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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Airports are looking to private wireless networks to improve operations, execs said at MWC Las Vegas.</li><li>Passengers could see benefits like smoother baggage claim and check-ins, the panelists said.</li></ul>Private wireless networks are key to ushering in a better airport experience for both the travel hubs' operations and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/busiest-airport-world-atlanta-dubai-tokyo-heathrow-dallas-list-ranking-2023-12">the billions of passengers who pass through them</a>.That's according to airport executives who spoke on a panel about connected aviation Tuesday at the trade show <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mwc-las-vegas-2024-5g-ai-mobile-communications-conference-2024-10">Mobile World Congress Las Vegas</a>.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/las-vegas-private-5g-network-2023-9">Private networks</a> generally offer greater security and reliability, lower latency, and higher bandwidth compared with public networks. For these reasons, they can help airports with operations and communications, plane and baggage tracking, and security.California's Ontario International Airport, for example, is using a private wireless network to run its perimeter-intrusion detection system, Charles Miwa, the airport's chief information officer, said."As I think about a future with a lot of growth, private wireless is foundational. It's going to enable us to accommodate these ad hoc moves," he said, emphasizing the need for flexibility given how often many airports do some form of construction to update their infrastructure."We're trying to run more efficient airports, more customer-friendly airports," said Michael Youngs, the vice president of information technology at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which last year announced a $10 million deal with AT&amp;T for a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/what-frequency-is-5g">private 5G network</a>."We're not going to do it with people. We're not going to do it with brick and mortar. We're going to do it with technology, with IoT, but we need that base foundational level of connectivity, private wireless, that's going to enable it," he added, referring to the Internet of Things.Private wireless networks can also help enterprises with cost and mobility by reducing the expense of installing cables and by providing connectivity to areas that might be harder to reach with wires."We traditionally at the airport, especially, do not put anything very secure across wireless. We just don't do it," said Kyle Mobley, the director of information technology at the Port of Oakland, which operates the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. "And it's not because we have any proof it's going to be less secure in the way we do it. It's the what you don't know."Mobley added: "Having this infrastructure wirelessly is huge." Mobley spoke of using private wireless for passenger traffic sensors, for example."It's tough to keep sending people out in the field to investigate things at 2 o'clock in the morning," he said. "And we cover such a wide area that getting these sensors — lidar, cameras, whatever it ends up being — in every corner of our property is huge to give that person working that desk the ability to know what's going on. Do I have a squirrel running up the fence, or is it somebody? The squirrel will sometimes send 10 cars out there, and that's not very efficient."Roughly 58% of airports worldwide that participated in the survey are investing in major development programs for a 5G communications network, and another 29% have research-and-development programs for the tech by 2026, said the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.sita.aero/globalassets/docs/surveys--reports/2023-air-transport-it-insights-v6.1.pdf">2023 Air Transport IT Insights</a> report from SITA, an IT and telecommunications service provider for the aviation industry, and Airports Council International.As for passengers, they might see benefits like quicker <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-to-do-when-an-airline-loses-your-luggage-2022-7">baggage claim</a> or smoother check-ins."I'm not really looking to be in the private-wireless business — I feel like I have to be in the private-wireless business," Youngs said. "I need to harness data to take our airport forward. That's really the end game."

Airports are investing in private wireless networks to improve operations and travelers' experience

<keyword id="24240143" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai-International-Airport" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Chennai International Airport" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Chennai International Airport">Chennai International Airport</keyword> has been temporarily shut down till 7 PM on Saturday in view of <keyword id="24172195" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cyclone-Fengal" source="keywords">cyclone Fengal</keyword> making landfall today evening. As heavy rainfall and strong winds intensified ahead of the cyclone, it is expected to cross between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram coasts, near Puducherry tonight. Multiple airlines companies already issued travel advisories and updates on their flight plans due to the continuing heavy rainfall in Chennai Tamilnadu. Earlier, <keyword id="19900374" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IndiGo-airlines" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="IndiGo airlines" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="IndiGo airlines">IndiGo airlines</keyword> diverted all flights scheduled to come to Chennai. "Due to the impact of CycloneFengal in Chennai, flights operating to the city are being diverted. Our crew and airport teams are dedicated to providing all possible support &amp; assistance during this time. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding," the X post by IndiGo said. Meanwhile, security at the Puducherry coast has also increased as Puducherry Senior Superintendent of Police, Kalaivanan visited the beaches and the coastal roads in the region and inspected them for preparedness. The authorities have advised the public to not visit beaches in Puducherry as well as in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, including Marina Beach, Pattinapakkam and Edward Elliot Beach. The tourist spots in Puducherry have been closed as a precautionary measure, owing to the impending cyclone Fengal. <keyword id="24240138" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Puducherry-police" source="keywords">Puducherry Police</keyword> in a post on X advised citizens, "In view of Cyclone Fengal, we urge you to exercise extreme caution and avoid visiting beaches and coastal areas" The SSP said that 300 police personnel have been deployed on various coastal roads and beaches. "For the last four days, we have been deploying police personnel along the beaches and apart from that we are also informing the fishermen and people living in the low-lying areas to be careful. Fishermen are not venturing into the sea. Since last night, we have closed all beaches. We have deployed nearly 300 personnel across all the beaches of Puducherry and we are coordinating with the NDRF also," the SSP said. The coastal areas of Puducherry witnessed rough sea and gusty winds on Saturday morning due to the impact of the cyclone. Puducherry received moderate rain, as per IMD, in the morning today but the rough sea was seen more than usual.

