Zach Wichter
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Zach Wichter
@zlwichter.bsky.social
620 followers 320 following 180 posts
Travel reporter and Cruising Altitude columnist for USA TODAY zwichter@usatoday.com ✡️🏳️‍🌈✈️🗒
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Wondering what to do if your Thanksgiving flight plans don’t go off without a hitch? Check out Cruising Altitude for what to do if you face delays or cancellations this holiday weekend. Remember to be nice to the people who are working to get you to your destination. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A hand turkey condensed to fit on an index card. Above the turkey's wing and below the upper plumage, there are six airplane-style windows with stick figure heads in them.
November 26, 2025 at 2:09 PM
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Ever wondered how mixed-airline itineraries on partner carriers work? Cruising Altitude this week takes a deep dive on airline codeshares, how they benefit travelers and what some of the drawbacks can be when you fly more than one airline on the same trip. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
An airplane tail with a merged Qantas-American Airlines logo. The Qantas kangaroo's tail is the American Airlines red white and blue eagle slash.
November 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
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I know it’s frustrating, but there’s just not enough overhead bin space for everyone on a plane. Just because you have a ticket doesn’t mean you automatically get to stow your stuff in the cabin. Cruising Altitude this week looks at how we got here.
www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of a plane with passengers seated and bags in the overhead bins. More passengers with rollaboard bags are boarding and look sad.
November 12, 2025 at 10:09 AM
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Cruising Altitude this week is all about one of my favorite little quirks of (some) international travel: customs preclearance. So much better than going through on the U.S. side. Read the column and learn how it works. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of a U.S. customs preclearance area in Canada. On the left side of the image, the floor is a partial American flag, and a CBP officer stands behind a lectern taking a blue passport from a stick figure. On the right side, the floor is a half Canadian flag, and a line of stick figures holding blue passports wait their turn.
November 5, 2025 at 12:19 PM
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Sometimes people fly because they have to, but some trips happen just because an airline offers an attractive new route. This week’s Cruising Altitude looks at how airlines can induce demand for new passenger traffic. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle showing two flight options between city pairs in the United States. The origin is represented by a circle in the Northeast, and the destination is represented by a triangle on the West Coast. One flight option, represented by a green line, goes directly from Circle to Triangle. A small plane hovers near the triangle above the green line, and it is trailed by an unbroken string of blue stick figure people. Another flight option transits through Square in the Southeast, and is represented by two red lines, one from Circle to Square, and one from Square to Triangle A small plane hovers below the red line from Square to Triangle. There are two blue stick figure people on the red line between Circle and Square, and two blue stick figure people behind the plane on the red line between Square and Triangle.
October 29, 2025 at 1:14 PM
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Listen, we all have to share space for our carry-on bags when we fly. Cruising Altitude this week looks at why the carry-on bag limit exists and why it matters that ALL passengers pay attention to them. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle person wearing a backpack, holding a handbag, and rolling a wheelie suitcase with a second bag strapped to the handle. The person is in the center of the no sign: a red circle with a diagonal slash.
October 22, 2025 at 1:38 PM
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British Airways recently announced a new flight from London to St. Louis. Cruising Altitude this week takes a look at how airlines decide which routes to operate, and how that specific flight came to be. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle map of the U.S. There's a yellow star approximately where St. Louis would be, and a plane flying toward the East Coast from the east. The plane is trailed by a solid red line, and a dashed red line extends from its nose to the star.
October 15, 2025 at 1:23 PM
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I'm really proud of this doodle! Also, this week's Cruising Altitude is about why you can't just switch your airplane seat without asking. Yes, there's a revenue issue for airlines, but there's a safety one for passengers as well. Check it out. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of the right side of an economy section of an airplane. Most of the seats are full, but two in the front row are empty. They have orange headrests, denoting a more premium section, and the middle and window seats, which are unoccupied, are covered with red X marks.
October 8, 2025 at 1:04 PM
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If you don’t have a seat assignment before your flight, is there anything you can do to boost your odds of a better spot? Cruising Altitude this week looks at your options, any why basically none of them are sure shots. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of a cell phone with a push notification. The box has a red airplane icon and the text says "Boarding Pass Ready Tap to check in." The time on the phone is 7:37.
October 1, 2025 at 1:25 PM
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Most airlines are doubling down on investments to attract premium passengers. Cruising Altitude this week asks the question: as the economy softens, will travelers still pay the extra price? Here’s what experts say. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of a three-class airplane cabin. On the right, a passenger sleeps in a lie-flat bed. In the center, two passengers recline in international premium economy-style seats. On the left, three passengers sit upright in economy seats.
September 25, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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Airlines don’t have clear guidance on what to do if you need to evacuate your flight with a service animal or pet, but Cruising Altitude this week explores how you can advocate for yourself and some of the best practices in an emergency. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of a stick figure person sliding down an aircraft evacuation slide holding their dog.
September 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM
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Yesterday I got to join JetBlue's final Embraer E190 flight and had a chance to write about why the plane means so much to me in Cruising Altitude this week www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle version of a JetBlue Embraer E190.
