Travel Guide

[ad_1]

Flights have resumed in the Canary Islands after a massive sandstorm, which blew in from the Sahara Desert, left travelers stranded over the weekend.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

The International Emergency Response Coordination Center first received an alert about a medical emergency Saturday morning, according to Alaska State Troopers. “Searchers from Tri-Valley Fire Department and AST responded on snow machines and located the group approximately 13 miles in from the Stampede Road trailhead,” AST said in a statement. One of the hikers was treated for severe frostbite to his feet. Tri-Valley Fire Chief Brad Randall told the Anchorage Daily News he believed the group was in the area at least overnight. Temperatures were about 5-10 degrees Saturday morning, Randall told the newspaper. The nearly 20-mile trail leading up to the abandoned Fairbanks Bus 142, known as the “Magic Bus,” has become somewhat of a pilgrimage for hikers ever since Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild” was published in 1996. A movie based on the book was released in 2007. The nonfiction book chronicles the life of Christopher McCandless, who grew up in an affluent suburb of Washington. But after graduating from Emory University in 1990, he left behind his comfortable life and headed west without telling his friends and family members. In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked to Alaska, where a man dropped him off at the head of the Stampede Trail, according to the book. A few days later, he came upon the abandoned bus and lived there for about three months before deciding to head back to civilization. As he attempted to make his way back, he arrived at a crossing of the Teklanika River. But because the river was running fast and high from the rain and snowmelt from glaciers, he was unable to make his way across, according to Krakauer.Defeated, he turned around and headed back toward the bus, where he survived for about a month before he died in August 1992.Hikers from around the world attempt to retrace McCandless’ steps every year, but many fail and have to be rescued. Some even die. Last year, a 24-year-old woman from Belarus died while trying to reach the bus. And in 2010, a Swiss hiker drowned while trying to cross the same river McCandless failed to cross.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — Think your driver’s license is enough to get you through airport security in the United States and onto your domestic flight? Maybe not. Some two-thirds of US state driver’s licenses are not compliant with a post-9/11 security law set to go into effect on October 1. Those who are not compliant will not be able to fly if they don’t have other forms of “REAL ID-compliant” identification.Concerned about the impact on travel, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security loosened the restrictions this week, allowing the various state agencies to accept identity documents electronically.”Ensuring every state is REAL ID compliant by October is one of the Department’s top priorities,” said DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf, in a press release. “While progress has been made, the real work is still ahead because approximately two-thirds of all licenses are presently not compliant with REAL ID. “Rest assured, our Department will continue to examine other viable options to improve upon this process and continues doing everything it can to inform Americans of the requirement to obtain a REAL ID before the full enforcement deadline later this year.”Todd Hauptli, CEO of the American Association of Airport Executives, shows his REAL ID-compliant driver’s license during a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on October 1, 2019. Manuel Balce Ceneta/APWhile Wolf says this “pre-submission” of documents will result in a faster application process, it’s not clear how much faster it will be. That’s because, as Wolf says, “an in-person visit is still required, as is showing up with physical copies of your documents.”Starting October 1, travelers must have a “REAL ID-compliant” driver’s license, US passport, US military ID or other acceptable identification to fly within the United States. The REAL ID Act, which established minimum security standards for the issuing of state licenses and their production, prohibits federal agencies from accepting licenses from states not meeting those minimum standards for certain activities. To get a REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license, the DHS requires applicants provide documentation showing their full legal name, their date of birth, their Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal residence and lawful status. States may impose more requirements.No REAL ID, no flyingTravelers need to make sure their IDs are REAL. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesIf you can’t produce acceptable identification, your US airport’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint will not clear you for flight. The TSA is part of the Department of Homeland Security. That could lead to serious backups at US airports starting October 1.While many states have been issuing compliant documents for years, travelers shouldn’t assume their driver’s licenses and other documents meet the requirements. For example, Georgia became compliant in 2012 and California became compliant in 2018, but their driver’s licenses issued prior to those times in those states are not compliant.Check if your state driver’s license or identification card is REAL ID compliant simply by looking for a star in the upper right-hand corner. Some state departments of motor vehicles will confirm REAL ID status online. Still a backlogThe Department of Homeland Security reported this week that 48 of 50 states in the US are REAL ID compliant, up from January 2017, when only 26 states were. The two remaining states that haven’t started issuing new IDs are Oklahoma and Oregon.Collectively, those 48 states have issued more than 95 million REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and ID cards.While the US Travel Association applauded the government’s “pre-submission,” decision, “the challenge remains that tens of millions of Americans do not yet possess REAL ID-compliant identification,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, USTA executive vice president of public affairs and policy, in a statement.A post 9/11 measureThe REAL ID Act’s requirement were part of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Since the act’s 2005 passage, the federal government has implemented TSA Pre-Check and other programs that offer more security than REAL ID, said Barnes. That’s why the USTA is lobbying federal authorities to accept membership in those programs as a substitute for REAL ID. (DHS hasn’t said yes, at least not yet.)US House Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Arizona) and Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Florida) have introduced legislation that would allow the TSA to accept membership in its Pre-Check program as a substitute for REAL ID. Officials at USTA, which represents major airlines, hotels, state and local tourism boards and other travel industry members, worry that their members will lose customers who suddenly can’t fly within the US starting October 1, 2020.What qualifies as REAL IDA US passport qualifies as a REAL ID. Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images• REAL ID-compliant state driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards • US passport• US passport card• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)• US Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents• Permanent resident card• Border crossing card• State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License• Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID• HSPD-12 PIV card• Foreign government-issued passport• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card• Transportation worker identification credential• US Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)• US Merchant Mariner Credential