Cyclone Fengal: Chennai airport shut till 7 PM

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Replenishment ships are essential to resupplying carrier groups at sea with fuel, food and bombs.</li><li>The US is overhauling its aging ships while China has built a dozen.</li></ul>Involved in nearly every crisis since World War II, aircraft carriers have been called upon to assure allies, deter enemies, and strike directly at hostile targets.Yet for all their importance, their missions would be impossible if not for the US Navy's unsung workhorses: replenishment ships.Replenishment ships loaded with food, fuel and bombs are the reason US carrier strike groups can stay at sea for months at a time. This capability is increasingly vital for the US Navy's chief competitor, China. With the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-shrinking-china-biggest-fleet-shipbuilding-taiwan-2024-4">largest navy in the world</a>, its lack of overseas military bases only makes the need for this capability greater.But replenishment ships also form the weakest link in the chain of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-vs-chinese-navy-aircraft-carriers-2024-5">American</a> and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-more-to-learn-to-match-us-2024-5">Chinese carrier</a> groups. Often unarmed and full of explosive cargo, they are prime targets for any hostile force.<div type="image" title="USNS Supply is one of the two largest combat logistics ships in the US Navy's Military Sealift Command." height="1500" width="2100" msid="115143523" hostid="261" sizebytes="299192"></div><h2 id="3d01aa20-7b10-4f31-9c1e-4e4a0f3254e6">US replenishment ships</h2>The US Navy's Military Sealift Command's Combat Logistics Force (CLF) operates 17 fleet replenishment oilers, 14 dry cargo/ammunition ships, and two fast combat support ships.These ships are built to deliver wet cargo (mainly aviation and diesel fuel) and dry cargo like ordnance, food, and spare parts. Though US carriers are nuclear-powered, their escort ships still run on diesel, and their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/newest-us-navy-supercarrier-underway-with-all-airpower-first-time-2023-3">air wings</a> require aviation fuel.The most capable replenishment vessels in the CLF are the fast combat support ships of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2174658/">Supply-class</a>, the largest combat logistics ships in the MSC fleet.Equipped with four cargo booms for loading cargo, they are capable of carrying 156,000 barrels of fuel, 1,800 tons of ordnance, 400 tons of refrigerated store, and 250 tons of other dry cargo.<div type="image" title="Fleet replenishment oiler Henry J. Kaiser refuels a US warship via two hose lines suspended on a tensioned wire between the ships." height="1331" width="2000" msid="115143326" hostid="261" sizebytes="123714"></div>These ships have two primary means to transfer cargo: sling loads carried by helicopter or tensioned lines between the ships. They have five fuel-at-sea (FAS) stations that utilize long flexible refueling hoses that travel on the tensioned wire, and six replenishment at sea (RAS) stations that move supplies via the horizontal wire pulley systems on the tensioned line. In addition, the Supply-class ships have a helicopter hangar and deck with space for two helicopters at the stern, enabling helicopter transfer known as vertical replenishment, or VERTREP.The FAS/RAS stations, combined with aerial resupply, enable Supply-class vessels to replenish up to four ships at once. Only two Supply-class ships, the USNS Supply and USNS Arctic, remain in service.The backbone of the CLF's refueling fleet are the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil/Ships/Ship-Inventory/Fleet-Replenishment-Oiler/">Henry J. Kaiser-class</a> fleet oilers. Built between 1984 and 1996, the ships are 677 feet long, displace around 41,000 tons, and can carry up to 159,000 barrels of fuel.The Kaisers can refuel two warships simultaneously. They lack a helicopter hangar, but have a deck at the stern where helicopters from nearby ships can sling-load pallets.Fourteen Kaisers are in active service with the MSC.Though effective for refueling, the Kaiser-class has limited space for dry cargo — only enough for 586 pallets, including frozen and chilled food. The Navy relies on 14 Lewis &amp; Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships to fill in the gap.The Lewis &amp; Clark-class ships can carry a massive 8,391 tons of dry cargo, including 1,716 tons of refrigerated stores. They also have tanks capable of carrying approximately 25,000 barrels of fuel.<div type="image" title="An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter delivers supplies to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower from the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic." height="1331" width="2000" msid="115143525" hostid="261" sizebytes="207016"></div>The Kaiser-class replacement effort kicked off in earnest in 2016, when the Navy signed a design and construction contract with General Dynamics, a leading defense contractor and shipbuilder that reported $11.7 billion in revenue in its third-quarter earnings.Five years later, the lead ship of the new John Lewis-class was christened.The 746-foot-long, double-hull ships can carry 162,000 barrels of fuel, 6,675 tons of dry cargo, and 1,716 tons of refrigerated stores. A helicopter deck at the stern also enables VERTREP.Three John Lewis-class oilers — USNS John Lewis, USNS Harvey Milk, and USNS Earl Warren — are in service, and a fourth, USNS Robert F. Kennedy, is set to begin sea trials soon. Another was recently launched and two more are under construction.The class will soon become the main fleet oiler. An order for six ships was made in 2018, with options for three more exercised in 2022 and 2023. In September, the Navy signed a $6.7 billion contract for eight more John Lewis-class oilers with General Dynamics's National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. The Navy hopes to have 20 of the vessels in total, supplemented by 13 yet-to-be-designed light replenishment oilers.<div type="image" title="The Hulunhu fast combat support ship is part of a new class that was built to service China's carrier strike groups." height="1060" width="2000" msid="115143528" hostid="261" sizebytes="205312"></div><h2 id="02ad4c6d-8c78-4ca1-ab92-1b32a6c75d25">China's replenishment ships</h2>The US Navy has over <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2018/june/century-replenishment-sea">100 years of experience</a> building and operating replenishment ships. China's experience began in the 1980s.Its first replenishment ships could only carry about 10,500 tons of fuel. As China's fleet grew in the 1990s, it searched for a stopgap measure and found it in the Qinghaihu, an oiler built in Ukraine that was intended for the Soviet Navy.Ultimately, the Chinese opted to pursue a new design for its next replenishment ships: the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/qiandaohu.htm">Type 903-class</a> oiler.These ships can carry around 11,000 tons of cargo, including some 10,000 tons of fuel. Like the Qinghaihu, the Type 903s have a helicopter deck and helipad.Nine ships were built between 2002 and 2018, all of which are in service.The Type 903s form the backbone of China's replenishment fleet, but they are not the most capable. That title goes to the PLAN's Type 901-class fast combat support ships.The ships, which NATO designated the "Fuyu-class," are 787 feet long, displace 45,000 tons, have a helicopter deck and hangars, and are equipped with 5 FAS and 2 RAS stations. They are primarily meant to service China's carrier groups and can keep up as they are propelled by four gas turbine engines.The size, mission, and speed of the ships are comparable to the US Navy's Supply-class. Two Type 901s have been built: the Hulunhu and the Chaganhu.<div type="image" title="Replenishment ships like the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo and ammunition ships are essential to carrier operations but are highly vulnerable to attack." height="1333" width="2000" msid="115143527" hostid="261" sizebytes="344510"></div><h2 id="e54916fd-474c-416c-9f6b-46ac068eead5">'Weakest link'</h2>The important role these ships play is hard to overstate.Between October 2023 and May 2024 in support of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-weapons-expenditure-cost-middle-east-conflicts-2024-10">Red Sea operations</a>, for instance, USS Supply <a target="_blank" href="https://gcaptain.com/usns-supply-crew-honored-for-exceptional-service-in-red-sea-operations/">replenished</a> US and allied ships 143 times, transferring over 87 million gallons of fuel and 14,928 pallets of supplies in the process.The Henry J. Kaiser- and Lewis and Clark-class vessels also enabled the continuous presence of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-carrier-strike-groups-significant-combat-power-middle-east-2024-8">two carriers in the Middle East</a>.The PLAN's oilers, meanwhile, have extended the reach of its warships. <a target="_blank" href="https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&amp;context=cmsi-notes">Its contributions to international anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden</a> have, since 2008, almost always been made up of two surface combatants and one oiler, enabling each task force to stay on station for 4 months.The new Type 901s are already proving their worth. Last year, the Type 901-class oiler Chaganhu supported the Shandong carrier group during a series of exercises near Taiwan, Guam, and in the South China Sea. This included 620 aircraft sorties in just 18 days, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.usni.org/2023/07/14/japan-releases-fighter-scramble-data-against-chinese-aircraft">according</a> to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.In all, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-growing-navy-conducts-first-dual-aircraft-carrier-drills-2024-10">Shandong</a> spent about as much time at sea as any US carrier in the western Pacific that year, due in no small part to its replenishment ships.Yet replenishment ships are also the weakest link in each country's carrier groups. The most obvious reason is that they are almost completely unarmed, making them defenseless. Their defenses are instead provided by escort ships.They also face additional challenges unique to each country. The US, for instance, faces a manpower shortage, limited <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-us-navy-warships-delayed-photos-2024-4">shipyard capacity</a>, and an aging fleet with ships approaching the end of their expected service lives.Military Sealift Command employs mostly civilian merchant mariners, but now has a recruiting issue of its own.The manpower issue has been serious enough for MSC to <a target="_blank" href="https://news.usni.org/2024/08/22/navy-could-sideline-17-support-ships-due-to-manpower-issues">propose sidelining 17 of its ships</a> — including two Lewis &amp; Clark-class ammo ships and one Kaiser-class oiler — so their crews could be sent to serve on other vessels.The Kaiser-class itself is aging quickly. Four of the active oilers are already past their 35-year service lives, while one, USNS Pecos, departed for deactivation last month.Ships can have their service lives extended, but American shipyards appear unable to <a target="_blank" href="https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4624326-almost-all-navy-shipbuilding-is-hopelessly-behind-schedule-as-war-looms/">keep up with demand</a> for new ships and maintenance for active ones, with some estimating that the Navy is as many as 20 years behind in needed maintenance.The backlog may be why only one Kaiser-class oiler, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-fired-captain-didnt-fix-steering-problem-near-miss-2024-9">USNS Big Horn</a>, was present in the Middle East during tensions between Israel and Iran in late September. This almost caused major problems when the ship accidentally <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-fuel-ship-damaged-incident-middle-east-2024-9">ran aground</a> and could no longer operate, forcing the Navy to rely on two Lewis &amp; Clark-class ammunition ships for refueling duties despite their smaller capability. The incident exposed <a target="_blank" href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/refueling-navy-middle-east/">just how fragile UNREP networks can be</a>.China, meanwhile, has just 12 oilers despite having the world's largest navy, which puts a considerable strain on those ships. Additionally, its logistical network is hampered by a lack of overseas naval bases, which can serve as refueling and resupply stations for the oilers.China has the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-shipbuilding-power-players-making-warships-at-a-rapid-pace-2024-9">largest shipbuilding industry</a> in the world, however, enabling it to quickly build more oilers and convert some of its merchant ships into replenishment ships. It has also been attempting to expand its "String of Pearls"— Chinese-controlled ports in countries across the Indian and Pacific oceans that could support military ships.Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

