Ride-sharing service Uber and its local competitor Careem suddenly ceased operations in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday. Uber users were sent an email saying the suspension was temporary, and Careem also insisted it would be back on the roads, but as of Sunday there had been no indication as to when that might be. Their closure coinicides with the beginning of the school year, usually a busy time on UAE roads. (An update on this story, here, says some Uber and Careem drivers were detained by police and vehicles were impounded.)
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has announced that it has ordered two new vessels for specialised journeys to the Arctic, Antarctic and Amazon. The ships, to be delivered in 2019, will be 138-metres long.
Hong Kong is on alert after the discovery of a case of the Zika virus. The South China Morning Post reports that a 38-year-old expatriate woman who had recently travelled to the Caribbean tested positive for Zika after presenting at a clinic with sore joints and red eyes. She at first declined to cooperate and police had to be called before she agreed to being placed in an isolation ward, where she is in a stable condition. More than 50 countries have reported cases of the virus, which has been linked to a birth defect called microcephaly.
Princess Cruises has announced details of its newest ship, Majestic Princess, which will have its maiden voyage on April 4. A media statement says: “Majestic Princess will tour Europe, offering guests a chance to experience the ship on 7, 14, 21 and 28 day cruises departing from Rome, Barcelona or Athens. A repositioning voyage will depart Barcelona on May 14, 2017, visiting Dubai and Singapore before arriving in Shanghai, her new home. Majestic Princess will begin her first cruise from its home-port in Shanghai on July 11, 2017, carrying 3,560 guests to a variety of destinations in Japan and Korea.” Details here.
US river cruise tour company French America Line as become the 62nd member of Cruise Lines International Association, the peak body for cruise travel.
An easyJet flight from Gatwick to London was delayed for an hour because the crew were fighting over water bottles, according to media reports. TV presenter Dan Lobb live-tweeted the event, saying the plane returned to the gate and two crew members were offloaded, with another two joining the flight. He tweeted: “‘Loads of kids on this flight, a few babies – what a ridiculous situation. Captain doing his best but everyone is agog!” The airline’s Twitter account responded: “Hi Dan, safety of our passengers is easyJet’s highest priority and to deliver, our cabin crew need to be able to work as a team.”
The Australian airline Qantas has reported an underlying profit before tax of $1.53 billion for the 12 months ended 30 June 2016, which it says is the best result in its 95-year history. According to a media release, the record performance is a 57 per cent per cent improvement on financial year 2015. “It means Qantas can resume dividend payments, reward 25,000 EBA-covered employees with a one-off cash bonus, and continue investment for customers, including extending wi-fi to Qantas’ regional and international fleets and finalising the network and customer experience for the Qantas Dreamliner,” the statement said.
Delta and Virgin Atlantic airlines have agreed to coordinate all London services out of Heathrow’s terminal 3 from September. All Delta flights will now arrive and depart from terminal 3.
SriLankan Airlines has suspended a pilot who failed a breathalyser test before he was due to fly from Frankfurt to Colombo. Sources told AFP that Flight UL554, with 274 passenger and crew, was held up at the German airport for more than 15 hours on Friday as staff tried to find another pilot.
Australian supermarket chain Woolworths has rekindled its partnership with Qantas, allowing shoppers to accrue Frequent Flyer points. However, the earn rate if half of the previous arrangement. More here.
Now here’s a take-off you won’t experience on a scheduled flight from a regular airport, but it does show you what some commercial jets are capable of. The crew of this Boeing 737 Max experienced zero gravity during this recent demonstration flight.
The Zika virus has been reported in Miami Beach. Pregnant women have been advised to avoid that area, along with downtown Miami. Details here.
Would you be comfortable taking a trip in a car with no driver? Ride-sharing service Uber and tech giant Google are among those thinking you will. More here.
The Night Tube service has begun on the world-famous London Underground. The all-night service will operate on the Central and Victoria lines on Fridays and Saturdays. It will be extended to the Northern, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines by the end of the year.
Stone Brewing company is planning to open the world’s first “beer hotel” in its home city of San Diego, California. The hotel will be located next to the brewery, which is San Diego’s second most visited attraction after the Wild Animal Park. More here.
Port Canaveral in Florida has undergone an $85 million refurbishment, with more parking and other upgrades intended to maintain its status as best North American Cruise Port.
An airship nicknamed “the flying bum” has taken flight for the first time. NBC reports that the 92-metre-long Airlander 10 is filled with 1.3 million cubic feet of helium, can reach an altitude of up to 16,000 feet, and stay in the air for five days.
Qatar Airways has announced a code-share partnership with Vueling Airlines, which is says will offer passengers “enhanced travel across Europe”. In a media release, Qatar said passengers could now connect with ease to 67 popular routes of Vueling Airlines’ extensive network. Vueling flies to 24 destinations in Spain, 16 in Italy and four in Portugal, plus destinations in France, Croatia, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
The friendliest cities in the world? According to Conde Nast Traveler, they are, in order: Charleston, South Carolina, United States; Sydney, Australia; Dublin, Ireland; Queenstown, New Zealand; and Park City, Utah, US.
