The latest setback for Boeing Co. in the company’s effort to roll out their long-anticipated 787 jetliner has hit: they’ve yet again had to delay their first test flight of the new aircraft. The company says they need to reinforce certain areas of the plane – so, to be honest, waiting does seem like the best plan. However, shockingly, Boeing stocks dropped over 4 dollars midday. This is the latest knock to the company that has been struggling through the recession.

The 787 is built for fuel efficiency and is said to be the next generation of aircraft. It was originally supposed to be launched in 2007.  Read more…

Tags: airplane, Airplanes, Boeing, Boeing 787, Flying, fuel efficiency, jetliner, test, transportation, Travel Industry|
Posted By: rebecca | Jun 23rd

Aww the irony…

In the original Anaheim Disneyland it may be a Small World after all, but that world’s inhabitants are getting bigger and heavier almost by the day. The passengers are getting so much bigger that they are actually causing the boats to bottom out.

Disney has decided to re-engineer the rides so that it can stand the weight of the growing population. When the ride was first designed in 1963 the assumption was that the male adult riders would average 175 pounds and the women about 135, which they pretty much did at the time.

Today, the Small World ride now must accommodate adults who often weigh more than 200 pounds, which it often cannot do. Increasingly, overweighted boats get to certain points in the ride and bottom out, becoming stuck in the flume.

The ride monitors attempt to leave empty seats on many boats to compensate for the hefty, but this routinely antagonizes the hundreds of paying customers waiting in line. When a boat does bottom out, a long line of other boats backs up behind it, their passengers slowly going mad from listening to the ride’s theme song.

Tags: Adventure, amusement park, California, Disney, Disneyland, irony, obese, overweight, ride, small world|
Posted By: veronica | Jun 4th

The race is on for searchers to locate the black boxes from Air France flight 447, as their locator beacons are only active for 30 days. However, preliminary evidence has been released by the airline which shows that, in the minutes leading up to the crash, two key computers malfunctioned and the plane was not flying at its ideal speed.

The data provides a chronology, albeit cryptic, of what happened in the minutes before the plane’s failure.

3am (BST) – The pilot reports hitting tropical turbulence, data says the plane had passed through “tall, dense cumulonimbus thunderclouds.”

Apparently at this stage, the plane’s speed was “erroneous.” Every plane has an ideal speed at which to travel through difficult weather, and AF 447 was not traveling at that speed – it is unknown at this point, however, if the plane was traveling too fast or too slowly.

3:10am – Pilot is presented with a series of error messages in the four minutes leading up to the disaster.

The auto-pilot system was disconnected, either by the pilot or automatically. (Auto-pilot shut down when the system is faced with a serious error.)

It is possible the pilot disconnected the system to try to manually avoid a dangerous cloud zone – at this high altitude, this maneuver is extremely dangerous.

At this same time, another emergency backup system switched on – this system allows the plane to keep flying using minimum power, but reduces stability.

3:12am – Two vital computers, which provide information on altitude, speed and flight direction, stopping working correctly.

3:13am – Electricity breakdowns in two principal and auxiliary flight computers.

3:14am – Final message: “cabin in vertical speed,” which suggests a sudden loss of cabin pressure. It is unclear whether this loss of pressure was because the plane broke apart in midair, or if the loss of pressure caused the plane to break apart. (The theory that the break broke apart in the air is lent credence by a Spanish pilot who was in the area who claims to have seen an “intense white flash” in the air.)

Sources close to the investigation argue that some of the details in the chronology are false, namely the fact that the computers providing info on altitude, etc, malfunctioned.

Searchers are continuing to scour the area for debris, and more information on what happened. Read more…

Tags: AF 447, air france, airline, Airplanes, brazil, Flying, france, plane crash, travel, Travel Industry|
Posted By: rebecca | Jun 4th

It was over four decades ago that the Beatles were at the top of their game.  But, for some reason, their music transcends generations.  And with the advent of The Beatles’ Rock Band, a whole new generation will likely be introduced to their music.  Check out these real-world locations that were frequented by or connected to the Beatles:

Cavern Club, Liverpool - a replica of the club where the Fab Four played over 300 gigs, built from the bricks of the original building.
Abbey Road Crossing, London - the location of the crosswalk where the Abbey Road album cover was photographed.
The Royal Albert Hall, London - The Beatles played this venue numerous times, once even sharing the stage with the Rolling Stones.
Hamburg, Germany - The early Beatles honed their craft in this city.
Amsterdam Hilton, the Netherlands - The location of John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s first Be-In for Peace.
Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Montreal - The location of John and Yoko’s next Bed-In, and where the song, “Give Peace a Chance,” was recorded.
Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York - A memorial to John Lennon.
Candlestick Park, San Francisco - August 29th, 1969 was the Beatles’ next-to-last concert at Candlestick Park.
Rishikesh, India - After a week long meditation course with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Wales, the boys followed him to his ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Savile Row/Apple Studios, London - Location of the Beatles’ final rooftop performance.

