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In our roundup of travel news this week: how Asia is coping with hyper-hot weather, a terrifying incident on board a budget airline, plus the world’s busiest airports of 2025.
Last year, global air travel reached a record-breaking 9.8 billion passengers, according to a report on the world’s busiest airports released Wednesday by Airports Council International (ACI). The organization released its preliminary figures in April.
The busiest airport of all in 2025, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, has held the title of the world’s No. 1 for passenger traffic for 27 of the last 28 years. It slipped just once in 2020, due to air travel being largely halted by the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Atlanta isn’t a big world-class travel destination like Hong Kong or Paris or Los Angeles; it’s not even one of the world’s biggest population hubs. Geographical good fortune and effective long-term leadership are just two of the reasons Atlanta’s plucky airport has made it to the top and stayed there: Here are some of the secrets of its success over the years.
As for the rest of the top busiest airports of 2025, they are: Dubai (DXB) at No. 2; Tokyo (HND) at No. 3; Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) at No. 4; Shanghai (PVG) at No. 5.
Dallas/Fort Worth has climbed six places in the ranking since 2019, so it’s definitely one to watch.
America’s Best Towns to Visit 2026: Iowa City
Continuing our countdown of America’s Best Towns to Visit in 2026, we have Iowa City, Iowa, at No. 8.
Iowa City is America’s engine room of literature — a lively college town where everyone including taxi drivers seems to have ink-stained fingers, and legendary authors like Kurt Vonnegut walked the streets.
But books are only half the story in this laid-back Midwestern haven. From a presidentially approved vintage diner selling legendary pie-shakes to a neighboring town entirely dedicated to “Star Trek,” it’s a culture-packed destination where stories are waiting to be told around every street corner.
Take a look too at Roanoke, Virginia, at No. 10 and Lawrence, Kansas, at No. 9.
Heat and wildfires
Why air quality is trending
Wildfires have been blazing in Canada and Europe. A train evacuating Canadians was overtaken by flames as wildfires raged near Ontario on Tuesday, and wildfire smoke is pouring into the US and damaging air quality for millions.
A years-long drought in Chile has forced ski resorts in the Andes mountains to close up to 90% of their slopes, which is bad news for the million-plus tourists who like to ski there and for the local business people relying on that income.
Hyper-hot weather is also changing Asia’s travel map. The continent is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe, meaning extreme summer heat is scrambling traditional vacations and driving travelers towards alternative plans. (This story’s for CNN subscribers only).
Restaurant’s southern hospitality leaves tourists with core memory
A couple from Ireland was road tripping through the US when they stopped at Liberty Restaurant in Alabama for something to eat. The couple was moved by the experience and nearly brought to tears by the southern hospitality they received. These heartwarming moments are examples of an online trend called the “Great American Sleepover,” where tourists, some who are here for the World Cup, are experiencing American novelties or acts of kindness from strangers. CNN reunited the couple with the owner of the restaurant.
For a lot of people, Scottsboro, Alabama, is probably most famous for its legendary store Unclaimed Baggage, which bills itself as the nation’s only seller of lost luggage.
However, it’s hearts that are being acquired at the town’s Liberty Restaurant, after an Irish couple shared the story of the warm welcome they received there while road-tripping around the United States.
A bison attack on a man at Yellowstone was caught on camera.
It comes as US national parks are feeling the strain from record-breaking visitor numbers.
His team crashed out of the World Cup 40 years ago.
But watching in the stands he met the love of his life. (For subscribers only).
A passenger was sucked halfway out of a plane on a budget airline.
Here’s what to know about the harrowing incident.
A soccer showdown. A parasite outbreak. A wild animal attack.
What do you remember from the week that was?
