Budget Travel: Trends that may affect your plans

By Arthur Frommer

It’s been a busy autumn season for the travel industry, with almost daily announcements of both positive and negative trends and developments.

On the one hand, the aggressive Icelandic airlines (Iceland Air and WOW) flying the Atlantic for unbelievably low fares have just expanded their services by announcing new nonstop flights to Reykjavik from Dallas/Fort Worth. And right after they publicized these new flights, American Airlines sought to curb their enthusiasm by suddenly revealing that it, too, will now fly to Reykjavik from Dallas/Fort Worth, in hot competition with the Icelanders. Since a murderous price war will undoubtedly break out (AA will begin flying to Iceland in mid-April), Texan vacationers may want to utilize these new services by flying to Europe via Reykjavik. The price of doing so will never again be as low.

On the negative front, one airline after another is either canceling or reducing their flights to Cuba, following the posting of new regulations that severely limit American rights to visit that tropical island. Alaska Airways has pulled out from flying to Cuba altogether, and additional cancellations are expected soon from other carriers.

Reflecting a widespread belief that Caribbean cruises will enjoy record business this winter because of the damage from hurricanes to land-based resorts there, cruise lines are tightening their sales tactics. Norwegian Cruise Line has just announced that people wanting to cruise on NCL ships will now have to make final payment for their cabins no later than 120 days before departure. Cruising, in other words, will become a precious right bestowed upon American vacationers. Woe to those who miss the 120-day deadline!

Further bad news: Airbnb is encountering increased opposition from various European governments. In the city of Paris, homeowners and renters in four city districts have been told that they cannot make their homes or apartments available to Airbnb clients for more than 120 days a year. Other jurisdictions obviously will watch the outcome of this attempt to clip the wings of that popular rental firm.

But a bit of morbid bad news will open up rental options to Americans wanting to visit Las Vegas. In the wake of the shooting that killed or injured hundreds on Oct. 1, tourist traffic to Las Vegas has now fallen from 10-20 percent from various locations. Now has become a promising opportunity to obtain hotel space in Las Vegas at reduced rates.

Tourism in the United States (and across the Atlantic or in the Caribbean) is thus a strange amalgam of unsettling developments.

Note to the reader: Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip. The information in this column was accurate when it was released, but prices are competitive, sometimes limited and can always change without notice.

Arthur Frommer is the pioneering founder of the Frommer’s Travel Guide book series. He co-hosts the radio program, The Travel Show, with his travel correspondent daughter Pauline Frommer. Find more destinations online and read Arthur Frommer’s blog at frommers.com.