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — Visitors to Rome have long enjoyed visiting a host of ancient architectural sites, from the fascinating Coliseum to the grandeur of the Pantheon.Now, a newly unearthed archaeological discovery offers further insight into the Italian capital’s cultural history.It’s long been believed that there could be a heroon, an ancient Roman shrine, dedicated to Romulus, Rome’s legendary founder, underneath the site of the Roman Forum, which was the political hub of Rome in days gone by.Now, an underground chamber has indeed been unearthed, next to the Curia-Comitium complex — the public meeting space for the senators of ancient Rome. And yes, it is believed to be dedicated to Rome’s mythical father.This underground chamber has been unearthed in Rome, Italy.Courtesy Parco archeologico del ColosseoRomulus is a figure from Roman mythology, one of two twin brothers raised by a wolf, he is said to have killed his brother Remus during a fight to found the city of Rome.In a official press conference held in Rome on Friday morning, Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, described the chamber as Romulus’ tomb, not his actual burial place. “This place is highly symbolic,” she said.Romulus is the legendary founder and first King of Rome, pictured here in an enscribing from circa 720 BC.Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesInside are intriguing treasures including a tuff (a volcanic ash rock) sarcophagus that’s about 1.4 meters in length, and what’s believed to be an altar. The sarcophagus is thought to date back to the 6th century BC.Inside the chamber are treasures including a tuff sarcophagus and what’s thought to be an altar.Courtesy Parco archeologico del ColosseoRome’s mayor Virginia Raggi Tweeted about the findings, writing: “Rome always amazes with its treasures” — and thanking the archaeological team.Speaking to CNN in Rome, head archaeologist Patrizia Fortini said more research needed to take place: “Let us keep digging,” she said.Russo said excavation would resume at the end of April, and to expect “further surprises.”CNN’s Barbie Latza Nadeau, Livia Borghese and Hada Messia contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — Basic economy is fine if you’re a solo airline passenger willing to roll the dice on a middle seat. For families, the lowest airfare class can be problematic.Without seat assignments — which increasingly come with a fee attached — children may end up separated from their parents.That’s unacceptable, says Consumer Reports’ advocacy arm. Thursday, the non-profit research, media and advocacy organization posted an online petition “demanding airlines put safety over profits.” “Children 13 or under should sit with their families while flying, and should not be charged extra fees to do so,” the petition reads. USA Today first reported on the petition.By late Monday afternoon, the petition was approaching 50,000 signatures. “Children need a responsible adult around and whether it’s just so they can go to the bathroom in the middle of the flight or if there’s an emergency, it’s not safe to have a child without somebody there to take care of them,” said Anna Laitin, director of financial policy for Consumer Reports’ advocacy arm.”And no business traveler or solo traveler wants to be put in charge of a 3-year-old they don’t know, and no parent wants to be seated, strapped in unable to move, that far from their child,” she said.If there’s an emergency evacuation and a child is seated 10 rows behind their parent, “no one believes that parent is going to calmly move forward and get off the plane” without their child, Laitin said.Seating issuesIn 2016, the family seating issue aboard airlines was addressed in a Federal Aviation Administration bill passed by Congress that called upon airlines to look at seating children 13 and younger next to an accompanying family member at no additional cost. The bill left some wiggle room, calling for such a policy “if appropriate.”Laitin says a couple of years went by with no word from the Department of Transportation on the issue.So in September 2018, Consumer Reports filed a Freedom of Information Act request to find out what action had been taken. About a year later, the DOT responded with information it had gathered from airlines and enclosed 136 complaints it had collected from consumers over a period of about two and a half years.”While that’s not enormous in numbers compared to what they get on other things, (the complaints) were very striking,” Laitin said. “We’re talking about 1- and 2-year-olds, we’re talking about children with autism, families just having an enormous amount of problems getting seated with their children.”The DOT decided not to direct airlines to establish family seating policies “based on the low number of complaints received and review of airline family seating policies,” the agency said on its website in a posting from September 2019.Consumer Reports set up a portal in November 2019 letting consumers know they could complain about family seating issues to the DOT, copying Consumer Reports. Since that went live, about 450 complaints have been logged, Laitin said.Airline policiesConsumer Reports’ petition specifically calls out American, Delta and United. The airlines offer basic economy fares that don’t include seat assignments. The airlines have pop-up alerts around those fares to ensure that passengers are aware of those restrictions. United Airlines spokesman Charlie Hobart said the carrier has adjusted its family seating procedures and policies. In the summer of 2019, modifications were made to its seating engine “to ensure that whenever possible that we assign children to a seat adjacent to an adult traveling on the same PNR, which is the passenger name record,” Hobart said.”We’ve essentially rolled out automatically seating families together. So we automatically scan for families who do not have seats assigned next to each other and we work to seat them together,” Hobart said.In cases where seats are not already assigned, the airline can make adjustments at the gate or on board the aircraft, he said.”It’s in our interest to have families sit next to each other, and it’s clearly something that families care about. And we want to ensure that when they do travel with us they have a safe, friendly, enjoyable experience and this is one of ways that we can help make that happen,” Hobart said.Delta Air Lines encourages customers with seating questions to contact the airline “as soon as possible to allow for the opportunity to address their concerns.””Regardless of the type of ticket purchased, Delta works with customers on a case-by-case basis to ensure their travel needs are met,” the airline said in a statement.American Airlines did not immediately respond to questions about family seating.

