Air travel

Latest flight news, journey inspiration and air travel updates. For more expert advice, visit our air travel homepage.

<p>American Airline's International flights passengers line up to check in during a global technical outage at Miami International airport in Miami, Florida, USA, 19 July 2024</p>

CrowdStrike reveals how IT outage that led to global chaos happened

<p>30 years of travel with Simon Calder</p>

30 years of travel with Simon Calder: Join our special event

<p>Simon Calder and Annabel Grossman in The Independent’s latest virtual event</p>

Simon Calder answers your holiday questions in live event

<p>The US Department of Homeland Security announced that Real ID enforcement will begin on 7 May 2025 </p>

What is happening with Real ID?

<p>Dr Gianluca Grimalda pictured on his 9,300-mile overland journey to Papua New Guinea. The senior climate researcher at the Kiel Institute in Germany, faces losing his job over his refusal to fly</p>

A climate researcher’s refusal to fly could cost him his job

<p>Chancellor of the exchequer Jeremy Hunt flew from Heathrow to Manchester (Jordan Pettitt/PA)</p>

Flying to Manchester for Tory conference? That’s just plane silly....

<p>Not just the rich and famous: DiamondAir’s client base ranges from some of the most recognised people in the world, to regular families trying to make life easier </p>

Travelling like a VIP isn’t just for the famous and ultra-wealthy

<p>Lucy Chang and Iain Hawthorn pictured ‘during happier times’ on a visit to Symi, near Rhodes</p>

Pregnant woman on anniversary holiday among thousands now stuck abroad

<p>Air travel was cast into disarray on Monday</p>

Holidaymakers in travel hell as traffic control fault grounds flights

<p>The proposed deal involves two of the leading suppliers of signalling systems for mainline and urban railway networks (Jane Barlow/PA)</p>

Rail bosses spend £10k a week on flights – cheaper than trains

<p>Southwest Airlines diverted the flight from Hawaii to Oakland </p>

Passengers fear for their lives after bomb threat airdropped on flight

FAA delays flights to LaGuardia as smoky conditions persist

<p>The woman was dismayed at the couple not using the toilet facilities to change their baby</p>

Woman causes stink on plane by asking parents to stop changing nappy

<p>Children over the age of five can travel alone on some airlines</p>

Can children travel unaccompanied on flights?

<p>A bit of weather above Singapore</p>

‘There’s a bit of weather ahead’: What pilots’ messages really mean

<p>Babies on planes are a frequent subject for debate among travellers </p>

Man stuck between family on plane after dad refuses to swap seats

Watch the first episode of Travel Smart

<p>Travellers should book at least two months before domestic flights and four months before international flights, experts say </p>

Morning, weekend flights ‘best to save money and avoid cancellation’

<p>Ghost flights are when planes fly empty to keep a route active</p>

Editor’s letters

By now in the climate crisis, there’s no excuse for ‘ghost flights’

<p>A Dreamliner 787-10 arriving from Los Angeles pulls up to a gate at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. Federal safety officials are directing operators of some Boeing planes to adopt extra procedures when landing on wet or snowy runways near impending 5G service because, they say, interference from the wireless networks could mean that the planes need more room to land.</p>

5G airport issues: Which have been affected?

<p>The flight information display system at the San Francisco International Airport on Christmas Eve in San Francisco, California, USA, 24 December 2021</p>

Thousands of flights cancelled as Omicron hits Christmas plans

Passengers at Heathrow Airport, London, in March 2020

How safe is it to travel by plane, train or cruise liner?

Airlines have stepped up their routine for disinfecting planes

Covid: How to sanitise and stay safe while flying

<p>File image: Fauci’s support comes after two Democrats pushed to make a vaccine certificate or Covid negative report mandatory for travel</p>

Fauci calls for unvaccinated Americans to be banned from air travel

<p>If you are going to Spain and have not been vaccinated, you must take a test no more than 72 hours before arrival </p>

Travel questions

Will my PCR test results still be valid if my flight is delayed?

<p>Uphill struggle: Boris Johnson visits an HS2 construction site this year</p>

Electric cars undermining environmental case for HS2