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The essentials for your travel first aid kit revealed
Today’s post caught me off guard. I’ve never thought about preparing a first aid kit for travel. I mean, sure if I’m going on a cruise, I’ll take some Dramamine, or if we’re visiting another country, I’ll be sure everyone got their shots. But to pack allergy medicine, didn’t cross my mind. If you’re like me, then I’m glad to bring this information to you.
Author and mom blogger, Lisa Shusterman from “Around the World in Easy Ways,” shares with us the things we should consider packing in our first aid kit as we embark on travel season with the kids.
Around the World in Easy Ways Blog | Lisa Shusterman
Every traveler knows you shouldn’t leave home without it. No, I’m not talking about your American Express card; I’m talking about a first aid kit.
While most people will have access to supplies somewhere along the way, the reality is, when you want what you want when you want it, it’s just best to have it with you rather than depend on finding it. Obviously you can’t carry an entire pharmacy in your bag, so what should you carry?
(READ MORE)
No-fly list among airlines has doubled following the attempted attack in December
Airport security news has been slow. Nothing major to report, which is a good thing. I did find out that the Transportation Security Administration has doubled the no-fly list since the arrest of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab. The list has gone from about 3,400 people to about 6,000 people.
I wonder how accurate the list is, and does knowing this information give consumers a piece of mind when flying the friendly skies. You tell me.
FAA finds no humor in child tinkering with air-traffic control
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) learned that on February 17, an air-traffic controller brought his son to work and allowed him talk to pilots from John F. Kennedy International Airport’s tower. I guess what you do for one, you have to do for the other. The next day, he then brought his daughter to work and let her have a turn instructing pilots.
I’m all for kid-friendly work environments, but this is no laughing matter. There are thousands of lives at stake. Kudos to the FAA, they suspended the father and his supervisor for such child’s play.
I even have the audio of the little boy instructing the pilots. I must admit, it’s cute, and I’m sure this is an experience that the children will never forget.
AUDIO: Child directs pilots
USA Today in the Sky | Thomas Frank
WASHINGTON — An air-traffic controller who let his son talk to pilots at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s tower also brought his daughter to work the next day and let her instruct aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday.
The unnamed controller and his supervisor were suspended after audiotapes surfaced on the Internet of the boy speaking to departing flights on Feb. 16, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said. The agency later discovered that the girl had come to the tower the next day, it said in a statement.
“This lapse in judgment not only violated FAA’s own policies, but common-sense standards for professional conduct,” Babbitt said. “These kind of distractions are totally unacceptable.” (READ MORE)
Airlines ground flights in preparation for major snow storm on the East Coast
Hello FTS readers!
Source: flickr
If you are planning to take a flight out today or tomorrow, reschedule. The East Coast is expected to receive about two feet of snow today, which will affect several flight schedules. If you are optimistic about your travel plans, be sure to check with your airline before you head to the airport. You can even use the handy dandy Flight Stats map in the LEFT column of this blog.
Just follow the arrow!
If you must brave the winter storm in hopes of your flight taking off, be sure to pack an extra set of patience and fun stuff for the kids.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Get the latest about the snow dump here.
High winds and winter storms cause some travel delays
Before you head to the airport, check to see whether your flight has been delayed. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reported that their flights won’t take off until this evening, due to severe weather conditions.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says airlines are opting to cancel flights because of expected very strong crosswinds.
At FTS, we’ve made checking your flight status more convienent. Check out the new tool, in the left column of this blog below my travel picks, to see if your flight is on schedule.
Have a safe trip!
Pilot’s emergency stop before take off, protected by runway safety zone
I tell you, there are some strange things happening among airlines these days.
A US Airways Express Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jet came to a sudden halt from take off, just at the end of the runway on Tuesday. Passengers described the incident as a sudden slam on brakes.
To the pilot’s credit, he did what he had been trained to do, but my goodness! How scary was this for children and adults, alike on this flight? Fortunately, none of the 31 passengers on the Charlotte-bound flight were injured.
USA Today in the Sky | Ben Mutzabaugh
A runway safety system is being credited with preventing “a catastrophic tragedy” yesterday at Yeager Airport in the West Virginia capital of Charleston. The incident occurred around 4:20 p.m. ET yesterday when a US Airways Express Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jet aborted takeoff at the last second, coming to a stop just before a steep drop at the end of the airport’s runway.
“We were taking off on the runway, (the pilot) was going at full speed,” 21-year-old college student Lindsey Robinson tells the Charleston Daily Mail. “All of a sudden he put on the brakes, and the plane was engulfed in smoke and debris.” The jet stopped about 100 feet short of the end of the runway, which sits above a valley overlooking the Kanawha River and the city of Charleston, according to The Charlotte Observer.
