Travel & Food news · 25 October 2026
Western Sydney International Airport Opens Its Doors to Passengers
Western Sydney International Airport welcomed its first passenger flight on Sunday, with a sold-out Jetstar service departing for the Gold Coast just before 11:30 am to mark the occasion.
Thailand Puts $30 Departure Tax on Hold
Thailand's Finance Minister announced a postponement of the proposed THB 1,000 departure tax on travellers of all nationalities while assessing economic conditions. The pause does not reduce an existing charge or guarantee cheaper travel.
One in Eight Australian Restaurants Closed in a Year as Margins Hit 2.5%
An ABC long-read investigation spent 48 hours inside a Sydney independent restaurant revealing that one in eight Australian eateries shut between mid-2025 and mid-2026 as profit margins collapsed to just 2.5 percent.
Europe Turns Clocks Back, Creating a Seven-Day Travel Confusion Gap with the US
On October 25 the EU and UK ended daylight saving time simultaneously, moving clocks back one hour and opening a seven-day window in which the London-New York time difference is four hours instead of five, catching out travellers on overnight journeys and early-morning connections.