12 things in travel you need to know today

12 Things in Travel You Need to Know Today
(This is a recurring post, updated daily with new information):

Friday, July 26
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened 2,922,961 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 25. One year ago on the same day: 2,724,438.

They expected an Olympic boon. But some Paris businesses are experiencing a bust
On a typical summer day, tourists flock to the historic Marais district of Paris, wandering its charming medieval streets dotted with ultra-chic boutiques, gazing at stunning private mansions, strolling through the elegant 17th-century square Place des Vosges, and filling humming restaurants and bars. AP

Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail hours before Olympics begin
Arsonists attacked France high-speed rail network early Friday, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe for some 800,000 people, including Olympic athletes heading to the grand opening ceremony of the Games in the evening. French officials condemned the attacks as “criminal actions,” though they said there was no sign of a direct link to the Games. Prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation saying the crimes — among them property damage threatening the nation’s “fundamental interests” — could carry sentences of 10 to 20 years. AP News

Disney’s Haunted Mansion Holiday reopens: What to know
Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday is back and ready to cause some frights once again. The popular attraction at the California park is reopening its spooky doors on July 29, just in time for Halloween and the holiday season, according to a Thursday announcement on the Disney Parks Instagram. USA Today

Delta’s flight disruptions hit its premium brand image
Among the big U.S. carriers, Delta Air Lines has assiduously built a reputation as a premium airline, touting its punctual and reliable operations relative to peers. But over the last several days, its brand image has been dented. Following a global cyber outage, the Atlanta-based airline has been the slowest among major U.S. carriers to recover. Since last Friday, Delta has canceled more than 6,000 flights, leaving hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded. Analysts estimate the hit to its bottom line could be in the hundreds of millions. Yahoo

Hot airplane cabins: What’s the temperature limit?
Boarding a sweltering airplane cabin on a hot summer day has never been anyone’s favorite part of a flight, but as aviation traffic picks up — generating congestion that keeps planes on the ground for longer — and global heat records keep being broken, overheated airplane cabins could soon become a problem. There is currently no regulatory standard for cabin temperature during boarding, but the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) — an American group and the largest flight attendant union in the world — has since 2018 called for one in the US, where every airline deals with the issue in its own way. CNN

Margaret A. Muir: Site of 1893 shipwreck discovered in Lake Michigan
The November 1975 shipwreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is probably the most famous one of the Great Lakes, thanks to Gordon Lightfoot’s hit ballad. But a new discovery is putting another ship – the Margaret A. Muir – on the map. An intrepid team of maritime historians working with the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association recently located the schooner that was lost to a fierce gale on the morning of Saturday, September 30, 1893.  CNN

Devastating wildfire burns down part of western Canadian tourist town
A raging wildfire has devastated the western Canadian tourist town of Jasper, potentially destroying up to 50% of structures, and firefighters were working on Thursday to save as many buildings as possible, authorities said. Jasper is in the middle of mountainous Jasper National Park, in the province of Alberta. The town and the park, which draw more than 2 million tourists a year, were evacuated on Monday, when officials estimated there were up to 10,000 people in the town and a further 15,000 visitors in the park.  Reuters

Police officer suspended after airport kicking video
A police officer has been suspended after a film circulated online of a man being kicked and stamped on the head at Manchester Airport. Greater Manchester Police confirmed the officer had been removed from all duties after a “thorough review of further information” of the incident, which took place on Tuesday. BBC

Russian motorbike influencer Tatyana Ozolina dies in Turkey crash aged 38
Russian influencer Tatyana Ozolina, popularly known as MotoTanya, has died in a motorcycle accident in Turkey at the age of 38. Ozolina, famous for travelling around the world on her motorcycle, was reportedly riding near Milas in Muğla province when she lost control of her red BMW motorbike and collided with a truck. The Independent

Airbus boss admits long delays in making aircraft
Airbus, the global aircraft manufacturer, has admitted the company is falling behind on its orders. Guillaume Faury, the company’s chief executive officer, said there are “bottlenecks” in the supply chain. “We have more demand than the ability to supply,” he said. Mr Faury was speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, the biggest gathering of aviation professionals of the year. Airbus has major bases in the UK just outside of Bristol and in Broughton.  BBC

