. The check-in process for charters is also a cumbersome one, and the companies lack the traditional supports of commercial aviation such as online booking and 24-hour customer service.

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By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ and JOAN LOWY

Lowy reported from Washington.

Travelore News: London Welcomes Over 30 Million Tourists For The First Time Ever

              

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has welcomed new figures that show the capital has set a new tourism record after more than 30 million visitors came to the city last year, drawn by global sporting events such as the Rugby World Cup and blockbuster exhibitions at its museums and galleries, according to new figures released today.

A record 31.5 million Great Britain residents and international tourists came to the city in 2015 – which is an increase of 20 per cent when compared to five years ago.

London keeps setting new tourism records. Every year since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games there has been an increase in the number of international visitors coming to the city.

Figures released today (20^th May) by the Office for National Statistics, International Passenger Survey, show there were 18.6 million international visits in 2015 compared to 17.4 million in 2014, a previous record year. (seven per cent increase)

Separate data from the Great Britain Tourism Survey carried out by UK tourism body VisitEngland reveals that GB residents made 12.9 million visits to London last year, another new record.

International and GB visitors also spent £15 billion on hotels, restaurants, shopping and attractions - an increase of 35 per cent compared to 2010.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “It is fantastic that more people than ever before are opting to visit London, to sample the best of our capital and the best of Britain. London has something for everyone and an appeal that clearly extends across the globe.

“I’ve pledged to do all I can to support our vital tourism industry so London continues to be a top choice for travellers.”

Exhibitions, theatre and major events including Cosmonauts: The Birth of Space Age, at the Science Museum, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beautyat the V&A, The Elephant Man at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and the 2015 Rugby World Cup all helped to draw visitors to the city.

This year is set to be another momentous year as the UK celebrates 400 years of Shakespeare's lasting legacy, events to mark the Queen’s 90^thbirthday and Tate Modern opening a major new extension, which is being hailed as the most important new cultural building in the UK since the British Library in 1998.

Bernard Donoghue, Director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions: "London, the world's favourite city, continues to draw visitors from around the world thanks to our globally-known and loved attractions.

“Our palaces, cathedrals, museums, galleries, heritage sites, zoos and gardens are some of the principal reasons why record numbers of visitors come to London. From Harry Potter to Beatrix Potter, Shakespeare to shopping, the diversity and excellence of our tourism experiences are world class."

Separate research by independent forecaster Oxford Economics predicts that London will welcome 35.6million UK and international visits to the city by 2020.

The tourism industry is a major contributor to the London economy. Overall the sector contributes more than £36 billion to the capital every year and supports around 700,000 thousand jobs.

Gordon Innes, CEO of London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional company for the London, said: “Millions of people want to come to London from all over the world because the city has an unrivalled mix of culture, art, music, theatre, restaurants and major events.  Tourism is a crucial part of the city's economy and we anticipate a significant increase in the number of UK and international visitors for many years to come.”

In the last five years London & Partners, which runs VisitLondon.com, has contributed nearly £500 million in economic benefit (measured GVA) to the London tourism economy and supported 8830 jobs.

Visitlondon.com is the most influential source of information for overseas visitors to London and features thousands of attractions both large and small across the entire city. Every year the site attracts 28 million unique users. 

VisitLondon.com, supported by the Great Britain Campaign, British Airways and Hilton, recently launched a tourism initiative called Fans of London, celebrating the blockbuster events across London this year, including The Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, 400 years of Shakespeare’s legacy, and the world’s first international exhibition on The Rolling Stones, Exhibitionism.

Southwest Starts Offering Pay With Amazon For In-Flight Purchases

Photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has partnered with Amazon to offer a new in-flight payment service. The Dallas-based low-cost carrier’s Wi-Fi-equipped planes now allow passengers to make purchases with Pay with Amazon.

To use Pay with Amazon, fliers simply have to log into their Amazon account on their own device and approve whatever purchases they want to make. The feature can be used for buying Wi-Fi access or purchasing movies and TV shows. 

