#airports

For purchases on or after Nov. 1, international visitors in Japan no longer skip the consumption tax (8% on food and non-alcoholic drinks, 10% on most other goods) at tax-free shops. They pay the full price and claim a refund after a customs check when they leave, Nippon.com reports. The split between general and consumable goods ends, along with the daily cap on consumables and the sealed anti-tamper bags; items must be bought within 90 days of departure and carried out personally.

Time Out Tokyo says the minimum spend stays ¥5,000 before tax per store per day. At the airport, travellers scan their passport at a tax-free kiosk before checking bags (or use Visit Japan Web), and customs may inspect goods. Refunds are per receipt, so eating one tax-free snack can void a whole bill; refunds go to a card, an app or, for cash buyers, a bank transfer. Nippon.com notes suspected resale of tax-free goods inside Japan, and a 2025 ruling-party proposal to scrap the exemption.

Instead of paying cash and mixing snacks with gifts on one receipt, pay by card and keep consumables on a separate bill, unopened, until you fly.

Naples-Capodichino airport is closed to all air traffic from Nov. 1 to 30 so its operator, GESAC, can rebuild the runway, taxiways and lighting, a €30 million project announced Oct. 29, Voyages d'Affaires reports. GESAC says it picked November for its usually low traffic; about 500 workers are on site around the clock. The airport handled about 13.3 million passengers in 2025, Yahoo Travel says.

Salerno Costa d'Amalfi airport is taking 15 routes: six domestic (Bergamo, Milan Malpensa and Linate, Genoa, Turin, Trieste) and nine international (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Casablanca, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Madrid, Paris, Sharm el-Sheikh). Its two terminals are about 1,300 metres apart, linked by a free shuttle. Yahoo Travel also notes a Eurocontrol listing that shows a possible Nov. 22 end to the first closure period.

Instead of flying into Naples this month, book into Salerno and take the Busitalia Campania coach to Naples Piazza Garibaldi (eight a day each way, timed to flights, €12), or check fixed-fare shared taxis.

Landline will start its first West Coast route on November 17, from Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport to San Francisco International. Passengers check bags and clear security in Santa Rosa, then ride a coach that pulls up at Gate A3 in SFO's International Terminal, a trip of a little over two hours. There will be eight daily round trips; adult fares are $55 one way, children under 15 ride free, and rides do not earn airline loyalty points.

Hollywood Burbank Airport, often called Los Angeles' "secret" airport, opens a new 355,000-square-foot terminal on October 13, about 53% larger than the old one, Condé Nast Traveler reports from a press preview. The main reason was safety: the old terminal sat 250 feet from a runway built in 1930, and the new one is about 880 feet back. It consolidates two terminals into one, adds TSA lanes (eight instead of five) and keeps 14 gates; the writer timed a two- to four-minute walk to any gate.

Instead of LAX: Burbank is about 30 minutes from West Hollywood and closer to the city's east side.