Travel

RIYADH — King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resumed operations Sunday after a two-week closure, but most scheduled departures stayed cancelled. Cirium data cited by Gulf News show 7,802 of 17,299 scheduled Saudi departures between Oct. 8 and 25 were cancelled or recorded as no-fly, about 45 percent. Riyadh itself was hit hardest, with roughly 86 percent of departures affected. Only domestic and some international flights by Saudi carriers are operating. Houthi forces said they attacked the airport again hours after it reopened. Airlines have extended suspensions: Lufthansa Group has halted Riyadh flights through Nov. 18, Air India through Nov. 7, and Delta has pushed its planned Atlanta-Riyadh launch to March 2027. British Airways plans one daily flight from Nov. 3. The U.S. Embassy told Americans to take extreme caution at Saudi airports and to check flight status with their airlines. U.S. government staff need special authorization to use any airport in the kingdom.

MEMPHIS — Southwest Airlines is now the only carrier flying nonstop between Memphis International and Austin. The airport reports the flight runs six days a week, Sunday through Friday. Delta ended its daily Austin-Memphis service with final flights on Oct. 5, saying it was matching capacity to demand. Delta also dropped its Memphis-JFK route for good after first suspending it in June. It still flies three times a day to LaGuardia. Airport officials say the broader picture is positive. Memphis has gained 23 routes and lost 18 since 2021, and 36 destinations are now served, compared with 31 five years ago. Only two destinations were lost outright: Mesa Gateway in Phoenix and Punta Gorda in Florida. Passenger traffic reached 4.8 million in 2025, up from 3.59 million in 2021. Breeze began Memphis-San Antonio service in May.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature published its first worldwide assessment of coral reef ecosystems on Thursday, Oct. 22. It found that 96 percent of shallow-water reef ecosystems face an extremely high risk of collapse by 2075. The projection assumes the atmosphere warms about 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The assessment also points to overfishing. Reefs that have lost key species such as groupers and parrotfish are losing their natural balance, and depleted fish stocks threaten 63 percent of reef ecosystems. Coastal development, heavy tourism, pollution and more frequent storms add pressure. Lead scientist Mishal Gudka called the findings a "wake-up call rather than a cause for despair." He said reefs have bounced back from bleaching before and that resilient pockets could survive. The coverage seen does not break the findings down by region or dive destination.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Female bull sharks are expected back off Playa del Carmen in early to mid November, opening a season operators put at November through March. The dive is a static observation on a sand flat at Shark Point, about 24 to 30 meters deep, with bottom time capped at 30 minutes inside no-decompression limits. Most operators want Advanced Open Water, or Open Water with at least 25 logged dives and recent diving. Numbers peak from December to February, but those months also bring cold fronts that can close the port. November and March offer fewer sharks and calmer weather. Sightings are never guaranteed. Formats differ by operator. One lists an observation dive plus a reef dive at 3,500 pesos and a one-dive feeding option at 4,000. From Memphis, divers would connect to Cancun and continue south by road. Cozumel visitors reach Playa by a ferry of about 45 minutes.

United Airlines will start three-times-weekly nonstop flights from San Francisco to Okinawa on March 27, 2027. It will be the only U.S. airline flying nonstop between the United States and the island, according to Forbes. The route is part of the carrier's largest international expansion to date. Okinawa is a chain of subtropical islands in southern Japan, known for beaches, reefs and a distinct Ryukyu culture. Memphis travelers would connect to San Francisco on one stop. The State Department rates Japan Level 1, normal precautions, and its guidance singles out Okinawa's rip currents and venomous snakes and marine life. Typhoons struck the Ryukyu Islands this summer and early autumn, so the March start falls before that season, which is the main logistical risk for ferries and inter-island trips.

Beginning June 9, 2027, United will fly three times a week between Newark and Terceira on a Boeing 737 MAX 8. The schedule runs through Sept. 5, with departures Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, according to Travel Off Path. United says it will be the only U.S. airline flying nonstop to the island. Azores Airlines already flies from Boston and New York-JFK. Terceira has the UNESCO-listed town of Angra do Heroísmo, the Algar do Carvão volcanic chimney, and natural lava swimming pools at Biscoitos. Summer round trips were showing from about $920 in an early check. Memphis travelers would connect through Newark or Boston. Inter-island flights from Terceira reach São Miguel and other islands in the archipelago. Summer is the nonstop season.