World Travel News

[Prawn_86]

HOTEL prices around the world fell in the fourth quarter of last year with the steepest declines seen in the United States and Canada, a survey shows.
In North America, the average price paid for a hotel room was down by 12 per cent between October and December last year compared with the same period in 2007, a survey published today by hotels.com of some 68,000 properties in more than 12,500 locations, showed.


http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,25240078-5014090,00.html

Thats a decent sized survey, so one would assume its fairly accurate. I guess a lot of hotels are dropping prices to try and keep busieness travellers, who have had their budgets cut.

[Prawn_86]

THREE Emirates pilots have spoken out about fatigue problems at the airline, saying passenger safety is under threat.

The pilots, who all currently fly for the airline, spoke separately to the Sunday Herald Sun to outline concerns about fatigue, morale and management of the United Arab Emirates-based airline.



http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,25421565-5014090,00.html

These guys dont seem to be having a good run of late, and i have heard a lot of various reports about them being understaffed etc, so i would think twice before flying with them...

[travel007]

Yes, I agree with you, some hotels are break down their rates for good business. I have also read in travel news.

[Prawn_86]

An Air France plane travelling from Rio in Brazil to Paris has gone down somewhere over the Atlantic ocean. 228 people were on board and officials have narrowed the search area and are hoping to find the wreckage today.

Sympathies go out to anyone involved.

[Prawn_86]

A 5km trail of debris suspected to be from Air France Flight AF447 has been spottede by military planes off the coast of Brazil. Brazillian navy vessels are steaming there at the moment to recover any wreckage and bodies.

[Prawn_86]

A 5km trail of debris suspected to be from Air France Flight AF447 has been spottede by military planes off the coast of Brazil. Brazillian navy vessels are steaming there at the moment to recover any wreckage and bodies.
Authorities have admitted that the oil slick and the debris they found are not from Flight AF447, so now its anyone's guess as to where the Air France plane actually is.

Oil slick and debris was apparently from a container ship that had been in the area.

They have started searching for the plane again...

[Prawn_86]

Bodys and wreckage has now been recovered from Air France Flight AF447.


"This morning at 8.14am (9.14pm AEST Saturday), we confirmed the rescue from the water of pieces and bodies that belonged to the Air France flight," Col Amaral said.

[kennas]

As much as I know airtravel is extremely safe, I was thinking about this crash as my plane from Cancun and Panama was taking off and landing yesterday. And, while in the air, watching the sky for storm clouds .... :(

[EverNothing]

A UK travel firm is planning a trans-Atlantic cruise in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

The Titanic Memorial Cruise will depart, as the original ship did, on April 8, from Southampton, England, and arrive at the spot in the North Atlantic where the "unsinkable ship" sank on April 15.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26181533-5014090,00.html

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/774/0704481600.jpg (http://img65.imageshack.us/i/0704481600.jpg/)

I guess if your a fan of history (or the movie) this cruise would be a awesome experience. Let's hope there's enough lifeboats this time around - just in case.

[EverNothing]

New viewing platform opens at Uluru.

ULURU will be seen in a new light today when a closed corner of the national park is opened for the first time to tourists.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26181423-5004782,00.html

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7425/0704454400.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/i/0704454400.jpg/)

Anything that takes the emphasis off climbing can only be a good thing surely. You wouldn't dare think about climbing the The Taj Mahal, St. Peter's Basilisk or the Eiffel Tower so why wouldn't your morals also apply for Uluru? It's a no-brainer in my opinon.

[EverNothing]

British Airways flight cancelled over tarantula

A FLIGHT was cancelled after a passenger claimed to have spotted a tarantula crawling between his legs onboard the aircraft.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26276008-5014090,00.html

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/2117/0711249400.jpg (http://img262.imageshack.us/i/0711249400.jpg/)

Haha, that's insane. Considering the passenger was the ONLY person to see the potential spider makes me wonder if he made the whole story up. Still, it makes you ponder - what if SOMETHING was crawling around aboard. I smell a sequel to Snakes on a Plane!!!

[Prawn_86]

Haha, that's insane. Considering the passenger was the ONLY person to see the potential spider makes me wonder if he made the whole story up. Still, it makes you ponder - what if SOMETHING was crawling around aboard. I smell a sequel to Snakes on a Plane!!!

Thats heaps amusing. The fact that they didnt find it after is also a bit suss...

Its not as though he freaked out though, and no-one wants their flight delayed, so i dont see why anyone would lie about it

[EverNothing]

Sick pilot unable to land Qantas jet in Perth

A QANTAS plane landed safely in Perth this morning after calling for assistance when a pilot became incapacitated.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26280861-5014090,00.html

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3889/0711657500.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/i/0711657500.jpg/)

Phew, crisis averted. The co-pilot would have been crapping himself but working under stress is what they're trained for. It's easy NOT to panic when remembering that flying 1000 feat above sea level the plane virtually steers itself. Pilots are really only needed for taking off and landing.

[kennas]

LOL at the Qantas spokesperson.

"They landed and all the punters are on the ground happy."

"Any landing where you are rolling in on the wheels is always a good landing."

Punters? haha

[EverNothing]

Gen Y a bunch of travel 'braggers'

GENERATION Y and baby boomer travellers are looking for a holiday with "brag factor" says Australia tourism chief.

Link found here - http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26329248-5014090,00.html

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3571/0715472300.jpg (http://img263.imageshack.us/i/0715472300.jpg/)

Interesting article. I somewhat perceive the point the journalist is trying to illustrate but I don't necessarily agree with it. I have University and High School mates who would ONLY travel to exotic destinations to obtain an awesome facebook user picture but it's definitely NOT the reason I travel.

