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Get your hotel rooms and flights right from Google search
Google Flights is already a great place to search when you're headed out on vacation or business trips. It uses AI to predict possible flight delays, too, and helps you find rate information on hotels and airline tickets based on peak travel times. Now some new updates will help you find and book hotels and flights right in a Google search.
Google is using AI to predict flight delays
Flight delay alerts are helpful, but they usually depend on airlines notifying you in a timely fashion... and they're not always quick on the draw. Google, however, is happy to fill that gap. It's updating its Flights feature with not only explanations for delays, but predictions. Its machine learning system will use historic flight status info to forecast delays, and flags them when there's at least an 80 percent confidence the prediction will come true. The company stresses that you should still show up on time (you don't want to miss a flight due to pessimism), but this could give you a hint of trouble before you set foot in the airport.
Airbnb now gives you the option to pay less up front
Airbnb rentals present affordable, sometimes even unique, alternatives to hotels, but one of the downsides of using the platform is having to pay in full upon booking. Now, the company is finally -- thankfully! -- giving you an option to pay less up front. Starting today, you'll be able to reserve a rental by paying a deposit worth around 50 percent of the total amount in most cases. You'll still have to pay the rest off before you arrive unlike Expedia or Agoda, which sometimes allows you to pay at the hotel itself. But having the option means you can book places much earlier than usual, since you won't have to worry about paying the whole reservation months in advance.
Google's Project Fi international data service goes down (updated)
We hope you weren't depending on Project Fi to stay in touch while abroad this weekend. Subscribers to Google's wireless carrier have reported that international data hasn't been working in many places around the world, including Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Some users have reported temporary success by switching into and out of airplane mode or rebooting their phones, but it hasn't lasted for longer than 2 minutes.
CabinR's travel bags keep thieves away with an annoying alarm
Not everyone is good at keeping track of their personal belongings, like a backpack or a messenger bag. So CabinR, a startup based out of Hong Kong, wants to help you feel safer on a journey. The company has created two bags, a backpack and a messenger model, that feature an alarm system powered by RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags to (hopefully) keep any potential thieves away from your stuff. It works quite simply: On the bag, there's an alarm device that you activate by pressing a button, and the only way to deactivate is by tapping an RFID plastic card on it.
Tesla's in-car trip planning tool is available on the web
To date, using Tesla's trip planning tool has meant sitting inside your electric car while you map a route that takes you past charging stations. That doesn't make much sense if you're gearing up for vacation, does it? There's now a better way: Tesla has launched a web version of its trip planner to use while you're still sitting at your desk. It's not as fleshed out as the in-car version, but it can tell you where you'll need to charge and how long you need to drive based on both the route and the particular Tesla you're driving. You could see fewer stops with a Model S P100D than you would with a Model X 75D, for instance.
DHS's facial scanning program may be inaccurate and illegal
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doesn't have a great track record with its own technology. DHS staff have been locked out of their own networks, first responder apps have been plagued by security issues and the federal employees were able to steal data from the agency. Now a new report calls DHS's pilot facial recognition program into question, too, saying that it makes frequent errors and may even not be legal.
US airlines plan to enforce new rules on smart bags
Travelers looking to use their fancy new smart luggage may soon face a hard time getting the bags on a plane due to safety concerns about their batteries. According to CNN, American, Delta and Alaska Airlines have all announced that starting January 15th, passengers checking smart luggage will have to remove the lithium-ion batteries (or keep them powered down if traveling in the cabin). The site also says that United Continental and Southwest Airlines both plan to announce similar policies soon. That's 80 percent of the US air traffic, according to CNN.
Airbnb's split payments option is now available to all group travel
One of the most requested features on Airbnb has been the ability to split payments among members of a group traveling together. After all, it's never fun to run after your friends for payment, and according to Airbnb, 43 percent of American group travelers have lost $1,000 or more as a result. Now, after months of testing, the accommodation service is rolling out a group payment tool around the globe.
Airbnb buys startup to help you find disability-friendly rentals
Airbnb knows its hosts haven't always been kind to people with disabilities, and it's taking some definitive steps to fix that weakness. The company just bought Accomable, a startup that helps you embark on disability-friendly travel. While Accomable is winding down over the months ahead, its accommodation listings will find their way into Airbnb's entries for over 60 countries. You'll know if a host really does have accommodations for disabled guests throughout the home, not just wheelchair access at the entry. Also, Airbnb is pursuing its own improvements to help you make more informed choices.
