Week in Review: Heathrow’s Closure; Santorini Says It’s Open

London’s Heathrow Airport is closed all day Friday due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport. On its website, Heathrow says “passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information.”

According to FlightAware, nearly 1,000 flights into or out of Heathrow have been canceled Friday morning. The most affected airline, not surprisingly, is British Airways, which has over 500 canceled flights this morning. The airline says passengers should not travel to the airport “until further notice.”

In 2024, London Heathrow was the second-busiest international airport in the world, only trailing Dubai.

The closure will remain in place through at least 11:59 p.m. local time, but it’s possible the closure could be extended. Even once operations resume, it’s likely there will still be high levels of delayed or canceled flights as airlines begin moving stranded aircraft, crews and passengers.

Santorini Is Open for Business

Santorini, Greece
Santorini is safe to visit and open to all travelers, Greece's tourism minister says. (Photo by Maglara/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)

Separately, Greece’s tourism minister Olga Kefalogianni says that Santorini is safe to visit and is open for business. The announcement comes more than a month after an “earthquake swarm,” consisting of several thousand earthquakes, were detected off the island’s coast. Many who lived on the island were evacuated at the time.

According to the Greek National Tourism Organization, Tourism Minister Kefalogianni visited the island and participated in an extensive meeting with local authorities, where it was confirmed that:

  • There are no issues with the island’s tourism and essential infrastructure
  • Scientific committees are continuously monitoring the situation to ensure timely and responsible updates
  • The government remains on high alert, taking all necessary measures to safeguard the safety of both residents and visitors
  • Civil protection plans have been updated

Business Developments

Limitless Live signage
Travel Edge concluded its first-ever in-person "Limitless" event, focused on luxury travel. (Photo by Matt Turner)

Travel Edge convened roughly 200 luxury travel advisors and supplier partners at the recently opened Kimpton Santo Hotel in San Antonio for the first iteration of its “Limitless Live” event. Since the pandemic, “Limitless” has taken the form of a virtual event but Travel Edge President Andrew Pilkington explained that members of the agency had been wanting more opportunities to meet in person to connect.

Advisors also had the chance to meet several new members to Travel Edge’s team, including new Senior Vice President, Travel Edge Network Gail Banack.

Signature Travel Network announced a new initiative to support independent contractors through a membership subsidy program with the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). The new program reduces ASTA membership rates for Signature Travel Network’s independent contractors to just $99 annually, representing a savings of $148 compared to standard rates.

ASTA, separately, announced that it’s returning to the Rhine River to host its annual river cruising event, the ASTA River Cruise Expo, which will take place March 11-15, 2026, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ASTA also announced Elizabeth Gilbert—journalist and bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love—as the Expo’s keynote speaker.

Cruise Updates

Norwegian Aqua_Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line has taken delivery of Norwegian Aqua. (Norwegian Cruise Line)

There was a lot this week going on in the cruise space. Here are some highlights:

“March Madness” Inspires Luxury Travel Advisor

LTA March Madness Bracket 2025 - Round 1
The 64-hotel bracket for The Most Instagrammable Hotel in the World contest. (Photo by Luxury Travel Advisor)

Voting for the first round in Luxury Travel Advisor’s “March Madness”-inspired Most Instagrammable Hotel in the World bracket tournament is now open! You can vote for your favorites to help them move onto Round 2. Voting for the first round ends Monday, March 24 at 10 a.m. E.T.

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