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SunExpress’s German-American boss Max Kownatzki told trade publication TTG that one special flight operated by the Turkish airline for a group of Brits on a golfing break was drunk dry in the space of 25-minutes.

A fiery debate has sparked after a cruise denied eight passengers to board the ship after they failed to make the 3 pm cut-off time. The Norwegian Dawn ship left the tourists on an African island, some without their possessions after the private tour they were on ran late. The group have now made their way by plane, ferry and car to Senegal, over 2,000 miles from São Tomé and Príncipe, where the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) ship departed without them last Wednesday. US couple Jill and Jay Campbell, who were among the abandoned eight cruisers have spent more than...

House Republicans took action this week to reverse an Obama administration policy that critics claim prioritizes diversity over skills for hiring air traffic controllers and could be “risking passengers’ lives to advance their woke agenda.” In passing the $4 billion Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill Thursday, the House included a provision to eliminate the “biographical assessment.” Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, sponsored the amendment. The assessment reportedly gives more points to applicants who have not been employed for the last three years than to an applicant who answers that he has been a pilot or a veteran with an air traffic...

President Biden’s administration said Monday it is writing new rules aimed at requiring airlines to compensate passengers for significant flight delays or cancellations when the carriers are responsible. It is the latest in a series of moves by the Biden administration to crack down on airlines and bolster passenger consumer protections for domestic flights and international flights involving an American destination or origin. “When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Nearly half of the passengers on two recent flights from China to Milan tested positive for COVID-19, Italian health officials said on Wednesday. About 38 percent of passengers on one flight into Milan’s Malpensa Airport tested positive for COVID-19, as did about 52 percent of those on a second flight, according to local officials in Italy’s Lombardy region. Italy will begin testing all new arrivals from China and sequencing the tests for new variants amid China’s surge in COVID-19 cases, Italy’s health minister said on Wednesday. “The measure is essential to ensure surveillance and detection of possible variants of the...

TOKYO Japan is very proud of its trains, and in many ways rightfully so. The country has one of the cleanest, most reliable, and most convenient rail networks to be found anywhere on the planet. But it isn’t perfect, and the undeniably worst part of train travel in Japan is the possibility of encountering a chikan, or groper, onboard. Rail operators have tried various countermeasures to attempt to prevent gropings, but the actions of one East Japan Railway Co (JR East) worker have been drawing criticism after a video taken at Shinjuku Station in downtown Tokyo on Aug 30 recently...

Does the thought of sharing a commercial airline flight with a fellow passenger who insists on not wearing a mask scare you? Fear not. Airlines say they have options — including refunds in some cases – for those disturbed by bare-faced fliers. Many air travellers in the next few weeks bought their tickets before a federal judge in Florida on Monday struck down the requirement to wear a mask in airports and during flights, as Breitbart News reported.

CNN)Once again, the shifting winds of the Covid-19 pandemic have placed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a pickle. Last month, in the (very brief) good old days after the original Omicron variant had settled, the agency had indicated that, on April 18, it would reevaluate the mask-wearing mandate on airplanes, trains and other "transportation conveyances."

Passengers aboard a Norwegian cruise ship are stuck at sea this week after the cruise line decided to cancel the cruise mid-voyage due to COVID-19 concerns. Aimee Focaraccio, who boarded a 10-day cruise on the Norwegian Gem from New York, told USA Today that she was notified on Thursday that the cruise would be canceled due to issues related to COVID-19, but was not provided an early return date.

Airline corporations have explicitly demanded passengers wear masks between bites of food and sips of drinks. Despite a Harvard study reported by the Washington Post in 2020 that indicates “flying can be safer than eating at a restaurant during the pandemic” due to “onboard systems that constantly circulate and refresh air,” airlines have begun conducting in-flight announcements to cudgel people into donning masks while eating and drinking.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is ordering airlines to turn over the names of passengers who have recently been in any of eight southern African countries where the COVID-19 Omicron variant is known to be spreading. The CDC issued the directive to airlines late Tuesday, according to Reuters, which obtained a copy of the order. It requires all airlines to collect and turn over names and contact information for all travelers who have been to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe in the past 14 days. The letter from the CDC cited “the...