Keeping up with current trends

Heather Figallo, Southwest’s senior director of product innovation and management, touted the new payment option as an example of the airline’s ability to keep up with current trends: "We're continually following the trends of our Customers, looking for ways to enhance the Customer Experience onboard our aircraft.  With the addition of Pay with Amazon to our entertainment portal, we're doing just that.” 

The Amazon payments will work on iOS and Android devices, and the service will also be accessible via web browsers.

READ MORE: Is This The Future of In-Flight Retail?

Not the only airline-Amazon partnership

Southwest’s IFE system is powered by Golden Eagle Entertainment, a firm that offers in-flight entertainment and connectivity solutions to airlines around the world. Golden Eagle is the IFE partner that is helping Norwegian Air roll out its live TV service. It is also a leader in the gate-to-gate connectivity movement.  

Southwest isn’t the only airline to tap into Amazon’s considerable clout. JetBlue’s IFE portal features an enhanced version of Amazon Instant Video, which is accessible via the airline’s free Fly-Fi connection. The service is free for Amazon Prime members, and other passengers can sign up for a free trial when they fly. Since Southwest charges for Wi-Fi access, their IFE options are technically not free, though Amazon Prime members should still be able to use their account after they purchase Wi-Fi. 

READ MORE: JetBlue's Cabin Redesign: What Does It Mean for the Industry?

Convenience... and an easier upsell

Pay with Amazon will certainly bring a higher level of convenience for Southwest passengers, allowing them to make purchases with a couple of clicks instead of having to go through the comparatively tedious process of whipping out a credit card and entering payment information. If they are already logged into Amazon on their device, they don’t even have to enter a password. Some fliers will also probably appreciate the extra layer of security that comes from not having to enter a new credit card number before clicking “purchase.”

So on one hand, Pay with Amazon brings a higher level of convenience and security. On the other, the click-and-buy payment model will make upselling that much easier for the airline. Also, adding another payment option shows that Southwest is most likely planning to continue charging for in-flight entertainment for the foreseeable future. Luckily, the airline is also apparently planning to keep its free checked baggage policy as well, so there is a trade-off for fliers. 

The other trend to note is that Amazon seems to be getting more and more involved in in-flight entertainment, at least as far as U.S.-based low cost carriers are concerned.   

By JOSH LEW 

Five Ways Airlines Are Finally Becoming Less Greedy And Mean

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After record profits, airlines can afford to be nice.

This article originally appeared on money.com.

The numbers are staggering: United, Delta, and Southwest Airlines all reported profits in excess of $500 million during the fourth quarter of 2015. Delta pulled in a record-breaking net profit of $4.5 billion for the year. American Airlines, meanwhile, reported an insane $7.6 billion profit for 2015, including an insane $3.3 billion in the fourth quarter alone—the highest profit ever in the history of airlines.

To some extent, the numbers were also predictable. They’re the natural consequence of the perfect storm brewing over the years. A series of mergers and service cutbacks depleted competition in the industry, and higher fares, shrinking legroom, rising fees, and cheap fuel prices have combined to make it all but inevitable that airlines would turn huge profits.

Related: Travel Groups Want Congress to Investigate Airline Competition (or Lack Thereof)

And yet, to travelers, the numbers must be beyond aggravating. For years, airline passengers have been asked to pay more and get less because this is the only way airlines could stay in business. Legacy carriers like Unitedadded fees, cut amenities, and made loyalty points less valuable. Even budget traveler favorite Southwest hiked fares, while JetBlue left loyalists feeling betrayed when it decided to follow the pack by cramming in extra seats on planes and adding a fee for checked luggage.

Essentially, from the average traveler’s perspective, monster airline profits have come as a direct result of air travel becoming less comfortable and less reasonable for passengers. Planes are fuller and more cramped than ever. If you want any creature comforts while flying, you must bring them yourself or expect to pay up. And if something goes awry with your travel plans and you need to change a flight, well, you’ll likely have to fork over hundreds of dollars to tweak an itinerary.

