Air India plane crash. The big news this week is the horrible crash in Ahmedabad, India of a flight destined for London. All passengers and crew were killed except for one man, who was thrown from the plane and survived with slight injuries. I can’t imagine the kind of survivor’s guilt he’s going to have. At least 28 people on the ground were also killed.
Mount Etna eruption. The other big news is that Mount Etna erupted in Sicily early in the month. While it erupts at least once a year and is Europe’s most active volcano, this was apparently a particularly large eruption. No one was injured, but video online shows tourists running from the ash clouds.
Earthquake in Turkey and Greece. Also early in the month, a 5.8 earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Greece. No major damage was reported, but about 70 people were injured, as well as one casualty.
Dutch government collapse. The far right government in The Netherlands has collapsed. New elections will be held in the fall, and the word is that travelers are not at risk. But if you have a trip planned there, do some digging to make sure you still feel comfortable with the situation.
JetBlue plane skids off runway. Meanwhile, there were luckily no injuries when a JetBlue plane skidded off the runway at Boston’s Logan Airport. The runway had to be closed for a while.
Regional airline files bankruptcy. Silver Airways, a regional airline in Florida, abruptly cancelled all flights June 11th after filing bankruptcy, leaving passengers in the lurch.
New airline routes. Delta is planning expanded service to India from the U.S., while United is now offering direct flights between Washington, D.C. and Nice, France.
How does this happen? An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wasn’t allowed to land in Naples, Italy this month because it was too big for the runway. It had to be redirected to Rome Fiumicino Airport. I don’t understand how a flight can take off without this knowledge ahead of time. Somebody had to have screwed up, right? The 200+ passengers had to take a three-hour bus ride from Rome to Naples.
Hippo in the pool! Guests at a Kenya hotel near Lake Naivasha were terrified when a hippopotamus emerged from the hotel pool. The hippos swim in the lake, which highlights the risk of building lodges and hotels so close to where the animals congregate. Hippos are the most dangerous animal in Africa, so I can’t even imagine. I’m going to Kenya soon and hoping not to experience such a thing!
Man poses as flight attendant for six years. A man was just found guilty of federal charges after posing as a flight attendant for more than six years! He booked the flights using 30 different badges with seven airlines. Unbelievable!
LAX/Metro Transit Center. There is now train service in Los Angeles to LAX Airport. While it will still mean driving for a lot of people, it should cut down on the need to drive the whole way in many instances.
More overtourism issues. After anti-tourist demonstrations on Majorca, nearly 2,000 sun loungers were removed from local beaches in order to cut down on beach erosion and allow residents more space to enjoy their beaches. People will also be fined for building large sandcastles on the island’s beaches.
No flip flops! In Italy’s Cinque Terre, you can be fined almost $3,000 for hiking while wearing flip flops. This is a safety concern, as flip flops can cause accidents and dangerous sunburn.
Drink limits. In some popular spots in Spain, such as Ibiza, they’re introducing a limit of six drinks per person at some all-inclusive resorts. Violators will incur hefty fines.
Rome and Dubrovnik, Croatia restrictions. You can be fined now for wearing swimsuits on the street in either of these cities, and you will also be fined for putting love padlocks on bridges.
Et tu, Rio? Even Rio’s famous beaches are introducing some restrictions to curb overtourism. There are now limits on music, sales of food and drink, and chair rentals.
Amalfi Coast and Uber. Beginning June 25th during summer weekends, you can reserve a helicopter or boat ride from Uber to take you from Sorrento or the Amalfi Coast to nearby islands like Capri.
Adults only at Disney? There is now a GEO-82 Disney World lounge at EPCOT that’s available only to adults age 21 and over.
WWII bombs in Germany. Every year in Germany, as many as 2,000 unexploded World War II bombs are found during construction work. Early this month, about 20,000 people had to be evacuated from Cologne for about 12 hours when three unexploded bombs were found. While they’re unlikely to go off, it’s still a risk. The bombs were safely defused, and people were allowed back into the area.
United Airlines and Spotify. Starting in 2026, you can use your Spotify account on many of United’s screens to listen to your playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks.
United and JetBlue partnership. The two airlines are partnering so that passengers can use miles from one program on the other. Nice perk!
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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