The briefing in brief: Britain will require advance electronic permission to enter the country on February 25. Delta revives three long-haul domestic routes. If you were confused by the El Paso air space closure, you'll be flummoxed by the balloon battle waged by Belarus against Vilnius Airport in Lithuania. The first Ramadan in 2026 begins this week and the fasting and dining rhythms change how you travel. Lufthansa will upgrade business class on its Airbus A380s. And much more.

NEW TRAVEL HURDLE: BRITAIN'S ETA NEEDED NEXT WEEK
U.S. and Canadian travelers face a gauntlet of new bureaucratic requirements this year before they can enter Europe. Next up: The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) required to travel to the United Kingdom beginning February 25. The ETA system has been in operation since late 2023, but will only become mandatory next week. What's ETA? In short, advance permission to visit Britain for travelers from nations that don't require a visa. (A video from the UK Home Office explains the system here.) In the perfect world, the application takes only minutes when you follow the process outlined by UK authorities. Response is promised in three days, but in just minutes in a perfect world. Nothing is free, of course. Britain charges about US$20 for the service, which lasts for two years. To apply--and you probably should get an ETA even if you're just transiting Britain via London/Heathrow--you'll need your passport and a photo. Worth noting: British territories such as the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands do not require the ETA.

DELTA REVIVES THREE LONG-HAUL DOMESTIC ROUTES
Delta Air Lines is bringing back three long-haul routes, including the longest domestic run ever flown. After dumping Boston/Logan-Honolulu nonstops last year (so did Hawaiian Airlines), Delta says it will revive the 5,095-mile run as a seasonal service. Flights resume December 19 using Airbus A330s. There'll be daily roundtrips during the height of the holiday season before settling into four weekly runs for the rest of the winter. Also back: New York/Kennedy-John Wayne/Orange County nonstops. Service resumes with six weekly flights beginning May 7. Delta will use Boeing 757s configured with 16 Delta One business class seatbeds, extra-legroom coach and traditional coach. Delta last flew this particular iteration of transcon service in 2019. The third revival is literally back from the ashes: Minneapolis/St. Paul-Kahului, Maui (OGG). Delta planned to launch the nonstop in 2023, but halted the start due to the devastating fires on the island. Like the BOS-HNL revival, the MSP-OGG run begins December 19 using A330s. There'll be daily roundtrips through the holidays and then switch to five weekly flights. Delta's A330s are configured with business class, premium economy and coach.

BATTLE OF THE BALLOONS AT VILNIUS AIRPORT
The Trump Administration in general and the FAA specifically continue to cling to the claim that it was Mexican drug-cartel drones that caused Wednesday's mystery air space closure around El Paso International. Believe it or don't--reputable sources claim the Army shot down party balloons--but the situation sheds new light on the bizarre situation at Vilnius International (VNO) in the capital of Lithuania. The airport has been forced to abruptly close nearly a dozen times in the last few months because of balloon "attacks" originating in Belarus. VNO is located only about 20 miles west of the Belarusian border and it seems that smugglers there are floating in contraband cigarettes. But it's not as simple as cigarette-running, of course. Lithuania and Belarus were both captive states within the Soviet Union before it collapsed. After independence, Lithuania, like sister Baltic States Estonia and Latvia, aligned with the West. Belarus clung more closely to Russia. (Its current dictator, the sky pirate Alexander Lukashenko, is one of Vladimir Putin's only allies in his war on Ukraine.) The Lithuanian government accuses Belarus of using the butt-filled balloons as part of a "hybrid attack" on Lithuania, a NATO member. "I would very much like Belarus to take responsibility for these incidents," Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene says. "Regardless of our political relations … it is abnormal that so many balloons are crossing our border."

UNDERSTANDING THE RHYTHMS OF RAMADAN
Among other unique events this year will be two periods of Ramadan for the observant Muslims around the world. The first month-long ritual should begin on Tuesday evening (February 17) with the initial day of fasting on Wednesday. The extended period of daily fasting, sexual abstinence and prayer is not only a holy time, but also a stressful one for about a quarter of the world's population. Adherents must fast from sun up to sundown and includes abstaining from all beverages, even water. As sundown approaches, Muslims rush to celebrate the breaking of the daily fast with the traditional meal known as the iftar. Tempers are short as entire societies cope with a month of no food, no beverages, no sex and mad-dash rushes to the evening meal. Needless to say, if you're in a country or community where the Muslim population is high, respect the solemnity of Ramadan. Don't drink or eat in public during fasting hours. Understand the evening social rituals, too. Restaurants open shortly before sundown. Diners, famished from fasting all day, arrive and wait at their tables until the call from the mosques, which means eating can begin. The cycle begins again the next day with the suhoor, the pre-dawn meal that must sustain adherents through another day of fasting. The first Ramadan this year should end on March 19 with the festival of Eid al-Fitr.

BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Lufthansa says that it is overhauling and upgrading the interiors of its Airbus A380s. Unlike the protracted mess it faced rolling out its new Allegris business class on other aircraft, the A380s will get a single seat type in business: direct-aisle-access, lie-flat beds measuring about 23 inches wide and 78 inches long. The aircraft will offer eight first-class pods, 68 business class beds, 52 premium economy seats and 371 coach chairs.
        Toronto travelers take note: The Eglinton Crosstown light-rail line is now open. The 12-mile run, designated Line 5, runs east to west along Eglinton Avenue and has 25 stations and stops.
        Air India has been fined about $110,000 for flying an Airbus aircraft eight times without an airworthiness permit. The airline, of course, blames employees and pilots, but the Indian regulator found "systemic failures" and a lack of organizational commitment to safety compliance.
        Renfe, the Spanish train operator, says it will delay the purchase of 30 new high-speed trainsets after two fatal accidents last month. Renfe now faces internal competition from French and Italian rail services and traffic has boomed since the international players arrived.