Frankfurt Airport Wins ‘Most Improved’ Award

by Libby Zay on

“Most Improved” isn’t always the most brag-worthy recognition, but in the case of Frankfurt Airport (FRA), the prize comes not long after we wrote about how the airport was at the bottom of the “World’s Worst” list.

The accolade was bestowed upon Germany’s biggest hub by Skytrax, an aviation market research institute. The tipping point for the honor is the airport’s recently introduced “Great to have you here!” service program, which brought electric-powered express vehicles, newly designed relaxing zones, playgrounds for children and a smartphone app in several languages, plus “fast lines” that help travelers with short connection times.

It’s nice to see all that’s developed at FRA. Let’s just hope their improvement plan called for a efficient ways to deal with drunk Ukranians and Russians.

[Photo credit: Flickr user wiwin.wr]

Homeless People Give Tours In UK City

by Libby Zay on

Homeless people can often be found outside of many landmarks in Bath, England – but now instead of begging for change they’re leading tour groups.

The initiative is the brainchild of Dr. Luke Tregidgo, a former student at the University of Bath, who is working to solve one of Bath’s biggest social problems by leveraging the city’s greatest asset – its tourists.

Dubbed Secret City Tours, the new program promises, “the most entertaining guided walking tours of Bath, combining the city’s most popular destinations with hidden gems and undiscovered stories that you won’t find anywhere else.”

Bath’s homeless are already biting at the chance to become guides, and a local theater group is helping to train them. And don’t worry: they won’t be showing off the underside of bridges or abandoned buildings – the homeless guides will actually be taking tourists through Bath landmarks like the Crescent, the Roman Baths and the Abbey. And soon, the guides will hopefully earn enough money that you can’t call them “homeless” after all.

[Via Skift]

[Photo credit: Flickr user Andy Welsher]

Australians Outraged Over Qantas Pork Ban

by Libby Zay on

To the outrage of some Australians, pigs can no longer fly on Qantas airlines.

Many meat eaters can talk for hours about their love of bacon, but when the airline took pork off their menu the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages were bombarded with racist and religiously offensive comments.

On the heels of a new partnership with Dubai-based Emirates airline, Qantas removed the meat from some of its flights to appease those prohibited from eating pork due to religious restrictions. Even though Qantas maintains the elimination will minimally affect its menu, the usually happy-go-lucky Australians were outraged and many of them spewed their hatred via social media.

The airline has since pleaded with its followers to stray from posting such comments, and is removing anything that might be considered offensive. If things continue to escalate, the airline may even go so far as to disable commenting for a period of time.

[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Red Algae Bloom Kills Manatees, Sickens Tourists

by Libby Zay on
Something is blooming off the west coast of Florida this spring, but it isn’t pretty: a tide of toxic red algae is killing manatees and making tourists sick.

Manatees, or sea cows, are already a dying breed. But the large concentration of aquatic microorganisms has killed 241 of Florida’s roughly 5,000 manatees, a toll that the state Fish and Wildlife Research Institute says is certain to rise. Most manatee deaths occurred along the lower west coast of Florida near Fort Myers, where an algae bloom has been especially severe this year.

So what does the bloom mean for travelers? People have regularly had respiratory problems after inhaling brevetoxins while strolling on beaches near red tides, and can also become ill after eating seafood that have absorbed the toxins, including oysters and clams. For now, be wary of waters with a deep reddish-brown hue, especially off the Gulf of Mexico.

[Photo credit: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Wikimedia Commons]

YouTube Video Of Owl-Kicking Paraglider Prompts Investigation

by Libby Zay on

You’d think someone whose sport of choice is flying through the air would have respect for birds, but one paramotorist is catching heat after a video of him chasing and kicking an owl mid-air was uploaded to YouTube.

The man in the video doggedly pursued a Barn Owl in flight for more than seven minutes, kicking it several times as it flew over the landscape near Utah Lake. He then proceeded to brag about it, yelling, “I kicked an owl butt” in a taunting voice and asking, “Who’s the predator now?”

But federal and state wildlife officials aren’t smiling: since migratory birds are protected under federal law, officials are currently determining if the video warrants prosecution. They have a hunch the man in the video is Dell “Superdell” Schanze, a paramotorist who was arrested in 2011 after posting a video that showed him taking off from a historic monument in Oregon. I guess some people just never learn.

“I’ve gotten to know many pilots in the paragliding and powered paragliding community and I’ve found them to be some of the most considerate and conscientious fliers in aviation,” says our resident commercial and paragliding pilot, as well as “Cockpit Chronicles” columnist, Kent Wien. “But there’s always one, and I suppose every community has their own Dell ‘Superdell’ Shanze.”

The YouTube video has since been removed, but more than 50,000 people caught it during the four days it was online. Segments of it can be found in news reports online and on Facebook.