Travel News
02.22.10
Frankfurt, Germany (CNN) | Both sides in a pilots strike against Lufthansa have agreed to suspend the standoff —which has canceled hundreds of flights—at midnight (6 p.m. Monday ET).
The suspension is set to expire on March 8, barring the reaching of an agreement before then, both sides said in a Frankfurt labor court.
"The judge was very clear," airline spokesman Klaus Walther said. "He recommended the union to stop the strike action and to return to the negotiation table."
Walther predicted the two sides would reach a final agreement "pretty fast."
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02.22.10
New York Times - Associated Press | Thousands of travelers scrambled to find flights, trains, hotel rooms or rental cars on Monday after Lufthansa pilots began a four-day walkout over job security that grounded at least 800 flights and upended travel across the continent.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG quickly rushed to get a court injunction to halt the strike and send 4,000 pilots back into their cockpits before more harm was done to passengers and shareholders.
The court in Frankfurt said a decision could come as soon as Monday night. (...) The strike disrupted travel plans for some 10,000 passengers worldwide.
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02.19.10
CNN News | Archaeologists working under the direction of the Israeli Antiquities Authority have uncovered a 1500-year-old road running through the center of Jerusalem's Old City.
Excavation director Dr. Ofer Sion said the discovery lends further credence to the accuracy of what is known as the Madaba Map—a Byzantine period mosaic map of the Holy Land that depicts an entrance into Jerusalem that leads to a single central street.
Archaeologists working in Jerusalem have made various finds to suggest the Madaba map was geographically correct, but the road depicted in the mosaic had not been found.
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02.18.10
As a young kid I remember the excitement of driving to New York in the 1960s to see my parents’ friends and their kids off on an ocean voyage.
Everyone was dressed up and they had a bon voyage party onboard, in their cabins, complete with champagne and balloons and lots of good cheer.
The days of such send-offs have long passed, due in part to security regulations. Until now.
In a nostalgic return to tradition, Princess Cruises is reviving the bon voyage party with a new program that allows passengers to invite friends and/or family onboard for embarkation day—for a fee and with an advance reservation.
Called the "Bon Voyage Experience," the program is a new twist on the celebration of my youth. Passengers can invite guests to join them onboard for a four-course dining room lunch with wine, an organized ship tour and a souvenir photo.
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02.18.10
Yeah yeah, “there’s an app for that,” but is there really an application to replace a person?
It seems so thanks to a bevy of iPhone apps aimed to help golfers both at their home courses and while traveling. (Bad news for teenagers loafing around the country clubs and even worse news for expensive SkyCaddies and rangefinders.)
The Wind Meter application uses the iPhone’s microphone to determine winds up to 28 mph— sure beats holding a wet finger to the breeze. Everyone, it seems, is getting on board, from surfers to hunters, which may explain why the Wind Meter has remained in the top 10 weather apps for the past 6 months. And at just 99 cents, the program is much more affordable than hiring a caddy.
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02.17.10
CNN (Washington) | To the list of instructions you hear at airport checkpoints, add this: "Put your palms forward, please."
The Transportation Security Administration soon will begin randomly swabbing passengers' hands at checkpoints and airport gates to test them for traces of explosives.
Previously, screeners swabbed some carry-on luggage and other objects as they searched for the needle in the security haystack—components of terrorist bombs in an endless stream of luggage.
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02.16.10
eTurbo News | If you've ever been hit with a surprise fee when you rented a car or booked an airline ticket and found yourself saying, "There ought to be a law," I have some good news for you: There is. Or at least, there could be.
There could be two laws, actually. The Clear Airfares Act is a Senate bill that would require airlines and online travel agencies to disclose any additional fees before you buy a ticket. And the End Discriminatory State Taxes for Automobile Renters Act would prohibit states or localities from collecting a discriminatory tax on motor vehicle rentals.
Just one problem: Neither of these bills have been passed.
But these proposed rules could make your next trip better, and they deserve our attention.
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02.12.10
If you happen to be one of the lucky 2.3 million predicted spectators for this year’s Winter Olympics (starting tonight!), the latest pocket-sized Zagat guide ($6.95) has arrived just in time for your trip.
Zagat Vancouver 2010, released on December 16, covers nearly 300 restaurants surveyed by over 2,700 consumers.
It seems the Olympics have helped keep Vancouver on top of its culinary game,” says Zagat editor Tim Pawsey. To start, two internationally renowned French chefs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Daniel Boulud, have brought their talents to the city: Jean-Georges with a second branch of Market, his wildly popular Parisian restaurant, and Boulud with a new db Bistro Moderne (the first is in New York).
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02.12.10
Los Angeles Times (Associated Press) | Next time you think about flying standby on American Airlines, be prepared to give the gate agent your name and $50.
The days of hanging around the agent's desk, hoping for a free switch to an earlier flight are over at American for many passengers.
The nation's second-largest airline said Wednesday that starting with tickets bought on Feb. 22, only elite frequent fliers, travelers in first or business class, military personnel and people who bought pricey coach tickets will be allowed to fly standby for free.
Everyone else switching flights on their day of travel will have to pay $50 to get a confirmed seat.
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02.11.10
Where’s the best place to practice your hole-in-one double entendres? Golf travel website, The A Position released a list of the World’s Sexiest Golf Resorts.
What makes for a particularly sexy golf resort? Warm weather, spa treatments, dark corners for stolen…putting practice? The site’s press release goes so far as to suggest “provocative golf course mounding” as a qualifying factor. That’s odd, usually I get frustrated when caught between moguls. But maybe that's the point...
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