The silver lining is that maybe, just maybe, the record-setting profits of 2015 could mark a turning point in the airline business. Now that carriers are swimming in profits and are still benefiting from the combination of diminished competition and cheap fuel, there is less urgency to milk profits out of annoying fees and shabby service—not if doing so turns customers off in the long run.

If the “Knee Defender” episode summed up the tense, ugly state of airline travel circa 2014, the trend that defines the industry lately is the return of free in-flight snacks on United and American Airlines flights for economy passengers. Overall, airlines seem to be waking up to the idea that, at least while they’re riding high on the hog, it is unwise to be ruthless and unnecessarily cruel to customers.

In light of the billions in profits airlines are making nowadays, the reintroduction of a few traditional perks and the launch of some upgraded amenities is the very least they can do. Here are a few of the new ways airlines are being nicer, or at least less mean, to passengers:

Better Coffee

After a scandal caused a change in leadership at United, the new CEO, Oscar Munoz, admitted the airline’s approach had put profits ahead of traveler happiness, and basically pledged to stop being awful to customers. Among the customer-pleasing initiatives was a switch to Illy coffee in lounges and flights, a small but critical upgrade from the bland, cheap stuff the airline used to serve.

Upgraded Entertainment

JetBlue made a name for itself with superior in-flight entertainment, notably with free seatback TV screens and dozens of channels for all passengers. Recently, JetBlue announced it is dramatically improving its seatback TVs, nearly doubling the size of the screens and increasing the number of free channels from 36 to 100. Wi-fi is being upgraded as well, with gate-to-gate connectivity—and service that is free. American Airlines also just said that it’s upgrading complimentary in-flight entertainment, including the addition of more movies and music for passengers to enjoy.

Related: 7 Things That’ll Sell Like Crazy Because of the Super Bowl

Free Snacks

Delta never removed free snacks from flights, and now that United and American are bringing them back, airline passengers will be able to snag some free food from all three of the major carriers. (JetBlue and Southwesthave always had free snacks and beverages as well.) Sure, it was stingy and shortsighted for the airlines to remove free snacks in the first place, so it’s understandable that many travelers won’t feel overwhelmed with gratitude for their return. But hey, free pretzels are free pretzels!

Early Boarding for Families

In another customer-friendly policy reversal United just decided to once again allow families with children under age 2 to get on planes and settle in before general boarding. The airline got rid of early family boarding in 2012, which agitated families just as you’d expect.

Slightly Cheaper Airfare

For the most part, the changes mentioned above allow the airlines to look nice with minimal impact to the bottom line: They don’t cost the carriers much, and they won’t dramatically decrease how much passengers pay out of pocket while flying. If the airlines truly wanted to make travelers happier, there would be a steep decrease in airfare to reflect the big drop in fuel costs. For obvious reasons, the airlines would rather not go there.

Yet flight prices have generally inched downward, providing some relief for passengers. A series of impressive airfare sales marked the start of 2016, with loads of domestic flight deals starting under $50. Data from the flight search site Hopper.com estimated that the average round trip in the U.S.cost $210 in January, down 14% compared to the same month a year ago. Fuel costs incurred by the airlines, meanwhile, are down roughly 33%.

by Brad Tuttle / Money 

5 Healthy Travel Trends For The New Year

The New Year is a time when people announce resolutions and work to create new habits. However, out of the 45 percent of the population that is estimated to make them, only around 8 percent actually achieve them. Even within the business travel world, there are plenty of resolutions and trends that people will set, as they make their way around the country and world in the name of business. There are some emerging trends for the New Year that will help keep travelers healthy as well as happy.

“Anytime we can maintain healthy habits while traveling, we are doing great,” explains Jayne McAllister, of Jayne McAllister Travel Wellness. “Traveling can be demanding for anyone who is even remotely health conscious, but times are changing as indicated by exciting new trends that facilitate keeping a healthy mind and body on the road.”

