WAV Travel News - Friday Edition
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Two dead in apparent murder-suicide on cruise ship
Authorities say two people died in a suspected murder-suicide on a Holland America cruise ship that departed out of Tampa.
Holland America's Ms. Ryndam ship left from Port of Tampa on Sunday for a 14-day trip through the southern Caribbean Sea.
A cleaning crew on the ship found the bodies in a stateroom Thursday while the ship was docked in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rico Port Authority, cruise line and authorities quickly locked the cabin down to investigate. Passengers say the FBI was also called to the scene.
"All we know is that a big FBI evidence team went in with all kinds of things, and in and out with photographs," passenger Daniel Freeman said.
Authorities have not released the names of the two people found dead, how they died or the reason behind the apparent murder-suicide.
The Ms. Ryndam is currently docked in San Juan. The ship is expected to continue on, sailing the southern Caribbean and returning as scheduled.
French investigators: Co-pilot accelerated plane on descent
French investigators: Co-pilot repeatedly accelerated plane as he drove it down into Alps
PARIS (AP) -- The co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight repeatedly sped up the plane as he used the automatic pilot to descend the A320 into the Alps, the French air accident investigation agency said Friday.
The chilling new detail from the BEA agency is based on an initial reading of the plane's "black box" data recorder, found blackened and buried at the crash site Thursday.
It strengthens investigators' initial suspicions that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally destroyed the plane — though prosecutors are still trying to figure out why. All 150 people aboard Flight 9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf were killed in the March 24 crash.
The BEA said the preliminary reading of the data recorder shows that the pilot used the automatic pilot to put the plane into a descent and then repeatedly during the descent adjusted the automatic pilot to speed up the plane. The agency says it will continue studying the black box for more complete details of what happened.
Based on recordings from the plane's other black box, the cockpit voice recorder, investigators say Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed.
Lubitz spent time online researching suicide methods and cockpit door security in the week before crashing Flight 9525, prosecutors said Thursday — the first evidence that the fatal descent may have been a premeditated act.
German prosecutors have said Lubitz's medical records from before he received his pilot's license referred to "suicidal tendencies," and Lufthansa, Germanwings' parent company, said it knew six years ago that Lubitz had had an episode of "severe depression" before he finished his flight training.
In Marseille, prosecutor Brice Robin underlined French investigators' conviction that he was conscious until the moment of impact, and appears to have acted repeatedly to stop an excessive speed alarm from sounding.
Delta hit by weakness in international business
ATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines says that the strong dollar is hurting international sales and its U.S. business isn't growing as quickly as expected.
Delta said Thursday that passenger revenue for each seat flown one mile was unchanged in March from a year earlier and declined 1.5% for the full first quarter because of the impact of currency rates. Delta said the revenue figure rose for March domestic flights but not as much as expected.
The revenue figure is watched closely in the airline business, and it rises when demand is strong enough for airlines to charge higher average fares.
Earlier this week, Deutsche Bank downgraded shares of Delta, American and United. The bank said it expected that the strong dollar and weak global economic growth would cut into the airlines' international sales and drag down earnings.
Atlanta-based Delta said it expects the average price in the first quarter to be between $2.90 and $2.95 per gallon. That is up from a January forecast of $2.45 to $2.50 per gallon.
Meanwhile, the parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air said traffic rose 11.2% in March, but there were more empty seats because the carriers expanded. The average flight was 86.1% full, down from 87.1% a year earlier.
Seattle-based Alaska Air Group did not provide revenue figures.
Man wearing pilot uniform to cut airport line gets probation
Man who wore pilot uniform to cut security line at Honolulu airport sentenced to probation
HONOLULU (AP) -- A pilot who was fired from Cathay Pacific Airlines won't go to jail for wearing his former employer's uniform and badge to bypass security at Honolulu International Airport.
Joshu Osmanski was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Honolulu to three years' probation. He pleaded guilty last year to unlawfully entering the secure area of an airport.
Osmanski has said he wore the uniform and badge months after he was terminated so that he could "cut the line" and not have to take off his shoes during security screening. He said he was traveling to a new job with another company.
He apologized in court at his sentencing, saying he can't explain what he did and that his actions embarrassed his family, including his children.
"I made a mistake and I don't know why," he said. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Hino played surveillance video in court showing Osmanski in a pilot's uniform trying to go into a security line for flight crew. A screener directed him to another line because that line was only for crewmembers of domestic airlines, Hino said.
