Southwest Airlines Introduces New Social Distancing Rules
Posted on 05/04/2020, 8:00 AM
Southwest Airlines has introduced new social distancing measures at airport gates and in the skies. As of May 2, the airline is following a temporarily modified boarding process and is limiting the number of passengers per plane. With regard to boarding, at the airport gate 10 people at a time will now be called in sequential order based on the numbered boarding position on their tickets. Up...
Huntington Beach's Tourism Office Issues Statement on Beach Protests
Posted on 05/01/2020, 12:00 PM
When does tourism to a place endanger the people who live nearby? On Friday, civil disobedience flared up around that question on the sands of Huntington Beach, California. The appealing surfing hub (pictured above, in less controversial times) was the setting for protests of the state-mandated closure of public beaches. Groups of people gathered—without observing social distancing or face mask gu...
Ja, Tulips Are Still Blooming in the Netherlands! See For Yourself
Posted on 05/01/2020, 11:00 AM
For the first time in 71 years, Holland's Keukenhof, the famed garden southwest of Amsterdam, is closed for tulip season. During ordinary springs, the garden's elaborate, kaleidoscopic displays make it a locus of tulip mania, with multitudes of colorful bulbs rivaled in number only by the multitudes of tourists. Although visitors can't see Keukenhof in person this year, gardeners planted and te...
Face Masks Finally Compulsory on All Major U.S. Airlines
Posted on 04/30/2020, 7:45 PM
It has been a slow, drawn-out week of public shaming and political pressure for the major U.S. airlines, but on Thursday, the social campaign culminated in a new rule, adopted en masse: All passengers must now wear face masks. As recently as Monday, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines announced that only their employees would have to put on masks, but for customers, wearing one would be a matter...
WATCH: Baby Turtles Hatch and Go to Sea at Island Resort in Thailand
Posted on 04/30/2020, 7:30 PM
About 200 green sea turtles have hatched and waddled their way to the ocean this month on the beach of a luxury resort in Thailand. The mother turtle laid the eggs in late February and early March on the sands of the Banyan Tree Samui resort, located on the island of Ko Samui. Ever since, the nests have been carefully tended to by the hotel's marine biologist, Thepsuda Loyjiw, along with the gov...
Maine Might Be Closed to Out-Of-State Visitors This Summer
Posted on 04/30/2020, 1:00 AM
On Tuesday, Maine's governor, Janet Mills, announced a phased reopening plan that has many in the tourist industry up in arms. While some businesses will reopen in May, and hotels and campgrounds will be allowed to reopen in June, the required 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors will remain in place until August. "[The quarantine requirement] has the potential not only to kill off the tou...
In Acapulco and Worldwide, Bioluminescent Waters Are Back
Posted on 04/29/2020, 10:45 AM
One of the fascinating lessons from this odd era is how quickly nature can regenerate when humans get out of the way. So when the bay in the Mexican resort city of Acapulco started glowing in a way that hasn't been seen for 60 years (pictured), many assumed that this, too, might be a result of the long pause humanity has been taking. Acapulco's event seemed to be echoed by the unusually bright bi...
Duck Boats Are Not Safe, Government Agency Warns
Posted on 04/29/2020, 10:00 AM
The deadly sinking of a duck boat on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri, could have been avoided, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded. The accident occurred in July 2018 when an amphibious sightseeing vehicle operated by Ride the Ducks (part of Ripley Entertainment Inc.) went down during a severe storm. Seventeen people died, including nine members of the same family...
Argentina Suspends Commercial Flights Until September
Posted on 04/29/2020, 7:45 AM
While a number of countries have banned international flights for the near future, Argentina has imposed what may be the most severe ban on the planet. Until September 1, not only will all international commercial flights cease, but the government has also announced that domestic flights will be grounded as well. Only cargo flights and repatriation missions will be allowed to take off. The decr...
Look at the PPE Suits AirAsia Is Testing for Flight Attendants
Posted on 04/29/2020, 6:00 AM
Sure, you all laughed in early March when Naomi Campbell showed up at the airport in a hazmat suit. Turns out the supermodel was, as usual, ahead of the fashion curve. Malaysia-based low-cost carrier AirAsia is reportedly testing the use of head-to-toe PPE (personal protective equipment) suits for cabin crews on certain flights in the Philippines. The airline has not officially announced that...
