AIRLINE AND FLIGHT NEWS
United Airlines news: United is adding live radar maps to its phone app to help passengers track weather delays. Sounds good to me!
Emotional support llamas? That’s right! PDX airport in Portland has ’em. Take a look:
Delta Airlines news: Delta’s transatlantic flights should have free Wi-Fi by the end of this summer!
Speaking of Delta… The U.S. government is opening an investigation to find out why they struggled to get back on track after the global power outage this month. It seemed to take Delta longer than other airlines to catch up with the loss of flights and get everyone to their destinations. They tried to make amends by waiving bag check fees during the past week, but I think that’s cold comfort after the NYTimes reported they barred children under 18 from traveling without a guardian during the post-outage recovery and ended up stranding some kids with little help. What a horror!
DOT Complaint form: If you don’t get satisfaction from your airline (just make sure they actually aren’t abiding by the law), you can file a complaint in the U.S. with the Department of Transportation using this link: https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint.
Southwest Airlines news: Starting sometime in 2025 (to be announced), Southwest will do away with its open seating model and be like all the other airlines with preferred seats available for a price. Thoughts?
Frontier Airlines news: Which U.S. airline received the most complaints in 2023? Yep, it was Frontier.
British Airways news: British Airways created a clever Bridgerton-themed safety video. Watch above.
New Amalfi Coast airport! A new airport on the Amalfi Coast opens this month in Salerno. The Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is 20 minutes south of the city.
Terrified of turbulence? Experts say the worst place to sit is toward the back of the plane, and the best place to sit to avoid the worst turbulence is in the center.
GENERAL TRAVEL NEWS & ADVICE
Tourists go home? In a further development as Europeans become fed up with visitors, locals in Barcelona sprayed tourists with water earlier this month and chanted “tourists go home.” There have also been protests on Spain’s island of Mallorca.
Robot massage? Hotel spas are starting to use AI-powered robotic massage. Sounds ewwwww to me!
Watch the heat! As temperatures are heating up across the globe, we all need to be mindful of the dangers. A man from Belgium just experienced third-degree burns on the soles of his feet in Death Valley National Park because his flip flops were either lost or broken. (Personally, I don’t think you should be wearing flip flops there at all. How about closed shoes that protect your feet from the sun? Let ’em sweat!) The temperature was 123 degrees Fahrenheit, and he had to be rescued by helicopter.
Speaking of the heat… Experts say if the air is humid, use ice packs rather than spraying water on someone to cool them off. Spraying water can work in dry environments, however. They say we all have to be aware of the dangers of heatstroke, avoid wearing tight clothing in hot weather, and replenish our electrolytes.
Bedbugs in Hawaii? Talk about ewwww! It seems Hawaii is battling a bedbug problem, even in upscale hotels. Next month, I’ll publish an article on how to deal with these critters. Watch for it!
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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