The silent video later shows Osmanski standing in another line, speaking with Transportation Security Administration officers, and showing them a badge hanging from his neck on a lanyard. He's seen wearing his shoes as he walks through security, while other passengers go through full-body scans, and fiddle with belts and shoes.
What Osmanski did was more egregious because he's a licensed commercial pilot, Hino said, but prosecutors didn't seek jail time.
Defense attorney Birney Bervar, who asked for a sentence of one year on probation, said Osmanski's "bizarre" actions could be attributed to a possible head injury from ejecting from a plane in 2011 when he was a Navy fighter pilot.
Osmanski is now a full-time student at Tulane University in New Orleans who wants to go to dentistry school, Bervar said.
"I lost my career," Osmanski said. "I may never fly again."
U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor noted that he wore his uniform to bypass security more than once after being fired from Cathay Pacific. She also noted that Osmanski is gifted and intelligent, but his actions raise questions about his judgment. She said it's rare to only get probation and no jail time.
Sandstorm snarls flights at Dubai, other Gulf airports
A sandstorm is wreaking havoc on flights at Dubai's busy international airport. About half of Thursday's flights have been delayed at Dubai International, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.
Dubai International has grown rapidly during the past decade, becoming one of the world's busiest airports. Though its domestic passenger counts are modest, the airport now handles more international fliers than any other airport in the world. The airport is the main base for Emirates airline.
The airport operator for Dubai International told The Associated Press at least four inbound flights had been diverted to other airports in the region. Another eight flights bound for smaller regional airports ended up being diverted to Dubai's secondary airport – Dubai Word Central airport.
A Dubai metro train is seen driving amid a sandstorm that engulfed the city on April 2, 2015.
Airport authorities warned that further delays were expected for Dubai's airports. UAE news site Emirates24/7.com reported sandstorm-related delays were also being reported Thursday at airports in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
At Abu Dhabi, the UAE's second-busiest air hub and home to Etihad Airways, the airport says via Twitter that "flights are operating as scheduled." Still, the airport advised travelers to "check with your airline before leaving for the airport."
Beyond airports, the sandstorm was creating problems elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates and in neighboring countries. Schools closed in Qatar closed becomes of "extreme weather conditions" while hospitals in the region reported a spike in patients complaining of breathing difficulties.
An AP report from Dubai described "an eerie Martian-like atmosphere" from the storm, which left "behind a film of sand on parked cars and other outdoor surfaces."
"In the U.S. they have 'snow days' where schools and companies close due to heavy snowfall. So my question is, Sand Days anyone?" AP quoted Emirati columnist Khalid al-Ameri as saying via Twitter.
New Caribbean carrier BlueSky delays launch
New Caribbean startup BlueSky Airlines has put back its launch after the collapse of a European carrier that had agreed to lease planes to BlueSky.
BlueSky said it now plans to start flying in the second half of this year.
Polish regional airline EuroLOT had agreed to supply two planes to BlueSky, but has now been closed down by the Polish government.
"BlueSky's focus is now on intensifying its search for alternative aircraft. Last week the carrier accelerated negotiations with potential lessors for new Bombardier Q400s becoming available over the next few months," Grand Cayman-based BlueSky said in a statement.
"We will announce our planned launch date as well as our intended date to commence reservations and ticket sales, all subject to government approvals," BlueSky chairman Kenny Rankin said.
BlueSky plans to serve routes within the Caribbean and to Central America.
Ritz Carlton casino resort coming to Turks and Caicos
The British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos is to get a major new hotel and casino resort after the government gave the go-ahead for a $224 million Ritz Carlton resort in the Grace Bay area on the island of Providenciales.
According to a Caribbean Journal report Desarrollos Hotel Group will construct the hotel which also will include 124 hotel rooms, penthouses, resort residences, a spa and other facilities.
Desarrollos have developed several hotel resorts in the Caribbean including the Ritz-Carlton Aruba.
The firm also owns three other Marriott hotels in the region.
"This European style hotel development provides a welcome diversification to the TCI tourism sector as it is more of a traditional hotel, rather than the previously prevalent condominium model in the TCI," said Turks and Caicos Premier Dr Rufus Ewing.
"At the same time, it further develops the luxury tourism offering in this destination with the addition of such an important luxury brand in Ritz Carlton," he added.
