Japanese Airline to Make Jet Look Like "Star Wars" Droid
Posted on 07/21/2016, 8:30 AM
Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) is going to paint one of its Boeing 777 jets to look like the Star Wars character C-3PO. That will make it the fourth Star Wars-themed plane in the company's fleet. The others are painted to look like C-3PO's fellow droids R2-D2 and BB-8. Those two characters each have their own planes and a third has both of their likenessess—all before ANA got around to C-3P...
You Can Take a Yoga Class on a Ferris Wheel in Vegas
Posted on 07/21/2016, 8:15 AM
Where's the ideal spot to practice yoga? On top of some mountain in the Himalayas? How about on board a Ferris wheel in the heart of the famoulsy serene Las Vegas Strip? Sin City's the High Roller—at 550 feet, the world's tallest observation wheel (it's located at the Linq promenade across from Caesars Palace)—now hosts daily one-hour yoga sessions in the wheel's cabins. With the Strip and su...
Parents Not Suing Disney World Over Toddler Killed by Gator
Posted on 07/21/2016, 8:00 AM
The parents of a toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World in Orlando say they have no plans to sue the theme park over the incident. Two-year-old Lane Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, was dragged into the water by an alligator on June 14. His body was recovered the next day. In a statement, the boy's parents, Matt and Melissa Graves, describe themselves as "broken" by the death, but t...
New App Lets You Switch Rental Cars on the Spot
Posted on 07/20/2016, 8:15 AM
Rental car company Avis introduced a new mobile app last week designed to give customers more control over the car-choosing process. If you're unhappy with the car assigned to you, you can pick another on the spot by swiping through images of the available inventory until you find a make and model more to your liking. You can also use the app to extend or shorten your rental agreement or summon ...
Cruise Lines Continue to Cancel Stops in Turkey
Posted on 07/20/2016, 8:00 AM
Cruise lines—including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Celebrity Cruises—continue to cancel stops in Istanbul and other Turkish cities, substituting days at sea or calls at Mediterranean spots in Greece and Italy. The latest moves come in response to a failed military coup intended to overthrow Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Previous cancelations have been prompted by terrori...
Interest in Travel Insurance Surges Following Terror Attacks
Posted on 07/20/2016, 8:00 AM
Experts in the travel insurance industry say that consumer interest in terrorism coverage and trip cancelation policies has surged following recent attacks in Brussels, Paris, Nice, and elsewhere. Despite the increased interest, however, you shouldn't be seeing rate hikes or policy changes; those things are heavily regulated. But although terrorism coverage has become standard since 9/11, make s...
Singapore Getting a Michelin Guide
Posted on 07/19/2016, 8:30 AM
Singapore—undoubtedly one of the world's great food capitals—is getting its own Michelin Guide, making it the first Southeast Asian country to be singled out by the gold-standard dining directory. Something else that makes Michelin's list for Singapore unique: it will include 17 hawker stalls, the small businesses specializing in a single dish apiece and grouped together in hawker centers across...
Marriott Brings Hotel Brand Aimed at Millennials to USA
Posted on 07/19/2016, 8:15 AM
Hotel chains have begun courting Millennials—travelers in their 20s and 30s who have been spending more and more money on trips. Two of the generation's defining characteristics are said to be a fixation on technology and a fondness for laid-back communal spaces, so in the future you can expect a lot more hotels with internet TV and ping-pong tables in the lobby. To wit: Marriott Internationa...
21 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites Announced
Posted on 07/19/2016, 7:45 AM
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee added 21 sites to its World Heritage List during the group's annual meeting in Istanbul last week (a meeting that had to be cut short because of the failed coup attempt in Turkey). Among the new natural and cultural spots deemed worth preserving: 17 buildings across seven countries designed by 20th-century Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, the fossil-rich ...
Lawsuit Filed Against LA's Skyslide
Posted on 07/18/2016, 8:00 AM
A lawsuit has been filed claiming that a woman broke her ankle on the recently opened Skyslide at the top of U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles. A feature of the skyscraper's new observation lounge, the glass-enclosed slide stretches 45 feet from the 70th to the 69th floors, letting riders zoom above downtown LA at a height of 1,000 feet for a hot second (we tried the attraction out when it opened ...
