Travel 18 February 2026 - 6 March 2026

Hotel101 Stock Faces Pre-Nasdaq Pressure as Madrid Prepares for Launch
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Hotel101 Stock Faces Pre-Nasdaq Pressure as Madrid Prepares for Launch

Hotel101 Global Holdings Corp. last traded at $5.55 before the regular Nasdaq session Tuesday, down from all the LSEG closing prices reported last week. Shares have had little volume and dropped after the company’s Madrid update. The group’s own website listed closes from $5.85 to $6.02 for May 26-29. Pre-market trading was underway early, ahead of Nasdaq’s opening bell, but the regular session wouldn’t start for hours. Nasdaq’s main market is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern. June 2 is not shown on Nasdaq’s list of U.S. equity market holidays for 2026.
June 2, 2026
IAG Faces Fresh Pressure as British Airways Keeps Middle East Flights Grounded
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IAG Faces Fresh Pressure as British Airways Keeps Middle East Flights Grounded

British Airways, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, remains grounded in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv. With Gulf airports offering just a trickle of flights and regional airspace still off-limits, the airline has set up additional Muscat-to-London routes to help get stranded passengers moving. IAG had just surprised with a stronger 2025 operating profit and a 1.5 billion euro cash return plan. Now, though, investors are back to watching jet fuel costs, potential route snarls, and the unknowns around how long the conflict drags on.
March 6, 2026
Booking Holdings stock jumps as OpenAI backs away from ChatGPT travel checkouts
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Booking Holdings stock jumps as OpenAI backs away from ChatGPT travel checkouts

Shares of Booking Holdings Inc surged roughly 8% Thursday, sparked by a report that OpenAI is pulling back on plans for direct travel bookings through ChatGPT—a move that soothed fears among investors about AI chatbots cutting out online travel agencies. Expedia jumped over 12%, while Tripadvisor tacked on about 5%. The Information noted users are turning to ChatGPT for travel research but still aren’t closing transactions there, and Bernstein’s Richard Clarke called this a sign the threat of disintermediation is fading. This shift is catching attention as generative AI — the latest batch of conversational tools that draft, sum up, or suggest — is being eyed as a potential gatekeeper for travel queries and bookings. Whoever winds up holding that
March 6, 2026
Lufthansa plots Kuala Lumpur–Frankfurt nonstop for Oct 2026 with five-weekly 787 flights
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Lufthansa plots Kuala Lumpur–Frankfurt nonstop for Oct 2026 with five-weekly 787 flights

Lufthansa Airlines will launch a nonstop connection between Kuala Lumpur and Frankfurt from Oct. 25, 2026, flying five times a week year-round, the carrier said on Wednesday. It said flights can be booked immediately and the service will use a Boeing 787 fitted with its new Allegris cabin. The route is being lined up for Lufthansa’s winter 2026/27 schedule — the seasonal timetable that starts in late October — as the group looks for growth in Southeast Asia. Lufthansa said it would be the only airline flying nonstop to Malaysia from its home markets including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy.
March 5, 2026
Qantas rolls out fee-free rebooking as Middle East airspace closure snarls Australia-Europe travel
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Qantas rolls out fee-free rebooking as Middle East airspace closure snarls Australia-Europe travel

Qantas Airways Limited on Thursday announced it’s waiving change fees, offering travel credits, or refunds for customers with Qantas-issued tickets scheduled between Feb. 28 and March 15 for flights involving the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Israel, Jordan, or Oman. According to the airline, travelers can rebook as far out as March 27 under this arrangement. Airlines rushed to patch up flight networks after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran closed large sections of the region’s airspace, sending ticket prices soaring on routes like Australia to Europe. Qantas finished the day up 1%, Cathay Pacific jumped 4%. Flightradar24 showed a handful of Emirates planes departing Dubai for places such as Sydney, but the majority of flights stayed grounded. “For now, I consider this
March 5, 2026
Hilton takes over ex-Palazzo Versace on Australia’s Gold Coast — LXR brand lands in 2027
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Hilton takes over ex-Palazzo Versace on Australia’s Gold Coast — LXR brand lands in 2027

Hilton Worldwide Holdings has signed on to manage the former Palazzo Versace hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast, with plans to rebrand it under the LXR Hotels & Resorts banner. The target: a 2027 reopening. Renovations and expansion are slated to kick off in the coming months. The property is expected to remain open for business during the revamp. https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/hilton-takes-over-former-palazzo-versace-for-multimilliondollar-gold-coast-revamp/news-story/f34d1d528e225217ce1cadaf7028ddae Hilton secures a fresh entry into Australia’s luxury tier, a space where global hotel chains are chasing wealthier tourists and lucrative events traffic. Under the management agreement, Hilton takes charge of daily operations, while asset ownership remains with the original proprietor, collecting fees for its role.
March 4, 2026
American Airlines waives fees as Iran conflict keeps Gulf skies shut and hits airline stocks
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American Airlines waives fees as Iran conflict keeps Gulf skies shut and hits airline stocks

American Airlines Group Inc dipped 6 cents, or roughly 0.5%, to $12.46 ahead of the bell on Wednesday. Airline shares have been jolted all week, with Middle East conflict driving fuel prices up. With the U.S. and Israel ramping up airstrikes on Iran, flight disruptions have hit hard across the Gulf. Dubai and other major hubs have either closed or put heavy limits on traffic, jamming up a crucial link for long-haul routes connecting Europe and Asia. Since the strikes started, Flightradar24 tallied roughly 21,300 canceled flights across seven big airports, stranding passengers and sending airlines into a scramble over how to juggle crews and planes. “There are important differences across carriers that will shape the actual impact,” said Karen
March 4, 2026
Tesco Clubcard just changed the rules — you can now pay for travel insurance with vouchers
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Tesco Clubcard just changed the rules — you can now pay for travel insurance with vouchers

Tesco is now letting Clubcard holders use their vouchers to buy travel insurance, matching the vouchers' face value, according to information posted on its insurance website. Shoppers can turn the vouchers into a Reward Partner code—a digital voucher—which can then be put toward Tesco Travel Insurance, either covering the whole cost or just part of it. There’s a minimum spend of £5. https://www.tescoinsurance.com/travel-insurance/single-trip-travel-insurance/ Tesco is rolling out the new offer just as people across Britain are already snapping up travel plans for 2026 and searching for ways to shave expenses beyond the upfront price of holidays. According to Tesco research cited by The Sun, 70% of Britons have booked a holiday for 2026; a quarter are lining up two breaks,
February 19, 2026
AirAsia X revives London-Kuala Lumpur flights via Bahrain — daily Gatwick route starts June 26
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AirAsia X revives London-Kuala Lumpur flights via Bahrain — daily Gatwick route starts June 26

After more than ten years, AirAsia X is set to relaunch flights to London Gatwick, with daily departures from Kuala Lumpur making a stop in Bahrain starting June 26. The link will be served by Airbus A330-300 jets. https://www.journal-aviation.com/en/air-transport-news/low-cost-airlines/airasia-x-to-return-to-london-via-its-new-hub-in-bahrain-20260217.html The relaunch puts the low-cost long-haul carrier back on the European map, this time with a stopover model the company claims can extend past just one route. For Bahrain, there’s now a sharper position inside AirAsia’s network, and that comes as airlines focus on building connections instead of relying solely on point-to-point traffic.
February 18, 2026
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