Year in Review: The Biggest Travel Stories of 2024

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Wed December 11, 2024

Travel continues to be one of the most lucrative businesses across the world, but despite a series of complications through 2024, the industry thrived over the last year.

On the positive side, this year's edition of TravelPulse's Travvy Awards was a hit, while the website's inaugural Travel Industry 40 Under 40 made a splash within the industry.

Travel also saw plenty of bad publicity, including Boeing starting the year with a door panel ripping off midflight, the CrowdStrike Incident and the Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse.

Here are the biggest travel stories of 2024.

Travvy Awards

The Travvy Awards celebrated a decade in 2024. The event known as the Oscars of the travel industry recognized the top industry suppliers, including destinations, hotels, cruise lines, airlines, tour operators, and more. The annual awards gala was held in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, November 7, with many industry-leading brands taking home the coveted gold, silver, and bronze hardware.

Bad Year for Boeing

In January, the FAA grounded all Boeing 737-9 aircraft for inspections after an Alaska Airlines plane was forced to make an emergency landing after the cabin became depressurized due to a door panel coming loose mid-flight.

The near-disaster caused extreme scrutiny on the airplane manufacturer, especially after two deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. The FAA stepped up its inspection of Boeing after acknowledging it was "too hands-off" in its oversight of the aircraft manufacturer in the lead-up to an incident.

Add in recorded losses of $32 billion over the last five years, strikes from employees and the company's CEO saying, "Trust in our company has eroded," and it has been a rough year for the manufacturer.

TSA Record Numbers

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that Sunday, December 1, was the busiest day in the agency's history, with 3.087 million airline passengers screened through checkpoints nationwide following the busy Thanksgiving holiday season. The previous record was achieved earlier this year on July 7 when agents screened more than three million people.

Spirit Airlines, budget airlines, airplane, spirit airplane, yellow airplane

Spirit Airlines Blocked Merger, Bankruptcy

In November, Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, months after a federal judge blocked the budget airline's proposed merger with JetBlue. Ironically, the Department of Justice went to federal court to block the merger over fears that Spirit would go away and prevent competition for customers.

Hawaiian Airlines Merges with Alaska Airlines

In September, the United States Transportation Department (DOT) announced it would not block the $1.9 billion merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines after all parties agreed to protective guidelines. Alaska agreed to maintain key Hawaiian routes, adopt consumer protections, protect frequent flyer rewards, ensure competitive access at the Honolulu airport, and provide travel credits or frequent flyer miles for disruptions.

Inaugural Travel Industry 40 Under 40

TravelPulse unveiled its inaugural Travel Industry 40 Under 40 list. The prestigious honor recognizes the achievements of young professionals making significant contributions to the travel industry. The 2024 40 Under 40 honorees were selected based on their innovation, leadership, and impact.

New DOT Refund Rules

In April, United States President Joe Biden and his administration issued a new set of rules for airlines outlining when to refund travelers for delays and how to disclose fees properly. The rule requires carriers to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when carriers cancel or significantly change their flights, delay passengers' checked bags or fail to provide any ancillary services that were purchased.

Supplier Shutdowns

This year also saw several major travel suppliers shut down, including American Queen Voyages and Gogo Vacations in February and ARYYVE Vacations in August.

American Airlines and NDC

Amid news of cuts to its revenue and profit forecast and its stock tumbling in value, American Airlines reversed course in May regarding its controversial New Distribution Capability (NDC) plans and some AAdvantage requirements. American was forced to apologize to the travel advisors the airline impacted with its previous plans.

CrowdStrike Incident

The CrowdStrike incident began on July 19 and was caused by a faulty update to the Falcon antivirus software. As a result, millions of computers worldwide crashed, and airlines were forced to ground planes and reimburse travelers. While many airlines recovered quickly from the incident, Delta Air Lines struggled for days and ultimately canceled more than 7,000 flights.

Red Sea Disruptions

An alarming number of terrorist attacks on vessels in the Red Sea area reduced ship traffic and forced cruise lines to alter their existing sailings and cancel future voyages to the region. Impacted companies include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Virgin, MSC and more.

Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse

A large portion of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March after it was struck by a cargo ship, forcing vessel traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore to be suspended. The first cruise line to set sail following the collapse was Royal Caribbean International on May 25.

Cruise Industry Adds New Ships

In 2024, cruise lines signed several significant contracts for future ship builds, while others added new vessels to their fleets. Norwegian Cruise Line unveiled plans for the upcoming Norwegian Luna, while Disney Cruise Line officially welcomed the Disney Treasure to its fleet. The cruise industry also acknowledged counting on travel advisors to help fill them.

Overtourism Issues

During the spring and the summer across Europe, there was a backlash against tourism, including in top international destinations like Barcelona, Venice, and Greece. Laws were passed, and fees were enacted, all in the name of trying to limit the number of visitors.

Cancun Airport Fees

Officials in Mexico have reversed a controversial rule plaguing unsuspecting tourists arriving at the popular resort city. Cancun International Airport will no longer charge visitors a fee for bringing more than one larger electronic device, including laptops and tablets.

Hurricane Season

The 2024 hurricane season was particularly devastating, as Americans and the travel industry faced major challenges associated with 18 named storms, including Hurricanes Beryl, Helene, and Milton.

Boeing 757 of Donald Trump departing from Palm Beach airport.

US Elects Next President

The United States elected Donald Trump as its next President, which will have a long-term impact on the travel industry. Insiders nationally and globally spoke to TravelPulse on the potential effects, with the CEO of Delta Air Lines even calling it a welcomed change.

European Entry Rules Delayed

The European Union's new Entry/Exit System (EES) was set to go into effect for travelers entering as many as 29 participating countries across the bloc in November. However, the new biometric system was delayed due to IT issues, with key countries such as Germany, France and the Netherlands still working to speed up their border computer systems.

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