California’s largest wildfire doubles in size to 164,000 acres, shows explosive growth
The Park fire in Butte County — already the largest blaze in California this year — exploded to more than 164,000 acres by Friday morning, with its rapid spread forcing more evacuation warnings. The speed of the fire over two days amid steady winds and hot temperatures has been dramatic, with its remote location making it difficult to fight. It was listed at 164,286 acres Friday morning and 3% contained.  LA Times

Thursday, July 25
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened 2,719,054 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 24. One year ago on the same day: 2,510,210.

Southwest Airlines ends longstanding open seating policy and now selling seats for red-eye flights
If you’ve ever flown Southwest Airlines (SWA), then you know it’s a unique airline in many ways: The airline only uses Boeing 737 aircrafts, they have fun flight attendants, they give customers two free checked bags (up to 50 pounds each), they don’t charge change fees, you have to book tickets using their website, they don’t fly red-eye flights and most notably, they don’t assign seats. This is about to change. JohnnyJet.com

Passengers continue to endure long wait times at Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints
Wait times at security checkpoints at Pittsburgh International Airport have grown extremely long on busy days this summer travel season, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight in the immediate future. Ahead of another expected crush tomorrow, KDKA’s John Shumway reached out to TSA to get some answers and advice. CBS News

Climate activists force temporary suspension of Frankfurt airport flights
Climate activists forced the temporary suspension of flights at Frankfurt airport early this morning (Thursday) as they staged a demonstration near its runways. Germany’s busiest airport issued a travel advisory on X/Twitter asking them to check their flight status and allow for extra travel time. Travel Weekly

FAA agrees with air traffic controllers’ union to give tower workers more rest between shifts
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it will increase minimum rest time between shifts for air traffic controllers after highly publicized close calls between planes that were following orders from controllers. The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union representing the workers, agreed to a number of changes that will apply as schedules are negotiated for next year. AP News

Early-morning escalator fire at JFK Airport injures 10
Ten people were injured and nearly 1,000 were evacuated after an escalator caught fire at Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday morning, airport officials said. The escalator, in Concourse C of Terminal 8, started emitting smoke around 7:15 a.m., according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport. The Fire Department and Port Authority police officers responded, and about 990 travelers were taken by bus to other areas of the terminal, according to the Port Authority. Eight of the injured people were hospitalized for “evaluation,” the Fire Department said; their injuries were not life-threatening. The New York Times

Delta CEO, in Paris for the Olympics, says outage-related cancellations should end Thursday
Delta Air Lines canceled significantly fewer flights Wednesday, and the airline’s chief executive said cancellations and delays stemming from a global technology breakdown should end by Thursday. The airline issued a message from Ed Bastian to customers while the CEO was in Paris to attend the Summer Olympics. In the message, Bastian apologized to travelers who had their plans upended. Delta has canceled more than 6,500 flights — far more than any other airline — since key systems were crippled by the technology outage. AP News

Covid-19 is an unwelcome attendee at the Paris Olympic Games
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for Covid-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Five players on Australia’s women’s water polo team have tested positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday. CNN

Carnival orders three new ships, in a new class
Carnival Corporation & plc confirmed an order for three new ships for namesake brand Carnival Cruise Line. The order will introduce a new class of vessel, at nearly 230,000 gross tons. The agreement with Fincantieri estimates delivery of the three LNG powered ships in 2029, 2031 and 2033, respectively. Travelmole

JetBlue cuts 7 cities, trims 24 routes with new focus on New England
JetBlue is pausing or cutting service on two dozen routes and pulling seven cities off its route map entirely as part of its latest network shakeup. The New York-based carrier, which has its sights set on returning to profitability, announced a slew of changes Wednesday. JetBlue is adding seven new routes, mostly from airports in New England. And it’s bringing its Mint cabin to more domestic routes. The Points Guy

