They made us laugh, they made us roll our eyes and some even made us cringe. Wrap up your work week with fun travel news Friday #FTNF – a collection of weird stories that made headlines.
1. Now that’s one fast hippo!
Sharks, lions, elephants and whales have nothing on hippos.
They’re one of the world’s most dangerous creatures, killing more people in a single year than any other African animal.
But what you may not have known about the large mammal is that they are fast. No, not just fast, they are incredibly fast.
The video above shows the usually sluggish animal chasing a powered tour boat in Botswana and in 15 seconds covers a lot of water to almost catch it.
Filmed by tourist Clive Jackson on the Chobe River, the short video has gone viral receiving almost three million views in less than nine days.
“Incredible footage – that hippo sure looks angry.”
Christopher L, Youtube user
“How the hell does he move that fast under water ???”
Adnan Kashogi, Youtube user
Hippos kill around 3,000 people a year, making it one of the biggest killers in Africa. Only three life-forms kill more people in Africa than hippos – human beings, mosquitos, and tsetse flies, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.
2. Disgruntled employee pockets 115 Jetstar iPads
We’ve heard to taking a ‘souvenir’ when you leave a company, but this guy may have gone a little overboard.
A former airline employee reportedly stole around $170,000 worth of iPads because he believes he was overworked and underpaid.
But that’s not the only reason, the 44-year-old man’s defence counsel said he was unhappy because airline bosses wouldn’t promote him, The Herald Sun reported.
“He was disgruntled, he resented the position he found himself in … and he went out to rectify that position.”
The man quit his job as the acting branch manager of Melbourne Airport Qantas Courier warehouse in December 2012. He then returned two days later to take the load of Jetstar iPads.
What did he do when they realised the devices were missing?
He lied and said they may have been delivered to another customer – a story he stuck to throughout the Australian Federal Police Investigation
However, this week he pleaded guilty to one count of theft in court and could be facing up to 10 years in prison.
3. ‘I’ll chop you into pieces’: air pax arrested over threats
Somebody get this guy a chill pill [I’m still a little 90s].
A 40-year-old British man will soon be sent to a Dubai prison for six months after he threatened to dismember air staff aboard an Emirates flight last year.
According to Gulf News, the man verbally and physically assaulted a flight attendant when she refused to serve him more alcohol on the London- to- Dubai flight.
He threatened to ‘chop her into pieces’ and at one point even grabbed her by the shirt. He caused further disruption to the flight when he set off a bathroom smoke alarm by lighting up a cigarette in the loo.
The man was arrested upon touch down in Dubai and was found ‘mentally sane’ by a committee of psychiatrists in the city.
He will now serve six months in jail and then be deported back to England.
4. Where the condoms at?
Sex and cruising, the two go together like peanut butter and jelly. It sounds wrong but it is enjoyed by many.
You’re trapped on a vessel with thousands of other people for around two weeks.
Not to mention, the majority of your trip is spent in your swim suit by the pool, where there are a number of other half naked people are also laying around absorbing vitamin D.
There’s bound to be a little ‘naughtiness’ going on.
5. Ryanair fined $800K for bad service
If we knew we could sue people for bad service we’d be millionaires by now.
The budget airline has been fined around $824,958 by Italy’s antitrust body for operating customer service lines with expensive charges.
The Italian investigation, which launched in June 2014 also found passengers’ problems were rarely resolved, News.com.au reported.
Antitrust body AGM said most complaints came from people who found it difficult and expensive to obtain reimbursement or book alternative flights.
Customers also said it was difficult to change bookings prior to a flight or obtain information about special arrangements.
The low-cost carrier was given 90 days to end the expensive service fees and work with customers to resolve their issues.
The Italian group did acknowledge Ryanair’s attempt to deal with the situation by removing a premium phone number for passenger requiring assistance with boarding and introducing an online chat.
However, the body said the move wasn’t enough to avoid the fine.
Ryanair is now looking to fight the fine.
“We note the ruling and have instructed our lawyers to appeal.”
Ryanair statement
