The people using flight loopholes to save dollars

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In travel news this week: the world’s most attractive city destinations, why fake olive oil is on the rise and the flight-booking hack travelers love but airlines hate.

Using legs to fly

Skiplagging is a covert way to save big dollars on air travel by booking a cheaper, multileg journey, then skipping out early at a connecting city. Some travelers love it, but airlines hate it and penalties can be stiff if you’re caught.

Skiplagging’s been around for years, but there’s a new, less risky way to save from multileg trips. A US company has just introduced Uber-style private airplane trips all over the States, with flights costing from $111. The bargains come by booking an “empty leg” repositioning flight. That’s where the aircraft has already been booked for one journey and can pick up passengers to take them to its next booked destination.

The only thing left for travelers to do, then, is look the part for private jet journeys. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product reviews and recommendations guide owned by CNN, have these tips for building the perfect travel outfit.

Food and drink

Inflation, production shortages and increased consumer demand are greasing the wheels of a booming criminal industry in making fake olive oil. It’s made by mixing olive oil byproducts with other types of oil, and authorities have deemed some seized product as “unfit for consumption.”

Off Scotland’s rain-lashed west coast, the isle of Islay is famed for another much-desired golden liquid: whisky. This little island with a population of just 3,000 is home to nine of Scotland’s 145 distilleries.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Islay each year to taste Scotch on home turf, but what is it that makes certain food and drink so much more exciting when encountered in their place of origin? There are a number of factors at play, from emotional to scientific.

Escape to the city

The three most attractive city destinations in the world are the French and Spanish capitals, plus a luxury shopping hub in the Middle East, according to a new report by Euromonitor International. Europe performed best in the top 100, followed by Asia.

Seoul was at No. 14 on the list, but South Korea’s “second city,” Busan, is a vibrant seaside metropolis of 3.5 million people and is fast emerging as a destination in its own right.

Our next recommendation, Shakhrisabz, is less of a household name (but if you get the guttural “kh” right, you’re almost there). This UNESCO-listed Uzbekistan city is filled with architectural wonders.

Christmas cheer

Saint Nicholas, who inspired the legend of Santa Claus, is buried in the town of Bari in southern Italy. The thing is, though, the locals aren’t so crazy about Father Christmas.

Other European towns and cities that are dishing out the festive charm this time of year include Gothenburg, Sweden, and Tromsø, Norway. Here are 12 winter wonderlands for your consideration.

But if you’re celebrating the season elsewhere, be it West Virginia or Thailand, we have our roundup of 16 luxury hotels that go all-out for Christmas, from twinkling lights to petit fours.

A big budget isn’t needed to capture the holiday spirit though. A little pub in Northern Ireland has won hearts across the world with its touching holiday commercial with an important message.

The air hostess and the bachelor

When Jerilyn met Bob: Jerilyn Young was a flight attendant for United Airlines when she met Bob Pelikan in 1964. Here they are pictured on their first date. "I was just over the moon, immediately," says Jerilyn

Dream job: Jerilyn loved working as a flight attendant. She says she'll never forget the moment she found out she had the job. "I was thrilled," says Jerilyn. "I would be able to meet all these people, experiencing that joy of travel and I'd be able to see things I dreamed about my whole life."

Friends for life: Jerilyn says she met great friends on the job, including her friend Genie, pictured here, who she's still close with today.

Fun lifestyle: Jerilyn lived in an apartment block in Newark, New Jersey that neighbored the airport. Almost everyone who lived there was a flight attendant -- aside from 25-year-old bachelor Bob Pelikan.

Making a choice: Jerilyn and Bob connected right away. But everyone kept telling Jerilyn he'd never settle down. "So I immediately put in for a transfer to San Francisco. And my thinking was -- when I'm leaving, that will really pique his interest. What a chance I took."

Airport proposal: Jerilyn and Bob dated long distance before getting engaged at LAX airport at Christmas 1964. Here they are pictured just moments after Bob proposed.

Wedding dress: Jerilyn's friend Genie made her wedding dress for her. Later, Genie wore it at her wedding, and then Genie's sister wore it at her wedding. Jerilyn now has the dress in her home as a memento of many happy days.

Early years: For Jerilyn and Bob, married life was an adjustment after long distance. But they happily welcomed their first child just over a year after getting married.

Family photo: The couple went on to have three children. "I remember being so proud to be a father," says Bob. Here's the family pictured in the 1970s.

Six decades later: Today, Bob and Jerilyn have been married for almost 60 years. "I never had doubts that we'd live a good life together," says Bob.

Grandparents and grandchildren: The couple are pictured here with their two grandchildren. "It's a deep joy," says Jerilyn of being a grandparent. "It's very profound in such a beautiful way."

A good life together: Jerilyn says she thinks her younger self, "getting engaged at gate 64 at LA International Airport being told about 2023 and our long marriage" would feel pride, gratitude and excitement.

Photos: How flight attendant Jerilyn Young and carefree bachelor Bob Pelikan fell in love in the 1960s

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In 1964, United Airlines flight attendant Jerilyn Young was unsure if her boyfriend Bob Pelikan was in for the long haul. So, she decided to relocate to the other side of the US. Read what happened next.

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