US vs. Chinese replenishment ships: The workhorses that keep aircraft carriers operating

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some luxury travel agencies say more travelers are vacationing in the fall instead of summer.</li><li>One company now sees more bookings for September than June, July, and August.</li></ul>Planning where to go for your next summer Euro trip?No need to stop by Portugal to try some sardines. Just head to cities like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-to-know-visiting-rome-busy-season-first-time-tips">Rome</a> and Athens to experience the next best option — being packed against other tourists like tinned fish.Summer is historically the most popular time to travel. The weather is warm, school is out, serotonin levels are high, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/venice-tourism-group-cap-overtourism-2024-8">vacation getaways are jam-packed</a>. So much so that many travelers are now opting instead for a fall respite.A growing number of vacationers have been replacing their summer vacations with ones during <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-shoulder-season-2017-8#:~:text=Shoulder%20season%20is%20the%20period,in%20Europe%20and%20the%20Caribbean.">shoulder season</a> (the time between high and low travel, such as autumn) — to the extent that luxury travel agency and consortia Virtuoso saw a 23% increase in bookings for fall 2024 compared to the year prior, Misty Belles, its vice president of global public relations, told BI.Forget asking <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vacation-destinations-popular-ultra-wealthy-unexpected-countries-travel-agents-2024-10">where your friends "summer"</a> — now, it's all about where you autumn.<h2 id="020bc067-5732-485a-9efa-4786c00798c6">Fall vacations are becoming trendy</h2><div type="image" title="acadia national park fall leaves" height="3327" width="4436" msid="114474003" hostid="261" sizebytes="1526938"></div>Autumn travel often goes hand-in-hand with leaf-peeping excursions. (That's still true — AirDNA, which tracks vacation rental listings on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, told BI that demand in October for the popular fall foliage hot spots of rural New York and the coast of Maine is up 19.7% from 2023.)Many of these offseason vacationers are also seeking out classic overseas summer destinations like Europe.Travel-booking company Hopper told BI that in 2023, 23% of European vacations reserved on the platform were for September and October of that year, up 5% from 2019.Jackie Roth — a travel manager for Scott Dunn Private, the invite-only subsidiary of travel agency Scott Dunn — told BI that all its clients have been requesting fall travel. And likely not for some quick, dirt-cheap getaways — Scott Dunn Private's members must spend a minimum of $100,000 on travel annually.<div type="image" title="Paris" height="1414" width="1885" msid="114474007" hostid="261" sizebytes="614860"></div>The ultra-luxury team now fields more requests for vacations in September than in the traditional ultra-peak travel months of June, July, and August, often to European countries like Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, Roth said.Italy, in particular, reported a 15.5% increase in foreign visitors between September and November 2023 compared to the previous year."People are willing to trade going to the beach for their umbrella so they can experience some of the popular destinations without quite the crowds," Julie Durso, a Scott Dunn Private travel manager, told BI, adding that the team works with several Tuscany properties that are now trying to stay open through November.<h2 id="2c2fe6f1-1b61-4115-aa8e-0def0e4b0fe7">Why they're falling for fall</h2><div type="image" title="Colorful buildings in Sardinia" height="1414" width="1885" msid="114474005" hostid="261" sizebytes="588208"></div>Autumn can be a great time to travel if you're looking to avoid peak-season crowds and costs. Most children are back in school. And <a target="_blank" href="https://news.airbnb.com/2024-fall-trends-revealed/">Airbnb said</a> its vacation rentals are generally the cheapest from September through November.According to data from travel booking platform Kayak, the average nightly cost of three- and four-star hotels in Italy dropped 3% from the summer to fall of 2024. In Cagliari, Sardinia, the dip was closer to 22%.It's easier for families who aren't beholden to a school calendar to globetrot during the week. Or, they could just skip class.Kelly Grumbach, senior vice president of travel for concierge service Quintessentially, told BI that about 20% to 25% of the company's clients pull their children out of school for a weeklong shoulder-season vacation to avoid being "surrounded by American tourists" and "ripped off" by peak-season rates.<div type="image" title="Boats in the water at a port in Nice, France. There are lots of colorful buildings on the coast." height="1414" width="1885" msid="114474013" hostid="261" sizebytes="490282"></div>She said the company books most of these trips to European destinations like the Amalfi Coast and Sicily, adding that trips to the latter at the end of September and early October are a "fraction" of July and August's prices.Plus, the weather is generally still great."Savvy travelers have realized that they can go to Capri, Italy, or the south of France in September and October and experience warmer waters, fewer crowds, and lower prices," Melissa Biggs Bradley, CEO of luxury travel agency Indagare, told BI in an email. "Our clients are being more selective about when to splurge on a special property and when to save." (The company has two membership options, the priciest at $2,850 a year.)Melissa Krueger, CEO of luxury travel wholesaler Classic Vacations, is especially partial to October, calling it the "best time to travel worldwide." In late September, 20% of Classic Vacations' bookings were for the final three months of the year, 7% for October specifically.<h2 id="b38b1d9a-1b49-4e94-a1ce-ba78aef6f31f">Italy's Amalfi Coast has seen a late-season boost</h2><div type="image" title="pool of Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel" height="1366" width="2732" msid="114474014" hostid="261" sizebytes="723650"></div>According to Belles, of Virtuoso, some seasonal resorts have been extending their operating months to accommodate the growing number of late-season visitors.Estelle Vassallo, the general manager of Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel, told BI that occupancy levels along the region have seen a "significant shift" in recent years, dipping in July and August while increasing in the traditional offseason months of May, June, September, and October.<div type="image" title="A view of Italy's Amalfi Coast cityscape on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea." height="3200" width="4267" msid="114474010" hostid="261" sizebytes="1441388"></div>Her hotel has seen a "consistent" number of travelers throughout the year, which she expects will continue into November.Many hotels in the region close for winter breaks from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-amalfi-coast-hotels">November to March</a>. Anantara Convento di Amalfi has instead opted to break from mid-January to mid-March.In 2024, the nightly hotel costs along this slice of coastal Italian paradise dipped as much as 23% from summer to fall, according to Kayak — except for Positano, where hotel costs have increased "slightly."<div type="image" title="Positano, Italy" height="1200" width="1600" msid="114474009" hostid="261" sizebytes="241030"></div>Before the rise of shoulder-season vacations, travelers wanted to chase the best weather, Grumbach said.Now, she's hearing more say: "I am fine with clouds and maybe a little rain. I just want to be able to eat at this restaurant and not have to get on a waitlist or go to this nice hotel but not have to pay double the amount.""We have some of the wealthiest clients in the world, and they're still like, 'I don't want to be ripped off," she added.

