Carefully selected travel news, interpreted for the individual traveller. Checked 25 September 2026.
What this briefing covers. This is a weekly read on the ten destinations Great Wide Open writes about — Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain and the USA. It is not a global bulletin. A quiet week here tells you nothing about anywhere else: if you’re travelling to another country, please keep checking the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice and your own providers for developments that may affect your plans.
What matters this week
Typhoon Dujuan never made landfall near Tokyo, but its rain killed twelve people and has cut two railway lines on the Boso Peninsula, one for at least three months. A second typhoon, Surigae, is heading for Okinawa. Britain’s air traffic control failed again on Monday, this time in Scotland. A hurricane is bearing down on Hawaii’s Big Island. And Barcelona’s baggage-handling strike is back on.
At a glance
| Development | Who it affects | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Two JR East lines on the Boso Peninsula closed after Typhoon Dujuan | Rail travellers to Kisarazu and the Chiba coast | Use replacement buses; allow extra time |
| Typhoon Surigae forecast near Okinawa from Sunday 27 September | Anyone in Okinawa or Amami; Japan travellers 29 Sept–1 Oct | Watch the JMA forecast; keep a spare day |
| Second air traffic failure in a fortnight, at NATS Prestwick | Anyone flying from a UK airport | Claim expenses, not fixed compensation |
| Hurricane Nolo approaching Hawaii’s Big Island | Travellers to the Big Island and Maui this weekend | Check your airline’s waiver; follow county alerts |
| Groundforce strike at Barcelona–El Prat resumed indefinitely | Passengers on Lufthansa, Air Europa, Air France, KLM and others | Travel hand-luggage only if you can |
Weather and natural events
Japan: one typhoon gone, and it has left parts of the Chiba coast without trains; another is on its way. Typhoon Dujuan passed south-east of Choshi on Monday 21 September without making landfall, but its rain did the damage. Izu Oshima recorded 832mm in 48 hours, the most since records began there, and Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency counted twelve dead and three missing by 24 September, most of them in Chiba and Kanagawa. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled around 275 flights that day. JR East says the Uchibo Line between Anegasaki and Kisarazu needs “at least about three months” to repair, and it has given no reopening date for the Kururi Line beyond Kururi. It is planning replacement buses from 28 September. Now Typhoon Surigae is forecast to pass close to Okinawa on Sunday 27 September, then slow south of Honshu around 29–30 September. Forecasters warn that heavy rain could reach Kyushu to Kanto again. That part is a forecast, not a fact, so check the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) each morning.
Hawaii: Hurricane Nolo is heading for the Big Island this weekend. At 11am Hawaii time on Friday 25 September, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of “life-threatening flash flooding possible and damaging waves likely on the Big Island of Hawaii over the weekend.” Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is closed, as are county and state parks on the Big Island and state parks on Maui. Delta and Alaska Airlines have issued change waivers for affected Hawaiian airports. The FCDO’s USA page has not been updated for it. If you are due there, check your airline and follow Hawaii County’s alerts.
Flights and getting there
Britain’s air traffic control has failed twice in a fortnight — and your rights are the same both times. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) published its preliminary report on the 8 September failure on 18 September. It blames “a software issue in a specific part of our flight data system”, traced to “a small subsection of coding”. A fix is being tested. Three days later, on Monday 21 September, a separate fault at the NATS Prestwick centre restricted flights, mainly from airports in the north of the UK. NATS says the two faults are unrelated. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says both are likely to be “extraordinary circumstances”, so fixed cash compensation is unlikely. Your airline still owes you meals, a hotel if needed, and a choice of refund or rerouting. Keep your receipts.
Barcelona: the baggage-handling strike is back on, with no end date. The union that represents Groundforce’s 1,100 ground staff at Barcelona–El Prat had paused the strike to allow talks. It restarted the strike indefinitely on 17 September, after two members of the strike committee were dismissed. Groundforce handles Lufthansa, Air Europa, ITA Airways, Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, United and Finnair. In August the action cost up to 270 cancelled flights and thousands of delayed bags. We found no figures yet for this phase. If you’re flying one of those airlines, travel with hand luggage only if you can, and allow extra time.
Australia: a security walkout at Sydney Airport on Monday. About 400 security screeners employed by Certis, represented by the Transport Workers’ Union, walked out twice on 24 September. A further three-hour stoppage is planned for Monday 28 September, the first day of the New South Wales school holidays. The times had not been published when we checked. Sydney Airport’s advice is to “allow extra time and stay alert for messages from your airline.”
Dates for the diary
Now to 27 September (South Korea): Incheon Airport expects a record 1.14 million passengers over Chuseok, with the return peak on Sunday 27th. The airport advises arriving three hours before departure.
Hokkaido (Japan): Tokachidake remains at volcanic alert Level 3, and entry is restricted within about 3km of the crater. Check before any autumn-colour hike in the Daisetsuzan area.
30 September (Italy): a four-hour national air traffic control strike, 13:00–17:00. It was still listed as going ahead when we checked, and may delay connections through Italy.
1–7 October (China): National Day holiday. China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) expects border crossings to peak on 1 and 4 October, at up to 2.4 million a day. Avoid flying in or out on those dates if you can.
To 7 October (Spain and Italy): Spain has extended passport checks on air and sea arrivals from Italy to the end of 7 October; Italy’s checks on arrivals from Spain run to 1 October. Carry your passport between the two.
Before you travel
This briefing is a weekly selection covering only our ten destinations, not a global or emergency service. For anything time-sensitive — or for any country we don’t cover — check the FCDO advice for your destination and your airline or operator directly. Rules and disruption can change between editions.
Sources
Typhoon Dujuan — The Watchers, 24 September: 12 dead and 3 missing (Fire and Disaster Management Agency), Oshima 48-hour rainfall record; Al Jazeera, 22 September: JAL and ANA cancellations, Shinkansen disruption; Weathernews, 21 September: Dujuan passes south-east of Choshi; Jimoharu, 25 September: JR East’s 23 September announcement on the Uchibo and Kururi lines
Typhoon Surigae — Hong Kong Observatory tropical cyclone track, 25 September; tenki.jp forecaster briefing, 25 September; JMA — tropical cyclone information
Hurricane Nolo — US National Hurricane Center; Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 25 September; Delta travel advisory; Alaska Airlines travel advisories
NATS — NATS preliminary report, 18 September; CAA statement on passenger compensation, 21 September; CAA statement on passenger compensation, 8 September disruption
Barcelona — Hosteltur, 18 September: Groundforce staff resume the strike; Vilapress, 20 September: airlines affected
Sydney Airport — ABC News, 24 September; Australian Aviation, 24 September
Diary — Seoul Economic Daily, 22 September: Incheon’s Chuseok forecast; JMA volcanic activity reports; Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport strike register; Venice Airport notice of the 30 September strike; Guangming Daily, 22 September: the NIA’s holiday forecast; Boletín Oficial del Estado, 19 September: Spain extends its border checks; European Commission — temporary reintroduction of border control