Travel News – January 27, 2024

Travel News graphic created by Melanie Votaw in Canva.

CAUTIONARY TALES!

Are you ready to get back on a Boeing 737 Max 9? Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are going to resume service soon on the Boeing aircraft that recently lost a door. If this makes you nervous, check what kind of aircraft your next flight will be on.

Don’t use the USB ports in airports! It’s a good way to get malware on your phone or computer. Use electric outlets only.

Stuck on Amtrak? A college student fell asleep on a train going to Chicago and got stuck on it while it was parked in the rail yard. Her family complained that it took a long time to retrieve her from Amtrak. So set your alarm when you ride a train!

How safe do you feel on an airplane? A passenger on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Manchester, England bound for New York happened to notice that some bolts were missing from the wing of the plane. After he told the crew, they canceled the flight to investigate further. Yikes!

If you fly with small children, pay heed to this! A girl’s hand was caught in an armrest of a United Airlines “unguarded hinge mechanism” that caused a finger injury bad enough to require surgery. Some planes have guards over the hinges, but not all. The girl’s father is suing.

Worst airports for making a connection? FinanceBuzz has ranked the top 10 airports that will make it hardest for you to make a connecting flight. They considered the number of gates on opposite ends of terminals and distances between gates. Here they are in order for 1-10 (yep, Denver gets the #1 worst spot): Denver International, Chicago O’Hare, Salt Lake City, John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana, California), LaGuardia in NYC, JFK in NYC, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Austin-Bergstrom, LAX, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

How safe do you feel in the air these days? (Stock photo)

THE FUN STUFF!

Phoenix to France anyone? If you live in Phoenix, we have some good news for you: Air France will start flying nonstop between Phoenix and Paris in May 2024, but just on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

A 240,000 Euro cruise, anyone? Mundy Cruising will have a 105-day cruise in 2025 that covers 3 continents, 11 countries, and 60 destinations. You’d be on 7 different ships and fork over 240,000 Euros. Who’s ready to go?

Traveling alone on a cruise? There’s good news for you! Cruise lines are finally paying attention to solo travelers and providing staterooms that cater to them without the need to find a companion or pay for two. Case in point, Norwegian Cruise Line has more than doubled its solo staterooms this year.

Frontier Airlines adds 54 new routes. Some of these new routes won’t start until mid-year, but they’re going to start flying from Boston to Raleigh, Dallas to Puerto Vallarta, and Denver to LaGuardia in NYC, among others.

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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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