For some wealthy travelers, fall is the new summer

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Europe's hottest summer on record didn't stop tourists from visiting en masse.</li><li>Some luxury travel agents say more vacationers are seeking summer trips to cooler climates.</li></ul>Few summertime Instagram posts are as FOMO-inducing as the perfectly posed candid in front of the Eiffel Tower or Sagrada Familia, complete with a perfectly dewy makeup look.But as global temperatures continue to rise, that glowy finish could more likely be from sweat than a shimmery highlight.The summer of 2024 was the <a target="_blank" href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/c3s-seasonal-lookback-summer-2024">hottest on record</a> in Europe. Heat waves soared beyond 100 degrees in countries like Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain — all while the tourist-beloved destinations contended with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/01/italy-braces-for-record-wave-of-tourists-but-is-having-trouble-handling-them.html">record levels of travelers</a>.<div type="image" title="crowds of tourists in Greece" height="3327" width="4436" msid="114705585" hostid="261" sizebytes="963708"></div>Likely, no vacationer wants to spend their precious summer break wading through sweltering heat waves and throngs of sweaty crowds.Thus, the growing preference for "coolcations" — a portmanteau of "cool" and "vacations" — is born. And with it, a 44% increase in bookings to the milder-weathered destinations of northern Europe and Canada from the summer of 2023 to 2024, according to luxury travel agency Virtuoso.Move aside, wet, hot American summer. Now, it's all about cold Finnish summers.<h2 id="daf5314f-2892-4288-b044-2afc61cd5241">Wealthy travelers are seeking out chill summers</h2><div type="image" title="Blue lagoon geothermal bath near Reykjavik, Iceland." height="1306" width="1741" msid="114705584" hostid="261" sizebytes="181436"></div>"The stifling hot places you don't think of as being really hot and muggy have become that way," Jackie Roth, a travel manager for Scott Dunn Private, told BI, calling out examples like Rome, Paris, and the UK.Roth has planned summer trips to the latter. But if the timing coincides with a heat wave and her client's hotel doesn't have air conditioning, they "absolutely panic," she said. "Americans are used to a bit more pampering."A growing number of travelers are pushing their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/summer-travel-vacation-now-fall-autumn-instead-2024-10">"Euro summer" trips to the fall</a> to beat peak summer crowds and temperatures.Others are opting for cooler-weather getaways to destinations like Scandinavia.<div type="image" title="Stock photo shows Helsinki, Finland." height="1414" width="1885" msid="114705587" hostid="261" sizebytes="449000"></div>Misty Belles, Virtuoso's vice president of global public relations, attributed the trend to two global warming-related factors: the increasing intensity of heat waves and recent wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, Greece, and Spain.The latter "really rattled" people," she told BI.Europe, as a whole, endured a sweltering summer. However, some western European countries — specifically Iceland, Ireland, and parts of the UK and Norway — experienced cooler-than-average summers.<div type="image" title="Oslo, Norway at night" height="3800" width="5700" msid="114705583" hostid="261" sizebytes="2595740"></div>Previously beloved for wintertime <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/holland-america-line-longest-133-day-pole-to-pole-cruise-2023-6">aurora borealis hunting</a>, more travelers (especially those who've already done classics like Italy and France) are realizing these destinations' midnight sun, crisper weather, and smaller crowds could make for a fun summer getaway, too."You get a lot of people saying, 'I went to Italy or Greece in the height of summer, and it was too hot, so where can I go now that's not so hot?'" Julie Durso, a Scott Dunn Private travel manager, told BI. "It's one thing to be in a place with that heat, but to have it with a lot of crowds as well."<h2 id="0fa2af76-edf1-44fd-8f5a-46ba30212781">Where coolcationers are headed</h2><div type="image" title="ice cream in front of colorful houses in copenhagen" height="1414" width="1885" msid="114705586" hostid="261" sizebytes="193006"></div>The "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/what-is-scandi-style-today">Scandi style</a>" fashion aesthetic, inspired by Copenhagen and Stockholm's minimalist street style, has retained its grip on #FashionTok.Now, the public's love of Scandinavia is bleeding into travel, too.Melissa Biggs Bradley, CEO of luxury travel agency and media company Indagare, told BI in an email that more of the company's clients have been "gravitating north" to major Nordic cities.For those who prefer less urban trips, she called out the "great restaurants and beautiful beaches" of the Stockholm archipelago and the "dramatic landscapes" of the Faroe Islands and Norway's fjords.<div type="image" title="Streymoy Island of Faroe Islands" height="3420" width="4560" msid="114705589" hostid="261" sizebytes="2156128"></div>In the summer of 2024, Virtuoso saw an up to 17% uptick in vacations to Sweden and Denmark compared to the prior summer, it said. Looking westward, Belles said the company was "blown away" by the 62% and 89% growth in trips to Iceland and Norway, respectively.Like Virtuoso, luxury tour operator Abercombie and Kent told BI in an email that Norway has become a "top choice" for its customers.The company saw "immediate interest" when it launched its first summertime small-group tour of Norway and Denmark in 2023. Amid sustained demand, the itinerary is now annual. (The 10-day tour starts at $16,900 per person in 2025.)<div type="image" title="The village of Reine on the water of the fjord in the Lofoten Islands, Norway." height="853" width="1137" msid="114705588" hostid="261" sizebytes="114420"></div>Norway's upstairs neighbor, Finland, also piqued the interest of Virtuoso's clients this summer — to the tune of a 150% balloon in bookings. "That's not someplace we were typically sending clients," Belles said.The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-finland-happiest-place-on-earth-what-its-like-2024-1">world's happiest country</a> accommodated about 89,700 US travelers from June through August, a 7.7% increase from 2023.Even <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-airlines-new-international-routes-2025-list-fifth-freedom-2024-10">United Airlines</a> is riding the coolcations trend, too. In October, the company announced it would launch its first summer route from New Jersey's Newark Liberty International to Nuuk, Greenland's soon-to-be-completed international airport, in June 2025."The savvy traveler has been to Paris, Rome, and Madrid so many times that they're looking for something different," Patrick Quayle, United Airlines' SVP of global network planning and alliances, told reporters at the time. "Our nonstop flights to Greenland will provide new access to the world's most northern capital and gateway to Arctic adventures and midnight sun."