Construction would begin in November this year and could take three years to complete.
Man Reported Missing at Sea 66 Days Ago Found by Coast Guard
A man whose family reported him missing at sea more than two months ago has been found off the North Carolina coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
Coast Guard officials in Portsmouth said they received word from a German-flagged ship about 1:30 p.m. indicating they spotted a man and his sailboat approximately 200 miles east of Cape Hatteras.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew from North Carolina flew to the ship and were going to airlift Louis Jordan to a hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, said Lt. Krystyn Pecora, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard's 5th District office. She said Jordan, 37, had a shoulder injury, but she did not have any additional information about his condition.
Jordan had been living on his docked sailboat at the Bucksport Plantation Marina in Conway, South Carolina, until January, when he told his family he was "going into the open water to sail and do some fishing," said his mother, Norma Davis, of Jacksonville, North Carolina. The family had not heard from him since, she said.
"We expected him to come back and he did not return," Davis said in a telephone interview. "We knew something happened. To us it's just a miracle. We're just so thrilled that he was found alive."
Davis said Jordan's father, her ex-husband Frank Jordan, spoke to their son after he was recovered by the Coast Guard and that in addition to injuring his shoulder, he was dehydrated.
"It's amazing," she said. "It's been very difficult not knowing anything and I just feel like all of our prayers have come true. They've been answered."
Jordan had spent months sanding and painting his docked 1950s-era, single-masted sailboat in Conway, where marina manager Jeff Weeks said he saw him nearly every day. Jordan was the only resident in a section of about 20 boats docked behind a coded security gate, Weeks said.
"You'll probably never meet a nicer guy," Weeks said. "He is a quiet gentleman that most of the time keeps to himself. He's polite. I would describe him as a gentle giant:" measuring 6-foot-2 and weighing 230 pounds.
Jordan appeared to be knowledgeable about wild fruits and mushrooms and fished for his meal in inland waterways, Weeks said. But his January trip may have been his first time sailing in the open ocean.
"He might sail up and down the Intercoastal Waterway, but he didn't have the experience he needed to go out into the ocean," Weeks said.
Records show that Louis Jordan sailed out of the marina in Conway, on Jan. 23, aboard the sailboat Angel, said Marilyn Fajardo, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard's 7th District. Fajardo said the Coast Guard in Miami was notified by Frank Jordan on Jan. 29 that he hadn't seen or heard from his son in a week. One week later, Davis confirmed their son was still missing.
Fajardo said alerts were issued from New Jersey to Miami to be on the lookout for Jordan and his sailboat. Officials also searched financial data to determine whether Jordan actually had come ashore without being noticed, but found no indication that he had, she said.
A search was begun on Feb. 8, but Fajardo said the Coast Guard abandoned its efforts after 10 days. Despite reports from other sailors claiming to have seen Jordan's sailboat, none of the sightings were confirmed and the case was suspended. The Coast Guard said Jordan didn't file a "float plan," the nautical equivalent of a flight plan, to determine his route or destination, and Fajardo said there wasn't enough information to narrow down his whereabouts.
Davis said she is looking forward to celebrating her son's return.
"We do plan on having a wonderful Easter celebration with family and I can't wait to get him back," she said.
Officials weigh whether to end beach driving in Daytona Beach
Officials in Daytona Beach are debating whether to end driving on a stretch of beach that is synonymous with cars and sand.
The Volusia County Council on Thursday agreed to consider an end to driving on a stretch of Daytona Beach. Staff will draft an ordinance, which will return in five weeks.
Councilman Josh Wagner, a longtime beach driving advocate, made the motion for the measure to be considered, saying Volusia was in danger of losing the Hard Rock Hotel & Cafe and the Desert Inn being redeveloped into a Westin resort.
"I do not want to be seen as the person who killed two of the largest projects on the beachside," he said.
A resolution on the matter was rejected Wednesday by Daytona Beach's city council. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that hundreds attended that meeting to urge councilmembers to vote down the new rules.
Developers interested in the stretch of beach from Silver Beach to University Boulevard have promised to build a parking garage in exchange for the curb on beach driving.
Decades ago, driving was permitted on 47 miles of Volusia County beaches, but that driving zone has contracted to 17 miles.
Indianapolis in crisis mode after tourism hit by religious bill
Officials are working feverishly to make sure that the controversy around the law does not impact the number of visitors to the city.
