travel
Latest
Airbnb guides you through the check-in process
If you've ever stayed at an Airbnb home, you know that your initial visit can be a challenge: how do you get in? Hosts can send you instructions, but a message might not tell you everything you need to know. Airbnb just offered a more elegant solution, however. It's launching a tool that lets hosts give you a step-by-step photographic guide to checking in. If you need to use a specific entrance or remember a passcode, you'll know just what to do. The guides are available offline, too, so you're not stuck if you're in a foreign country without internet access.
US is now asking for visa applicants’ social media names
Last month, the Trump administration formally proposed tougher vetting for visa applicants that would require more social media scrutiny. Today, the State Department formally enacted the expanded questionnaire, which will force applicants to disclose their social media handles from the last five years and biographical information going back 15 years.
British Airways IT failure cancels many flights out of London (updated)
Airline glitches and the ensuing pandemonium are nothing new, but they've just hit one of the world's largest travel hubs. British Airways has suffered a global IT system failure so serious that it cancelled all its flights out of London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports before 6PM local time on Saturday. Some parts of BA's website and check-in features were unavailable, too, and passengers on London-bound BA flights also faced delays. They frequently can't even book new flights to make up for the old ones.
TSA may ask you to unpack tablets and cluttered carry-on bags
While it looks like the airline industry has successfully held off the US Department of Homeland Security's proposed laptop ban for now, the government will soon be giving carry-on bags an extra thorough inspection at airports around the country anyway. Starting after this summer's travel rush, the TSA is expected to implement a range of new policies that will likely lead to a lot more unpacking and re-packing at airport security checkpoints. Suddenly those automatic security screenings can't come soon enough.
Start racking up Delta SkyMiles with your Lyft rides
Lyft is no stranger to offering perks with every trip. Its latest bonus will be more than a little useful if you're a frequent flier, though. The service just unveiled a partnership with Delta that has you earning SkyMiles with every ride. After you link your Lyft and SkyMile accounts, you'll earn one mile for each dollar you spend. There's also a promo running until August 31st that will triple your miles whenever you travel to or from the airport.
United flight crew inadvertently shares cockpit codes online
You don't need lax airport screening to create security risks aboard flights. As the TSA found out, you just need someone to post the wrong details on the internet. The Wall Street Journal has learned that a United Airlines (yes, it's in the news again) flight attendant mistakenly posted cockpit door access codes online. While the Air Line Pilots Association says the situation has been resolved, the codes haven't changed yet. Until then, pilots will have to be extra-cautious -- they're already supposed to look at would-be visitors, but they just got a reminder that they can't take a valid code for granted.
TripAdvisor adds GrubHub food delivery to its travel tools
GrubHub makes it pretty easy to scrounge up food when you don't feel like picking it up yourself, and now the food-delivery company wants to extend that to how you eat when traveling. Travel site TripAdvisor has announced that starting today, when you're planning your next vacation and mulling options for dining and entertainment in some 1,100 cities, GrubHub's network of restaurants will be in the mix. The companies say that if you see the "order online" button next to a listing, clicking it will redirect to GrubHub's website.
Hotels pressure the government to crack down on Airbnb
There's no doubt that the hotel industry hates Airbnb -- the home sharing service lures many would-be customers away through lower rates and the perks that come from staying in someone else's abode. So how does it fight back? By pushing the government to crack down. The New York Times has learned that the American Hotel and Lodging Association has been conducting a "multipronged, national" lobbying and research campaign to have politicians impose or toughen restrictions, selectively collect taxes and draw attention to the negative side-effects of home sharing. Reportedly, the AHLA is partly responsible for at least some of the higher-profile regulatory moves against Airbnb in the past year.
FCC axes plan to allow phone calls on flights
There hasn't exactly been a groundswell of support for in-flight phone calls in the US, and regulators are now ready to drop the idea. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed that his agency cancel a 2013 proceeding that would have let people make cellphone calls on aircraft. It's in the "public interest," he claims, and removing the option from the table would be a win for people who "value a moment of quiet" in the skies.
iPad bomb threat led to recent device ban on flights
When the US and UK banned people from carrying large devices aboard flights originating in the Middle East and northern Africa, they only made vague claims about this being in response to threat reports. But just what were those threats, exactly? We might have an idea. A Guardian security source understands that the bans were prompted in part by a plot to tuck explosives into a fake iPad. This wasn't the only motivation -- there was a "combination of factors," according to the newspaper -- but it played an important role. It's not clear where and when this faux tablet bomb would have been used.
