U.S. dollars used for scrap paper at European hotels

by Jeremy Kressmann on

It’s no secret that the U.S. economy has hit a bit of a rough stretch recently. The U.S. dollar has been a victim of this economic downturn, hitting record lows against the Euro and the Yen. This has been particularly tough on international travelers to Europe, who are finding their money doesn’t go quite as far as it used to. Some recent news, however, has me wondering just how bad things might get for U.S. visitors to Europe. As a recent article from the A.P. indicates, some hotel chains in Europe are finding it cheaper to use U.S. currency as scrap paper for their guests.

According to the piece, a number of hotels throughout Europe including several chains in Germany, France and Belgium have already made the switch and have been pleased with the decision. Apparently, the hotels are finding that guests appreciate the novelty of the gesture and are also seeing benefits in their bottom line as well. Jacques Funnez-Monet, chairman of the Parisian Hotel Association, pointed out that many European hotel chains see the decision to creatively reuse the dollar as a win-win situation for everyone. As Funnez-Monet indicated, “The money we are saving on paper allows our hotels to provide added benefits for our guests, like extra in-room bidets.”

Certainly dismaying news for American visitors to Europe. But look on the bright side – perhaps it’s an opportunity to pick up a unique souvenir on your next trip to Paris.

Swarm of rare jellyfish to invade shore of Ibiza

by Abha Malpani on

About half a million, blue-green color jellyfish are expected to hoard in this summer along the coast of Ibiza, Spain’s most popular Balearic Island. The blue-green color of the jellyfish is owed to their consumption of sea algae, resulting in them being almost invisible to the naked eye. These jellyfish are a rare breed that only surface (if at all) in leap years.

For travelers planning a trip to Ibiza this summer, not to worry, the jellyfish are not poisonous and do not bite. In fact, it is known to be pleasurable swimming with them as you feel them subtly tingle against your body.

Also, these are probably the only type of jellyfish in the world that are edible and have aphrodisiac properties. Sweet and acidic in taste, they are served with ice-cream as a rare dessert delicacy of the islands.

In response to national bullying, Denmark introduces Danish fish

by Anna Brones on

National identity is important in Scandinavia. Jokes between the Swedes, Danes, Norwegians and Finns fly back and forth like rapid bullet fire. It was therefore no surprise last month when Denmark accused Swedish furniture giant IKEA of bullying the country, by only naming furniture items of lesser value — for example, doormats and rugs — after Danish places.

After a surge of frustration, Denmark finally found a way to get back at their northern neighbors: the introduction of Danish fish. Similar to their Scandinavian brothers — Swedish fish — Danish fish are made of a gummy-like substance but with a delicious custard filling — just like the country’s namesake pastry.

Svensson Dagbladet, a Swedish daily newspaper, commented in an editorial piece that “the addition of Danish fish to the candy market is clearly symbolic of Denmark’s feeling of inferiority.”

Airline mistakenly carries passenger on outside of plane

by Kent Wien on

Passengers have recently complained about their seat assignments and being bumped from first class, but this story just may put everything in perspective.

It seems that 26 year-old Christopher Griffin was taken for the ride of a lifetime while trying to be a good Samaritan. Griffin worked for the Big Creek Fish Company in Egegik, Alaska when a MarkAir Express Cessna 207 landed on the beach near the fish processing plant.

Griffin jumped in his truck to meet the airplane and offload any supplies it may have brought. After unloading about a dozen boxes from the airplane, the pilot started up the single engine Cessna and taxied to the end of the beach.

The plane struggled to turn around the in the muddy sand and the nosewheel became stuck. The pilot then asked for help. It seemed his plan was for Griffin to push down on the horizontal stabilizer at the back of the airplane, which would raise the nosewheel, while the pilot added enough power to get out of the sticky situation.

“Take your hat off, it’s going to get pretty windy!” Griffin recalled the pilot saying. That turned out to be understated a bit.
Griffin obliged and pushed down on the front of the airplane’s stabilizer while facing towards the back of the plane. This effort paid off and the airplane began to move. The stabilizer–the small wing at the back of an airplane–caught him in the abdomen, but he figured the pilot would stop once he was able to get out of the muddy area.

Amazingly, the pilot continued to accelerate until lifting off the ground. Griffin considered letting go even after the airplane was in the air, but decided against it since the “water was too shallow near the beach.”

The plane leveled off and turned back to another beach before landing again. The pilot, who no longer works for MarkAir, jumped out of the airplane and asked Christopher why he didn’t let go.

“Why didn’t you stop?” Chistopher asked.

The pilot then flew Griffin back to his truck–this time inside the plane. The pilot asked him to keep it between the two of them.

FAA spokeswoman Joette Storm said she wasn’t sure what regulation the pilot may have violated. “There’s no safety provisions for a human on the outside of an aircraft. I don’t think it would fall under our regulations.”

The CEO of MarkAir Express, Neil Bergt, tried to play down the hype. “I don’t think it was that much of an incident. No one was hurt and the airplane wasn’t damaged.” Bergt said.

I wonder how many frequent flyer miles would be appropriate for Christopher Griffin when he submited his letter complaining about his treatment. Or did MarkAir Express insist on charging him for the round trip flight?

Local prostitute now accepts frequent flyer miles

by Iva Skoch on

Roxanne, a 34-year old prostitute specializing in full service post-flight care of business travelers, announced yesterday that she would start accepting frequent flyer miles as a form of payment. The recent economic downturn has negatively influenced her business, which she practices out of a stall in the Terminal C men’s bathroom at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“Business has definitely sucked lately,” said Roxanne during a recent interview. “You can tell that guys are slow to pay up. Their [wives] must really be keeping them on a short leash.” That’s why she came up with the idea of accepting frequent flyer miles. She accepts all airline companies’ frequent flyer programs, except for Virgin’s, citing “conflict of interest.”

Most of her clients have hundreds of thousands of miles and they have nothing to spend them on. “I mean, have you ever tried to use your miles to actually get a free air ticket?” says Bruno, senior data analyst at a international consulting firm and Roxanne’s loyal customer. “First, they put you on hold for an hour, then they tell you can’t fly the days you want to fly. I am done with them.”

That is not how things work at Roxanne’s stall. She never puts her clients on hold and there are no blackout dates. She does offer special no-line treatment to her platinum car holders and all other clients are served in the order in which they were received. For 25,000 miles–or the equivalent of a domestic ticket–Roxanne can provide her signature “Cockpit Cockadoodle” treatment. For 50,000 miles, she lets her clients cheat and move into the more roomy handicap stall before takeoff.