American issues weak profit forecast after backfired sales plan, industry oversupply
American Airlines CEO on Thursday vowed to be “diligent” in making sure capacity doesn’t outgrow demand after the carrier slashed its profit forecast for the year after a backfired sales strategy and an industrywide glut of flights that have forced airlines to discount seats. American said it expects to earn an adjusted 70 cents to $1.30 per share this year, well below the $2.25 to $3.25 a share it forecast in April and short of the $1.10 to $2.60 a share that Wall Street analysts were expecting, according to LSEG. CNBC

Southwest profit falls 46% as airline takes ‘urgent’ steps to increase revenue
Southwest forecast an increase of as much as 13% in nonfuel costs for the third quarter. The carrier plans to start assigning seats and offering an extra-legroom product to increase sales. Southwest is under pressure from an activist investor after it lagged competitors. CNBC

Gov. Gavin Newsom issues executive order for removal of homeless encampments in California
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, buoyed by a recent US Supreme Court decision, issued an executive order Thursday calling on state officials to begin taking down homeless encampments. The move to begin dismantling thousands of encampments throughout California comes after the high court ruled last month in favor of an Oregon city that ticketed homeless people for sleeping outside. The ruling rejected arguments that such “anti-camping” ordinances violated the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual” punishment. CNN

Wednesday, July 24
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened 2,602,654 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 23. One year ago on the same day: 2,358,536.

A plane crashed Wednesday just after taking off from Nepal’s capital, killing 18
Police official Basanta Rajauri said authorities have pulled out all 18 bodies. The pilot has injuries to his eyes but his life is not in any danger, said a doctor at Kathmandu Medical College Hospital, where the pilot is being treated. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to media. ABC News

Delta’s flight delays and cancellations prompt Dept. of Transportation investigation
Travelers, be sure to pack some patience. Chaos is still underway with Delta Air Lines, as the airline has entered its fifth day of flight cancellations and delays following Friday’s global software outage. And while the Atlanta-based carrier is still trying to get operations in order, the U.S. Department of Transportation has opened an investigation into the recent flight disruptions, citing “the high volume of consumer complaints” the department has received against Delta. NPR

Hydrothermal explosion at Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park damages boardwalk
A hydrothermal explosion violently shook part of Yellowstone National Park’s Biscuit Basin Tuesday, damaging a boardwalk as several park guests ran to safety. The explosion occurred at the Biscuit Basin thermal area around 10 a.m. local time, appearing to originate near the Black Diamond Pool, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no injuries immediately reported. USA Today

College student falls from Yosemite’s Half Dome cables and dies
Park officials did not issue a statement about the death and declined to comment for this story. But Jonathan Rohloff — who was descending the cables with his 20-year-old daughter Grace when she slipped — confirmed that she did not survive. “Grace was such a beautiful soul,” he said in a phone interview with SFGATE. “She deserves to have her story told.” SF Gate

Delta to return to normal operations Thursday as flight cancellations ease
Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), opens new tab, which has axed more than 6,000 flights since a widespread IT system failure on Friday, said it would resume normal operations Thursday. The Atlanta-based carrier as of 8 a.m. ET (1200 GMT) had canceled just 47 of Wednesday’s flights – only 1% of its daily total – after scrapping 511 on Tuesday and 1,160 on Monday. CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement that Delta expected “minimal” cancellations Wednesday and a return to normal operations Thursday, adding: “Our initial efforts to stabilize the operations were difficult and frustratingly slow and complex.” Reuters

Winter Olympics are officially heading back to Salt Lake City in 2034. What to know
The Winter Olympics are officially returning to the United States. More specifically, the Games are coming back to Utah. International Olympic Committee members voted Wednesday to formally award the 2034 Winter Games to Salt Lake City, making Utah’s capital a repeat Olympic host more than three decades after it served as the site of the 2002 Olympics. It will be the fifth time the U.S. has hosted the Winter Games. USA Today

U.S. reverses rabies decision at border
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control will not require onerous forms for dog owners crossing the border from Canada this summer. The agency had announced new rules in May that were aimed at keeping rabies out of the country. They stated dogs needed to be microchipped, vaccinated against rabies, and accompanied by two forms including one signed by a veterinarian. The forms were supposed to include photos of the dog’s teeth and would be verified upon arrival by border agents. Travel Industry Today

