From flying to Lapland for no additional Avios, to using them to pay for ski passes once there, IAG Loyalty – the organisation behind global reward currency Avios – and Finnair, have revealed some of the lesser-known ways UK travellers can make their Avios go further with the national carrier of Finland.

Day 1 of the World Aviation Festival 2026 opened today in Lisbon, with airlines, airports and technology companies sharing how artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are being used to speed up aircraft turnarounds, improve ground operations and make journeys easier for passengers.  Exhibitors also released new industry research and announced airline partnerships at and ahead of the festival. The festival brings together more than 4,500 attendees and 600 speakers over three days at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa (FIL), from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15.  New for 2026 are a dedicated Airport & Airline Collaboration Track and the Ancillary Arena, a pitch competition for new ancillary revenue ideas.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (WSHA) have agreed to strengthen alignment on sustainability between the airline and hospitality sectors. The agreement, signed at the World Sustainability Symposium, will have an initial focus on the procurement of hotel services by airlines. Airlines and hotels face many similar environmental, social, and governance challenges. These include responsible procurement, environmental management, social responsibility, supply chain performance, and increasingly complex sustainability measurement and reporting expectations.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airbus and Accenture released a SAF Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAc) Market study which estimates that corporate purchases could support between 1.0 million and 1.9 million tonnes of SAF by 2030, up from an estimated 323,000 tonnes in 2024. This is a strong demand signal for more SAF production, provided factors limiting corporate participation, such as unclear accounting rules, high prices, and purchasing complexity, are addressed.

Brazil has achieved its best-ever result in the Blue Flag programme, one of the world’s most respected sustainability certifications: 75 beaches and marinas have been certified for the 2026/2027 season, a 25% increase from the 60 locations recognised in the previous edition. The achievement reinforces Brazil’s leadership in South America and its second-place position across the Americas. For travellers dreaming of idyllic beaches, the expanded network offers more destinations where enjoying nature goes hand in hand with protecting it.

Air Canada have announced the launch of Air Canada Embarq, a new self-serve travel management platform designed specifically to help Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises and non-profit organizations take control of their business travel needs. Part of Air Canada for Business, Air Canada Embarq brings travel management, tracking and rewards together in one centralized platform, giving Canadian businesses a simpler way to manage travel, optimize budgets and support employees on the road. Travellers book directly through aircanada.com, with eligible travel automatically recognized and attributed to their company.

How airline distribution, multi-carrier itineraries and AI assistants are reshaping the way travellers find cheap flights, and what it means for the industry.

Air New Zealand is adding more than 7,000 seats between Shanghai and Auckland over Chinese New Year, increasing capacity during one of the busiest travel periods for Chinese visitors to New Zealand. From 23 January to 20 February 2027, the airline will operate three additional return services a week between Shanghai and Auckland, bringing the weekly total to ten a week.

Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest budget carrier operator, today announced the launch of its new non-stop service between Sharjah International Airport and Amman City Airport (ADJ), starting 15 November 2026.

Long before jazz became a global language, Belgium gave it one of its most recognisable voices. The saxophone, invented by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax, went on to define the sound of jazz. And Brussels, where Sax learned his craft, became one of the first European cities to embrace the new music from America. This autumn, Hotel Amigo, a Rocco Forte hotel steps from the Grand Place, celebrates that heritage with a new season of Mix & Melody. The Friday and Saturday live music series at Bar Magritte brings jazz, swing, blues, boogie and Latin rhythms to the heart of the Belgian capital. October’s programme pays tribute to some of the genre’s defining names, from Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker to Erroll Garner, Louis […]

People rarely buy a holiday for the journey alone. They are buying time together, a change of scene, a reunion or an experience they have imagined for years. Understanding what sits behind that decision has been central to Dr Dave Andrew Chin Tung’s working life. Now joining Breaking Travel News as Special Correspondent, the Jamaican travel entrepreneur brings a perspective shaped by decades of dealing with the expectations, ambitions and occasional disappointments that make tourism such a profoundly human business.

A concert ticket can now come before the flight. A sporting fixture can decide the city. For a growing part of the travel market, the question is no longer simply where to go, but what is worth travelling for. That shift is changing the business of selling holidays, and the organisations a travel platform needs to work with. Speaking to Breaking Travel News at the WTTC Global Summit 2026 in Malta, Edison Chen, Vice President, Global Destination Marketing at Trip.com Group, describes an industry having to rethink both how it attracts travellers and what it offers them once they arrive.

New research from premium travel brand Kuoni reveals the world’s best golden hour spots. Working with Jim Dale, Founder and Senior Meteorologist at British Weather Services, Kuoni’s research identifies the scientific metrics that make up the perfect golden hour and assesses 165 global destinations on six factors (cloud cover, light pollution, artificial brightness, rainfall, wind speed and average sunset duration), combining them into a weighted index to rank the world’s top spots.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced at its World Sustainability Symposium that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has joined the Supporting Alliance for CORSIA EEU Supply (the Alliance). The Alliance brings together more than 80 CORSIA stakeholders to address bottlenecks that limit the availability of Eligible Emissions Units (EEUs). Its work focuses on practical implementation support, including facilitating the processes needed to authorize emissions units for use under CORSIA while avoiding double counting.

Carnival Corporation the world’s largest cruise company, strengthened its support of Caribbean tourism and young people as the lead sponsor of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Regional Tourism Youth Congress. The company also provided the first-place prize for Amarni Webster, 15, of Anguilla, who was named the 2026 Youth Congress winner.

Anguilla has captured two top Caribbean honors at the 2026 World Travel Awards, winning the titles of Caribbean’s Leading Culinary Destination and Caribbean’s Leading Luxury Island Destination.

Hotel Cala, an urban resort overlooking the Hillsborough River along Tampa’s iconic Riverwalk, will debut in January 2027, marking a new chapter for one of downtown Tampa’s most storied properties. The 281-room property will bring a new destination for locals and travelers to dine, gather, stay and experience the city. Following an extensive transformation by internationally renowned design firm Rockwell Group, Hotel Cala draws architectural and aesthetic inspiration from Tampa’s waterfront setting, tropical character and multicultural heritage, including its Italian and Cuban roots.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London is delighted to announce four senior appointments to its leadership team: Denis Krupp as Deputy General Manager; Victoria Lawrence as Director of People & Culture; Benjamin Joseph Buckley as Director of Restaurants, Bars & Experiences; and Margaret McCallum as Director of Spa & Wellness. The hotel’s new Deputy General Manager, Denis Krupp, brings more than 25 years of international luxury hospitality experience across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Denis joins the hotel from Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, where he most recently served as Hotel Manager, leading hotel operations, commercial performance and strategic transformation initiatives.

Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab unveils 1206, a contemporary dining destination opening on 30 October, and the final venue to be revealed as part of the resort’s opening story. Named after the property’s once-hidden room on level four, 1206 offers an ingredient-led dining experience framed by uninterrupted horizon views stretching from Jumeirah Burj Al Arab to Burj Khalifa.

On 3rd November 2026, as part of the grand reopening of its iconic Pool Wing, Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro introduces a landmark five-storey Wellness Club. This exceptional collection of wellbeing experiences includes Latin America’s first Dior Spa, in addition to a state-of-the-art fitness centre; a Pilates and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu studio; a dedicated recovery floor; and a nourishing juice and nutrition bar. Rising above the hotel’s famed pool, the new destination pairs the palatial glamour that has defined Copacabana Palace for over a century, with a considered, contemporary approach, reinforcing Rio’s standing as a global capital of body care.