Here are 5 healthy travel trends for the New Year:

1.    Health Oriented Hotels. It used to be that you stayed in a hotel that boasted a mediocre workout room down the end of a dark corridor and a restaurant with one menu item highlighted as heart healthy. Business travelers now have true wellness options in the shape of hotels whose brand is geared toward the health-conscious traveler. IHG’s EVEN Hotels has been going strong in the mid-price range for a couple of years now. At the luxury end of the market, famed gym brand Equinox is entering the hospitality business and developing its first hotel in Manhattan which is due to open in 2018. The property will include a 60,000 square foot fitness center. The trend has filtered to mainstream properties, which have amped up their facilities for healthy travel. Westin has long led the way with its WestinWORKOUT rooms, followed by other hospitality groups. Since 2012, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has offered dedicated Stay Well rooms, designed by Delos, which include – among other features – an air purification system, aromatherapy, long wave night lighting, and vitamin C-infused showers.

2.    Work out at the airport.  Passengers are taking advantage of airport down time to get moving to counter the effects of being sedentary and stationary. Many airports now boast walking paths and yoga rooms. In 2016, gyms are joining shops, restaurants and bars as airport concessions thanks to a startup company called AirFit. Facilities will include a state of the art workout room, showers, clothing purchase/rental, and luggage storage. First up is New York John F. Kennedy International Airport, followed by San Francisco International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

3.    Meditation is going mainstream. From Deepak Chopra’s website to the Harvard Business Review, meditation for corporate executives is becoming more common. Many companies are bringing in meditation specialists to teach their executives how to focus, think more clearly and make better, more profitable decisions. Meditation works especially well for business travelers, who are subject to more stress than non-traveling, as it can be practiced anywhere, including on airplanes and in hotel rooms. Apps are available to guide neophytes through the process of meditating (see www.anamya.co). With flight delays or other curveballs that are often thrown at the frequent traveler, the passenger can retreat into a meditation rather than an airport bar or their laptop. Per the Harvard report, the results of a sustained meditation practice are increased resilience, emotional intelligence, creativity, focus and improved relationships.

4.    Adding Personal Time to Trips. “Bleisure” is a fast growing trend of combining leisure time with business trips. Nearly half (46 percent) of business travelers add personal days to all or most of their business trips. The major reasons for this trend, as cited in the Bleisure Report 2014, include wanting to explore new cities, to gain cultural experience and knowledge, and to contribute to work/life balance. Three in five business travelers are more likely to take a bleisure trip than they were five years ago. For most companies, the practice of adding leisure time to a business trip is a win-win. Employees are less likely to burn out and are therefore more productive.

5.    Doing Less to Produce More. Doing more doesn’t make you more productive. Presenteeism is becoming the new absenteeism, especially for mobile workforces. For example, a traveling executive might be tired but feels compelled to work on a plane to make good use of time in the air. Or they might travel home on a Sunday and present themselves at the office on Monday, ready for business as usual. In both scenarios, they might have been exhausted but they have gone through the motions of working yet not performing to optimum capacity. Without the right amount of rest, the work completed on the plane may have to be redone, or the employee returning to the office may not be fully present and effective. The best companies are recognizing that traveling employees need time to recover from travel and allow time off or time working from home to do this.

“Business travel is always going to be a part of our world, but these trends are making it healthier and less stressful,” adds McAllister. “As employees become healthier and happier on the road, they are usually also more productive.”

McAllister has a new book titled “ Mile High & Healthy: The Frequent Traveler’s Roadmap to Eating, Energy, Exercise and a Balanced Life,” where she shares tips and tricks for staying healthy while traveling. The book offers information on eating healthily, exercising on the road, sustaining energy levels, eliminating jet lag, sleeping well, reducing stress, and more.

McAllister provides corporate wellness programs to those companies with business travelers who spend 30 percent of their time, or more, on the road. She specializes in such training issues as weight loss for travelers, healthy eating while traveling, ergonomics for the traveler, functional exercise, jet lag recovery and avoidance, sleep quality, and stress management. She has also created Dine Out Lose Weight, a 21-day guide for dropping weight without setting foot in the kitchen. McAllister’s book Mile High and Healthy: The Frequent Traveler’s Roadmap to Eating, Energy, Exercise and a Balanced Life” is available for purchase online. For more information on her services or to order the book, visit the site at: www.jaynemcallister.com.