Some wealthy travelers are replacing their hot summer trips with 'coolcations'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Orient Express is preparing for its first launch in decades — a luxury sleeper train in Italy.</li><li>Dubbed La Dolce Vita, the new Orient Express trains will start operating in Spring 2025.</li></ul>There's an old saying that goes, one person's loss is another's gain — and the same can be said for industries.As <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lvmh-luxury-louis-vuitton-struggles-china-slowdown-2024">luxury brands</a> struggle amid a downturn fueled by dwindling demand in regions like China, another luxury sector is thriving: travel.Brought to a standstill during the COVID-19 pandemic, as demand for luxury brands was nearing an all-time high, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/secrets-for-traveling-like-rich-from-luxury-travel-planner">luxury travel</a> is on the up and up as wealthy and aspirational consumers prioritize experiences over goods.The good times are expected to continue as McKinsey &amp; Company analysis estimates that global spending on luxury leisure hospitality will grow to $391 billion in 2028, a 10% jump from 2023."People are going overseas, and much more experiences are open to them," Amrita Banta, managing director of luxury insights firm Agility Research &amp; Strategy, told Business Insider. Ultra-high-net-worth Chinese consumers have also caught the travel bug, she said, and are increasingly spending in other countries like Singapore, Thailand, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-shoppers-being-less-frugal-good-news-for-luxury-industry-2024-11">Japan</a>.Travel agent Julia Carter, founder of the luxury travel agency Craft Travel, said unique experiences are higher on the priority list of wealthy vacationers than ever."People want things that are curated to them," Carter said. "They don't want cookie-cutter experiences, they don't want to go somewhere where everything feels like it could be AI-generated."<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whats-behind-china-luxury-goods-slowdown-economy-changing-consumer-tastes-2024-10">This shift in consumer spending habits may be hurting luxury brands</a>, but it's a means for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surprises-luxury-overnight-train-venice-simplon-orient-express-2024-2">the Orient Express</a>, a once-defunct train service, to stage a comeback.<h2 id="d492a318-13a1-4cf2-a916-545ad301795f">Back from the dead</h2>Launched 140 years ago by Belgian engineer Georges Nagelmackers, the Orient Express was a luxury sleeper that, at its peak, had trains running from Paris to Istanbul.The brand became so embedded in popular culture that it inspired Agatha Christie novels and, in recent years, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/thor-ragnarok-orient-express-daddys-home-2-box-office-2017-11">Hollywood movies</a> starring <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/judi-dench-impossible-to-learn-lines-vision-loss-2023-2">Dame Judi Dench</a> and Kenneth Branagh.As the draw of slow train travel gave way to speedier options like planes and high-speed railways, Orient Express's golden era ended. It made its last direct trip between Paris and Istanbul in 1977 before a brief revival with pared-back service in the early 1980s.<div type="image" title="An Orient Express advertisement" height="3300" width="4613" msid="114980196" hostid="261" sizebytes="912570"></div>That was pretty much the end of the line for the Orient Express — until now.In partnership with Italian luxury hospitality group Arsenale, the Orient Express is poised for a comeback, opening two new hotels in Italy and six brand-new luxury sleeper trains dubbed La Dolce Vita.From spring 2025, La Dolce Vita trains, which accommodate up to 62 passengers in deluxe and suite cabins, will run across 10,000 miles of track around 14 regions of Italy, including Sicily.Ticket prices start at 3,500 euros ($3,800) for a one-night itinerary in a deluxe cabin.<h2 id="a1489af5-4b42-40ca-9d5a-f7be7c8b578b">The luxury of exclusivity</h2>The timing couldn't be more aligned with consumers prioritizing travel experiences over luxury goods and with the rise of what Samy Ghachem, general manager of La Dolce Vita, calls the "slow cruising" experiential travel trend."You saw a big uptick as soon as COVID was over, Japan exploded, and people were like, 'OK, now let's step out of our comfort zone. Let's go to Asia, let's go to Africa, let's start to do things,'" Ghachem said, adding that tapping into that curiosity and desire to slow down is what La Dolce Vita encapsulates.<div type="image" title="A bedroom on La Dolce Vita Orient Express." height="853" width="1280" msid="114980194" hostid="261" sizebytes="117970"></div>Unlike cruise travel, luxury train travel is also more exclusive, another top priority among wealthy travelers."People want the luxury of space and privacy," Craft, the luxury travel agent, said. "They don't want to be forced into lines and queues and having to take pictures with thousands of people around.""When you talk about luxury cruising, you're talking about 12,000 passengers," Ghachem said. "On our trains," he added, "it's much more intimate."While the company's short-term focus is primarily on Italy, it's also preparing to launch its first sailing superyacht in 2026 and luxury sleeper trains in other regions, including the Middle East.If anything, the Orient Express's revival supports what Ghachem says is one of the biggest trends in luxury travel: "People want to come back from vacation with a story."

The Orient Express is plotting a comeback as the ultra-rich ditch luxury brands for travel

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A Canadian travel blogger said she was carried off an Air Canada-operated flight in a "broken aisle chair."</li><li>Tori Hunter, 26, uses an electric wheelchair due to a neuromuscular condition.</li></ul>A travel blogger has spoken out about wheelchair accessibility on aircraft after she was left "distraught" while being carried off of a plane.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C7DOJ1npAO0/">Tori Hunter, 26, posted a video of herself being carried down an airstair </a>in a "broken aisle chair" that she said had "no armrests, straps that wouldn't tighten enough to keep my body in, and front wheels that were busted off."Hunter, who uses an electric wheelchair due to a neuromuscular condition called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx995y8lwlgo">spinal muscular atrophy</a>, had been on an Air Canada flight to Costa Rica when the incident occurred."The individuals that were sent to help me disembark this plane likely had very little training on how to do so; they kept having to place the chair down from not having the correct grip, and they were holding the chair completely sideways," Hunter wrote on Instagram."I was never informed that this would be how I would have to disembark the plane, and it never crossed my mind given that this airport DOES use jet bridges," she added. "It's 2024, disabled people deserve a more dignified and safe way to fly."Business Insider has reached out to Hunter for comment.According to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2023-10/Summary%20Report%202021.pdf">report</a> by the US Department of Transportation, more than 51% of the 33,631 complaints received by 180 carriers in 2021 "concerned the carriers' failure to provide adequate assistance to persons using wheelchairs."The department said it was "focused on improving air travel for persons with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs."In a statement to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx995y8lwlgo">BBC News</a>, Air Canada said that it had followed all the protocols for helping passengers with disabilities."However, as part of our accessibility plan, we will be reviewing airport procedures, including for smaller foreign stations, with the aim of working with local airport and other partners to find ways to provide more consistent service," it added.Air Canada did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was made outside regular working hours.Air travel can be a huge source of anxiety for wheelchair users.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wheelchair-plane-air-travel-vulnerable-2024-3">Ryan Rae Harbuck, who has been paralyzed for nearly 27 years, wrote an essay for Business Insider</a> in March describing what it's like."Being a passenger on an airplane when you are a wheelchair user is giving up all reigns of mobility and independence," Harbuck wrote. "It's like taking away your legs and expecting you not to say a word about it."

