As March rolls in, here’s a quick run-through of what’s happening on the global travel news front:
Turkish Airlines (THY) is to launch flights to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Talks have been ongoing for several months, but the airline said that flights will move forward “depending on the possibilities and market conditions.” No dates have been released on when the flights are planned.
The news follows on the heels of the carrier’s plans to ramp up connections between Sydney and Istanbul to six flights each week with daily non-stop flights from late 2026.
Turkish Airlines operates four flights per week, increasing to five in June and six by the end of October. In January 2026, Sydney-Istanbul flights via Kuala Lumpur will become daily and non-stop by 2026. Melbourne-Istanbul flights are expected to follow in 2027.
Italy faces travel disruptions in March due to a series of strikes affecting air travel, trains, and local public transportation. On March 8, a national general strike will impact many sectors and fields. The railway sector will be affected from 9pm on March 7 until 9pm on March 8.
On March 16, baggage handlers at airports across Italy will go on a 24-hour strike. At the same time, workers from Techno Sky, a company that manages air traffic control systems, will hold a separate four-hour strike from midday to 4pm. This strike could lead to disruptions in airport operations, including check-in and baggage handling, as well as potential flight delays.
Train services will be heavily affected on March 18-19 when a 24-hour railway strike kicks in, affecting operations by Trenitalia, Italo, Trenord, and Trenitalia Tper.
Ambassador Cruise Line has revealed its first Caribbean fly-cruise programme for winter 2025-26 following its merger with French cruise line Compagnie Française de Croisières.
Between October 2025 and March 2026, the line will operate 10 Caribbean fly-cruise sailings on 1,200-passenger Renaissance from Bridgetown, Barbados. Each cruise will be 14 nights, aside from the two repositioning cruises bookending the season, which will be longer in length. Flights will be provided through Virgin Atlantic from Manchester and Heathrow to Barbados every other Monday.
Wizz Air is to launch a second route to Saudi Arabia from London Gatwick in August. The budget carrier will begin flights to Medina from August 1, complementing a service between Gatwick and Jeddah, which begins March 31.
The airline is also adding Warsaw to its Gatwick network, with flights starting on August 2.
Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, and Accor’s All rewards scheme have expanded their partnership. They will now offer their respective members additional benefits through seamless conversions.
Emirates Skywards members who are also members of ALL can now convert their Skywards Miles into ALL Reward Points. This unlocks Accor’s network of over 5,600 hotels in more than 45 Accor brands.
For every 4,000 Skywards Miles, members will receive 1,000 ALL Reward Points, which can be redeemed for stays, dining, or exclusive Limitless Experiences on ALL.com. The partnership introduces two-way conversions between the two loyalty programmes.
Turkish Airlines has now launched its package holiday brand globally. Holidaymakers can arrange flights, hotels, tours, activities, car rentals, airport transfers, insurance and more through holidays.turkishairlines.com
Previously available only for outbound flights from Türkiye, Turkish Airlines Holidays has expanded to key markets including the UK, Europe, South Korea, Mexico, Australia, and many more through strategic partnerships with HBX and Perfectstay. It also plans to launch in the US.
Turkish Airlines Chief Executive Officer Bilal Ekşi said: “Passengers travelling outbound from Türkiye have enjoyed the convenience of booking their entire trip through Turkish Airlines Holidays. Now, we are extending this seamless experience to travellers worldwide, making holiday planning easier than ever.”
Andy Probert is an independent PR writer and journalist who writes about travel experiences, airlines, airports, new tech and business. His work has appeared on the BBC, in The Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mirror, as well as many newspapers/magazines globally.
