Travel News You Can Use
By Judy Newell

Mexico Travel News

Press reports spur ire 

With resorts such as Acapulco reporting student spring break arrivals down by a third this year and travel wholesalers reporting a 20-percent drop in all travel to Mexico, authorities have been increasingly critical of US publications “attacking and lying” about security problems in the country. Forbes magazine asked in a cover story whether Mexico is a failed state and listed a Mexican narcotics smuggler as among the world’s richest men.

According to Bloomberg News, President Felipe Calderón charged that corruption in the US has allowed that country to become the world’s largest consumer of drugs, adding that most of the guns used in the narcotics wars were bought in the US.

Although thousands of Mexicans have died in battles between narcotics gangs and with police, so far no tourists have been hurt.



International News

Egypt features world’s largest swimming pool

The world’s largest swimming pool, located in the middle of the Egyptian desert, is expected to be finished around July 2009. It’s part of City of Stars, a US$5.5 billion real estate development that includes the construction of 12 giant lagoons, 30,000 home units, hotels, a museum and a shopping center. The biggest of the lagoons measures 8.8 hectares in size. The project is located three kilometers from the Red Sea.

Henry VIII’s 500-year anniversary

April 22 marked the 500-year anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne. Several major exhibitions examine his life. “Henry VIII: Man and Monarch” runs April 23–September 6 at the British Library. Among the 250 items on exhibit are official documents, maps and books from the king’s personal library, as well as loans from other collections.

A highlight is a love letter, Henry VIII’s declaration of his “unchangeable intention” to marry Anne Boleyn, which has been concealed in the Vatican for almost five centuries—a letter that changed the nation.




Cruise News

Love a good political fight? This cruise is for you.

Even the most refined ships on the high seas, it seems, are no refuge from the never-ending political talk that fills America’s airwaves.

Case in point: the announcement from luxury line Crystal Cruises that the famously provocative political duo Mary Matalin and James Carville will be holding court, and squaring off, this summer on the Crystal Serenity as it sails in the Mediterranean. 

Crystal promises the husband-and-wife team—who despite years of marriage remain stubbornly on opposite ends of the political spectrum—will debate the political world’s hottest topics while on one of the vessel’s late July sailings.

The 12-day sailing begins July 28 in Venice and ends in Athens; it includes stops in Corfu, Rhodes and Mykonos, Greece; and Bodrum and Istanbul, Turkey. Fares start at US$6,055 per person, double-occupancy.

Not a fan of politics? How about fine cuisine? In addition to Matalin and Carville, the guest speaker list for the voyage includes award-winning chef Nobu Matsuhisa.



Airline News

Pet-only airline taking reservations

Pet Airways, the world’s first pets-only airline, has started taking online bookings on its website. Passengers can look forward to taking to the fur-friendly skies on the inaugural flight set for July 14.

The main cabin areas on the Florida-based company’s Beechcraft 1900 turbo prop planes have been stripped of seats and redesigned to offer four-legged creatures room in special pet crates. Initially the airline will offer service on a weekly basis to Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Washington DC and New York.

Apart from the crew, the only humans on board will be the pet attendants to take care of the furry travelers as they jet to their destinations. The service is geared to pets of all sizes, but especially large dogs that don’t qualify to fly “cabin class” on regular commercial airlines.

Airports are being equipped with special lounges where owners can relax with their pets ahead of boarding. Owners can track their pets’ journeys online, and special identification safety tags give them additional peace of mind while animals are airborne. One-way airfares start at about US$149.


Very obese fliers may have to buy second seat

United Airlines is requiring extremely obese passengers who can’t fit in their seats to pay for a second seat when there is no other way to accommodate their girth.

United will charge for a second coach seat or for upgrading to a larger seat in business or first class, if necessary. The policy applies to United and United Express flights.

United’s new policy comes into play when a heavy passenger cannot lower the armrests, close the seat belt even with a seat belt extender and seats next to that passenger are full. Passengers who refuse to comply will not be allowed to fly. Continental Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have similar, but slightly differing, polices for heavy passengers.


Delta and United plan fewer international flights

Travelers who used to fly in the expensive seats up front are moving toward the back of the plane, if they fly at all, forcing airlines to cut back on overseas flights that used to be their crown jewels.

Delta Air Lines said it would cut international flying another 10 percent beginning in September. United Airlines is cutting international flying 15 percent in the first quarter alone. Those two airlines are by far the largest US carriers to Asia.


While airlines can shrink domestic flying by shifting to smaller jets on certain routes, that’s harder to do with international flights, where they have only so many planes capable of long-haul trips.

Leisure travel has been declining too, but less than business travel. Airlines have been able to entice vacationers with lower fares, but that hasn’t worked with business travelers. Many of them are dealing with reduced corporate travel budgets that either rule out flying altogether or require them to book coach on shorter flights.

For the airline, there lies a huge difference between US$4,000 business-class tickets and $1,500 coach-class tickets. Some flights to Europe are running in the $300 to $400 range, if they’re booked far enough in advance.



Rail News

Obama prods country toward high-speed rail network

President Barack Obama called for the US to move swiftly to a system of high-speed rail travel, saying it will relieve congestion, help clean the air and save on energy.

Obama said the US cannot afford not to invest in a major upgrade to rail travel. He said he understands it necessarily will be “a long-term project,” but said the time to start is now.

The president allocated US$8 billion in the enormous $787 billion economic stimulus spending package for a start on establishing high-speed rail corridors nationwide. Transportation Department officials say about six proposed routes with federal approval for high-speed rail stand a good chance of getting some of the $8 billion award. The spurs include parts of Texas, Florida, the Chicago region and southeast routes through North Carolina and Louisiana.

The US Federal Railroad Administration says the term “high-speed rail” applies to trains traveling more than 90 mph. The European Union standard is above 125 mph. Many overseas bullet trains—most powered by overhead electricity lines—run faster than that.

In France, the TGV covers the 250 miles between Paris and Lyon in one hour and 55 minutes, at an average speed of about 133 mph. In Japan, which opened the first high-speed rail in the sixties and carries more passengers than any other country, the Japanese Shinkansen trains hurtle through the countryside at about 180 mph. Super-fast trains also run in Germany, Spain and China, at speeds up to 140 mph.



Sources: Mexican Tourism News, Travel Pulse, New York Times, USA Toda, MSNBC, Associated Press

Judy Newell heads the travel company Perfect Journeys that specializes in discounted rates for airfare, hotels, tours and cruises worldwide, as well as luxury and adventure travel. Contact her with comments or suggestions at JudyNewell_03@msn.com or go to her website www.PerfectJourneys.net.