Disabled travel blogger carried off Air Canada-operated flight in 'broken aisle chair'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night.</li><li>Four international and several smaller airports are set to close ahead of the storm arriving.</li></ul>Four international airports are set to suspend commercial flights as <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-tampa-mayor-castor-evacuation-orders-die-warning-helene-2024-10">Hurricane Milton</a> approaches Florida, while American Airlines scheduled extra services for evacuees.Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm — the most severe classification — in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday. It later weakened to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm and is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night.The National Hurricane Center estimated peak storm surges as high as 15 feet in the Tampa Bay area.Orlando International, Sarasota-Bradenton, St Pete-Clearwater International, and Tampa International airports have all announced closures. All except Orlando are located in counties with mandatory evacuation orders.Tampa International will close Tuesday at 9 a.m., followed by Sarasota-Bradenton at 4 p.m. and St Pete-Clearwater after the last flight departs on Tuesday.As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, close to a third of 158 flights at Tampa International had already been canceled, per FlightAware.Orlando International said it would end commercial operations on Wednesday morning but remain open for emergency, aid, and relief flights. Jet bridges were being tied down in preparation.Several public airports are also closing down, including Peter O. Knight, Tampa Executive, and Plant City.Miami International Airport aid it would remain open but was monitoring the situation and encouraged travelers to confirm their flight status with their airlines.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2024/American-provides-extra-seats-customer-flexibility-in-Florida-ahead-of-Hurricane-Milton-OPS-DIS-10/">American Airlines</a> added several flights to help people evacuate on Monday and Tuesday.It's added 11 flights from Tampa International and one from Sarasota-Bradenton, totaling about 2,000 seats. Passengers can check two bags at no cost.American and other airlines have issued travel alerts and are waiving change fees while some are also waiving cancellation charges.The disruption comes two weeks after <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pete-buttigieg-elon-musk-hurricane-helene-call-best-thing-2024-10">Hurricane Helene</a> devastated the southeastern US with more than 1,000 flights canceled.A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said its Joint Crisis Action Team will handle Hurricane Milton centrally from its command center, "so there is a strong coordinated communication and planning effort."At airports, radars are shut down to protect antennae and their motors from wind damage, while air traffic controllers are evacuated from towers to seek shelter in a lower level of the building."The FAA has personnel on the ground to make sure damaged equipment and services are restored quickly to aid in a rapid response to hard-hit areas," the spokesperson said. "Relief and restoration routes are opened to assist after the storm passes."

Airports are closing and American Airlines is operating evacuation flights as Hurricane Milton nears Florida

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Expedia stock climbed 8% while Uber stock fell more than 3% in premarket trading on Thursday.</li><li>Uber spoke with advisors about a potential takeover in recent months, The Financial Times reported.</li></ul>Expedia stock jumped as much as 8% in Thursday's premarket, while Uber tumbled more than 3% following a report the ride-hailing giant recently explored a takeover of the travel group.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-reasons-why-uber-is-now-profitable-2024-8">Uber</a> met with advisors in recent months to discuss whether an Expedia acquisition would be feasible and how it might be structured, The Financial Times reported late Wednesday, citing three sources familiar with the talks.A third party raised the idea of buying Expedia to Uber, sources told the FT, adding that merger talks were nascent and a deal might not materialize. One source told the newspaper that Uber hasn't formally approached Expedia, and there were no ongoing discussions between the two companies.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-happiest-workplace-in-the-uk-where-staff-can-get-a-14000-travel-allowance-2016-3">Expedia</a>, which owns the eponymous travel-booking website as well as Hotels.com and Vrbo, would be Uber's biggest acquisition. The company was worth nearly $20 billion at Wednesday's close, less than one-eighth of Uber's $172 billion valuation.The flights-and-hotels specialist generated close to $13 billion of revenue and just over $1 billion of operating income last year, as more than 350 million room nights were booked using its platforms. Uber posted $9.9 billion of revenue and $652 million of operating income in 2023, as users booked more than 2.6 billion trips.A merger would contribute to Uber's ambition of becoming a "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-amazon-of-transportation-inside-effort-2021-9">super app</a>." Previous acquisitions such as Postmates and Transplace have allowed it to offer car, plane, train, and boat rides on its platform, as well as restaurant and grocery delivery. It has also moved into corporate logistics and advertising.Notably, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-helped-turn-billion-dollar-profit-2024-2">Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi</a> ran Expedia between 2005 and 2017 and remains a non-executive director, suggesting any deal would likely be friendly rather than hostile.

Expedia stock jumps on report that Uber explored a takeover of the travel platform

