Day Headlines in Travel News: 2025-11-19

  • Travel Experts Say the “Worst” Seats on a Plane Aren’t the Ones Most People Think (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:39:53)
    Middle seats have long had a bad reputation, but travel experts say they may not be the biggest comfort issue on board.Sam Argyle, Managing Director at Alternative Airlines, says passengers often overlook other seating factors that can have a much greater impact on comfort, noise, movement and even post-flight fatigue.“Most flyers focus on avoiding the middle, but the back of the aircraft — near toilets and galleys — tends to be consistently worse for comfort,” Argyle said. “You get engine noise, foot traffic, odours, and you’re the last to get off the plane.”
  • Swan Hellenic Unveils a Remarkably Generous Black Friday Expedition Collection (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:37:24)
    Swan Hellenic has thrown down the gauntlet this Black Friday with an offer that is nothing short of extraordinary. In a move characteristic of the brand’s generous spirit, the boutique expedition line has launched a double layered giveaway: significant reductions across its all-inclusive fares plus an impressive $1,000 onboard credit per cabin to spend entirely as guests wish. With savings reaching up to £2,600 per stateroom, this is one Black Friday that demands attention from agents, travelers and editors alike.
  • Tignes Opens for a New Ski Season on 22 November 2025 (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:35:14)
    Tignes is among the first to launch the new ski season on Saturday 22 November and over the following 163 consecutive days skiers can enjoy 300 km of slopes in one of the highest resorts in the French Alps and home to the Grande Motte glacier at 3,656 metresFirst Runs of the SeasonSnow is expected this coming week promising good conditions for the first turns of the season. The lifts open at 9am at the Perce-Neige funicular in Val Claret, giving skiers and boarders their first chance to carve fresh tracks on the glacier. After the initial warm up and finding the winter ski legs, it’s worth being among the first to catch the Aiguille Percée six-seater lift which completes the upgrade of the ski lift network in the Tignes le Lac and Tignes les Brévières sectors.
  • EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF THE 2026 WINTER GAMES AT PALACE MERANO (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:32:59)
    To mark the 2026 Winter Games, Palace Merano is launching the Revital® 2026 Winter Games Hospitality programme, a stay reserved for a limited number of guests that allows them to experience the skiing and snowboarding finals from a privileged and exclusive viewpoint. A unique experience that combines the adrenaline of international sport with the Revital® deep-down regeneration programmes.From 7 to 22 February 2026, Palace Merano will open its doors to guests who would like to experience the Winter Games first-hand, with a programme that combines performance and wellness, adding the enjoyment of the competitions to the tailored programmes from the Medical Spa that created the Revital® Method. Guests will be able to choose between five signature programmes - Detox & Longevity, Revital Spa, Sport & Remise en Forme, Sport Performance and Relax & Balance - enhanced by other benefits and dedicated services, for a truly memorable stay.
  • “THREE CHEFS, FRIENDSHIP, AND A FLAVOUR-FILLED JOURNEY TO CANNES” (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:29:58)
    The Cocoon Collection will be proudly hosting three exclusive gastronomy evenings during ILTM on the French Riviera from 2 - 4 December 2025 – showcasing the art of Italian cuisine, sustainability, and a deep passion for authentic flavour.Cuisine has always been an essential component of The Cocoon Collection experience, which celebrates gastronomic culture through Gourmet Weeks: high-profile events that enliven its properties in the Maldives and Zanzibar, where leading national and international chefs reinterpret flavours and traditions to offer guests a unique culinary journey.
  • Protect Group unveils web-based platform to help offline agents sell refund protection (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:27:02)
    Protect Group, a leader in ancillary travel products, has today unveiled its Agent Platform, which lets any offline travel advisor or agency sell refund protection quickly and easily, with no technical integration.The web-based tool gives agents a simple way to add the company’s flagship Refund Protect service to their itineraries, opening up a brand-new ancillary revenue stream. It not only gives the agency an opportunity to earn a revenue share based on sales, but also creates a mechanism to provide a commission structure for its agents to incentivise their sales activity.
  • The Ritz-Carlton and Late Checkout Unveil Chapter Two of Their Award-Winning Collaboration (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:25:17)
    The Ritz-Carlton continues its journey from defining luxury hospitality to shaping modern luxury lifestyle with the debut of its second collaboration with Madrid-based fashion label Late Checkout. What began as a daring meeting of refinement and irreverence, celebrated with a Gold Cannes Lions award, now returns with a new chapter. The collection expands into accessories, loungewear, and children’s pieces, reflecting The Ritz-Carlton’s timeless appeal across generations and Late Checkout’s vision of hotels as living worlds where style and story meet. A color palette of navy, ivory, and light blue honors The Ritz-Carlton’s heritage while carrying Late Checkout’s signature spirit of playfulness.
  • ETIHAD EXPANDS WIDEBODY FLEET WITH 32 NEW AIRBUS AIRCRAFT, ARRIVING FROM 2027 (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:23:19)
    Etihad Airways today announced a major expansion of its widebody fleet with 32 additional Airbus aircraft, further accelerating the airline’s growth and reinforcing its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing full-service carriers.The agreement includes a mix of A350-1000s, A350F freighters, and A330-900s through both direct orders and lease commitments, with first deliveries beginning in 2027 – one of the earliest widebody availability windows in the global market.
  • MANDARIN ORIENTAL HYDE PARK, LONDON UNVEILS ‘THE JEWEL OF THE SEASON WITH DE BEERS LONDON’ (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:18:06)
    Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London is delighted to announce its festive partnership with De Beers London, presenting The Jewel of the Season with De Beers London, an immersive celebration of artistry, heritage, and craftsmanship at one of London’s most iconic addresses.This season, the hotel’s lobby transforms into The Enchanted Lotus Bar, a dazzling space designed in collaboration with the renowned jewellers. The champagne and caviar bar draws its inspiration from the Lotus flower — a signature motif of De Beers Enchanted Lotus collection. The space is a celebration of design artistry, where form, craftsmanship, and luxury converge. The result is a space that captures the spirit of the festive season — sophisticated, sculptural, and beautifully designed.
  • India Is Officially a She-Planned Nation: 7 in 10 Trips Are Planned by Women, A Thrillophila Report (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:14:22)
    Thrillophilia, India’s leading AI-powered multi-day tours platform, has released its Women & Travel Decisions 2025 report, revealing a quiet but powerful shift inside Indian households. The country’s real travel decision-maker today is not the travel agent, the algorithm, or the loudest voice in the room; it is the woman who plans, filters, budgets, and ultimately shapes the family’s entire travel experience. Based on an analysis of 212,000 itineraries and 8.9 million planning signals, the report finds that women now influence or directly design 72% of India’s leisure trips, taking ownership of everything from budgeting and safety to emotional comfort and experience curation.
  • Valencia emerges as a European leader in accessible tourism (Breaking Travel News 2025-11-19 06:12:37)
    he Region of Valencia is reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s most inclusive destinations with the launch of seven new accessible routes, now available on TUR4all Travel, the world’s leading platform dedicated to fully accessible travel experiences and a purpose-driven agency that reinvests 100% of its profits into improving the quality of life for people with disabilities.Ranked among Spain’s Top 5 most accessible destinations and the fastest-growing in this segment, according to the TUR4all Travel 2025 Trends Report — which also places Spain as Europe’s leading country in accessible tourism — the Region of Valencia showcases its diversity beyond the traditional “sun and beach” model through seven new accessible routes.