Sydney's second airport takes its first commercial flight on 25 October: Jetstar JQ362 to the Gold Coast at 11am. From launch Jetstar flies up to 14 times a week to Melbourne plus Gold Coast and Brisbane; Air New Zealand starts Auckland on 26 October and Singapore Airlines a daily Singapore service on 23 November. Qantas follows in March 2027. The airport at Badgerys Creek runs 24 hours with no curfew.
Delta's Atlanta to Riyadh service starts on 23 October, the first nonstop between the United States and the Saudi capital. The route runs daily for its first week and then three times a week. It is one of roughly 50 new routes airlines are opening this month as the winter schedule begins.
Virgin Atlantic's first flights to Thailand's biggest beach island took off on 18 October, three times a week on a Boeing 787-9. The route gives London a second nonstop option to Phuket for the winter season alongside existing one-stop connections through the Gulf.
Lufthansa operated its final Airbus A340-600 flights on 18 October, ending 24 years of the type and the airline's four-engine era. Long-haul routes previously flown by the A340 move to twin-engine A350 and 787 aircraft, which burn less fuel per seat.
The USD 1.3 billion replacement terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport was scheduled to open to passengers on 13 October. It covers 355,000 square feet with the same 14 gates as the 1930 building it replaces, but with indoor baggage claim, more seating and modern security lanes. Burbank is the closest airport to Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles.
From 25 October Finnair flies daily from Helsinki to Melbourne with a stop in Bangkok, and sells the Bangkok to Melbourne leg on its own. It is the first scheduled Finnair service to Australia and gives Europe another one-stop route to Melbourne via Asia for the southern summer.
Since 24 July 2026 overnight stays in Edinburgh carry a 5 percent levy on the accommodation price, capped at a set number of consecutive nights. It applies to hotels, B&Bs and short-term lets and was charged on bookings made from 1 October 2025 for stays after the start date. Other UK cities are watching the result before deciding on their own charge.
Cruise passengers landing on Santorini and Mykonos pay EUR 20 per person in peak months, and EUR 12 in April, May and October. Smaller ports charge less. The fee is collected by the cruise line and is part of a wider package that also raised hotel climate-resilience charges in summer.
A new HVS market report says international visitor arrivals to the United States are down 6.1 percent year on year, even with the boost from World Cup matches over the summer. Separately, US travel agency air ticket sales passed USD 10 billion in September, showing that outbound and domestic demand remains strong.
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