<ul class="summary-list"><li>African safaris are often considered bucket list vacations.</li><li>Some luxury travel agencies and tour operators say they've seen an uptick in travelers booking <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/budget-vs-luxury-safari-africa-private-game-reserves-2024-3">luxury safaris</a>.</li></ul>The sound of hyenas crunching on bones is one Sophie Serrano will never forget.The trip she heard it on was just as unforgettable.Serrano, a 28-year-old travel content creator, went with her family on her first safari in November 2023. It was her mother's bucket list vacation, she told BI, estimating that they paid $9,000 to $10,000 per person to spend 10 days at three luxury Tanzanian lodges (plus an additional three days in Zanzibar)."It's a trip we had talked about for many years, and realistically, it just wasn't affordable for us in the past," Serrano said. "We got together and discussed if it was a financial sacrifice we wanted to make last year, and we all said yes."<div type="image" title="Sophie Serrano standing in front of tent" height="3692" width="4615" msid="114953935" hostid="261" sizebytes="1508408"></div>Being surrounded by a group of monkeys was especially memorable — as was getting a massage during her stay at the high-end Siringit Serengeti Camp "with the sounds of the birds around.""I've completely fallen in love with Africa," Serrano said. "I want to see all of it."She's not alone — as of late, a growing number of travelers have been itching to go on a luxurious <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-african-safari-trip-first-time-lessons-learned-2024-9">African safari</a>, too.<h2 id="f8f5dd15-0429-4409-a714-8c798a840df6">Some operators and lodges are seeing a windfall</h2><div type="image" title="car near three giraffes" height="3332" width="4443" msid="114953949" hostid="261" sizebytes="1567962"></div>Luxury tour operator Abercrombie and Kent's African safaris have always been among its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vacation-destinations-popular-ultra-wealthy-unexpected-countries-travel-agents-2024-10">best-selling vacations</a>, the company told BI in an email. After the COVID-19 pandemic, interest has increased strongly.The company offers dozens of these adventurous itineraries. Most first-timers book its 14-day Kenya and Tanzania program, which promises the opportunity to spot the "Big Five" — lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and Cape buffalos — starting at about $24,800 per person in 2025, it said.Dennis Pinto, the managing director of high-end safari operator Micato Safaris, told BI in an email that demand for its vacations has been "stronger than ever."<div type="image" title="people sitting on car near rhinos" height="1416" width="1888" msid="114953952" hostid="261" sizebytes="243072"></div>Micato's bookings ballooned 21.4% from 2023 to 2024, he said. Looking forward, reservations for 2025 are already pacing 19% ahead of this time last year.Custom itineraries have been especially popular among its customers, according to Pinto. Its most booked itinerary is a "glamourous, unabashedly luxurious" 15-day Kenya and Tanzania itinerary, which includes six flights, a hot air balloon ride, and two nights at the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti (or a comparable hotel) — all for a starting cost of $37,000 per person in 2025.<div type="image" title="elephants by the pool at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti" height="1280" width="1707" msid="114953946" hostid="261" sizebytes="233456"></div>If you prefer to plan your own high-end safari, there are countless lodges and camps to choose from. During your search, you'll likely come across Singita's chain of luxury eastern and southern African safari lodges, whose <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cntraveller.com/article/singita-sabora-tented-camp-review">guests have included</a> Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres.Good luck booking them — Singita has seen 80% to 90% occupancy rates throughout 2024, mostly in Tanzania and Rwanda, a spokesperson told BI. It no longer experiences a low season, they said, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/summer-travel-vacation-now-fall-autumn-instead-2024-10">shoulder season</a> "barely ceases to exist in the safari world."A one-night stay at its newest 10-guest Milele villa in Tanzania's Grumeti Reserve will cost upward of $35,000. The price is set to increase to $36,400 in 2025.<div type="image" title="empty pool of Singita Milele" height="2667" width="3556" msid="114953954" hostid="261" sizebytes="1112250"></div>"Post-COVID-19, people said, 'I am going to take that greatest-of-all-time trip," Melissa Krueger, CEO of high-end travel wholesaler Classic Vacations, told BI. The company launched its African portfolio, which includes properties with safari experiences, in March. "They want to do something highly memorable. We'll continue to see an increase in business."<h2 id="776aa8ce-1a09-4768-94f5-87cde7d34c0b">Some luxury travel agencies are noticing it, too</h2>Luxury travel agency Indagare told BI in an email that safari bookings are "trending upward.In 2023, the company sold 78 safaris, a 73% boost from the year prior.For agencies like Scott Dunn Private — whose members must spend a minimum of $100,000 on travel annually — safaris have always been popular. Lately, Botswana has been a big hit, with bookings growing 75%, Julie Durso, a Scott Dunn Private travel manager, told BI.<div type="image" title="Lions in front of jeep on safari" height="1414" width="1885" msid="114953936" hostid="261" sizebytes="565116"></div>The company's safari-seeking clients — often honeymooners, empty nesters, and multi-generational families — are especially partial to higher-end options, spending an average of $1,500 to $2,000 per person and day, Jackie Roth, another Scott Dunn Private travel manager, told BI.With such prices, some travelers might consider luxury safaris a once-in-a-lifetime experience.<h2 id="eec6ed08-7c27-4b46-b3a5-3c6c72fa397d">For others, the first time is the start of a fixation</h2><div type="image" title="Serrano family, Taasa staff in front of car" height="4672" width="6224" msid="114953937" hostid="261" sizebytes="3191220"></div>Misty Belles, vice president of global public relations for luxury travel agency Virtuoso, told BI that safaris have remained consistently popular among Virtuoso's clients, some of whom are repeat visitors.Take Serrano, for example. She's going on her second safari at the end of November, a year after her first, and is already planning another Gorilla trekking trip.Isabella John, a 25-year-old travel content creator and cofounder of social media management agency Nomad Social, has already been twice.<div type="image" title="safari-goers watching buffalo cross the road" height="3264" width="4352" msid="114953942" hostid="261" sizebytes="569748"></div>She called both experiences — the most recent a girls' trip to Umlani Bushcamp in the Timbavati reserve in March — "humbling.""I was flooded with emotions of gratitude," she told BI. She remembers crying alongside her friends as they saw their first herd of elephants and falling asleep to the distant sound of roaring lions as they spent a night in Umlani's open-air tree house. "It was an emotional trip.""It is pricey, but it's worth the sacrifice," Serrano said.She may travel for a living, but "nothing will compare to a safari."

More wealthy travelers are going on luxury safaris — some for more than $2,500 a day

The fastest way to turn public sentiment in your favour might just be pulling off the sort of engineering marvel the world has never seen before and casually making history — because the internet cannot stop talking about <keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword> and his “chopsticks”. In case you don’t know what we’re talking about, <keyword id="19905255" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpaceX" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SpaceX" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SpaceX">SpaceX</keyword> recently “caught” its massive, 15-storey tall <keyword id="23544091" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Super-Heavy-rocket" source="keywords">Super Heavy rocket</keyword> Booster as it approached Earth using mechanical arms — the <keyword id="20215700" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chopsticks" source="keywords">chopsticks</keyword> in question. After its launch in Texas, the booster returned to pad just 7 minutes later and neatly fell into the tower’s arms.<div type="twitter" handle="shaunmmaguire" handlename="shaunmmaguire" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1845444890764644694"></div>These massive mechanical arms on the launch tower were designed to catch the <keyword id="23533141" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rocket-booster" source="keywords">rocket booster</keyword> mid-air as it returned to the launch pad, rather than letting it crash into the ground or splash into the ocean. Might we add, this was a test flight that was a part of Elon Musk’s efforts to make the Starship system fully reusable and they got it right in the first try! Meanwhile, the Starship rocket, which flew to more than 130 miles in altitude, also successfully completed a controlled descent into the Indian Ocean. SpaceX intends on finding ways to make that reusable as well. And as Elon himself said, this is an important step towards making <keyword id="23544092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="multiplanetary-travel" source="keywords">multiplanetary travel</keyword> possible — something the man’s been talking about for years.<div type="twitter" handle="elonmusk" handlename="elonmusk" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1845463518671466934"></div>But as mind-numbingly cool as this entire event was, how exactly do these chopsticks tie into the multiplanetary transport goal — and also potentially alter the course of human history? <h2>Boosting reusability and good ol’ cost-cutting</h2>Sending a rocket to space and having it come back usually means that it's going to splash down in water or worse — hard-land. Traditionally, rockets are either destroyed after use or land in the ocean, requiring complex recovery operations. By catching the rocket more gently using the chopstick manoeuvre, the rocket booster experiences less damage and can be refurbished and reused more quickly and with fewer repairs. This brings us to the other important barrier in making interplanetary travel a thing: how insanely expensive it is. SpaceX's goal is to make space travel affordable and efficient by reusing rockets instead of discarding them after each launch. Fully <keyword id="23532644" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reusable-rockets" source="keywords">reusable rockets</keyword> drastically reduce the costs of launching payloads into space, making regular <keyword id="20018231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-missions" source="keywords">space missions</keyword> more feasible. By catching and reusing the massive Super Heavy boosters, SpaceX can slash the costs associated with building new rockets for every mission. Not to mention, it would also help cut costs if we didn’t need to go fetch the booster back from remote landing sites. <h2>More efficient and frequent launches!</h2>Apart from the cost aspect of it, the ability to catch and reuse these massive boosters directly at the launch site means SpaceX can streamline the whole launch process as it eliminates the need to transport the boosters back. Reusability also means that SpaceX can shorten the time between launches, allowing for more frequent spaceflights. This would also save time and resources, making space missions more practical and sustainable for the long haul. This means the company can launch more often, potentially sending supplies, habitats, and crew to the Moon or Mars on a regular basis. For humanity to survive and thrive on another planet, we’ll need a reliable and consistent flow of resources. The "Chopsticks" help create a logistical system where rockets can be prepped and launched frequently, something critical for long-term colonisation. <h2>Scaling up for deep space missions</h2>The Super Heavy booster that the "Chopsticks" caught isn’t just any rocket — it’s the most powerful ever built. Starship, the spacecraft designed to ride atop this booster, is intended to carry massive payloads, including people and cargo, on interplanetary missions. The ability to catch and reuse such a large rocket is a technical leap that will make future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond more feasible. However, safely recovering and reusing these enormous boosters is a technical challenge that SpaceX needs to master if it hopes to send frequent missions to Mars. With each test flight, SpaceX refines the technology that will one day send astronauts to colonise other planets. And by developing this technology, SpaceX is paving the way for the continuous, cost-effective supply chain necessary to support human colonies on other planets. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113162328" title="Elon Musk: SpaceX to launch first Starships to Mars in two years" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

3 ways SpaceX’s “chopsticks” tie into making multiplanetary transport possible!

