Delta wants flexibility in which U.S. cities it can connect to Tokyo

Even as women increasingly embark on travel alone, safety remains a top concern. The 2022 Solo Female Travel Trends Survey, from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection and GeoSure Global, identifies the world's 11 safest cities and countries for women traveling alone — and the runaway winner is Switzerland. In particular, Basel, Switzerland, nabbed the No. 1 spot, while No. 3 went to the capital of Bern, and No. 4 is held by Zurich. Other destinations that made it to the top include Toronto at No. 2 and Lisbon at 5. Orebro, Vasteras and Uppsala, Sweden, all tied for the No. 6 slot, while Stockholm came in at 7. Rounding out the list were Monaco; Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria (tie); Pamplona and Oviedo, Spain (tie) and finally Cannes, France.

TravelPulse

Delta Air Lines has resumed flights this spring to Tokyo from Minneapolis, one of seven U.S. cities the airline is permitted to connect to Tokyo Haneda Airport. But Delta recently lobbied the Department of Transportation for more flexibility at Haneda, citing low post-pandemic demand from gateways such as Portland, Ore., and Honolulu. United Airlines, a competitor for the Haneda slots, pointed out that Delta is charging a whopping $10,700 for Portland to Haneda, and accused Delta of gouging ticket prices to suppress demand. What about the MSP-Haneda service? It appears safe, although Delta did claim that demand for the route is at only 46% of 2019 levels. Despite "low" demand, summer fares start at $2,393 and up, according to Google Flights, although they moderate to $1,599 by September.

Simon Peter Groebner

President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a proposed new rule to compensate passengers affected by airline-caused slowdowns. Under the new rule, carriers would have to provide passengers with assistance and monetary compensation when the airlines are at fault for cancellations or delays of three hours or more. Beyond free rebooking or refunding the price of the ticket, airlines would have to cover other costs, such as hotels, meals and ground transportation. Inconvenienced fliers would be entitled to a payment in the form of cash, miles or travel vouchers. The rule would also define "controllable cancellation and delay," making it harder for airlines to deflect responsibility.

New York Times