South African flight crews know how to get high

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you’re having trouble staying awake or just like to party, book your next flight on South African Airways. The UK Border Agency arrested 15 SAA crew members – nine men and six women – at Heathrow Airport. Why are they now guests of the Queen? This crew was caught trying to slip 11 lbs of cocaine into the country.

The episode is just another example of poor timing. The drugs are estimated to have a street value of ???250,000. If nose candy is pegged to the U.S. dollar, it would have been worth almost twice as much six months ago.

Last month, another 15 SAA crew members were busted at Heathrow for hauling cocaine and cannabis into England. They were a bit more ambitious, with a haul with an estimated value of ???310,000. The outcome, however, was the same. BBC News calls it a separate incident, but it smells like a pattern to me … and my nasal passages are clean.

The most recent perps were given bail and instructed to return to court on March 23. The only question that remains is how much more cocaine they’ll have to “import” to cover their legal fees.

[Via BBC News]


Only these women have caused more problems than SAA’s pilots!

No serious injuries in London crash

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The crashes continue.

In London yesterday, BA Flight 8456 screeched down the runway when its front landing gear failed. There were no fatalities, and only one of the 71 people on board had injuries (which were minor). Nonetheless, the emergency slides were evacuated, and passengers slid to safety on the tarmac. So far, the cause of the problem is unknown

Because of the crash, the cabin filled with smoke, causing alarm among the passengers who were initially calm. Of course, all was fine after staff members at London’s City Airport served the passengers food and drinks. See, airlines aren’t greedy!

[Via MSNBC, photo via Stefan Rousseau/AP]

The Very Best Foreign National Parks

by Kraig Becker on

The Coalition of National Park Services Retirees (yeah, I didn’t know they existed either) put out a press release yesterday listing the organizations favorite national parks from around the globe. The list was compiled by the more than 700 members of the CNPSR, who voted on their favorite places to visit while traveling abroad. Each of those members is a former employee of the U.S. National Park Service, and the members have an average of nearly 30 years of experience each, giving them a broad understanding of what makes a great park. Amongst their numbers are former rangers, park directors and deputy directors, regional directors and more.

The ten top parks according to the CNPSR is as follows:

1. TONGARIRO N. P., New Zealand
2. KAKADU N. P., Northern Territory, Australia
3. SNOWDONIA N. P., Wales, Great Britain
4. KRUGER N. P., South Africa
5. TIKAL N. P., Guatemala
6. IGUAZU N. P., Argentina
7. SAGARMANTHA N. P., Nepal
8. MADAIN SALEY NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK, Saudi Arabia
9. PLITVICE LAKES N.P., Croatia
10. HORTOBAGY N.P., Hungary
The actual story goes into more detail as to which each of the parks was selected, and what makes them stand out in the crowd. For instance, Tongarirro in New Zealand is a World Heritage Site with three volcanos, one of which is active. The park also lets visitors get up close to the Maori culture, with many members of the tribe still living within the park itself. By contrast, Kruger National Park in South Africa, is listed as one of the best places on the planet to view wildlife, with hundreds of different species on display.

Overall, a great list, and some good suggestions on places you can visit while traveling abroad. It’s nice to see some of the lesser known parks make the list, like Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. These kinds of lists sure don’t help the personal life list however, as every time they are released, I add two or three new things to my agenda.

17,000 people overtake London Liverpool street station – for a Flashmob

by Scott Carmichael on

Flashmobbing is not new – in fact, the last time a massive flashmob took place at a railway station, it became one of the most popular posts we’ve ever covered here on Gadling.

This newest flashmob took place in London several days ago, and all started when a Facebook member saw a TV commercial for T-Mobile.

Inspired by the dance routines in that commercial, he invited a couple of friends to the station so they could have a little fun.

And of course, with the way social networks operate, a couple of friends invited their friends, who invited some of their friends, and this eventually turned into 17,000 people making their way towards Liverpool street station.

Check out the video for yourself. The event was so successful that more of them are being planned, but nothing beats the spontaneous kind of gathering put together by a single Facebook message.

The UK’s “environment czar” doesn’t want people to go anywhere

by Annie Scott on

Damn the man who’s saving the empire?

Adair Turner, chairman of the independent Committee on Climate Change, who is cheekily called the “environment czar” of Great Britain, made a proposal on Thursday that nobody’s gonna like.

In an effort to protect the environment from the ravages of the pasty empire lying on beaches (oh all right, and carbon dioxide emissions), Turner wants the Britains to limit their trips abroad to just a few per year. We’re talking making it law.

This just reeks of “rule for the people without enough money to skirt it.” Isn’t Great Britain’s class system already pronounced enough?

[via ATW Daily News]