Get ready to jet set through this week's travel headlines! From the new ID needed to fly and Memorial Day traffic jams. Fasten your seatbelts, the travel rollercoaster's just begun!

🆔 The REAL ID, Your Ticket To Fly 
🚗 Brace For Memorial Congestion
⚖️ Airlines Suing The DOT
🏨 Las Vegas Landmark Shuts Down
⚙️ And More…

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Let’s Go…

| Weekly Travel Tidbit

The Diomede Islands' Time Travel: The Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait consist of Big Diomede (Russia) and Little Diomede (USA). The International Date Line runs between them, making Big Diomede 21 hours ahead of Little Diomede, despite being only about 2.4 miles apart.

“Your dose of travel curiosities”

| Will The Real ID, Please Stand Up

Time To Get a New License If You Want To Fly In The U.S. 🛩️

Cue up Eminem: “Will the Real ID please stand up?” Imagine showing your regular ID at TSA and it gets rejected because it's not a REAL ID. This new version isn't a fancy upgrade; it includes a stamp thanks to the REAL ID Act of 2005.

Why the change? The goal was to boost security after the 9/11 attacks. (Yes, it’s taken over 20 years to roll out, but better late than never, right?)

Here's why it matters: The REAL ID is your golden ticket to board domestic flights and access certain federal buildings. Uncle Sam insists it's a must-have.

• What it looks like: It's easy to identify! Look for a star, flag, or the word "Enhanced" on your driver's license or ID. Simple, right? (Because adding a star makes it more official.)

• Obtaining a REAL ID: Getting your hands on a REAL ID means renewing your license, with fees that vary by state (ugh, state fees). Be ready to show proof of identity: birth certificate, passport, Social Security number, and/or residency proof. (Yes, there’s a fee – gotta love 2024, right?)

• Don’t want a REAL ID? No worries! You can still fly domestically with other IDs like a U.S. passport, passport card, or other TSA-approved IDs.

⏰ Mark Your Calendar: May 7, 2025, is the deadline. For more information check your state requirements here.

🏛️📋 State Opposition and Compliance: In the past, many states pushed back against the REAL ID Act. They worried about costs, privacy, and federal control. This caused the delays and left a patchy system of compliance across the nation.

🔒🔐 Privacy Concerns: Critics argue that centralizing personal data raises risks of identity theft and unauthorized access. They worry about potential misuse and the adequacy of legal protections.​

✈️🛫 Impact on Travel: So far in 2024, over 105 million REAL ID licenses have been issued. This suggest that airline disruptions should be less severe than feared in 2019.

Subscriber B.J. renewed his license recently but chose the old version. Now he has until his next birthday to get a Real ID for that Vegas trip—classic B.J., who waited until his license expired to renew!

| Memorial Trafffffi-c 😬

11% Hitting the Gas: Biggest Memorial Day Driving Surge in Years

Memorial Day Travel Mob! 44 million Americans will be on the move, making it the busiest Memorial Day since the turn of the century.

Travel is up 4% from last year, which means roads, skies, and rails will be jammed. Get ready for the busiest travel stretch in two decades!

• Cars reign supreme with a record 38.4 million, hitting the road. Thursdays & Fridays = traffic jams, so pack snacks & patience. Skies busy too with 3.5 million flyers (most since 2005). Trains/buses/cruises see a 1.9 million bump. Buckle up for a wild Memorial Day!

• TSA is expecting to screen close to 18 million passengers and flight crews From May 23 to May 29.

Best and Worst Times to Travel By Car for Memorial Weekend

Weekly trip around the world

"Your passport to the latest travel news around the world!"

🇫🇷✈️🚫 Chaos ensues in a French tourist hotspot due to protests. Noumea's main airport is closed, and the Consulate is shut, making it hard for Aussies needing help. Travelers should stay put, avoid trouble, and postpone any plans. Flights are grounded, so it's best to wait it out for now.

| The Latest Episode of "Airlines vs. Everyone

Airlines Sue Biden Administration Over Fees 

Major carriers, like American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Hawaiian, and Alaska Airlines, are suing the Biden Administration over the new fee disclosure rule. They say it's "arbitrary" and beyond the USDOT’s authority. It seems revealing the real ticket cost might be the airlines biggest turbulence yet!

The Department of Transportation, standing firm like a determined flight attendant, told The Hill, "We will vigorously defend our rule protecting people from hidden junk fees and ensuring travelers can see the full price of a flight before they purchase a ticket."

| Other Air- Affairs

• 🤨 Boeing shareholders, bless their jet-lagged hearts, shelled out $33 million for outgoing CEO Calhoun. The approval margin was 64% to 36%, they say it's for "long-term performance," whatever the hell that means given recent safety issues.  

  • Calhoun did decline an additional incentive bonus this year, good on him, we guess 👏  

  • Back in 2020, a Boeing executive was dismissed after pilots described the 737 Max design as "clownish" and the supervisors as "monkey-like" in emails. 🙈

• ⚖️ Alaska Air is fighting a lawsuit against their planned merger with Hawaiian Airlines, saying it will actually give flyers more options, not fewer. The government is still reviewing the deal, with a decision expected by August.

• 😢 American Airlines is being sued after a teenager died onboard due to a faulty defibrillator. The crew reportedly lacked training, and the device was improperly charged.

• 🛩️ Former President Trump’s Boeing 757 clipped a parked jet at West Palm Beach Airport. As Trump might say, "It was a YUGE deal, the biggest clip you've ever seen, believe me!"

| News Travel Fast

Quick Trip Roundup 🧳🚀

Quick travel news & updates for your weary, jet-lagged mind.

🚌 🛫 Uber Airport! Move over UberX, Uber Shuttle is here! They're launching a shared shuttle service in the US for airports, concerts, and sporting events.

🎲 🏨 Las Vegas Landmark Shuts Down, the legendary Mirage casino on the Las Vegas Strip, famous for its erupting volcano and launching the era of megaresorts in the 90s, will bid farewell in July 2024. This isn't goodbye, it's more like a costume change. The iconic property will reopen as Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

🚢 📶 High-Speed Seas! Carnival Cruise ships just ditched dial-up internet thanks to Elon Musk's Starlink. Passengers can finally upload their vacation pics without a meltdown.

🚪📰 Expedia's top tech duo, Rathi Murthy and Sreenivas Rachamadugu, fired after a post-Vegas trip, leaving industry observers scratching their heads. Expedia's lips are sealed on the reasons. “Whatever happens in Vegas can get you fired” 🤭

💔📉 TripAdvisor's stock plummeted nearly 29% after a special committee decided against selling the company, deeming it not in the best interest of anyone, even at a discount.

| You Gotta Sea This

• 🤯 Tom Stuker has flown over 24 MILLION MILES with Untied Airlines

• 🏝️Here Are The Seven Largest Islands in The U.S. Did you know Alaska has the most islands of any state in the US

• 🍪 Hilton Cookie Lands in the National Air and Space Museum

| Travel Stock Performance

The STAYnTELL travel pulse. Stay up-to date each with the the Top Travel Gainer and Loser for the week.

LAST WEEK’S TOP GAINER & LOSER

* Prices as of May 17th, 5:00 PM EST

| Enjoy Reading STAYnTELL?

Refer friends to this newsletter.

| Thanks For Reading

We've reached our destination, we hope you found our weekly flight through the news enjoyable.

See you in the clouds,  ⛅