September 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
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As Southwest Airlines moves to restrict its industry-leading refund policy for plus-size passengers, Cruising Altitude this week takes a look at how major U.S. airlines stack up and how passengers who need extra space can travel safely, comfortably and economically. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of two airline passengers who don't quite fit in their economy class seats. The body of the person on the left (window seat) is a triangle with the point facing up, and the wide base is spilling over slightly into the middle seat. The body of the person on the right (aisle) is represented by an inverted triangle and the wide shoulders are spilling over into the middle seat and aisle.
September 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM
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Traveling internationally with your pet may have a few extra hurdles, but with the right advanced legwork it can be a smooth and stress-free experience. Cruising Altitude this week takes a look at what you need to know. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of a stick figure person boarding a flight through gate 7 with an orange stick figure-style dog. The person is towing a wheelie suitcase.
August 27, 2025 at 1:18 PM
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Airlines are already using AI to help set their prices, but that doesn’t mean airfares are personalized…yet. Cruising Altitude this week looks at how airlines are already using technology to tweak ticket prices, and what the future could hold. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of three people purchasing airline tickets on separate laptops. They are all traveling from A to B, but the leftmost person sees airfare represented by one dollar sign, the middle person sees airfare represented by two dollar signs, and the rightmost person sees airfare represented by three dollar signs.
August 20, 2025 at 1:20 PM
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Getting older doesn’t have to stop you from traveling. Cruising Altitude this week offers some general advice on how to keep seeing the world, especially as you navigate the airports on the way. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of an airline passenger pre-boarding a flight at Gate 65. The passenger is carrying a small bag and walking with a cane. The gate agent looks on as the passenger approaches.
August 13, 2025 at 1:11 PM
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You can get extra space on your next flight without upgrading to business class, but you’ll probably still have to pay. Cruising Altitude this week looks at some of your options for leg and elbow room when you fly. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of three stick figure people in economy airline seats. The person in the left (aisle) seat is frowning. The person in the right (window) seat is similing and has his arm around a green dollar sign in the middle seat.
August 6, 2025 at 1:14 PM
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Don't get caught off guard if you have to gate check your carry-on. Cruising Altitude this week helps you know what to expect and how to prepare www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of lined up to board a flight. The sign above the boarding door says Gate 4A. One person passes through the door, a gate agent stands behind the counter. The first person closest to the gate agent has a pink tag on their rollaboard bag.
July 30, 2025 at 2:03 PM
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Is it ever OK to take your shoes off on a plane? Cruising Altitude this week walks through the safe, polite way to do it, and features possibly my favorite doodle yet. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of three people sitting in adjacent airplane seats in the background. The person in the middle seat has their legs splayed outward. Their right (viewer's left) foot is bare and has a red X in the center. Their left (viewer's right) foot has a shoe with a green check mark in the center.
July 23, 2025 at 1:05 PM
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Airline pricing can be intentionally opaque. This week’s Cruising Altitude takes a look at why, and explores some common questions about ways to save, like whether it’s cheaper to buy a roundtrip ticket or two one-ways. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of airline tickets. At the top center, a ticket divided down the center. The left half is outlined in blue and the right half is outlined in red. The left half shows LGA -> ORD and the right half shows ORD -> LGA. In the bottom left, a blue ticket shows LGA -> ORD and in the bottom right, a red ticket shows ORD -> LGA. In the space between the three tickets is a green dollar sign and a black question mark.
July 9, 2025 at 1:07 PM
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Summer heat can make airplanes uncomfortably warm, especially while they’re on the ground. Cruising Altitude takes a look this week at why some advocates are calling for airplane cabin temperature regulations. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of an airplane. Where the cheat line would normally be, a thermometer runs along the fuselage, with red mercury filling about 2/3 of the tube. On the plane's tail is a dial thermostat.
July 2, 2025 at 2:55 PM
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As we approach the 25-year anniversary of a fatal crash that marked the beginning of the end of the Concorde program, Cruising Altitude this week takes a look at the past and future of supersonic passenger flight. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle representation of the Concorde from overhead. It is flying left to right. The left delta wing is blue and the right delta wing is red.
June 25, 2025 at 1:07 PM
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In this week's Cruising Altitude I share one of my favorite avgeek tips for experiencing the luxury of international business class without breaking the bank. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
Doodle of two stick figure people in business class airplane seats. The person on the left, at the window, is taking a nap in bed mode. The person on the right, aisle side, is sitting upright with headphones on.
June 18, 2025 at 5:02 PM
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When Scott Kirby said last month that the ULCC airline model was dead, my gut reaction was “that's crazy.” But the more I reflected and talked to smarter people, the more I realized he had something. Cruising Altitude this week is about what Kirby got right. www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of a large dollar sign on its side, with airplane wings and a tail. It is trailing a banner with question marks in different colors.
June 11, 2025 at 1:11 PM
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In Cruising Altitude this week, I applaud Southwest Airlines' new personal electronic devices policy. Electronics fires are one of my biggest safety concerns as a frequent flyer, and policies like this both help raise awareness and keep us safe! www.usatoday.com/story/travel...
A doodle of a square battery with a lightning bolt outlined in black in the center. A red plus sign denotes the positive terminal on the top left and a black minus sign denotes the negative terminal on the top right. A large red and orange flame shoots out of the top of the battery between the terminals.
June 4, 2025 at 1:19 PM