New American Airlines tags aim to improve mobility device handling
American Airlines has rolled out automatic device tags across its network. The new tags include more specific data about the mobility devices. The airline said the new tag system will make it easier for all frontline employees to access information about mobility devices. USA Today

This Airline Is Letting Women See the Gender of Fellow Passengers in Seat Maps — What to Know
An airline in India, IndiGo Airlines, now allows female travelers to see the gender of the passenger sitting next to them in an effort to make women more comfortable. T+L

Self-professed ‘Wolf of Airbnb’ sentenced to over 4 years in prison
A Florida man who boasted that he was the “Wolf of Airbnb” was sentenced Monday to over four years in prison for defrauding New York City landlords and a federal pandemic-relief government program. Konrad Bicher, 32, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Lorna G. Schofield. AP

Family heartbroken after dog dies from overheating during air travel
Frank, a four-year-old French Bulldog, died from overheating at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The family said they’ve flown with their pets on Alaska Airlines before – and the crew typically turned up the air conditioning on the plane. Air travel with pets is tricky – whether the pet is in the cabin or cargo – and airlines and airports each have different pet policies. USA Today

Tuesday, July 23
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened 2,864,273 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 22. One year ago on the same day: 2,695,657.

Delta CEO sees flight disruptions lasting for another couple of days
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Monday said it will take the U.S. carrier another couple of days before its operations recover from a global cyber outage that snarled flights around the world. The Atlanta-based carrier has been hit hard by the outage. It has canceled over 4,000 flights since Friday, stranding thousands of customers across the country. By contrast, disruptions at other major U.S. carriers had largely subsided. Reuters

Many Parisians and tourists fed up with Olympics before they even start
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics open this week, and athletes from around the world have been arriving to prepare for the competition. France, however, has been preparing for several years, and not everyone in Paris is pleased with the disruption those preparations have brought. CBS News

‘Frustrated’ Spirit Airlines gate agents scream at passengers
Spirit Airlines fired two gate agents for yelling at passengers to “shut up” earlier this month at Hollywood Burbank Airport. Kevin Eis, a Spirit Airlines passenger who was flying from Burbank to Las Vegas on July 12, captured the incident on video in a couple of now-viral TikToks. The videos show the frustrated gate agents in front of a crowd of passengers for two different Spirit flights. USA Today

Hyatt Hotels in advanced talks to buy Standard International
Hyatt Hotels Corp. is nearing a deal to buy boutique hotel operator Standard International, continuing a run of acquisitions that has helped Hyatt add luxury properties in leisure destinations. Negotiations between Hyatt and Standard — which operates properties in London, Ibiza, the Maldives and Melbourne, among other places — are in advanced stages, according to people with knowledge of the matter. No transaction has been finalized and a deal could fall through, said one of the people, asking not to be named because the talks are private. Bloomberg

Air-traffic control in Europe is no longer fit for purpose, says easyJet boss
In a blistering attack on air-traffic control (ATC) providers in Europe, the boss of easyJet has said the European system for controlling the skies is “no longer fit for purpose”. Johan Lundgren, chief executive of Britain’s biggest budget airline, was commenting after a weekend in which hundreds of flights to, from and within the UK were grounded. The Independent

American Airlines will fly to Carlsbad, California next year
American Airlines will expand its route network from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to include nonstop flights to Carlsbad, CA. Envoy Air, American’s subsidiary, will operate the flights twice daily on the Embraer E175. PHX will become Carlsbad’s second destination with regularly scheduled passenger air service year-round. SimpleFlying

Mayor of Athens: Greek tourism isn’t ‘viable’ for the economy
Summers in Athens are about historical sights like the Parthenon, colorful markets and plates of souvlakis. But lately, it’s gotten hard to cope with the number of people chasing those exact things. Authorities in the Greek capital of Athens have lamented the city’s tipping into overtourism territory, making crowds unmanageable. To control that, the city capped the number of tourists who could visit the Acropolis to 20,000 last year, as tourists flocked to Greece beyond just the summertime. Fortune Europe

Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, scientists say
Global temperatures hit the highest levels in recorded history on Sunday, according to preliminary data from Europe’s top climate monitor — another worrying sign of how human-caused climate change is pushing the planet into dangerous new territory. The results from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show the planet’s average temperature on July 21 was 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) — breaking a record set only last year. The historic day comes on the heels of 13 straight months of unprecedented temperatures and the hottest year scientists have ever seen. Washington Post

Turkish Airlines to offer free Wi-Fi for all passengers
Turkish Airlines has unveiled plans to provide free, unlimited Wi-Fi access for passengers across its fleet within two years. As part of the initiative, the airline will retrofit its existing fleet with the latest in-flight connectivity (IFC) technologies and equip new aircraft with the most efficient software available. Travel Weekly

How airlines are handling unaccompanied children amid flight delays, cancellations
Some minors traveling without adults have been stuck at airports since the major IT outage stranded passengers days ago. Two Georgia brothers and their friends were stranded overnight in Canada. Channel 2′s Veronica Griffin spoke to the boys and their parents Monday for WSB Tonight.

Qantas drops major sale to more than 60 destinations
More than one million seats to more than 60 destinations have been discounted in a surprise 72-hour sale blitz from a major airline. Qantas travellers can score one-way domestic economy flights as cheap as $109 to destinations including Ballina to Sydney and the Gold Coast to Sydney. Perth Now

Monday, July 22
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened 2,908,201 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 21. One year ago on the same day: 2,800,368.

Delta Air Lines says cancellations continue as it tries to restore operations after tech outage
Airlines, including Delta Air Lines, continued to struggle to restore operations two days after a faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide and resulted in several carriers grounding flights. Total cancellations within, into or out of the U.S. on Sunday clocked in at 1,461, according to the latest data from FlightAware. Delta and United Airlines topped the cancellations. AP

Woman stabbed inside Miami International Airport, forcing evacuation
A man stabbed a woman at Miami International Airport Saturday night, setting off fears that an active shooter was in the terminal, and hundreds of other travelers were evacuated as a precaution, authorities said. The woman was stabbed around 11:30 p.m. in Terminal J on the fourth floor, outside the secure area. Det. Angel Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department, said the man also tried to throw the woman over a railing, but she was able to get away. Officers recovered the weapon as they arrested the man without incident, he said. AP

Thousands protest in Spain’s Mallorca against mass tourism
Thousands of anti-tourism activists protested in Spain’s Palma de Mallorca on Sunday in the latest demonstration against a key industry for the Iberian nation. Carrying makeshift models of planes and cruise ships, protesters walked through the streets of the capital of Mallorca with posters reading ‘no to mass tourism’ and ‘stop private jets’. News Nation

Barcelona pledges to hike tourist tax for cruise passengers
Barcelona will raise the tourist tax for cruise passengers visiting the city for less than 12 hours ‘substantially’, the mayor said as Spain is preparing for another anti-tourism protest tonight. Jaume Collboni, Barcelona’s mayor, said the current tourist tax for stopover cruise passengers was 7 euros (£5.90) per day. He did not say by how much the tax would be increased. Daily Mail

FAA probes latest Southwest Airlines flight that posed safety issues
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Saturday it is investigating a Southwest Airlines flight after it flew at a very low altitude over Tampa Bay, Florida, the most recent in a series of incidents raising safety questions. The July 14 flight by a Southwest Boeing 737 MAX that had departed from Columbus, Ohio, was approximately 3 miles (5 km)from the Tampa airport when it dropped to as low as about 175 feet (53 meters), according to Flightradar24 data. An air traffic controller alerted the crew of Southwest Flight 425 to their low altitude and the plane was diverted to Fort Lauderdale. Yahoo

Crowdstrike: Global cyber agencies warn about scammers
Cyber-security experts and agencies around the world are warning people about a wave of opportunistic hacking attempts linked to the IT outage. Although there is no evidence that the CrowdStrike outage was caused by malicious activity, some bad actors are attempting to take advantage. Cyber agencies in the UK and Australia are warning people to be vigilant to fake emails, calls and websites that pretend to be official. BBC