[StaceyAdams]

Ten years is a long time in travel. I realised this when recently forced to review the past decade for TRAVELtech’s 10th Anniversary. So much has happened: Boom, Bust, Globalisation, Disease, Celebritisation, Terrorism, Disintermediation, China, India, Greed, Lust, Uber-Consumption, Despair… You know, the usual. Anyway, I’ve ended up with a list of the highs and lows of world history for travel industry tragics for each and every year from 1999 – 2000.

[EverNothing]

News link found here - http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/french-hotel-offers-guests-a-night-as-a-hamster/story-e6frfq80-1225805815942

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6294/816333hamsterhotel.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/i/816333hamsterhotel.jpg/)

Sacrebleu! Those crazy French have a hard enough time trying to convince the Amercians that they aren't, "filthy assholes" and somehow I don't think these new unconventional hotel rooms are going to strengthen their defence. I laughed out loud reading the last line - "However, the price is soon to go up as today's hamsters need, according to the owners, Wifi and a giant TV screen." Oh really, a home entertainment system yet you still have to eat out of a feeder?

[aimhigh]

Lol, this is one of the craziest thing I've ever seen in history. LOL. I can't believe how gullible the French are. :p

[EverNothing]

Southwest Airlines plane diverted as baby born mid-flight!

A COMMERCIAL jet was forced to divert after a passenger gave birth to a boy mid-flight.

News article link found here - http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/southwest-airlines-plane-diverted-as-baby-born-mid-flight/story-e6frfq80-1225807643561

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/8152/648245newsimagesouthwes.jpg (http://img300.imageshack.us/i/648245newsimagesouthwes.jpg/)

Wow. Is that crazy or what? It just goes to show how overpopulated Amercia has become in recent decades with babies now being born on commercial flights to save hospital beds. I guess the health-care system really is on it's last legs over there. Okay, so i'm probably overemphasizing the situation but heck - in another twenty five years it'll presumably be true.

I wonder, knowing how budgeted airlines are these days I wouldn't be shocked if they classified the newborn as 'unchecked carry-on baggage'. :eek:

[EverNothing]

COURT BANS BRITISH AIRWAYS STRIKE!!!

The Christmas holiday plans of one million British Airways passengers have been saved thanks to the High Court in London blocking a planned 12-day strike by the airline's cabin crew.

NEWS Article Link, found here - http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/court-bans-ba-strike/story-e6frfq80-1225811588599

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/310/455871britishairwayspla.jpg (http://img9.imageshack.us/i/455871britishairwayspla.jpg/)

Thank heavens. I'm all for work unions having some degree of power over employers (work choices, anyone) but striking over Christmas and the holiday season would have been a country-wide cataclysm, wrecking the vacation plans for thousands upon thousands of travellers and most importantly - families. A post-Christmas strike is something they should have originally considered from the beginning.

Regardless, British Airways must recover from this mess and try to rebuild their relationship with frequent flyers back up again. This scandal is almost as bad as the time they put Snoop Dogg on its "no-fly" list. Bloody disgraceful! :p

[EverNothing]

Lie-back comfort for Air New Zealand economy class! (The Courier-Mail)

AIR New Zealand is set to unveil economy-class seats that allow passengers to lie back and sleep.

NEWS Article Link, found here - http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/lie-back-comfort-for-air-new-zealand-economy-class/story-e6frfq80-1225823123530

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/2908/123516sleepplane.jpg

...

Proper beds on an aircraft? What's next - hammocks on gliders... :cool:

I think the Kiwis are finally onto something here. The plan sounds wondrous. Granted i've never been on a 10 hour long-haul flight across the world but I could imagine (being a restless, light-sleeper) it must be a pain in the arse when it comes to bed time. Does anyone have any nightmare stories relating to uncomfortably sleeping on transportation overnight?

[kennas]

Proper beds on an aircraft? What's next - hammocks on gliders... :cool:

I think the Kiwis are finally onto something here. The plan sounds wondrous. Granted i've never been on a 10 hour long-haul flight across the world but I could imagine (being a restless, light-sleeper) it must be a pain in the arse when it comes to bed time. Does anyone have any nightmare stories relating to uncomfortably sleeping on transportation overnight?My only nightmare on long trips is being stuck close to snorers. Arghhh!!!!! :mad:

Longest bus ride I've been on was about 30hrs from Santa Fe to Merida in Venezuela. Drank a bottle of rum on the way that made it ok..

I'm on a long flight tonight. Flying from Lima to Buenos Aires, then BA to Sydney, and Sydney to Melbourne. I'm Business Class on the BA to Sydney leg, so should get some nice valium assisted sleep on that leg. :)

[inenigma]

I'm on a long flight tonight. Flying from Lima to Buenos Aires, then BA to Sydney, and Sydney to Melbourne. I'm Business Class on the BA to Sydney leg, so should get some nice valium assisted sleep on that leg. :)

Welcome back. heh !

[Stay24seven]

So how was the trip? :p

[EverNothing]

Tiger Aiways ponders carry-on bag fee (Steve Creedy, The Australian)

Tiger Airways has refused to rule out charging for carry-on luggage after US-based Spirit Airlines became the first to slug passengers for the privilege.

NEWS Article Link, found here - http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/tiger-aiways-ponders-carry-on-bag-fee/story-e6frfq80-1225851679652

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9849/459304bizmoneynewstiger.jpg

.....

How much more 'budget' can Tiger possibly become? Soon we'll be paying for the god damn seats themselves. :mad:

Honestly though, I don't see a suitable reason for this potential fee. Most people have one or two carry-on baggage items. If the airlines don't want us to bring on handbags or backpacks then take down the racks above our heads on each aircraft because they serve no other purpose. Just watch; soon we'll be slugged a bill for joining the mile high club. Disgraceful. :p