Travel News — week of 10 October 2026

Carefully selected travel news, interpreted for the individual traveller. Checked 10 October 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

Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on the Florida Panhandle on Friday night and is now crossing Alabama as a weakening storm. The region’s airports closed ahead of it and had not announced reopening times when we checked. Catalonia’s storm proved worse than it looked last Sunday: two people died and more than 400 flights were cancelled at Barcelona. Next week brings strikes in Italy, France, Leeds and on Seoul’s airport railway. Hong Kong opens a rebuilt border crossing on Monday, and Sydney’s second airport opens on 25 October.

At a glance

Development	Who it affects	Action
Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin, Florida, on Friday night; Pensacola and Destin airports closed	Anyone bound for the Panhandle or the Alabama coast, or connecting through the US Southeast this weekend	Check your airline before you leave for the airport
Catalonia storm: two deaths, at least 414 flights cancelled at Barcelona over three days	Travellers to Barcelona and the Catalan coast	Services were largely restored by 8 October; check Rodalies and your airline
Strikes: Seoul airport railway from 12 October; Italy and Leeds Bradford 16 October; France 17–21 October	Anyone flying with easyJet in Italy, through Pisa, Florence or Leeds Bradford, or on a French airline	Watch for your airline’s notice; allow extra time
Hong Kong’s rebuilt Huanggang crossing opens at 6.30am on 12 October	Travellers crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen by road	Check which crossing your coach or bus now uses
Western Sydney International opens on 25 October	Anyone flying within Australia or to Auckland from Sydney	Check which Sydney airport is on your booking
Air India fuel surcharge up on UK routes	Anyone about to book flights to India	Compare fares before you book

Weather and natural events

United States: Hurricane Isaias comes ashore on the Florida Panhandle.

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, at about 9.30pm Eastern time on Friday 9 October, with winds of about 105mph. It weakened quickly as it moved north, and by early Saturday the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) had it over southern Alabama with winds of 65mph, heading for the Tennessee Valley. More than 760,000 homes and businesses across the Southeast had lost power. We found no reports of deaths when we checked. Destin–Fort Walton Beach Airport cancelled all Friday flights and Pensacola International closed on Friday morning, the Associated Press reported, and neither had announced a reopening time that we could find. Alabama had ordered visitors to leave Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. The NHC forecasts 4 to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Panhandle and south-west Georgia, and 2 to 5 inches over much of the rest of the Southeast. Orlando, Miami and the Keys were outside the warning areas. Confirm with your airline before you travel.

California: a tropical storm watch for the San Diego coast.

Tropical Storm Rachel is expected to approach northern Baja California or southern California late on Saturday 10 October or early on Sunday. The NHC forecasts 1 to 3 inches of rain across parts of the US Southwest, locally up to 5, with a risk of flash flooding.

Spain: the Catalonia storm, counted.

Two people died in last weekend’s storm in Barcelona province, one when a campsite wall collapsed at Tordera and one in a flooded garage at Montornès del Vallès. A third death, at Les Franqueses del Vallès, had not been confirmed as caused by the storm when we checked. Civil protection officials counted at least 414 flights cancelled at Barcelona–El Prat between Saturday 3 October and midday on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday a storm caused an electrical fault in the control tower and brought further cancellations. By Thursday 8 October no commuter line (Rodalies) was wholly closed, though buses still covered parts of some routes. A second low is bringing showers to the Canary Islands and the far south over the holiday weekend. We could not load the warnings page of the state weather agency (AEMET), so check it yourself.

Japan: Kyushu’s main line is whole again; a typhoon passes Ogasawara.

The Kagoshima Main Line reopened between Uto and Yatsushiro on Saturday 10 October, 74 days after the Kumamoto earthquake. The Hisatsu Orange Railway reopens between Yatsushiro and Higo-Tanoura on Tuesday 13 October. Typhoon Koguma is forecast to pass near the Ogasawara Islands around Monday 12 October. Forecasters expect heavy swell on the Pacific coasts of Kanto and Tohoku, and no direct approach to the mainland.

Flights and getting there

Four strikes in the coming week.

Seoul, from Monday 12 October. Staff on the Airport Railroad Express (AREX), which links Seoul Station with Gimpo and Incheon airports, begin a work-to-rule. No full strike date is set. Korean reports differ on how much trains will slow, so allow extra time.
Italy, Friday 16 October. A 24-hour strike by easyJet crews nationwide, and 24-hour strikes at Pisa and Florence airports. The Venice airport security strike we listed last week has moved to 22 November.
Leeds Bradford, 16–18 October. Unite says almost 130 staff, air traffic controllers among them, will strike from early Friday to 6am on Sunday. The union says the airport will shut. The airport says it expects near-normal operations. We cannot tell you which is right.
France, 17–21 October. The pilots’ and cabin crew strike notice stood on 8 October, and no airline had announced cancellations.

Australia: Sydney’s second airport opens on 25 October.

Western Sydney International (airport code WSI) takes its first passengers on Sunday 25 October. Jetstar flies from there to Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Brisbane from day one. Air New Zealand’s page lists Auckland flights from 26 October, “subject to government approvals”. Singapore Airlines follows on 23 November. The rail link is not open, and Air New Zealand puts the drive from the city centre at about an hour. Check which Sydney airport your booking shows.

Hong Kong: a rebuilt crossing to Shenzhen opens on Monday.

The redeveloped Huanggang Port opens at 6.30am on Monday 12 October and will run round the clock. At that moment passenger clearance through the present Lok Ma Chau Control Point stops. The government asks travellers not to rush to the new crossing in its first days. Its notices cover the road crossing, and do not say whether the rail crossing at Lok Ma Chau station is affected.

Money and entry

India: Air India raises its fuel surcharge.
Air India’s surcharge on flights between India and Europe, the UK included, rose from $125 to $135 on 9 October, and its domestic surcharge now runs from ₹400 to ₹1,200. IndiGo has raised its domestic surcharge too. Separately, the FCDO reviewed its India advice on 7 October with minor amendments. Its advice levels have not changed.

Following up

Yosemite. Glacier Point Road is still closed, and the park gives no reopening date. The trail to the top of Chilnualna Falls has reopened. The Dome Fire was 61% contained on 9 October.

Dates for the diary

To 22 October (Spain and Italy): last week we could not find Spain’s order extending its passport checks on arrivals from Italy. It was published on 6 October and runs to the end of 22 October. Italy’s checks on arrivals from Spain are listed to 16 October. Carry your passport.
16 October (USA): the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fee rises from $40.27 to $40.62.
18–19 October (Hong Kong): Chung Yeung Festival. Lugard, Harlech and Mount Austin roads at the Peak close to most traffic from 9am to 11pm on both days.
1 November (Japan): tax-free shopping changes. Each shop, or its refund company, will pay the refund, by card, transfer or cash, so ask how when you buy.
11 November (Spain): the two largest unions have announced a 24-hour general strike. It had not been formally registered when we checked.

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.