TripAdvisor admits deleting post warning of rape and assault
TripAdvisor is the go-to website to visit when you want to look up hotel and resort reviews. Based on what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel unearthed, though, you might want to do more digging beyond the review portal next time you travel. According to the publication, TripAdvisor deleted several posts by users warning others of rape and assault over the past few years. In some cases it cited an old policy wherein language used in its forums should be G-rated. Other posts were declined citing "hearsay" as the reason, even though the victims were talking about their personal experiences.
Discovery and Google team up on globe-spanning VR travel series
Discovery is partnering with Google on a virtual reality travel series that spans all seven continents. The 38-episode experience explores the rituals and traditions of cultures in North and South America, Asia, Australia, Africa, Antartica, and Europe. Emmy award-winner Sascha Unseld, who also directed Oculus Story Studio's Dear Angelica VR short, served as creative producer on the series. You can take in Discovery TRVLR for yourself starting tomorrow using Google's Daydream headset (or Google Cardboard). The show will be viewable on YouTube, DiscoveryVR.com, and on the Discovery VR app.
Airbnb and WeWork team up to find desks for business travelers
There's one thing a hotel can offer that most Airbnbs can't: easy access to a conference room and various office amenities. In an effort to make up for that and to entice young professionals to book a rental rather than a hotel room, Airbnb has teamed up with WeWork. According to Bloomberg, corporate customers will be able to save a slot at the nearest WeWork office workspace when they rent a room on Airbnb's website. As the publication said, the partners will likely have a tough time luring wealthy execs away from their hotels. But the new feature sounds useful for those who simply want access to a desk, printer, WiFi and other common office facilities while traveling.
Google tests vacation rental filter alongside hotel search results
Last year, Google issued some updates that made it easier to track down flight and hotel deals and it has recently been testing an option that would bring up vacation rentals when users search for hotels. The new feature shows up under the "Accommodation Type" category alongside other filter options like price, amenities and rating. According to Skift, which counted around 7,000 such listings in its searches, Google is testing the feature out in multiple markets.
US lifts laptop ban from final Middle Eastern airline (updated)
If you're a business traveller who wants to use your laptop on a flight originating in the Middle East, things are looking up. The US started to lift restrictions for passengers carrying large electronics like laptops on flights originating in the Middle East earlier this month, including lifting the ban at Abu Dhabi airport, and exempting Emirates and Turkish Airlines from the ban. Now, according to a report by Reuters, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has finally lifted the laptop ban on inbound passengers on Saudi Arabian Airlines, the final airline to be under restriction.
Denver has the fastest WiFi of any airport in North America
Airports are some of the most miserable places on earth. On top of being charged way too much for food and booze, solid internet connections can be dodgy whether you're connecting to provided WiFi or your cellular network. The folks at Speedtest have done us all a favor and surveyed the offerings at North American airports to suss out the worst to the... surprisingly not-worst. Interestingly enough, a state that legalized recreational marijuana also has the highest uploads and downloads. Denver International boasts 78.22 Mbps downloads and 78.29 Mbps on average, with Speedtest reporting that this actually increased by over 25 percent since its last look.
Track Bluesmart's latest luggage anywhere in the world
Connected luggage sets are easy to find these days, but Bluesmart stands out: as one of the first out of the gate, it has experience its rivals lack. You'll be glad to hear, then, that the company is back for another round. It's crowdfunding Series 2 luggage that builds on the existing formula with some features that, at first blush, appear to be genuinely practical. Both the 22-inch Cabin carry-on bag and 29-inch Check suitcase include a combination of 3G cellular and GPS that lets you track your luggage anywhere in the world (with cellular reception, at least) for free. If your luggage goes to Bhutan instead of Boston, you'll know it.
Dish knows hotel TV sucks and it wants to help
Checking into a hotel can be like moving back in time, at least when it comes to media. We're all used to using our own devices to watch television and movies, stream music and play games, but many hotels still cling to their cable-style in-room TV systems that we basically bypass to use our own entertainment. Satellite internet and television provider Dish wants to change all that with a new system for hotels called Evolve. It's a 4K-capable box powered by Android TV that sits behind your room's monitor that you can stream to as well as watch live TV in HD.
Airbnb to target wealthy customers who prefer luxury hotels
Airbnb keeps expanding its core disruption with new features to help increase its audience. The company has made it easier for business travelers to find a room with the Airbnb app and has tried its hand at tour guiding with a new activity suggestion feature. Now the room-sharing company is reportedly looking at ways to attract customers who would rather book at high-end luxury hotels.
Use emoji to search Kayak for travel deals
The inevitable march to replace words with emoji continues apace, with the world granting more legitimacy to the cartoony mini-images. Last month, an Israeli court ruled that they counted as enough "intent" in a civil case to turn the tide in one side's favor. But today is for you, travel fiends: Kayak now lets you search for destinations by emoji.