About Jayne McAllister Travel Wellness

Based in Vero Beach, Fla., Jayne McAllister Travel Wellness is a company that provides corporate wellness training to businesses with mobile workforces. A Cambridge University graduate, Jayne is a certified integrative nutrition health coach, Pilates instructor, and transformational method coach. For more information visit the site at: www.jaynemcallister.com.

10 Ways Air Travel Will Change In 2016, Including Better Food.

Alamy

Long-haul flights will increase thanks to widebody planes like the new Airbus A350.

Creative seating, upscale airports, and more affordable private air travel are all on the horizon in the new year.

This past year fliers experienced plenty of turbulence in the skies, what with labor disputes disrupting international flying, and new security fears after the bombing of a Russian airliner. But 2015 was also a time of stability for U.S. airlines, with on-time performance and baggage handling showing big improvements. So what’s in store for fliers in 2016? Here are some trends to watch in the coming year.

AIRLINES WILL GET CREATIVE WITH SEAT SOLUTIONS.

Overcrowding in the skies isn’t going away; the typical flight in the U.S. takes off with more than 80 percent of its seats occupied. So look for more unusual seating ideas to hit patent offices—and perhaps your next flight—as airlines seek ways to cram us in further. Among the weirder ones: Airbus’ latest seat patent would stack people in a split-level, mezzanine-style layout. But the most far-out design, literally, would create a bubble on top of the plane for a privileged few who presumably would pay more for the 360-degree view. And in a more practical design that would be welcomed by many a suffering traveler, B/E Aerospace applied for patent for a unique seat that would adjust legroom based on the height of the passenger.

AFFORDABLE WAYS TO FLY ON A PRIVATE JET? DO TELL.

Who wouldn’t want to fly private—if they could afford it? We may find out in 2016, as a new class of aviation entrepreneurs offers more alternatives to traditional air transportation, building on the success thus far of companies like Surf Air and Beacon, which offer reasonably priced trips out of private air terminals on the West and East Coasts, respectively. Their secret: smaller turbo props that can keep costs down. Look for a new jet-based variation on this theme to emerge in the L.A. area early in the year—plus more apps like Blade to make booking these services even easier.

THE WORLD WILL SHRINK AS LIGHTER, FASTER PLANES ARRIVE.

Airbus’s newest widebody plane, the A350, made its first transatlantic flight in December under Qatar Airways’ colors; the 300-passenger craft, along with its direct competitor, Boeing’s Dreamliner, is already reshaping route maps as airlines use the carbon-body jets—built with composite materials instead of the usual aluminum—to launch new ultra-long-haul flights. Singapore will fly the A350 as it revives its 19-hour nonstop between Newark and Changi by 2018.

SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL WILL STAGE A COMEBACK.

Ever since Concorde faded into aviation history in 2003, airline travelers have been waiting for the return of supersonic service. Their wait may soon be over, as next year the world’s first supersonic business jet will will get closer to reality as part of an Airbus-backed project. The 12-passenger jet will make a trip fromNew York to London in under one hour—flying at just under twice the speed of sound, or 1,300 mph, when it’s over the ocean—and below Mach 1 over land. If all goes well, test flights should begin in five years.

TSA WILL PUT THE BRAKES ON EXPEDITED SCREENING.

When TSA came out with its PreCheck expedited screening program a few years ago, it felt like an exclusive club—with airlines inviting their most elite fliers to be charter members. TSA may now be wishing it could return to those days; after working hard to expand the popular program, which costs $85 for five years, the agency also began allowing regular passengers to sail through on a random basis to ease backlogs during peak travel times. Frequent fliers were annoyed, and now, with security concerns on the rise, TSA is restricting these lanes yet again to members only. Even still, fliers have been noticing that the special lanes—which free passengers from having to remove shoes, laptops, and jackets—have been open less frequently due to "security and staffing" issues, putting everyone into the same slow-moving lines. Expect this trend to continue in 2016, but for international fliers returning home, things may improve as the U.S. adds Global Entry facilities to more customs gateways abroad.