Virgin train services on Britain’s East Coast Main Line will be affected by staff strikes this month. According to The Telegraph, the three 24-hour strikes will start at 3am on August 19, 26 and 29. More here.
The Brexit vote has led to increased interest in travel to the United Kingdom, according to The New York Times. It reports that the 30-year low in the exchange rate between the pound and the US dollar is making Britain far more attractive to Americans. The rest of the world may care to take note of that.
A series of bomb explosions in Thailand this month could cost the country up to 200,000 tourist visits. Yuthasak Supasorn, of the Thailand Tourism Authority, said the attacks at popular resort towns, including Hua Hin and Patong in Phuket, could cost $293 million in lost revenue.
An analysis of statistics by the BBC has discovered that Gatwick airport is the British airport that faces the most delays. The report also reveals that Turkmenistan Airlines had the highest number of delays between January 2015 and March 2016, with passengers waiting on average 70 minutes after the scheduled departure time. The flight delayed most often was a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Manchester to New York JFK, which was delayed eight out of 10 times in 2015. The most on-time airport surveyed was Newcastle.
Forget Middle Earth, welcome to Millhaven. Although it is set in the United States, the new Disney film Pete’s Dragon was, like the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, filmed in New Zealand. Locations included Tapanui in Otago, the Rotorua region near Redwoods forest, Wellington and Queenstown. Want to visit? Details here. Meanwhile, here’s a video from Tourism New Zealand.
Tourism pundits have expressed concern about a proposal by two political parties in Indonesia that would see a total ban on alcohol sales in the nation. They say such a move would ruin popular destinations such as Bali. Frommers has more on the issue here.
North Korea’s state-owned Air Koryo has been named the worst airline in the world for the fourth year in a row, according to a survey conducted by Skytrax. In survey responses, passengers complained of a “mystery meat” in their hamburgers, skipped safety demonstrations, looped propaganda films instead of entertainment channels and open luggage racks that allowed bags to fall out during turbulence. Dubai-based Emirates was named best airline.
Although there have been some post-Brexit vote bargains, accommodation across the United Kingdom is still generally expensive. Travellers who can’t afford four- or five-star hotels and don’t want to take (the very often rewarding) risk on B&Bs might want to check out the budget chains such as Travelodge and Premier Inn. They offer comfortable rooms of a good standard and, as they are often slightly out of town and on major routes, are ideal for motoring holidays. Travelodge is offering rooms for as little as £35 this summer and has partnered with ey attractions such as Legoland, Thorpe Park, London Zoo and Alton Towers to offer discounted entry. Details here. Premier is offering a “kids stay free” promotion on London hotel rooms, starting around £79 a night.
Italian authorities have ordered the expulsion of a man who threatened to blow up the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The man was described as a Tunisian who had expressed sympathy with the ISIS terror group.
Twenty-two per cent of Americans have said that the fear of violent events has affected their tourism plans this year. Although tourism accounted for almost 10 per cent of global GDP last year, fears of associated with terrorism , Brexit and Zika virus are softening expectations in 2016. Details here.
Bombs that went off in Thailand at tourist sites including the resort towns of Patong, on Phuket island, and Hua Hin, killing four people and injuring dozens, were coordinated by the same network, Thai authorities said. Some sources are reporting up to 12 bombings or fires across eight provinces. More here, here and here.
The $13.6 billion merger of the Starwood and Marriott hotel brands has been delayed because the the parties have agreed to allow more time for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce to review the deal. More here.
The Australian state of Queensland has announced that Uber ride-sharing services will be legal from early September. State premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on social media that it would be done in a way to “even the playing field” between Uber and traditional licensed taxi services. Governments worldwide have struggled with legislation surrounding ride-sharing, and it remains illegal or in a legal grey area in many places.
Discount carrier AirAsia X, which abandoned European routes in 2012, will begin a daily flight from its base in Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul and Barcelona on October 30. Details here.
Colombia, Turkey, Venezuela, Egypt and Mexico top a Fox News list of the world’s most dangerous cruise ports. Of course, any such list is subjective. However, it’s up to cruise companies to monitor their ports of call and make changes if they feel necessary — as several operators did after the killing of tourists in Tunis last year. Ultimately, each of us should do our own research and weigh up the dangers against the joys of travels. And make sure we have insurance.
Great Britain is promoting its 15 national parks with the slogan: “Beautiful landscapes that haven’t changed for centuries.” More here.
In an outlook report released this month, industry group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says travel agents expect further growth in cruise sales. It says that river cruising shows the most growth, 64 per cent of agents expecting to sell more packages this year and 21 per cent expecting to see significant growth. And 54 per cent of agents also expected to see growth in the large ocean ship segment.
Finally, a positive Brexit story. The BBC reports that flight bookings to the United Kingdom have increased. There were 4.3 per cent more flights booked to the UK in the 28 days following the vote to leave the European Union.
The number on hotel stays by foreign visitors in France in July this year was 10 per cent down on the previous year. Tourism authorities attribute this to the recent terrorist attacks in the country. More here.
