Travel

JERUSALEM — Israel on Thursday ordered every airline serving Ben Gurion Airport, foreign and Israeli, to submit crew details 48 hours before departure. Carriers must report roster changes no later than two hours before takeoff and file a final list when the aircraft leaves. Israeli outlets report the directives came from the passenger-data center inside the Tax Authority. Non-Israeli crew and passengers must also complete an online form that the immigration authority reviews. The Shin Bet takes over security procedures for incoming foreign carriers and their overseas departure points. The rules follow the September 30 incident on flydubai Flight 1073, when an Omani copilot allegedly attacked the captain and tried to bring the plane down. Reports say crew lists had often reached Israeli authorities only after takeoff. Bloomberg reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the changes after a security review.

DUBAI — Airlines kept pulling Saudi routes from schedules this week after Houthi strikes on Riyadh's airport. Etihad has cancelled all Abu Dhabi flights to Riyadh and Dammam through November 5, along with four Jeddah services. Air France has suspended Riyadh until November 14, and ITA Airways until November 18. KLM has cancelled Riyadh and Dammam until November 27. Scoot has cancelled Singapore-Jeddah flights until December 2. Gulf Air has resumed Riyadh service. Gulf News also reports that missile attacks on Aden airport in Yemen on Wednesday halted air traffic there. The paper adds that US officials have told regional allies to prepare for possible strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections. Gulf News cautions that Emirates' departures board and its own status page sometimes disagree, so travelers should confirm flights with the airline.

GRAND BAHAMA — Tiger Beach, a shallow sand bank off the west end of Grand Bahama, is entering its best stretch for tiger sharks. Operator guides put the peak season at October through March. Winter brings the highest counts, often four to six tigers at once, plus lemon and Caribbean reef sharks. Great hammerheads turn up irregularly from December to March. The encounter is baited and managed, not a chance sighting, and sessions run 45 to 60 minutes on the sand at roughly 12 to 14 metres. Some operators work shallower sites of 6 to 10 metres. Advanced certification is generally recommended. Liveaboards run 4 to 7 nights; the Bahamas Aggressor II sails from Freeport on 7-night charters. Day operators on West End advise at least three days because winter squalls can cancel trips. Memphis has no confirmed nonstop service, so most travelers would connect through a hub to Freeport.

WASHINGTON — Jardines de la Reina, Cuba's remote no-take marine park, begins its best diving window now. The dry season runs from November to April, with calm water, little current and visibility of 30 metres or more. Dives are mostly 40 to 75 feet and suit all levels. The park is reachable only by liveaboard from the port of Júcaro, reached by road from Camagüey. A Treasury rule that took effect Sept. 30 removed the general license for group people-to-people educational travel. It also ended professional-meeting travel and barred indirect dealings with entities on the Cuba Restricted List. Trips are grandfathered only if a flight or room was booked before Sept. 30. Dive operators have used several OFAC-authorized program structures, and the sources reviewed do not say how each is affected. Oceanic Society says it does not expect to return to Gardens of the Queen until 2029 or later, citing power outages and wider conditions. Memphis divers would connect through Miami.

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation has said its Mountain Rail service will begin in November 2026. It will run one daily round trip over about 76 miles from Denver Union Station to Granby, stopping at Winter Park Resort and Fraser. The trains will use the Moffat Tunnel under the Continental Divide. They will run in addition to Amtrak's California Zephyr and the seasonal Winter Park Express ski train. A second daily trip, in the reverse direction, is planned to follow. Later phases could extend toward Steamboat Springs and Craig. A recent travel-magazine report said fares and timetable were still unclear, and a firm opening date has not been confirmed in available reporting. Best season is ski season, December to March, when the rail option avoids I-70 and Berthoud Pass traffic; summer suits fishing and hiking in Grand County. Memphis access is by air to Denver, then rail. As a domestic trip, it has no State Department advisory.

MALMÖ — Swedish operator Snälltåget will run a special overnight train from Malmö through Stockholm to Narvik, Norway, leaving Monday, Nov. 23. It will stop at Kiruna, Abisko and Björkliden. The return leaves Narvik Friday, Nov. 27. The route covers 2,156 kilometres and crosses the Arctic Circle. The published timetable puts arrival in Narvik at 16:34 the next afternoon. The operator describes it as a one-time service rather than a new regular line, and times are preliminary. Abisko, with a small population and clearer skies than much of the Arctic, is the usual aurora base. Eurail says lights show there from September to early April, and a few nights are advisable in case of cloud. From Memphis, no nonstop exists. Fly via a major hub to Stockholm or Copenhagen, then join the train at Stockholm or Malmö. The State Department rates Sweden Level 2, exercise increased caution, for terrorism, as of May 18, 2026.