[ad_2]

Source link

[ad_1]

(CNN) — Travelers in the Canary Islands face continued disruption Monday morning following a massive sandstorm that blew in from the Sahara Desert over the weekend.The popular holiday destination, which is part of Spain but lies off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara, was struck by winds known as “la calima,” which blow huge amounts of dust and sand across the Atlantic Ocean.Passengers cover their noses and mouths at the airport in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Andres Gutierrez/APAirports were closed due to the storm, which made it impossible for planes to take off or land.Queues formed at Santa Cruz de Tenerife airport Sunday.Andres Gutierrez/AP”Industry professionals cannot remember such adverse meteorological conditions for air travel in the Canary Islands,” tweeted Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Abalos Sunday.Travelers were stuck over the weekend as flights were canceled, before conditions improved overnight Sunday and flights resumed Monday morning, according to a tweet from the Transport Ministry.Disruption continued into Monday.Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty ImagesHowever airport operator Aena tweeted Monday that passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline, as travel could still be disrupted.Many British travelers were affected as families tried to get home at the end of the half-term school vacation.The islands are a popular holiday destination.Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty ImagesStranded British tourist Greg Horsman was due to fly from Gran Canaria to Manchester on Saturday evening but was stuck for two extra nights, the UK’s PA Media news agency reported.”It’s frustrating. We’re just ready to be home,” Horsman told PA.All open-air sporting and recreational events were canceled by the regional government, which declared an alert Saturday.Ruled by Spain since the 15th century, the Canary Islands are geographically closer to Africa than Europe. The main islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura attract windsurfers and hikers as well as those looking for a beach holiday.

[ad_2]

Source link