<keyword id="20018887" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vistara" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Vistara" meta.hostid="346" meta.entityid="Vistara">Vistara</keyword> will operate the last flight under its brand on November 11 and the full-service carrier's operations will be unified with <keyword id="19896871" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Air India" meta.hostid="346" meta.entityid="Air India">Air India</keyword> from November 12. The government has given its nod for the foreign direct investment by <keyword id="20036942" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Singapore-Airlines" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Singapore Airlines" meta.hostid="346" meta.entityid="Singapore Airlines">Singapore Airlines</keyword> as part of the Air India-Vistara <keyword id="20035800" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="merger" source="keywords">merger</keyword>. Vistara is a joint venture between <keyword id="19924335" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tata-Group" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Tata Group" meta.hostid="346" meta.entityid="Tata Group">Tata Group</keyword> and Singapore Airlines. Air India is owned by Tata Group. "Starting 03 September 2024, customers will, progressively, no longer be able to make bookings with Vistara for travel on or after 12 November 2024," Vistara said in a release on Friday. Thereafter, Vistara aircraft will be operated by Air India and bookings for the routes operated by these planes will be redirected to Air India's website. "Vistara will continue to take bookings and operate flights as usual till 11 November 2024," the release said. The merger of Vistara with Air India was announced in November 2022 and post-completion of the deal, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan said the merger is about offering passengers more choice with a larger fleet and a wider network while elevating the overall travel experience. "Cross-functional teams from Air India and Vistara have been working together for many months to make the transition of aircraft, flying crew, ground-based colleagues and, most importantly, our valued customers, into the new Air India as seamless as possible," Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said. In a separate release, Air India welcomed the Union Cabinet's approval for the foreign direct investment by Singapore Airlines in the airline. "This is an important milestone that facilitates the merger process between Vistara and Air India, and the broader transformation of the Air India Group," it said.

Vistara to operate last flight under its brand on November 11

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Millions of tourists are expected to boost economies in Texas and New York during the eclipse.</li><li>Hotels, an eyeglasses manufacturer, and even skydiving companies are preparing for increased business.</li></ul>As millions of Americans get ready to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday — an event NASA has described as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-2024-total-solar-eclipse-cool-best-special-nasa-2024-1">rare and "spectacular"</a> — the phenomenon stands to lift local economies.Various industries are poised to benefit from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.perrymangroup.com/media/uploads/brief/perryman-the-economic-impact-of-the-solar-eclipse-on-the-us-and-affected-states-03-28-24.pdf">millions of tourists </a>flocking to cities in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/great-american-total-solar-eclipse-where-view-see-cities-visible-2024-2">Texas, Ohio, and New York</a>, which are on the eclipse's "path of totality" and offer the best views of the ring around the sun.According to NASA, this year's eclipse is set to last three to four minutes, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-2024-total-solar-eclipse-cool-best-special-nasa-2024-1">longer than the last solar eclipse</a>, in 2017. People who miss this one will not be able to see another in the contiguous US until 2044 or 2045, the agency said.Up to 3.7 million people are set to travel to the path of the eclipse, joining the 31 million people already living along the stretch, according to predictions by the eclipse-tracking website <a target="_blank" href="https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/visitation">Great American Eclipse</a>.Visitors are expected to spend big: They'll shell out up to $1.6 billion on lodging, activities, food, and gas, the Texas economic consultancy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.perrymangroup.com/media/uploads/brief/perryman-the-economic-impact-of-the-solar-eclipse-on-the-us-and-affected-states-03-28-24.pdf">Perryman Group estimated</a>.Here are some of the industries seeing big boosts from Monday's eclipse.<h2>Hotels and Airbnbs book out</h2>The budget hotel chain Super 8 has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/upshot/eclipse-hotel-prices.html">over 300 locations</a> within the path of totality, per The New York Times. About 100 of these hotels are sold out for Sunday or Monday, according to the chain's website.One two-star Super 8 branch in Grayville, Illinois, is advertising rooms for between $765 and $950 from Sunday through Tuesday. On most days, the rooms typically cost $80, the Super 8 website shows.Higher-end hotels are seeing similar spikes. A JW Marriott in Dallas listed a standard room for $1,039 for Sunday night. It typically costs between $355 and $482, the website said.Visitors are flocking to Airbnbs, too. As of March 25, occupancy rates for April 7 soared to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.airdna.co/blog/2024-solar-eclipse-str-trends">88% across 110,000 active listings</a> on the path of totality, according to the vacation-rental-data company AirDNA.<h2>The biggest glasses manufacturer has sold out</h2>People can permanently damage their eyesight by looking straight into the sun during an eclipse, so NASA recommends <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safety-tips-watching-partial-solar-eclipse-2017-8">specific solar-filtering glasses</a>.<div type="image" title="Former President Donald Trump looks up at the Solar Eclipse without glasses, with first lady Melania Trump, from a balcony at the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Aug 21, 2017." height="396" width="594" msid="109129678" hostid="261"></div>The eye-protection guidelines translated into huge sales for some glasses manufacturers.Tennessee's American Paper Optics, the country's largest producer of protective eclipse eyeglasses, has seen a big jump in sales compared with the total eclipse in 2017.The company started taking eclipse orders two years in advance, John Jerit, the company's founder, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/05/1242977798/the-country-s-largest-producer-of-eclipse-glasses-is-located-outside-memphis">told NPR</a> on Friday. The glasses sold for $1.50 to $2 apiece."We've shipped already about 70 million glasses, and I suspect I'm going to approach right at 75 million by the time next week comes," Jerit said.American Paper Optics sold out of glasses this year after producing about 30 million more glasses than it did for the total solar eclipse in 2017, according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.3dglassesonline.com/products/eclipsers/">sales figure on the company's site</a>.<h2>Eclipse skydiving attracts thrill seekers</h2>Some adrenaline junkies seeking a novel vantage point are planning to jump during totality to enjoy the darkness from the sky.A group of 30 skydivers plans to jump in northern New York on Monday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/skydivers-enjoy-april-8-solar-eclipse-taking-plunge-totality-event">Fox News reported</a>. Tickets for the dive, hosted by the local company Skydive the Falls, sold out in seven minutes after they went live in January."We're going to jump one minute prior to totality, so we can enjoy totality in full under our parachutes," Jason Berger, a co-owner of Skydive the Falls, told Fox News.A similar event in <a target="_blank" href="https://dallas.skydivespaceland.com/shop/experienced/eclipse-skydive-2024/">Dallas</a> sold out of its $250 eclipse skydive tickets, too.For sun observers on the ground, restaurants are making the most of the celestial phenomenon with eclipse menus and specials. Establishments like Smoothie King, Applebee's, and Sonic are offering special eclipse-themed smoothies and margaritas, as well as "blackout" drinks to mark the occasion.

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