Our weekly ‘Hot or Not’ series brings you some of the highs and lows in this week’s travel news headlines.
HOT, HOT, HOT!
1. Qantas’ CEO Joyce brings home the bacon
I’ve never wanted to use the hashtag #WishIWasHim more than I do right now.
We were a little envious last month when we heard staff across the Qantas network would receive a portion of the $90 million set aside for staff bonuses.
But now this new bit of news has us wishing we were the company’s CEO – without the stress of the job of course.
2. Titanic’s last lunch menu on auction
Grilled Mutton Chops, Chicken a la Maryland and Custard Pudding – they were just some of lunch items passengers aboard the Titanic enjoyed on their final day at-sea.
One of the ship’s last lunch menus was saved by one of the passengers who was lucky enough to have received a place on a lifeboat when the ship hit an iceberg and tragically sunk on 14 April 1912.
The item is one of three artefacts from ‘Lifeboat 1′ that will be up for auction on 30 September through New York-based Lion Heart Autographs’ website.
The menu came from Abraham Lincoln Salomon who is believed to have dined with another first-class passenger, Isaac Gerald Frauenthal, who escaped on another lifeboat.
Salomon also took a printed ticket from the Titanic’s Turkish baths, which recorded a person’s weight.
3. Have a seen Etihad’s earlybirds?
Etihad Airways has released its Early Bird fares for travel to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and USA in 2016. The sale offers great value Economy, Business and First Class fares for bookings between now and 31 October.
Among the deals are Brisbane to Amsterdam from $1,619 or to Dublin from $1,567. There’s also Melbourne to Abu Dhabi from $1,881 and Istanbul from $1,548.
People from Perth can experience Los Angeles and New York from $1,311 while Sydneysiders can fly to Cairo from $1,908 or Paris from $1,626.
The airline is also offering huge savings in Business Class, such as Brisbane to Athens from $7,591; Melbourne to Abu Dhabi from $7,481; Perth to Dublin from $6,272; and Sydney to London from $7,722.
Early Bird fares are valid for sale from now until 31 October 2015 for low season travel on selected dates between 22 January and 26 September 2016.
NOT, NOT, NOT!
1. “Give me my cat!”
US fighter jets were called to guide an aircraft to safety after a model, who had sneaked her cat onboard, allegedly completely flipped out.
The European model was flying Condor Airlines from Las Vegas to Frankfurt when staff discovered the cat tucked away in her purse.
At first flight attendants weren’t sure what to do with Czech model, Zaneta Hucikova, pet but eventually decided to put the kitty in a toilet.
It was at this point Zaneta Hucikova is believed to have become enraged and even punched a female flight attendant in the face.
A passenger onboard, Dashenka Giraldo, said Zaneta was telling passengers that she was ‘part of the Mafia and that the mafia follows her around the world’.
Following the outburst, the pilot notified authorities and two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to monitor the plane as it landed at the Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado.
Passengers were put in hotels in Denver overnight. Authorities say no arrest was made, however, the cat is believed to be in federal custody.
2. Fake Qantas Facebook page scamming users
Qantas says it is working with Facebook to remove a fake Qantas page that has attracted attention.
The Facebook page is pushing a competition post urging followers to ‘like’ the post and wish the airline a Happy Birthday by commenting in the comment section.
Readers are encouraged to notify friends and clients that the competition and the Qantas Airlines Facebook are fake. Click here to visit the real Qantas Facebook page.
3. Aussies just lost their visa-free entry to Bali
Our visa-free entry to Bali is on and then it’s off and then it’s on again but then now it’s off again.
In less than 24 hours the Indonesian government changed its tune (once again) on whether Australians will receive visa-free entry into Bali.
And it’s all because our very own government is refusing to make a similar agreement for Indonesian travellers.