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Happy Monday to all of our travel friends, both near and far. Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, as well, so we’re passing them along.
- It’s not an uncommon occurrence for a plane to encounter a bird strike after takeoff. Airports try whatever they can to prevent this from happening, including the cool way this airport deals with the problem. While a bird strike might not usually be a major event, when the aircraft encountering the strike is carrying the Vice President, it becomes very important. This isn’t the first time Vice President Pence has experienced plane problems. Remember that when he was candidate Pence, his 737 skidded off the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York. At the time he was on the same plane Sharon and I flew to Cuba.
- While passengers in the US have been wondering when they can get back on a cruise ship, the major cruise companies are looking at a future where they have more ships than they’ll need. When airlines want to park no longer needed planes, they fly them to the middle of the desert. It turns out that cruise lines have the same type of place where they retire ships meant for the scrap heap. Here’s a fascinating video of the Carnival Imagination getting beached in Turkey. All I can think about when watching this ship head for the beach is when I try to fit my car in a spot that’s just a bit too tight but I’m sure that I’ll make it.
- As soon as airlines announced their mask mandates, some passengers rebelled. While they made their point, airlines were quick to ban those passengers from future flights. Other passengers who didn’t like wearing masks took a different approach and decided to try and exploit the “mask off when eating/drinking” exception to the limit. I mean, look at what this passenger managed to do for the whole flight! United is now cracking down on the practice with a change in their announcement to say passengers can only “briefly” remove their masks for eating or drinking while on board.
- I’ve stayed at some hotels that I thought deserved a negative review, like the one where we encountered an army of ants that took residence in our suitcases. Fortunately, we’ve gotten better at selecting locations and haven’t ended up at any of the worst hotels around the world. Just be careful if you decide to write a negative review about a hotel in Thailand if you’re still in the country because you just might end up in jail.
- One of the risks of earning points and miles is that a program can decide at any time to devalue the points. It makes no difference if a fixed value program changes how much a point is worth, a reward program increases how many points you need for redemption or if a credit card eliminates a transfer partner. That’s all true unless you’re an airline that takes a loan during the pandemic downturn and uses your loyalty program as collateral. The people loaning you money want to make sure their investment keeps its value. That’s what Delta found out since their loan has a provision that they will not significantly decrease the value of the SkyMiles program until they pay off the 9 billion dollars they’re borrowed.
- The New York Transit system has been under an incredible amount of stress over the past six months. In the midst of the pandemic, the MTA kept running to bring essential workers back and forth to work while the rest of the city stayed home. Now that New York City is trying to awaken from its slumber, the MTA is addressing a problem that has gone unmentioned for decades. They’re officially banning passengers from pooping on buses and subways. I’ll leave it to Patton Oswalt to give the final comment.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