Passenger demand for air travel continues to increase, but at a slower rate, according to the International Air Traffic Association. “The fragile and uncertain economic backdrop, political shocks and a wave of terrorist attacks are all contributing to a softer demand environment,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO said in a media statement.
British tourists in France have been warned to watch out for illegal immigrants in Calais who may be trying to enter the United Kingdom illegally. More here.
Princess Cruises and the city of Santa Clarita, California, have honoured actor Gavin MacLeod for his three decades as an ambassador for the brand. MacLeod (pictured below with screen daughter Jill Whelan and Princess executives) played Captain Merril Stubing on the television show The Love Boat in the 1970s and 80s. He will continue his role with Princess as a guest judge on the onboard talent show The Voice of the Ocean.
Jet2.com has announced that it will ban alcohol consumption on its early-morning flights from August 8. The budget airline, which flies from the UK to cities in Europe and the US, will still serve alcohol after 8am, however. More here.
Discount carrier Air Asia X is planning to launch direct flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Brisbane, Australia. A spokesmen for the airline, which currently flies to Gold Coast airport, about 100km south of Brisbane, has described Brisbane as “the cornerstone of our strategy” in an interview with Australian Business Traveller.
Fancy a photo with the captain in the cockpit? British Airways, which allows some passengers to visit the cockpit before or after flights, has issued its pilots with an iPad app that allows flight data and other information to be attached to the happy snap. A BA media release says: “All British Airways’ 4,000 pilots will have the ‘View From The Flight Deck’ app loaded onto their iPads from the start of August to take photos of customers visiting the cockpit before take-off or after landing. The app automatically sends this special photo, which includes a graphic showing facts from their flight, to customers so they have an instant, unique memento of their trip. The information on the photo includes the Captain’s name, route travelled and distance flown, as well as the aircraft type and registration. There is also an image of the aircraft to help budding young future pilots to recognise individual plane types the next time they fly.” Passengers are encouraged to share their photos on social media with the hashtag #BAUpClose
If you haven’t got tickets for the Rio de Janiero Olympics, starting this weekend, you’re probably not going. But, then again…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tpkxKZS4fc
The Royal Queensland Show, better known as The Ekka (an abbreviation of Exhibition), will open in Brisbane, Australia, on Friday, 5 August. The show features agricultural exhibits along with sideshow attractions and rides, sample bags, fashion parades, dagwood dogs (corn dogs), ice-creams with fresh strawberries, woodchopping, harness racing and animal parades. Details here.
Royal Caribbean spent $50 million refurbishing its 1,840-passenger Empress of the Seas for cruises from Florida to Cuba. However, the US company has yet to gain permission from Havana to begin the service. “This is the right sized vessel for Cuba, and our intention is someday we will be going there. We’re just still waiting for the nod,” Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president for sales, trade services and support, told USA Today. Cuba has been seen as a dream destination for American cruise companies since relations between the two companies have eased. Fathom Cruises is selling itineraries to the island, and Oceania Cruises hopes to start soon.
Updated: An Emirates aircraft flying from India has caught fire and crash landed at Dubai International airport, leading to the death of a firefighter. The 300 passengers and crew escaped the plane safely, although 13 injuries have been reported. According to online resource the Aviation Herald, the Boeing 777-30, flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai, was on a normal approach “but attempted to go around from low height”. Some witnesses said the landing gear did not function. The following video was posted on YouTube:
Virgin Australia’s Velocity frequent-flyer program has advised members that, from 1 September, it will no longer charge a booking and service fee for Reward Seat and Any Seat bookings, but will instead charge a card fee. The email to customers did not specify the rate.
Five World Heritage sites in Libya have been placed on an endangered list by Unesco, due to instability in the war-torn country. The sites are the former Phoenician trading post Sabratha, the Berber oasis town of Ghadames, the Roman city of Leptis Magna, the rock-art site at Tadrart Acacus and the Hellenic colony of Cyrene. More here.
Amid concerns about security and safety at the Olympic Village and elsewhere in Rio de Janeiro, it’s been revealed that the US men’s and women’s basketball teams are staying on the luxury cruise ship Silver Cloud. The Silversea vessel is described as: “Spacious yet intimate, designed to cross oceans and yet able to slip up rivers and into hidden harbours with ease, the yacht-like Silver Cloud carries just 296 guests in incomparable comfort and style.” It will be sailing in Europe from next month, and the Middle East in November. Details here. The 4,028-NCL ship Norwegian Getaway will also act as a hotel during the Games and will dock at Rio’s Pier Maua from August 4 to 22.
Would you fly on a carrier called Lucky Air? You may be about to get your chance. The Chinese airline has applied for approval to start flights to Moscow and Los Angeles as early as December using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner it will borrow from Hainan Air. More here.
Public Health England has warned pregnant women not to travel to Florida due to an outbreak of Zika virus. The recommendation says: “Pregnant women should consider postponing nonessential travel to affected areas until after the pregnancy. At present, only a zone of about 1 square mile in Miami-Dade County is considered at risk of active transmission.”
Plans are in place for a Paramount theme park in London, which will feature attractions related to BBC shows including Doctor Who and Sherlock, Paramount movies such as the Star Trek series and Aardman Animation characters. More here.
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