Why Covid is surging this summer — and what health experts say has changed
Many Americans have likely experienced the uptick firsthand over the past few weeks. They’ve either tested positive themselves or know someone else chagrined to see those two lines bloom on a home test. Even as SARS-CoV-2 has joined the ranks of the respiratory viruses that will continue circulating and causing infections, a spike in cases like this summer’s still causes disruptions in people’s lives — as well as some confusion over issues like tracking down tests, the best time to get vaccine boosters, and the latest advice on managing the infection. Stat

Boeing ‘fighting through challenges’ that have delayed new Air Force One planes
The leader of aerospace giant Boeing’s defense division said Sunday that the company is still fighting through issues that have delayed the construction of two new Air Force One presidential aircraft. Boeing received a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 to build two new 747-8 aircraft for use as Air Force One that would be delivered by December 2024, but the aircraft are delayed until at least 2027 and 2028. Fox Business

Taking the Night Train From Berlin to Paris
Step 1: Board the train. Step 2: Climb into bed. Step 3: Wake up at your destination. That might sound like a dream from the distant past for many travelers, but it’s a growing trend in Europe. Although many night trains were killed off by the rise of low-cost airlines in recent decades, they are on their way back, thanks in part to greater awareness of the environmental impact of flying, as well as a growing interest in slow travel. The New York Times

JetBlue passenger says she was scalded by hot tea during turbulence
A JetBlue passenger who says she was scalded by hot tea is suing the airline for $1.5 million, according to court documents filed last Friday. Tahjana Lewis was flying from Orlando to Hartford, Connecticut on May 15 when the plane encountered turbulence, the complaint says. Business Insider

Why Delta is still canceling flights as other airlines return to normal
Three days after a computer update problem caused more than 5,000 flight cancellations around the world, things are pretty much back to normal — except at Delta Air Lines. Atlanta-based Delta canceled 1,500 flights on Friday, or more than a third of its schedule. That’s more than any other airline in the world, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. It grounded nearly 3,000 more flights over the weekend, and early Monday had already canceled 700 more flights, or about 60% of flights canceled by all airlines worldwide. Most other US airlines had only 1% of its flights canceled, compared to roughly one out of every six scheduled Delta flights. CNN

Sunday, July 21
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened 2,605,902 people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 20. One year ago on the same day: 2,485,646.

More flight cancellations are expected as airlines gradually recover from global tech outage
Additional flight cancellations are expected through this weekend as airlines gradually recover from a global tech outage that has left thousands of passengers stranded at airports. More than 5,400 flights into, out of, or within the US were canceled Friday and Saturday and more than 21,300 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware.com. A third day of chaos at airports could be in store with more than 600 flights already canceled Sunday morning. CNN

LAX returning to normal after global tech outage
In the aftermath of a global technology outage that snarled flights, Los Angeles International Airport was beginning to return to normal Saturday, despite some continued delays. As of Saturday afternoon, the tracking website FlightAware was reporting that for outgoing flights from LAX, more than 160 were delayed — 19% of the total at the time — and more than 50 outgoing flights had been canceled. For incoming flights, more than 190 had been delayed and more than 50 canceled. Los Angeles Times

Around 600,000 Paris Olympics tickets still available – including 100m finals
Up to 600,000 Olympics tickets remain unsold five days from Paris’s opening ceremony, including for the 100m finals and Josh Kerr’s attempt to win 1,500m gold. There are also still 4,000 available for Friday’s curtain-raiser, although the only seats remaining are in the most expensive categories between £758 and £2,300. The Telegraph

Passenger gets handwritten boarding pass amid Microsoft outage
A passenger in India was flabbergasted after receiving a hand-scrawled boarding pass amid the Crowdstrike/Microsoft outage affecting computer systems across the globe. An X post detailing the scribbled ticket incident garnered over 5 million views as of Friday morning. “I got my first hand-written boarding pass today,” exclaimed the flyer, named Akshay Kothari, in the X post describing the incident, which occurred on an unspecified Indigo flight. NY Post

