Window shopping #55
A farewell to budget air travel as we knew it, a service cut on short hops, and a Monaco hotel worth knowing about
This is Window Shopping, a weekly mini-letter from Window Seat—your stylish scroll through what’s new and noteworthy in the world of travel. Each issue blends timely headlines, personal favorites, and design-forward hotels to keep your wanderlust well-fed.
Spirit Airlines, the pioneering discount carrier that genuinely reshaped how Americans fly, ceased operations in the early hours of May 2nd. Even if you never flew them, it's worth pausing on what that actually means. Spirit wasn’t aspirational, per se. But it was important, offering cheap baseline fares that kept the whole market honest. They were the invisible pressure that stopped legacy carriers from pricing out an entire category of traveler. I worry this will no longer be the case. This is the first major U.S. airline in 25 years to go out of business, and the ripple effect won't just be higher fares. It'll be fewer people who can afford to fly at all.
Speaking of things leaving…Later this month, Delta is cutting onboard food & drink service on short-haul routes under 350 miles. We’re talking domestic hops like LA to San Francisco, JFK to Boston, and Atlanta to Charlotte. Delta framed the policy as standardization rather than a cutback: passengers on routes 350 miles and above will now receive full beverage and snack service, while shorter flights will receive nothing. (Delta First remains unaffected regardless.) Two things worth noting here: First, it positions Delta as the most restrictive among the three major U.S. legacy carriers on short-haul service. Secondly, Unfortunately for those who fly these shorter routes, you’ll need to take on the burden of curating the in-flight experience yourself.
Mother’s Day is coming up this Sunday. For the mother who travels in her imagination even when she's not on a plane, below I’ve curated a handful of things that bring the feeling home. And in the spirit of Taurus season (my personal favorite), these are deeply, unapologetically sensory:
Perfume or Candle: A spring fragrance to mark the shift in season.
Olive Oil: Opt for the personalized label so she thinks of her favorite child every time she cooks.
Loungewear: Comfortable and pulled together. For travel days, slow mornings, and everything in between.
Hand Creme: Functional, beautiful on a nightstand, and exactly the kind of thing she’d never buy herself. The perfect gift formula, IMO.
Goose Down Comforter: Hotel-bed energy, without the hotel price tag. The gift that pays off every single night.
Hotel Métropole Monte-Carlo — Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Family-owned by the Boustany family and steps from Casino Square, it sits just far enough from the performative glamour of Monaco to feel like somewhere you'd actually want to stay. With its landscaped gardens, Belle Époque lobby, and two Picasso lithographs in the bar, the Métropole is one of the most distinctive hotels in Monaco. Inside: a two-Michelin-star restaurant, a Karl Lagerfeld–designed pool anchored by the Odyssey for poolside dining, and a Guerlain Spa that is reason enough alone to book. It's Monaco without the theme park energy.
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Tori Simokov is a Travel Writer and Graphic Designer/Strategist based in New York. To get in touch, email tori@v1projects.com. Want more? Check out Instagram, TikTok, or shop her curated favorites.