PASSENGERS were left feeling a little sick when they reportedly spotted a woman breastfeeding a cat onboard a flight. According to a now-viral message which appears to be from the pilot, the woman refused to stop the questionable activity despite repeated pleas from the cabin crew. Horrified passengers onboard Delta Air flight DL1360 to Atlanta reportedly watched on in horror as the woman took caring for her cat a step too far. As the woman would not put her pet back in its carrier, the pilot demanded Delta's Redcoat ground team meet the customer after landing to reprimand her. An...

The federal government has ordered a tougher crackdown on unruly airline passengers, directing states to prioritize prosecuting rowdy fliers as millions of Americans travel for Thanksgiving. US Attorney General Merrick Garland issued the directive in a memo Wednesday, saying disorderly travelers are interfering with critical jobs of crews on airlines “that help ensure safe air travel.”

DALLAS, TX—A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines has announced delays in flights due to strange weather that seems to pass over competitors’ planes, only affecting their own signature blue and orange aircraft. The airline has stated these delays have no connection to their pilots protesting vaccine mandates. The spokesperson then announced a new Southwest Airlines incentive program for potential passengers: All flights, domestic or international, are free to any passenger who is vaccinated and can also fly a plane. “The requirements to take advantage of these incredible savings are simple,” said Southwest CEO Bob Southwest to a crowd of customers who...

Many of us AvGeeks are tracking the progress of the passenger counts supplied by the Transportation Security Administration during the COVID pandemic. Avid numbers geeks also know that raw data should always be converted to associated cool charts.The first chart below displays the raw data. Because the TSA lists the most current day first, the chart reconstructs a chronological visualization for the same time periods January – December.Well aren’t those some squiggly lines? Because these are daily points, the lines show large amplitudes that correlate to high traffic (Fridays) and low traffic (Tuesdays). Let’s smooth out the lines using a...

March 30 (UPI) -- The New York City Police Department said it is investigating two incidents of assault that targeted an Asian woman, who was stomped in the head, and an Asian man, who was punched and choked on the New York City subway. Both incidents are believed to have occurred on Monday. The unidentified 65-year-old woman was allegedly walking to church on Monday, when at about 11:40 a.m. a man approached her and kicked her in the stomach, the New York Daily News reported. Surveillance video from the building on West 43rd Street in midtown Manhattan also showed the...

Sister companies American Queen Steamboat Co. (AQSC) and Victory Cruise Lines (VCL) became the first U.S. cruise lines to announce they will require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations from all passengers and crew members given at least 14 days before boarding the ships. The measure, which goes into effect July 1, 2021, expands upon the enhanced health and safety measures announced in 2020, which include pre-cruise COVID-19 testing of all guests and crew and mask-wearing in public areas where social distancing is not possible. The first to announce a passenger vaccine requirement was a U.K. line, Saga, which requires proof of...

A flight from Greece to Wales carrying “selfish ‘covidiots’ and an inept crew” has led to at least 16 passengers testing positive for COVID-19 and nearly 200 people in two weeks of self-isolation, according to reports. The German-based TUI flight — which took off Aug. 25 from the island of Zante to Cardiff with 193 passengers and seven crew members — was a “debacle” and a “free-for-all,” passengers told the BBC. Health authorities said seven people from three different parties are believed to have already been potentially infectious aboard the plane, according to the news outlet.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told NBC’s Today that the company has already added 100 travelers to its “no fly list” over refusal to wear masks. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said it has already added 100 people to a “do not fly” list for their refusal to don appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Even those unable to wear a mask are out of luck, according to the new policy.

Despite mass cancellations of voyages, Miami-based Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — the three largest cruise companies — have raised enough cash to last at least 10 cruise-less months, according to analysts. The fourth largest, MSC Cruises, is privately held. But will people want to cruise again after thousands have been infected with COVID-19 after cruises and dozens have died? That’s the million dollar question, said Rockford Weitz, director of the Fletcher School Maritime Studies Program at Tufts University. Travel agents say they are seeing a steady stream of bookings for 2021, according to...