British woman and Canadian husband found dead in boat after trying to sail Atlantic
British woman and her Canadian husband have been found dead off the coast of Canada after trying to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Bodies believed to be those of Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood were found after their lifeboat washed ashore on Sable Island. Formal identification is yet to take place. Evening Standard

Air India passenger refused all refreshments on flight. It led to his arrest at Delhi airport
An Air India passenger was arrested at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for smuggling gold worth $7,500. It was his repeated refusal to partake of any refreshments during flight AI 992 from Jeddah to Delhi that ultimately led to his arrest. Hindustan Times

A Kentucky motel has to pay $2M to the family of a man who died after a 150-degree shower
A jury awarded $2 million to the family of a man who died from 150-degree shower burns at a Kentucky motel. Most adults will suffer third-degree burns if exposed to 150-degree water for even two seconds. The man sustained third-degree burns and died months after the incident. Business Insider

Turkish Airlines extends stopover program for Canadians
Turkish Airlines has enhanced its renowned Istanbul Stopover service for Canadian travellers, now providing an extra complimentary night’s accommodation at partner hotels for both Economy and Business Class passengers. This initiative is designed to enable travelers to immerse themselves in Istanbul’s rich history and vibrant cultural scene at no additional cost when flying internationally from Canada with a layover in Istanbul. Travel Industry Today

FAA data reveals 1,100 runway near misses in 2024
Narrowly avoided plane crashes serve as a reminder of the need for vigilance by pilots and air traffic controllers, and emphasize the importance of proper oversight by regulatory agencies. Each near miss is recorded on a database by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has revealed a surprisingly high occurrence of so-called “runway incursions.” According to the FAA, in the 12 months ended May 31, the total number of runway incursions reached 1,115. They ranged from serious close calls to “Category D” incidents, in which a person or vehicle is present on a surface designated for an aircraft, but posed no significant safety risk. Newsweek

More than a third of major UK airports raise drop-off fees
More than a third of major airports have raised drop-off fees for drivers in the past year, according to new research. The RAC, which carried out the study, said it is “bordering on the ridiculous” for drivers to pay up to £7 for “the briefest of stops”. Seven out of 20 airports analyzed have raised so-called “kiss and fly” charges – which are typically levied for dropping off someone as close to a terminal as possible – since last summer. Evening Standard

With tiny shampoo bottles soon to be banned, N.Y. hotels weigh options
John Fitzpatrick, a hotelier who owns two four-star hotels in Midtown Manhattan, has had to troubleshoot a number of issues during his career. Guests wouldn’t stop stealing his hand towels, emblazoned with an “F” for Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, so he removed the lettering, and the pilfering stopped. During the height of the pandemic, Mr. Fitzpatrick took away the magazines he normally provided in his hotel rooms so guests wouldn’t worry about strangers having touched what they were reading. The New York Times

World’s biggest indoor snow and ice park opens in China
The world’s largest indoor ice and snow theme park has officially opened its doors to the public, giving visitors to the city of Harbin in northeast China a chance to feel wintery temperatures year-round. The country’s northernmost metropolis, Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang province. Also known as the Ice City, it experiences long, cold and snowy winters with short, cool summers. The annual Harbin Ice and Snow Festival began in 1999 and is held every year from December to early March. CNN

Saturday, July 20
Yesterday’s TSA checkpoint numbers
TSA officers screened TSA HASN’T UPDATED people at airport checkpoints nationwide yesterday, July 19. One year ago on the same day: 2,754,386.