“If it hadn’t been for the EMAS, I’m convinced a catastrophic accident would have occurred,” Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper tells The Charleston Gazette. (READ MORE)
Earthquake evacuees bused to luxury Dominican resort
Photo by: Carel Pedre
Two bus loads of evacuees arrived after midnight at the beachside Oasis Resort in Santo Domingo. The only drawback to this somewhat feel good story is that the evacuees are Canadians of Haitian descent, who had been visiting the island. Apparently, the Canadian government offered the evacuees a free night stay and consul officials ensured enough food was available for a midnight buffet, before they return to Canada.
I think it’s safe to say that this would not have happened if the Canadian government hadn’t offered up the cash. I hope to see more Dominican hotels house Haitian natives in the coming days.
Dominican Today
Santo Domingo.– Over 100 Canadians trapped in the concrete rubble that is now Port-au-Prince were flown to a luxury resort in the Dominican Republic late Wednesday night.
Approximately half of the Canadians were rescued by a Hercules aircraft and were taken to the embassy’s compound after the massive earthquake that shook Haiti’s most densely populated city.
Most were Canadians of Haitian descent vacationing for the holidays. Many had tickets booked on Wednesday’s cancelled Air Transat flight to Montreal and only made their way to the embassy after finding out the airport was closed.
According to press reports, two bus loads of evacuees arrived after midnight at the beachside Oasis Resort waving small Canadian flags given to them by consular staff. Many had spent a sleepless night Tuesday, choosing to rest in the street or in their cars in case any roof would cave over their heads during aftershocks in Port-au-Prince. (READ MORE)
Tourists in Haiti among many who are missing after the deadly earthquake
Hatian presidential palace (Lisandro Suero, AFP/Getty Images)
More than three million people are in need of emergency aid following the magnitute-7.0 earthquake that stunned Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday. Hotels are among some of the buildings that collapsed, leaving several tourist missing.
As the poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti isn’t a major family travel destination, its neighboring region, the Dominican Republic is. The Dominican Republic shares the Espanola Island with Haiti. From what I understand, the Dominican Republic was not affected by the earthquake and is assisting in humanitarian aid.
WANT TO HELP?
USA Today | Hotel Check-In | Barbara De Lollis
As rescuers rush to save lives in the wake of the earthquake in impoverished Haiti, we’re starting to learn more about the extreme devastation to Haiti – including to its hotels and visitors.
I’m also seeing how Twitter is being used as a real-time tool by people trying to speed rescue efforts in these precious hours immediately following the 7.0 quake. My source? This real-time Twitter feed generated using the words, “Haiti” and “hotel.”
In the last hour, Twitter user @unasu sent out an urgent request for help to save a friend’s brother and his three daughters at the urban resort in Port-au-Prince, Karibe Hotel, where they are missing.
“OMG..friend’s brother and three girls are trapped in a collapsed hotel in Haiti. no machinery in the area. just chaos. (READ MORE)
New year promises cloud with a silver lining for air travel
www.mediabistro.com
Air travel has been, without a doubt, more stressful for many family travelers over the last few weeks. According to today’s report, air travel is looking up for passengers, well, in some areas.
USA Today Travel | David Grossman
In recent years, surging oil prices, airline bankruptcies and consolidation, terrorist bomb plots, invasive security procedures, pandemic scares, ancillary airline ticket fees and the deepest recession in decades have transformed business travel into a Darwinian struggle for survival. Once the havoc created by the recent attempt to bring down a U.S. jetliner abates, 2010 may prove to be a less turbulent and more benign year for air travelers. Barring the return of the H1N1 flu, an unexpected oil price surge or another unforeseen crisis, air travel may even hold a few bright spots in the coming year. Here are eight factors likely to affect air travel for business travelers in 2010.
Capacity changes in a gradual economic recovery
To combat the recession, many corporations slashed travel budgets by as much as 30% and downgraded travelers from first or business class to coach. In response, U.S. airlines reduced domestic capacity by nearly 11% and international capacity by 7% according to the Air Transport Association.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects the world’s airlines lost $11 billion in 2009 and will lose another $5.6 billion in 2010. Despite these horrific losses, IATA believes the worst may be over as passenger demand is slowly rising again. Airline passenger traffic has now reached the halfway point between its highest peak in early 2008 and its lowest levels in early 2009. (READ MORE)
Civil liberty groups say stringent airline screening spurs racism
Full-body scans and intense pat downs are all part of TSA’s new airline screening procedures for passengers arriving from nations listed as “state sponsors of terrorism.”
The American Civil Liberties Union oppose this type of screening stating that there is no no realistic way to predict the national origin of a potential attacker. What do you think?
Reuters News Service
NEW YORK (Reuters) – More stringent screening launched on Monday for airline passengers from 14 nations, part of a crackdown after the botched Christmas Day bombing of a Detroit-bound flight, are ineffective and unconstitutional, civil liberty groups charged.
The tighter security measures, which range from passengers being patted down to advanced explosives detection and full-body scans, constitute racial profiling when there is no realistic way to predict the national origin of a potential attacker, the American Civil Liberties Union said.
The measures announced by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration affect passengers arriving from Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — nations listed as “state sponsors of terrorism” — as well as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.
“Every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening,” the TSA said. (READ MORE)
