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Two of America's biggest airlines are putting one of the country's tiniest airports back on the map. And it's an airport that's a stone's throw from one of the country's most spectacular national parks , right in the heart of Utah's red rock country.

Later this year, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines will return to Moab, Utah, via Canyonlands Field Airport (CNY).

Flights begin in October.

For residents of the eastern Utah city, it'll mark the first time in close to three years that they've had service on a major network airline.

That should be a big help for travelers in the region. By connecting to major Delta and United hubs, they'll be able to make much easier connections to the two airlines' many destinations across the U.S. and beyond.

Meanwhile, flyers in other parts of the country might consider Moab as a new, one-stop gateway destination to visit two nearby national parks.

Canyonlands Field is situated just minutes from Arches National Park, and about a half-hour drive from Canyonlands National Park.

Arches National Park. WOLFGANG KAEHLER/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES And the new flights come as the area has gotten a handful of new points hotel options.

TPG Exclusive: A first look at Red Cliffs Lodge Moab, a respite in the heart of Utah's red rock country

Delta and United's new Canyonlands service

Both Delta and United will launch service from Moab on Oct. 6, with flights on each carrier operated by their regional partner, SkyWest Airlines.

United will operate daily service to its Denver International Airport (DEN) hub.

Delta, meanwhile, will link Moab to its Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) hub, which is about a four-hour drive from CNY.

United Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft. FABRIZIO GANDOLFO/SOPA IMAGES, LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES Because the two carriers have huge domestic networks from their DEN and SLC hubs, you'll be able to reach Moab in one stop from a long list of U.S. cities.

Whether you're flying Delta to Salt Lake or United to Denver, expect a small plane:

United will use a 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200 United Express jet.

Delta passengers will board a 50-seat Delta Connection CRJ-500 with a premium-heavy configuration; 60% of the seats are either first-class or Comfort (extra legroom).

Returning to Moab

Delta and United aren't strangers to eastern Utah. Delta last flew its SLC route from Moab in late 2023; United's DEN service from the airport wrapped up in January 2024.

Now, the flights are coming back as part of an Essential Air Service agreement with the federal government, which subsidizes commercial flights to underserved cities.

Delta's CNY-SLC route won't operate year-round. After launching its Moab flights on Oct. 6, flights will run through Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 30). Then, the route will be on hiatus until March 8, 2027.

New points hotel options in Moab

Since the two carriers last visited Moab, the local hotel scene has seen a boost, including new options for travelers looking to visit the area's national parks using points.

TPG's Rachel Craft recently got an exclusive first look at the brand-new Red Cliffs Lodge Moab — part of Marriott's Tribute Portfolio and bookable with Marriott Bonvoy points.

Read more: How to save money on a national park trip this year with points and miles

RACHEL CRAFT/THE POINTS GUY Meanwhile, Hilton Honors loyalists can book a property that's the first of Hilton's new Outset Collection.

Plan your next trip: The best US national parks you should visit at least once (or twice)

From Contour to Delta and United

Moab hasn't been entirely without air service during Delta and United's absence, though.

Regional airline Contour Airlines had been operating flights from CNY to DEN and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

Schedule data from Cirium shows Contour's flights from Moab will end in September.

Related reading:

When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?

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Which US airline is best? TPG's 2026 rankings

Flight delayed or canceled? Here's what to do

The best credit cards to reach elite status

What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations

Was the 'fast, free' Wi-Fi really slow on your flight, too? Here's what's going on

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan — China sent coast guard vessels to patrol the Pacific Ocean east of Taiwan in June and weeks later test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile from the South China Sea to the Pacific.

While the two maneuvers answered different security-related activities by U.S. allies in Asia, experts say China used both to try out new, attention-grabbing and long-term ways to deter others from challenging its territorial claims.

The Chinese Coast Guard vessels in waters east of Taiwan since May are meant as police activity rather than more provocative four years of sporadic naval or air force drills around the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own, analysts said. China has threatened to take Taiwan by force, if needed.

But a white-hulled vessel formation’s continued presence 54 nautical miles (100 kilometers) from Taiwan shows signs of becoming a long-term exercise – something that hasn’t been tried before – rather than a quick pass-through by armed forces, they said.

“That China uses the coast guard instead of the navy and air force is probably to reduce the threat profile of the exercises, so as to be able to claim restraint rather than escalating to the level of the formal military,” said Brian Hioe, a non-resident fellow at the Taiwan Research Hub of the University of Nottingham.

“Nevertheless, China increasingly integrates civilian and military forces, making it harder for other countries to respond to grey-zone activity,” Hioe said.

Large coast guard ships are designed for “longer deployments” than what naval vessels normally do, said Joshua Arostegui, chair of China studies and research director of the China Landpower Studies Center at the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute.

“That’s kind of the big takeaway,” Arostegui said.

The rotation between two vessel formations on July 4, China’s description of the mission as a sustained one and its stated intent to keep strengthening patrols “all point in one direction”, said Sophie Wushuang Yi, postdoctoral teaching fellow with Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University. That, she said, is “routine.”

Beijing’s Taiwan.cn website said on July 10 its coast guard was sustaining “routine law enforcement patrols” as the new vessel formation took over.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, a government ministry, said on July 4 that the vessels were violating international law and “damaging regional stability”.

