Divers

💫 Las Perseidas, conocidas como "lágrimas de San Lorenzo", peak at up to 200 meteors per hour, according to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional. In 2025, this meteor shower will be visible from July 17 to August 24, with the peak occurring on the night of August 12-13 around 22:00. Originating from the Swift-Tuttle comet, the meteor shower is best viewed in areas with minimal light pollution, particularly in Spain's Starlight Reserves.

✈ Turkish and Etihad may join Air Europa, impacting Iberia by preventing Air France-KLM or Lufthansa from dominating Madrid. Turkish is in Star Alliance, while Etihad, outside the three main alliances, partners with Skyteam members like Air France and KLM. Air Europa, part of Skyteam, recently signed agreements with both Turkish and Etihad. Qatar, IAG's major shareholder, leaves Turkish and Etihad as viable partners. Middle Eastern hubs now surpass European ones due to strategic location and oil wealth.

✈ United Airlines faced a major disruption when all their planes were grounded due to a false fire alarm at their Arlington Heights operations center. The incident halted flights across the U.S. for several hours, affecting approximately 1,000 aircraft. Employees evacuated as a precaution, eventually returning to their desks, allowing operations to gradually resume. Social media showed crowded airports, as ongoing landings intensified the logistical challenge. United remains the world's largest airline by fleet size.

📅 Los pensionistas con ingresos bajos en España pueden acceder a viajes del Imserso por 50 euros. Para la temporada 2025-2026, se abrieron 7,447 plazas en julio. El programa cubre alojamiento, transporte y seguro. Los pensionistas deben ganar 7,805.8 euros o menos al año. No hay suplementos por temporada o destino, incluyendo Canarias y Baleares. La inscripción puede hacerse online o en papel. La selección se basa en un sistema de puntos según edad y situación.

📡 Air France KLM experienced a cyberattack by the hacker group Shiny Hunters. These cybercriminals infiltrated the airline's systems, stealing customer data. The incident was detected after unusual activity was noticed, but many customers reported being informed about the breach. Shiny Hunters previously targeted Cisco, Google, and Qantas. The exact number of affected customers remains undisclosed. Air France KLM contacted customers, advising on protective measures while managing the breach's aftermath.

📅 August 2025, Spain: Carlos López Bahillo of Avasa highlights that nearly all agencies with over 10 employees faced absenteeism in recent months. Rubén Fernández from Airmet emphasizes its widespread impact across industries, urging collaborative solutions. Santos García of Nego notes a limited impact on smaller, independent travel agencies, citing close human resource management. Despite being a structural issue for some, its effects vary significantly across different agency sizes.

🌴 España, conocida por su diversidad y respeto, destaca como un destino LGTBIQ+ amigable con 12 playas inclusivas: Mar Bella (Barcelona), Maspalomas (Gran Canaria), Es Cavallet (Ibiza), y más. Desde los años 70, lugares como L'Home Mort (Sitges) han sido refugios de libertad. El turismo LGTBIQ+ es clave en la economía española, con un alto gasto por viajero y fidelidad notable, según la European Travel Commission. Estas playas ofrecen un ambiente acogedor e inclusivo.

🌴 En Italia, casi 50% de las playas son privadas, requiriendo alquiler de sombrillas y tumbonas, o pago de entrada. Altroconsumo reporta un precio medio de 32-35 euros por fin de semana, un aumento del 17% en cuatro años. En Salento, los costos pueden alcanzar 95 euros. Este verano, turistas prefieren montañas por los precios elevados y calor. Emilia-Romaña y Toscana experimentaron disminuciones del turismo de 2.8% y hasta 20% respectivamente.

🚄 Renfe, in late July 2025, withdrew five Talgo Avril trains from the high-speed line between Madrid and Barcelona due to cracks in bogies. Speed was reduced to 250 km/h from 350 km/h on a 190 km section between Atocha and Calatayud. Alternativa Sindical and Sindicato Ferroviario demanded the series S106 be removed for safety concerns. The SEPI invested 75 million euros in Talgo after blocking a Hungarian firm's bid due to strategic reasons.

✈️ Iberia, 2025, transatlantic routes: over 5.5 million seats, 5% more than 2024. Over 350 weekly flights between Latin America and Europe. Peru: two daily flights; Chile: 12 weekly; Puerto Rico: 11 weekly; Dominican Republic: two daily from late 2025. Buenos Aires: three daily; São Paulo: two daily. Mexico City and Bogotá: three daily. New Recife route starts December 13 with three weekly flights. Expansion strengthens Iberia's position in Latin America, says Marina Colunga.