As demand continues to grow for passport applications and renewals, the US State Department has stated that processing wait times could be between 12 and 18 months. For travelers who need an expedited passport, CIBTvisas has resumed its expedited passport processing services and can fulfill US passport requests in as little as five days. There is a limited number of expedited submission opportunities available, and appointments will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Travelers requesting these services will need documented proof of travel within the next 14-days. For assistance with the expedited passport process or to schedule an appointment, travelers can contact their Lawyers Travel travel consultants or follow the steps below:

The price for expedited passport service is $500 plus the US Passport Office fees of $170 per passport. Click "Read More" for more information from CIBTvisas website.

With the recent increase in travel across the US, the demand for TSA PreCheck renewal is on the rise. Due to the impact of COVID-19, TSA renewal services may take longer than usual, and travelers should be aware of their TSA PreCheck status in case they need to renew their membership prior to their expiration date. The TSA now offers a webpage to check the TSA PreCheck expiration date on the traveler's Known Traveler Number. Using the webpage, travelers simply enter their contact information, date of birth, and email and/or phone number to receive status information within minutes. Travelers with a TSA PreCheck membership can click "Read More" to check their enrollment status on the TSA Universal Enroll webpage.

American Airlines and Spirit Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights since Sunday, as both airlines continue to deal with disruptions and delays, reports CNBC. American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights due to severe weather that included high winds, lightning, and hail that hit Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, its largest hub. Today, the carrier's operation has canceled about 100 flights, roughly 3% of the operation, down from 12% of canceled flights on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Spirit canceled half of its flights on Wednesday, in an effort to “reboot” its operation after a wave of disruptions that started over the weekend due to a mix of bad weather, staffing shortages, and technology problems. Spirit has canceled more than 1,000 flights since Sunday and hundreds more were delayed. Spirit said the disruptions were “exacerbated” by the surge in summer travel, which rebounded from the pandemic faster than airline executives expected.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added 16 new countries to its COVID-19 Level 4 travel alert, which designates countries as having “Very High” COVID-19 levels, reports CNN. A Level 4 travel alert advises individuals to “Avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel.” The 16 destinations added are Andorra, Curacao, Gibraltar, Greece, Guadeloupe, Iran, Ireland, Isle of Man, Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Libya, Malta, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, and US Virgin Islands. Additionally, many of the other major European destinations, including Denmark, France, Italy, and Sweden, along with other international names including Canada, The Bahamas, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, are on the CDC’s Level 3 list, which designates them as having “High” COVID-19 levels. According to the CDC, individuals traveling to Level 3 destinations should "Make sure you are fully vaccinated before traveling to these destinations. Unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to these destinations."