China’s initial patrols responded to maritime boundary negotiations between Japan and the Philippines, both of which are near Taiwan, experts said. They pointed to a Chinese government condemnation of the talks.

Taiwanese and Chinese coast guard units may find “confusion” along their respective routes if China keeps up its patrols, said Enrico Cau, an associate researcher at the Taiwan Strategy Research Association think tank.

Taiwan and Japan, maritime neighbors and historic de-facto allies, may respond with their own coast guards, Hioe said, while the United States could carry out “freedom of navigation” operations with other militaries in the Asia Pacific.

Those operations mean sailing warships through disputed or restricted international waters to indicate that Washington considers the channels open to all.

Meanwhile, the July 6 missile test, China’s first submarine-launched strategic missile into international open waters, drew statements of protest from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and some South Pacific island leaders.

The missile carried a simulated training warhead for 7,300 kilometers and likely overflew parts of the Philippines, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said in July 7 commentary.

Though the test took place on the same day U.S. ally Australia signed a defense treaty with Fiji, analysts said Beijing set out mainly to warn multiple countries of what it could do in case of a nuclear attack in the disputed South China Sea.

“I don’t think it’s a new strategy as much as demonstrating its ability to have a nuclear triad basically,” Arostegui said. The triad includes land-based ICBMs, long-range bombers and submarine missiles, he said, with subs hard to detect and intercept.

The ballistic missile test specifically warned of what could happen if other countries build up military positions in the Indo-Pacific, Cau said.

“In particular it might be aimed at curbing any intention of regional powers harboring the ambition to either develop or host nuclear capabilities, Japan in primis,” he said.

Beijing also hoped the launch of its JL-2 or JL-3 ballistic missile would help test equipment and prove to other countries it has nuclear strike capability, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said.

It probably timed the sub launch for the 13th China-Russia Joint Sea 2026 exercise, “broadly consistent with China’s desire to portray Sino-Russian strategic alignment through coordinated military activities,” the think tank’s report says.

Expect more, Yi from the Schwarzman College said.

“I would expect such launches to become periodic but rare,” she said. “What the navy is proving, in my assessment, is that its sea-based deterrent is not merely symbolic but operational.”

The tests would be “consistent with the PLA-wide requirement of being ‘able to fight and win,’” she added.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency called the missile test part of an annual military training program and said the government had notified “relevant countries” in advance.

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The UK government confirmed it will not limit VPNs

Data reveals only 7-10% of teenagers use a VPN to bypass age checks

Social media curfews, autoplay restrictions were also announced

The UK government has officially scrapped the idea of restricting virtual private networks (VPNs) to enforce its impending social media bans, delivering a massive victory for digital privacy advocates.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast today, the government confirmed a major U-turn on the subject, with Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan stating: "We decided not to limit VPNs."

This was further cemented in a written parliamentary statement by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who clarified that the government will not age-gate or ban the best VPN software because "VPNs have legitimate privacy and security uses."

The announcement ends fears that sweeping age verification laws could inadvertently break online privacy for millions of adults.

Cybersecurity experts and privacy groups previously warned that restricting these tools would be a disaster waiting to happen , prompting an open letter from the industry urging lawmakers to leave everyday privacy tools alone.

Privacy wins, but platforms face new rules

'We have decided not to limit VPNs'Online Saftey minister Kanishka Narayan told #BBCBreakfast the Government has decided not to restrict access to Virtual Private Networks (VPN) as part of a social media ban for under 16s, despite initially suggesting it would take action… pic.twitter.com/pP94b81aeR July 15, 2026

While VPNs are safe from a blanket government ban, the social media ban loophole hasn't been completely ignored.

Kendall confirmed the onus will now fall on social media platforms "to take robust steps to detect and prevent attempts by underage users to circumvent age assurance measures."

To achieve this, the government has tasked Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to report by October on how platforms can better detect and prevent VPN use for age-check circumvention. The government also plans to engage directly with VPN providers regarding voluntary actions.

This shift in responsibility aligns with newly released government research.

A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) report revealed that while 26% of 11- to 17-year-olds use a VPN, findings show they do so primarily for privacy .

Only 7-10% use them to bypass age checks, whereas 45% simply enter a false date of birth.

Midnight curfews and AI limits

While everyday privacy tools have been spared, the government is pressing forward with strict new rules to combat digital addiction — that online commentators already deemed " ineffective and useless " — with the first regulations coming into effect in early 2027.

Following the upcoming blanket ban on social media for under-16s, new measures will ensure 16- and 17-year-olds don't face a sudden "cliff edge" of addictive features. Government consultation revealed that nearly one in three children actively want help managing their screen time.

Under the new rules, older teens will face default social media curfews from midnight to 6 am. Additionally, persuasive features like autoplaying videos and personalized infinite feeds will be switched off by default to make logging off easier.

"This is about giving these older children more choice and control over the feeds and reducing that sense that they can never switch off being online," Kendall stated .

The protections also extend to artificial intelligence.

The government will require mandatory breaks for under-18s using AI chatbots to prevent emotional dependency. Furthermore, lawmakers are working with health regulators, including the MHRA and DHSC, to consider banning therapy chatbots entirely if they provide dangerous or unverified mental health advice to minors.