Courtesy Blue Smoke

Apps like Airgrub help travelers find the best spots—like Blue Smoke on the Road in JFK's Terminal 4—to grab a meal.

THE ELECTION YEAR WILL BRING SCRUTINY OF AIRLINES’ PRICING, PROFITS.

If it’s an election year, then it must be time for airline bashing; after all, fed-up fliers do go to the polls. In the past, candidates have successfully seized on popular resentment of high airfares and deteriorating service. But in the presidential race in 2016, the focus will more likely be the airlines’ high profits and whether airfares should drop along with the price of oil. The Justice Department is already investigating airlines for collusion on prices. Airlines and their workers’ unions may get some support from politicians in their battle against the Middle East carriers; charges that those airlines are unfairly subsidized and are costing U.S. jobs could gain traction as election day nears.

NICHE AND BUDGET AIRLINES WILL GROW ABROAD, BUT NOT STATESIDE.

Budget carriers are already crossing the Atlantic, but mainly it’s a one-way street, with European players like Norwegian and Iceland’s Wow Air launching new nonstop flights to the U.S., but no U.S. discounter has yet jumped in. Next year we’ll see more mainstream lines getting into the act, with Lufthansa, for one, planning new routes to the U.S. on its low-cost subsidiary Eurowings. But in the states, the outlook fornew low-fare airlines is dismal due to the difficulty in securing financing and getting past government regulators: a couple of upstart wannabes have gone nowhere, including recent attempts to revive thePeople Express and Eastern Airlines brands.

AIRPORTS WILL GO UPSCALE.

If you’ve been noticing a lot of “pardon our appearance” signs at airports lately, take note: Passengers are beginning to reap the rewards of these construction projects as airport restaurants, shops, and other amenities get a facelift. Already the reviews are positive with J.D. Power, in its just-released North America Airport Satisfaction Survey, declaring that travelers “are substantially more satisfied with retail experiences in the airport.” Major hubs are also opening new hotels, like the luxury lodging that will abut the iconic TWA terminal at JFK, as well as improving transit links. In 2016, look for airports to devise more ways to part you from your money; at Newark, for example, at United’s Terminal C, you can pay for meals and merchandise with miles instead of cash.

Creative seating, upscale airports, and more affordable private air travel are all on the horizon in the new year.

This past year fliers experienced plenty of turbulence in the skies, what with labor disputes disrupting international flying, and new security fears after the bombing of a Russian airliner. But 2015 was also a time of stability for U.S. airlines, with on-time performance and baggage handling showing big improvements. So what’s in store for fliers in 2016? Here are some trends to watch in the coming year.

AIRLINES WILL GET CREATIVE WITH SEAT SOLUTIONS.

Overcrowding in the skies isn’t going away; the typical flight in the U.S. takes off with more than 80 percent of its seats occupied. So look for more unusual seating ideas to hit patent offices—and perhaps your next flight—as airlines seek ways to cram us in further. Among the weirder ones: Airbus’ latest seat patent would stack people in a split-level, mezzanine-style layout. But the most far-out design, literally, would create a bubble on top of the plane for a privileged few who presumably would pay more for the 360-degree view. And in a more practical design that would be welcomed by many a suffering traveler, B/E Aerospace applied for patent for a unique seat that would adjust legroom based on the height of the passenger.

AFFORDABLE WAYS TO FLY ON A PRIVATE JET? DO TELL.

Who wouldn’t want to fly private—if they could afford it? We may find out in 2016, as a new class of aviation entrepreneurs offers more alternatives to traditional air transportation, building on the success thus far of companies like Surf Air and Beacon, which offer reasonably priced trips out of private air terminals on the West and East Coasts, respectively. Their secret: smaller turbo props that can keep costs down. Look for a new jet-based variation on this theme to emerge in the L.A. area early in the year—plus more apps like Blade to make booking these services even easier.

THE WORLD WILL SHRINK AS LIGHTER, FASTER PLANES ARRIVE.