(Reuters) – The rainbow flag, a symbol of gay rights, flies prominently on the Visit Indy website and Indiana’s Republican Governor Mike Pence personally phoned the head of a Seattle company that gathers 56,000 gaming nerds in the heartland each year.
These are just some of the signs that Indianapolis, a corn belt city of 850,000 with a $4.4 billion tourism industry, has gone into full-on damage control to make sure its growing convention business is not harmed by a national uproar over a religious bill that Pence signed into law last week.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act – which to some meant religious freedom and to others a license to discriminate – was modified on Thursday by Indiana lawmakers to clarify that businesses cannot deny service to gays and lesbians.
Pence signed the clarified law on Thursday, soon after his Arkansas counterpart, Governor Asa Hutchinson, signed a modified version of a similar bill in his state.
With tens of thousands of basketball fans set to attend the NCAA Final Four men’s college tournament inIndianapolis this weekend – and Indy’s car-racing industry also expressing concerns over the law – tourism leaders were eager for a quick fix.
“We have been working around the clock in crisis mode because the perception of Indy being unwelcoming has been everywhere,” said Chris Gahl, vice president of communications at Visit Indy, the marketing arm forIndianapolis, the state’s capital and largest city.
Gahl said the group is “working feverishly” on the phone with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union and with Christian church Disciples of Christ to make sure they do not carry through with plans to cancel meetings in the city, which has built new hotels and expanded its convention center as tourism booms.
But the biggest convention of all is Gen Con, a meeting of a Seattle-based gamer group that says it has a $50 million annual impact on Indianapolis.
During Gen Con’s annual meeting, attendees gather at tables and computer screens for round-the-clock role-playing games such as Pathfinder or Dungeons & Dragons, trading card games, video and computer games, miniatures and board games.
“We’ve been on the phone with them every day, reassuring them we are doing everything we can as a city to oppose the bill and ensure their executives and attendees they will be welcome,” said Gahl.
“A significant portion of Gen Con attendees identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and we are reading that some members of our community feel unsafe traveling to Indiana,” Gen Con Chief Executive Adrian Swartoutwrote in an open letter to attendees, after Governor Pence phoned her on Monday.
Gen Con had said it was halting plans for expanding its yearly convention until the RFRA was amended.
The day before Pence signed the original RFRA last week, Visit Indy moved the rainbow flag up to the top of its website, said Gahl. The entity has been actively marketing to the gay community for five years, he said.
Tourism in Indianapolis grown to $4.4 billion in the past eight years from $3.4 billion, and added 10,000 new jobs, for a total of 65,000 full-time jobs. Some 26 million visitors came to the city last year, up from 22 million in 2006, according to Visit Indy.
Global corporations such as pharmaceutical maker Eli Lilly and Wal-Mart Stores were among businesses that pressured Pence to modify or repeal the law.
Bahamas 2015 tourism growth leads the entire world average
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Islands Of The Bahamas are leading in all aspects of tourism growth in 2015, with gains expected, to lead the Caribbean, Americas and World averages, according to latest report released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). This reaffirms the recent announcement by The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, of statistics showing double digit increases in air arrivals and hotel performance for the month of January.
The WTTC Report predicting growth in 2015 shows The Bahamas leading in Travel and Tourism’s Contribution to GDP at 6.7%, more than double the Americas’ average; with 5% growth in Employment, almost double the Americas’ average; 7.8% growth in Visitor Exports, more than 7 times the Americas’ average; 6.2% and 7.1% growth in leisure and business spending respectively, both more than double the Americas’ average.
“All signs are pointing to 2015 being a landmark year for tourism in The Bahamas, exceeding 2012, which was previously seen as a step change year for Bahamas tourism,” said Minister of Tourism, Hon. Obie Wilchcombe. “This is wonderful news not only for our very important visitors from around the world, but also for the Bahamian people, with significant increased percentages in job growth and our country’s GDP. We look forward to warmly welcoming all of our visitors this year, and in the coming years, and to providing them with the authentic Bahamian hospitality that visitors have come to expect and love, as well as experiences they are sure to never forget.”
Visitors to the Bahamas this year will have much to look forward to, including the Junkanoo Carnival in April and May, the IAAF World Relays and the long anticipated Baha Mar resort opening in May, as well as many planned sporting events and festivals. This is in addition to the multitude of resorts, fabulous cuisine, picturesque white beaches and turquoise waters that await visitors to the Islands year-round.
