It's not going to be a very happy Fourth of July weekend for anyone in the Big Sur area or anyone headed there. A slow-growing fire has been waging war on the scenic coastal region for nearly 12 days. On Tuesday, things got much worse, prompting a major evacuation.
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by juliana
Naomi Campbell certainly chose an, uh, original response to her arrest at London Heathrow after allegedly hitting and kicking flight attendants: She wants a boycott of British Airways, the airline she was flying at the time of her arrest.
One might think a boycott would be unnecessary after an act that supposedly got her banned from BA, but Campbell wants the world to know "There was a complete disrespect for the passengers" on her scheduled flight to Rio de Janeiro.
The airline would not confirm or deny the ban, but the supermodel claimed BA officials later begged her to fly with them again--but she haughtily refused. Plausible pissed-off passenger or crazy concocted crap? You decide.
Related Stories:
· Supermodels Go Through Baggage Hell, Too [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Travel Hell coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Hollywood Grind]
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by egw
This week witnessed American Airlines' PR meltdown as the megacarrier canceled thousands of flights due to safety concerns. So you're single and stuck in a hub city far from friends and family... what's a seasoned traveler to do? Make the best of it by making a connection at one of these national hot spots, even in your most wrinkled suit.
In Dallas: Try not to stare at Twisted Root Burger Company (2615 Commerce St.) which serves its juicy hunks of meat with in-house root beer. More Dallas Missed Connections.
In Chicago: Put on your Juicy Couture perfume and order up some margs at the Frontera Grill (449 N. Clark St.), "Iron Chef America" competitor Rick Bayless' Mexican spot. More Chicago Missed Connections.
In Miami: Just try to get some work done at Barnie's Coffee and Tea (169 Flagler St.) More Miami Missed Connections.
In St. Louis: Interrupt someone else's work at the Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester Ave.), perhaps the last restaurant in the world to ask "Smoking or non?" (Or, just hang around at baggage claim.) More St. Louis Missed Connections.
Related Stories:
· Missed Connections coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: wd502]
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So it's not just the brand new planes that are sitting on the tarmac. American Airlines continues to keep truckloads of its MD-80s grounded as it performs safety investigations on wheel well wiring. The carrier says the hundreds of cancellations are affecting "some" travel.
You can check on your flight by going to AA's status page. You can also set up mobile alerts there, which will ping your phone via SMS or email with any changes to your gate or departure time.
As for when the mess will be sorted out, it's anyone's guess. After nixing about 460 flights yesterday, American has canceled 850 today, though some freshly-inspected MD-80s are already back in service.
Have a report from the front lines? Let us know or send us a tweet.
Related Stories:
· AA Cancels 850 Flights as Inspections Continue [DMN]
· AA Cancels 850 Flights [Reuters]
· American Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
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by pbb
Back in February, British Airways was hyping its fancy baggage handling system at the new Terminal 5:
The 11 miles of conveyor belts and intelligent baggage carts running on almost 3 miles of rails mean your bag can reach your gate in 15 minutes.
Ha! Tell that to the 15,000 suitcases BA mishandled this weekend. Airline CEO Willie Walsh just sent out yet another apology specifically addressed to the people who are still waiting for their luggage:
A backlog of undelivered bags has built up. This backlog is not affecting the day-to-day operation of the baggage system, and we are making every effort to reunite delayed bags with their owners. We have more than 400 volunteers from across the airline supporting this effort.
That may be, but BA won't make any promises as to when the T5 shitshow will be sorted out. That includes the baggage problems--and the fact that 54 of today's 394 flights have already been cancelled.
Related Stories:
· Terminal 5 Chaos Could Last All Week [Telegraph]
· Sunday's Apology from British Airways [Airline Biz Blog]
· First Look Inside London's New T5 [Jaunted]
· Terminal 5 at London Heathrow coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: James Cridland]
Remember last Valentine's Day when JetBlue had the biggest service meltdown in recent memory? We do! And, apparently, we're not alone 'cause everybody's blogging about it today.
Chris Elliott has some slight praise for JetBlue, which has learned plenty about weather crises in the past year. (The airline's waiving ticket change fees for people who wanna skip out on all the "fun" at JFK tonight and tomorrow.) In fact, positive reviews from JB flyers are already rolling in to The Consumerist.
Delta's also waiving ticket change fees for certain city pairs; check the airline's press release to see if your flight is covered.
Related Stories:
· Icy Storm Blows Through Northeast [AP, via Google]
· Happy Valentine's Day. Here's Your Ice Storm [Elliott]
· Valentine's Day Ice Storm 2008: Everybody Panic! [The Consumerist]
· FAA Flight Delay Info [Official Site]
· The JetBlue Debacle [Jaunted]
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Woe be to the wanderers, waiting out the wicked winter weather that's whipping windsocks near and far. Snow and ice are backing up New York's airports--big surprise--and Chicago and Milwaukee are digging out, too.
Then again, if you aren't on the way to your destination, you aren't at risk for a runway collision. Congressional investigators say there's a "high risk" of that happening soon, but of course this is one of those things that sounds way scarier than it actually is. Never forget, kids: Flying may be painful sometimes, but it's an incredibly safe way to get around.
Related Stories:
· More Snow Coming to Chicago [Chicago Tribune]
· High Risk of Runway Collision Plagues US [AP, via Google]
· Airlines Cut Schedules Despite Demand [USA Today]
· New In-Flight Programming Helps You Forget You're on US Air [CNN]
· Travel Hell coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Chicago Tribune]
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We never should've contradicted our own rule about covering Kim Kardashian. Two days after we reported that the dubiously famous reality show/sex tape star was robbed at JFK, doubt is being cast on her account because no police report was ever filed in the theft. Because of her accusations, several Delta employees are even considering a lawsuit.
A publicity stunt perpetrated by someone who's already attained too much notoriety? Just awful. We're now returning to our Kardashian-related radio silence.
Related Stories:
· Delta Employees Suing Kim Kardashian Over Airline Theft Claim [PopCrunch]
· Phantom Kim Theft [NY Post]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: The Superficial]
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