Browse Airbnb's vacation add-ons from your desktop
When Airbnb launched "Experiences" and "Immersions" last year, the company made it clear it was expanding beyond spare room rentals and into more general travel planning. Until now, however, users could only browse and search for those side trips through Airbnb's official mobile apps. Over the past few weeks, Airbnb has been steadily adding new trips in even more cities around the world, and starting today Experiences are now available on the desktop and mobile web so you can daydream about your next vacation or business trip from the comfort of your work computer.
UK also bans devices from cabins on flights from Middle East
The UK has followed the US in restricting electronic devices on flights from several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Though not identical to the measures implemented by the US, passengers on "select flights" coming to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia will only be allowed to carry smartphones in the cabin. Any device bigger than 16.0 x 9.3 x 1.5cm, such as laptops, must be stored in checked, hold baggage.
US bans most electronics on Middle Eastern airlines (updated)
The US just made traveling to certain parts of the world considerably more complicated, at least for technology fans. Middle Eastern and African airlines (including Royal Jordanian and Saudia) say the US has asked them to institute a 96-hour ban on carrying most electronics on flights to or from the US, starting on March 21st. You can sit down with your phone or any necessary medical devices, but cameras, laptops and other larger gadgets will have to go into your checked baggage. The exact conditions of the ban aren't yet clear, but an American official said that "12+" airlines are covered, while Saudia exec Abdulrahman al Fahad mentioned 13 countries being affected.
Senate bill would require a warrant for border phone searches
Did US border agents insist on searching the contents of your smartphone during your latest trip, privacy be damned? You're not alone -- Homeland Security has revealed that searches by Customs and Border Protection are surging, growing from under 5,000 in all of 2015 to 5,000 just this February. However, there might soon be legislation that keeps these searches in check. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is preparing a bill that would not only require a warrant before border officials can search the devices of US citizens, but strictly forbid them from asking for passwords. They'd need a legitimate reason to believe your phone holds something shady, not just a hunch.
President Trump plans to order a new travel ban next week
President Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order next week that updates his contentious January 27th ban on travelers and refugees from seven majority-Muslim countries. Last week, a federal appeals court ruled to keep a stay on the president's travel ban, which has been openly opposed by leaders in the technology industry including Google and Facebook. The new executive order will address the legal pitfalls that have paused the first travel ban, Trump said at a press conference today. "The new order is going to be very much tailored to what I consider to be a very bad decision," he said. "But we can tailor the order to that decision and get just about everything, in some ways more, but we're tailoring it now to the decision."
TSA debunks its own airport behavior screening
If you've ever suspected that the TSA's airport behavior screening (where it looks for visual signs of lying or stress) was just another example of ineffective security theater, you now have some science to back up your hunches. Thanks to a lawsuit, the ACLU has obtained TSA files showing that the organization has pushed and even expanded its "behavior detection" program despite a lack of supporting evidence. While the TSA maintains that it can detect signs of shady activity through fidgeting, shifty eyes and other visual cues, studies in its files suggest just the opposite -- you'd have just as much success by choosing at random. And those are in controlled conditions, not a busy airport where anxiety and stress are par for the course.
DHS could demand social media passwords of US visitors
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments from the State of Washington v. Donald Trump lawsuit that suspended the President's controversial executive order preventing entry of anyone traveling from seven Muslim-majority countries. Into this stormy climate strides Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who told Congress on Tuesday that his agency is considering a new vetting measure for US visitors from Trump's banned nation list: forcing them to hand over passwords for their social media accounts.
A ban on immigration is an attack on Silicon Valley
Almost immediately after President Trump signed an executive order banning immigrants from seven muslim majority countries from entering the US, tech companies have come out in force against it. The ban left hundreds of people detained in airports, even those with green cards. Some were even deported.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 27: American Tune
Managing editor Dana Wollman and reviews editor Cherlynn Low join host Terrence O'Brien to discuss the biggest tech news of the week. First they'll debate OnePlus' benchmark scandal, then try to sort out why the ACLU is partnering with startup incubator Y Combinator and take the "artists" behind the Tinder for baby adoption Kickstarter to task. Finally it's another week of Trump talk as the panel addresses the impact of the recent immigration ban on the tech industry and how the political climate is impacting our social media habits.
Airbnb is eyeing an international payment app
Airbnb is taking its all-inclusive aspirations one step further. Now, the short-term rental service is close to buying mobile payment app Tilt for $10 to $20 million, according to The Information. For the uninitiated, Tilt's wrinkle is that it can process cross-currency payments -- which should help with Airbnb's international expansion plans. And as far as what users will notice, it sounds like people will be able to split the bill on a room rental in the future. If you're looking to outfit your rental pad with augmented reality area rugs, that's the other Tilt, Tilt Textiles.