Airlines work to recover from tech outage
By 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, airlines canceled nearly 2,500 U.S. flights on Friday, according to flight-tracker FlightAware. Airlines were working to recover from an overnight global technology outage. The outage was caused by a recent update undertaken by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike and affected Microsoft Windows users of its tool. Travel Weekly

American Airlines flight attendants reach new contract deal
American Airlines’ (AAL.O), opens new tab 28,000 flight attendants have reached a tentative labor agreement with the company, their union said on Friday. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents the flight attendants, said the deal addresses their concerns about compensation, work rules and retroactive pay. It did not offer more details. Reached after more than three years of negotiations, the tentative agreement will be sent to the union’s board for review. Once the board approves the deal, members will vote on ratifying it. Reuters

Thousands of Disneyland workers vote to authorize a potential strike. It would be the first in 40 years
Cyn Carranza buffs, cleans, waxes and scrubs Disneyland floors starting at midnight, so that guests coming the next morning feel as if no one had been there before them. But after her shifts working near a sparkling Sleeping Beauty Castle, she went “home” to a car, for about four months last year, because her wages, plus earnings at two other jobs, weren’t enough to afford renting a place with a bed. CNN Business

US tourists pay thousands for new flights after travel home axed in IT outage
US tourists have paid thousands of pounds for new flights home from Edinburgh after IT outages left them unable to contact airlines when their original plans were cancelled. A global IT outage affecting thousands of businesses has meant severe delays at airports and airlines. Edinburgh appears to be the only Scottish airport severely impacted by the system outage, with staff urging those travelling to expect security waits of “around one hour”. The Independent

Some airports were forced to use whiteboards to handwrite flight information due to the global IT outage
A global IT outage saw airports in Belfast and Singapore handwrite flight information. A Belfast International Airport spokesperson told BI all systems have since been restored. Singapore Changi Airport also said some airlines were manually issuing boarding passes. Insider

Pacific Northwest braces for a blistering heat wave over the weekend
A dangerous heat wave is expected to affect parts of the Pacific Northwest over the weekend in a region where authorities are still addressing the deadly impact of record-breaking temperatures in 2021. The extreme heat could pose major health risks for people in parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho who can’t rehydrate or get out of the heat, according to the latest guidance from the National Weather Service. NY Times

Air Canada hit by court ruling after ex-maintenance workers sue
Air Canada may be forced to pay at least C$100 million ($73.2 million) to about 2,200 former workers after a Quebec court issued a ruling in their class-action lawsuit against the airline. The amount would cover lost wages, lost benefits, and moral damages related to the closure of Aveos, the carrier’s former maintenance contractor. Judge Marie-Christine Hivon released her. Bloomberg

Dodgers, Cubs, Japanese superstars to start 2025 MLB season in Tokyo
The last time that Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga were on the Tokyo Dome field, they were in the midst of the World Baseball Classic and were wearing their Samurai Japan uniforms. Now, the three will return — along with outfielder Seiya Suzuki, who missed the Classic due to injury — to start the Major League season next March. MLB

US-Bound Boeing 777 diverted to Russia after emergency
A San Francisco-bound Air India flight from New Delhi, India was diverted to Krasnoyarsk International Airport (KJA) in Russia Thursday due to a technical issue onboard. The Boeing 777 aircraft, operating as AI-183, departed from Delhi at 3:44 PM IST and was rerouted as a precautionary measure, the airline said. Newsweek

San Diego Zoo announces public debut date for new giants pandas
The San Diego Zoo on Friday announced the official public debut date for the giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. Zoo officials said guests can get their first in-person look at the panda pair starting Thursday, Aug. 8. There will be three ways for Zoo guests to see the pandas: 10news

This couple’s hobby? Illegally scaling the world’s tallest buildings together
What was your most thrilling first date? In 2016, two young Russians known for their extreme “rooftopping” adventures — where they attempt to illegally climb vertiginous landmarks like La Sagrada Familia and the Eiffel Tower — skipped the perfunctory happy hour cocktail and instead ascended China’s tallest incomplete skyscraper, the 1,957-foot-high Goldin Finance 117.  CNN

DFW Airport joins hidden disabilities sunflower program
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) formally announces the launch of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard program, which is designed to help ensure customers with less visible disabilities receive the assistance they need while traveling through the airport. The free program provides the option for travelers with hidden disabilities – which includes many physical, visual, auditory, or neurological conditions that are not immediately obvious to others – to wear a sunflower lanyard which discreetly informs trained airport employees that they may need extra assistance, understanding or more time to complete travel processes. DFW International Airport