Thai government ready to move fast to avoid humiliating ban of Thai airlines around the world
BANGKOK, Thailand - For once, Thai authorities will have to do more than just try to fix its image without really solving any problems. For many years, Thailand’s government has been warned about regular shortcomings in the way Thailand Civil Aviation (DCA) looks at safety issues.
A year ago, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) addressed a warning to the Thai DCA to rapidly find solutions to redress the lack of resources to the agency. In March, the DCA’s plan for a turn-around over the next two years was rejected by the ICAO which asked for “immediate corrective measures” instead. The international organization mentioned “significant safety concerns” over DCA’s ability to fix the rules and have them respected.
The agency is indeed understaffed with the same number of employees since over a decade ago. In a decade’s time, air traffic doubled in Thailand jumping from 300,000 to 600,000 movements a year. ICAO warnings to the Thai civil aviation agency go back to 2009 without any effect.
ICAO’s statement highlights what has been done for many years: sweeping issues under the rug until they are forgotten. This happened in the past with Phuket Airlines and Orient Thai aviation - two Thai licensed air carriers with extremely poor safety records. Despite incidents and even a crash at Orient Thai, DCA never suspended those airlines’ licenses. ICAO points out that concerns about safety had mainly to do with air operator certification, issuing of operation specifications, and their hazardous goods transportation certification.
ICAO’s report had immediate consequences: Japan, Korea, and China immediately banned new charter flights and blocked current Thai airlines, including Thai Airways from adding additional services. China and now Singapore are looking to act similarly. In Europe, EU authorities are observing Thailand’s situation and could eventually declare a ban on Thai carriers in Europe’s skies. Such a move would be catastrophic for Thai airlines and the tourism industry. Thai carriers currently represent almost 50% of all seats offered between Europe and Thailand, and over 60% of all seats between Australia/New Zealand and Thailand. Australia announced it will now be carefully watching further development related to these safety issues.
As an example, bans imposed by China, Japan, and South Korea are likely to impact 150,000 travelers in the next 2 months despite the fact that Japan temporarily lifted its ban until the end of June. However, all Thai aircraft will now be inspected after landing in Japan by a Japanese team of experts.
In Thailand, the government is suddenly feeling the heat and admits that the situation is turning critical. A potential ban on Thai airlines will be considered as a humiliation for the authorities, and it will also jepopardize the recovery of tourism, an important component of Thailand’s national economy. The government must now act very swiftly to avoid a world contagion.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha recognized that little has been done to solve the problems over years. An emergency law - Article 44 - under the temporary constitution which was drawn by military will be implemented. This law has been activated by the government and is replacing the lifted martial law. It gives to the Prime Minister sweeping power to intervene without any consultation of legal bodies in the face of any perceived threats to national security, the economy, the monarchy, or state affairs. Article 44 could then be used as well to speed up the cleaning of Thailand’s DCA. In that case, the Prime Minister could attribute budgets and restructure the agency without going through normal procedures and save time in the process. There have been talks about hiring foreign experts, for example.
Collateral damage is likely for the Thai aviation industry with possibly many travelers choosing now to visit the kingdom by choosing a foreign carrier instead of Thai Airways International. In the long term, ICAO’s warning will suit Thailand’s Civil Aviation well by finally creating the basis for practices matching the highest international safety standards.
Wife sues Spirit Airlines, 2 flight attendants in Chicago man's death
A lawsuit filed against Spirit Airlines and two of its flight attendants claims the company was negligent in the death of a Chicago man who died after having a medical crisis on board a flight home, according to court documents.
Christopher Allen, 41, was traveling on Spirit Airlines Flight 356 from Las Vegas to Chicago in April 2013, when he became unresponsive, according to the suit filed by his wife in Cook County Circuit Court. At the time, the two flight attendants were unaware of where medical equipment on the flight was located, the suit alleges.
Allen had gone into cardiac arrest, the Chicago Fire Department said at the time.
"Spirit had a duty to ensure that its flight crew, including but not limited to its flight attendants were adequately and appropriately trained to address medical emergencies that might arise on board," the lawsuit said.
Fellow passengers tried to resuscitate Allen midflight, but he died later that day, according to the suit. A post-mortem examination determined Allen died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, according to the lawsuit.
Spirit Airlines didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.