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1. European airports suffer fourth day of cancellations due to cyberattack
Widespread flight delays and cancellations have reached their fourth day at several airports in Europe following a systemwide cyberattack on Sept. 19. The airports that have been most affected by the disruption include London Heathrow, Berlin and Brussels. Malicious forces attacked software from Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in, baggage and boarding services, according to the Associated Press.
“Brussels Airport, seemingly the hardest hit … asked airlines to cancel nearly 140 [of 276] departing flights scheduled for [Sept. 22] because a U.S.-based software system provider is not yet able to deliver a new secure version of the check-in system,” the AP reports. The airports involved said self-check-in kiosks were not affected.
2. Dallas airports experience disruption to 1,000 flights
It was not only European airports that experienced delays and cancellations this weekend. Dallas’ two main airports, Dallas Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field, together saw more than 1,000 inbound and outbound flights delayed or canceled. The New York Times reports the cause was “an issue with a local telephone company’s equipment.”
Flight cancellations and delays were the worst on Friday, with a lesser level of disruption on Saturday. The Federal Aviation Administration said the problem did not involve its equipment. The two airports said service resumed as normal on Sunday.
3. US imposes H-1B visa charges
The U.S. government has imposed a fee of $100,000 for employee H-1B visas. According to Reuters, the new charge will unduly affect tech companies, with much of that industry’s talent coming from India and China.
With the H-1B visa change, the Trump administration is doubling down its pressure on U.S. firms to employ Americans. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said that “if you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs.”
U.S. companies requested that employees holding such visas now should remain in the U.S. and avoid traveling internationally until the federal government has released more guidance on the issue. According to figures from the White House, “the number of foreign science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers in the U.S. more than doubled between 2000 and 2019 to nearly 2.5 million,” Reuters reports.
In May, CoStar News’ Bryan Wroten reported on U.S. labor law as it pertains to the hotel industry. The White House has said the new law does not affect the status of those who have an H-1B visa.
4. Edinburgh hotel tax remains on course for July 2026
A motion to delay the start of Edinburgh’s visitor levy by three months has been rejected by Edinburgh Council. For now, the 5% tax on bookings is scheduled to take effect on July 24, 2026. Conservative Party councillors and the Scottish Tourism Alliance were among those calling for a pushback.
The Scottish Tourism Alliance opposed the motion, stating that the “lack of practical guidance for operators both from the Scottish Government and the council led the organization to believe the deadline for implementation is untenable.” The council rejected the motion and hopes the legislation will bring in £50 million ($67.33 million) annually, adding all revenue will be reinvested into the city’s infrastructure and tourism facilities.
5. US employees remain at home despite company directives
U.S. companies are issuing return-to-office directives for their employees, but their pleas are largely being ignored by workers. The Wall Street Journal reports “average office attendance has barely budged across U.S. workplaces.”
Some commentators suggested economic concerns such as tariffs and a drop in consumer spend weigh more heavily on management than do office absences. One source told the WSJ that “there’s a lot more pressing things for companies to be worrying about right now. … I haven’t heard of many consequences [for those who do not show up in the office], especially if somebody’s a high performer.”
The newspaper said some companies are mandating increased presence, with others imposing strict deadlines for the full attendance, with the option being for those who do not wish to come in to consider their employment options.