Read more…

Learn more about John and Yoko’s Montreal Bed-In for Peace in this video:

Tags: Abbey Road, Amsterdam Hilton, bed in, Candlestick Park, Cavern Club, Central Park, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Germany, Hamburg, india, John Lennon, Liverpool, london, Montreal, music, New york, Rishikesh, San Francisco, Savile Row/Apple Studios, Strawberry Fields, The Beatles, The Netherlands, The Royal Albert Hall, tourism, travel, Travel Industry, Unique Travel, Yoko Ono|
Posted By: rebecca | Jun 3rd

An Air France overnight flight from Paris to Rio de Janeiro has disappeared off radar, and is presumed crashed in the Atlantic Ocean. 228 people were on-board the Airbus 330. The plane was last heard from when it encountered severe turbulence and thunderstorms, when it reported some electrical faults and loss of cabin pressure.

It is unusual for a modern airliner to disappear over open ocean without notification, although there is no evidence of hijacking or terrorism. Read more…

Tags: air france, airplane, Airplanes, Atlantic, brazil, disappear, france, paris, Rio de Janeiro|
Posted By: rebecca | Jun 1st

As of today, new rules are in effect if you want to travel between the United States and Canada or Mexico. Basically, you must have with you a valid passport or a special driver’s license with you when crossing the border. This is the last step in a gradual increase in border crossing rules. Recommendations after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 were made to increase border security, and this is the last measure to be enacted.

Public opinion is split on the issue. Some feel it will cause unnecessary headaches at the border. Others find it dangerous that it had taken this long for security measures to be put in place.  Read more…

Tags: 9/11, border, Canada, identification, mexico, passport, Travel Industry, united states, United States of America|
Posted By: rebecca | Jun 1st

While you have to admit the recession sucks, there are some positive results.  One is that travel, if you can afford it, can be relatively cheap, depending where you go.  Either airfares are down, or the local currency is sagging so everything once you arrive is discounted.  Here are a few locations you should think about taking advantage of before the recession ends:

1. Hungary - Roundtrip airfare: $593
2. Sweden - Roundtrip airfare: $700
3. Poland - Roundtrip airfare: $740
4. Colombia - Roundtrip airfare: $360
5. Brazil - Roundtrip airfare: $540
6. United Kingdom - Roundtrip airfare: $680
7. Russia - Roundtrip airfare: $780
8. Norway - Roundtrip airfare: $740
9. Jamaica - Roundtrip airfare: $310
10. Iceland - Roundtrip airfare: $1100
11. Romania - Roundtrip airfare: $970
12. Chile - Roundtrip airfare: $710
13. Czech Republic - Roundtrip airfare: $740
14. Fiji - Roundtrip airfare: $1,600
15. Zambia - Roundtrip airfare: $1,950

Read more…

Check out WatchMojo’s travel profile on the #1 cheap recession destination, Hungary:

Tags: advice & guidance, brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Deals, destinations, fiji, hungary, Iceland, jamaica, Norway, Poland, recession, Romania, Russia, sweden, tips, Tips, Advice & Guidance, travel, Travel Industry, Unique Travel, United Kingdom, Zambia|
Posted By: rebecca | May 28th

Starting 1 July, Britain Ben Southall will be reporting for duty at the best job in the world.

The four-month-long contest, put on by Tourism Queensland, called on contestants to create a video as to why they’d be well-suited for the job. The “job” is caretaker of Hamilton Island, an Australian island that overlooks the Great Barrier Reef. Oh, and he gets paid $150,000 for six months of this “work;” posting video blogs and pretty much snorkeling and hanging on the beach the whole time.

Southall had previously been a tour guide, charity fundraiser and events manager. Read more…

Tags: Australia, beach, Ben Southall, best job in the world, contest, great barrier reef, Hamilton Island, job, Queensland, Travel Industry, work|
Posted By: rebecca | May 6th

The number of confirmed cases of H1N1 swine flu rose Friday from 257 to 331. European countries are now expressing concern that the illness is spreading in that area, as opposed to being contained to only those who have recently traveled to Mexico. Mexico and the United States are the only two countries to report deaths from the flu.

The reaction worldwide has been extreme. Japanese sumo wrestlers are being dealt antibacterial soap and face masks, while travelers through the Hong Kong airport must sign a declaration of health to enter the country. Hundreds of American schools are closed, and even a White House employee contracted the disease while on a tour in Mexico, though he and his family have since recovered.

Many things are unclear about the disease, most importantly how quickly it will spread and how serious the pandemic might become. While American infectious disease experts continue to work in emergency mode, some worry the fear over swine flu has been blown out of proportion. Every year, between 75 and 150 children die of flu, and many of them had been healthy prior to falling ill. Read more…

Tags: disease, emergency, H1N1, influenza, mexico, pandemic, swine flu, Tips, Advice & Guidance, tourism, travel, Travel Industry, United States of America, Uniteed States|
Posted By: rebecca | May 1st

The controversy over plus-sized travelers has been renewed since United Airlines has imposed a new policy. The airlines website states that if a passenger cannot buckle the seat belt with even with one belt extender, or if he or she can’t lower the armrests when seated, then he or she is subject to the “Passengers requiring extra space” policy. These passengers can either be moved to a seat next to an unused seat, or they can upgrade to a larger, and more expenseive, seat. If neither of these options can be met, the passenger is asked not to fly that flight, and can buy two seats on the next available flight.  Read more…

Tags: Flying, planes, policy, Travel Industry, united airlines|
Posted By: rebecca | Apr 20th