Travel
Airbnb to launch travel insurance product
Airbnb is to offer guests a travel insurance product as part of a COVID-19 support program. The company launched what it calls an Extenuating Circumstances policy in March 2020, enabling guests who booked before the pandemic to get refunds. Airbnb still allows guests who contract COVID-19 to cancel for a… Read
U.S. blocks flights by Chinese airlines in escalating dispute
The United States moved Friday to block 44 flights to the U.S. by Chinese airlines in retaliation for China forcing the cancellation of flights by U.S. airlines. The Transportation Department order affecting four Chinese airlines is the latest development in a long-running dispute over COVID-19 restrictions. China previously barred some… Read
Former Nintendo headquarters reopens as hotel in Kyoto
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Kyoto, there are a huge variety of hotels ready to provide you with a comfortable bed for the night. However, only one will be able to provide you with a bed and a side of gaming history as well. The hotel we’re… Read
Thailand to restart quarantine-free travel from February 1
Thailand will resume its quarantine-free travel scheme from February 1, officials said Thursday, after the program was suspended due to the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant. Pandemic travel curbs have hammered the kingdom's tourism-dominated economy, sending visitor numbers dwindling to a trickle. Fully vaccinated travelers will now be able to enter… Read
Oakwood Hotel & Apartments opens new property in Tokyo's Azabu
Oakwood, which operates serviced apartments in 13 countries, has opened its 13th property in Japan, in Azabu, Tokyo. Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu is the first hotel-licensed serviced apartment to be developed by Mitsui Fudosan Residential Co. Located within walking distance of Tokyo Tower and the Roppongi area, the hotel… Read
Natural hot spring bathhouse in Tokyo’s Kabukicho a super-cheap place to stay
The other day, our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma got off work early so he decided it was the perfect time to stop by a public bathhouse near the office. He’d heard great things about this facility, so he was keen to check it out, especially on this freezing cold evening in… Read
Delta extends life of expiring travel vouchers from pandemic
Delta Air Lines says it will extend through 2023 the window for customers to rebook credits earned when they purchased but then canceled flights during the pandemic. Before the announcement, Delta flight credits were set to expire at the end of 2022. The new date will also apply to all… Read
Airlines in Asia-Pacific report improvement in passenger demand
Preliminary November 2021 traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show notable improvement in international air passenger demand as some governments in the region begin to relax the strict border restrictions imposed since the onset of the COVID19 pandemic. Overall volumes remain significantly depressed as the 1.6… Read
U.S. airlines say China forcing them to cancel some flights
U.S. airlines say China has blocked more than a dozen recent and future flights from entering the country, which has been tightening already-strict COVID-19 travel restrictions. China ordered the cancellations after some passengers tested positive for COVID-19 on flights that arrived in China in late December, according to industry officials.… Read
Hong Kong airport bans transit passengers from 153 countries
Passengers from more than 150 nations will be banned from transiting through Hong Kong, its airport said Friday, in the latest tightening of the city's strict anti-virus travel measures. The move deepens Hong Kong's global isolation as the city pursues a staunch zero-COVID policy, and creates new headaches for airlines… Read