Airbus’s newest widebody plane, the A350, made its first transatlantic flight in December under Qatar Airways’ colors; the 300-passenger craft, along with its direct competitor, Boeing’s Dreamliner, is already reshaping route maps as airlines use the carbon-body jets—built with composite materials instead of the usual aluminum—to launch new ultra-long-haul flights. Singapore will fly the A350 as it revives its 19-hour nonstop between Newark and Changi by 2018.

SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL WILL STAGE A COMEBACK.

Ever since Concorde faded into aviation history in 2003, airline travelers have been waiting for the return of supersonic service. Their wait may soon be over, as next year the world’s first supersonic business jet will will get closer to reality as part of an Airbus-backed project. The 12-passenger jet will make a trip fromNew York to London in under one hour—flying at just under twice the speed of sound, or 1,300 mph, when it’s over the ocean—and below Mach 1 over land. If all goes well, test flights should begin in five years.

TSA WILL PUT THE BRAKES ON EXPEDITED SCREENING.

When TSA came out with its PreCheck expedited screening program a few years ago, it felt like an exclusive club—with airlines inviting their most elite fliers to be charter members. TSA may now be wishing it could return to those days; after working hard to expand the popular program, which costs $85 for five years, the agency also began allowing regular passengers to sail through on a random basis to ease backlogs during peak travel times. Frequent fliers were annoyed, and now, with security concerns on the rise, TSA is restricting these lanes yet again to members only. Even still, fliers have been noticing that the special lanes—which free passengers from having to remove shoes, laptops, and jackets—have been open less frequently due to "security and staffing" issues, putting everyone into the same slow-moving lines. Expect this trend to continue in 2016, but for international fliers returning home, things may improve as the U.S. adds Global Entry facilities to more customs gateways abroad.

Courtesy Blue Smoke

Apps like Airgrub help travelers find the best spots—like Blue Smoke on the Road in JFK's Terminal 4—to grab a meal.

THE ELECTION YEAR WILL BRING SCRUTINY OF AIRLINES’ PRICING, PROFITS.

If it’s an election year, then it must be time for airline bashing; after all, fed-up fliers do go to the polls. In the past, candidates have successfully seized on popular resentment of high airfares and deteriorating service. But in the presidential race in 2016, the focus will more likely be the airlines’ high profits and whether airfares should drop along with the price of oil. The Justice Department is already investigating airlines for collusion on prices. Airlines and their workers’ unions may get some support from politicians in their battle against the Middle East carriers; charges that those airlines are unfairly subsidized and are costing U.S. jobs could gain traction as election day nears.

NICHE AND BUDGET AIRLINES WILL GROW ABROAD, BUT NOT STATESIDE.

Budget carriers are already crossing the Atlantic, but mainly it’s a one-way street, with European players like Norwegian and Iceland’s Wow Air launching new nonstop flights to the U.S., but no U.S. discounter has yet jumped in. Next year we’ll see more mainstream lines getting into the act, with Lufthansa, for one, planning new routes to the U.S. on its low-cost subsidiary Eurowings. But in the states, the outlook fornew low-fare airlines is dismal due to the difficulty in securing financing and getting past government regulators: a couple of upstart wannabes have gone nowhere, including recent attempts to revive thePeople Express and Eastern Airlines brands.

AIRPORTS WILL GO UPSCALE.

If you’ve been noticing a lot of “pardon our appearance” signs at airports lately, take note: Passengers are beginning to reap the rewards of these construction projects as airport restaurants, shops, and other amenities get a facelift. Already the reviews are positive with J.D. Power, in its just-released North America Airport Satisfaction Survey, declaring that travelers “are substantially more satisfied with retail experiences in the airport.” Major hubs are also opening new hotels, like the luxury lodging that will abut the iconic TWA terminal at JFK, as well as improving transit links. In 2016, look for airports to devise more ways to part you from your money; at Newark, for example, at United’s Terminal C, you can pay for meals and merchandise with miles instead of cash.

Written by Barbara Peterson

 www.cntraveler.com