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. Industry asks ‘RUOK?’
What did travel companies like Virgin Australia, Accor and Metro have in common this week? Aside from being part of the best industry, they’re also heavily involved in ‘RUOK?’ Day.
Did you know that in the time it took you to read that opening sentence at least one person attempted to commit suicide somewhere around the world?
Did you know that more than 2,500 Australians die from suicide every year – that’s seven people a day. A further 65,000 attempt suicide each year in Australia and it’s the biggest killer of Australians under 44 years.
2. Qantas’ new celebrity ambassador
Etihad Airways has Nicole Kidman, British Airways has Orlando Bloom, Emirates MAY have Jennifer Aniston and now Qantas has Wolverine aka Hugh Jackman.
The role of Celebrity Ambassador is really taking off in the aviation world, with Qantas being the latest airline to sign up a new big name to promote its products and services to a worldwide audience.
To be fair, Qantas has a strong history of teaming up with celebrities such as its annual participation in the G’Day USA awards night that attracts dozens of celebrities and there’s also John Travolta who was practically the face of Qantas for years. The airline even had Megan Gale attend the opening of its new Business Lounge at Perth Airport last month.
3. Four new countries for Contiki
Youth tour operator, Contiki’s 2016 European itineraries officially went on sale last night with eight new itineraries on offer and four new countries for your clients to visit.
Revealed last night in front of 300 Legend-ary agents, Contiki said for the first time ever next year, travellers will be able to board the iconic Contiki coach to Bosnia, Montenegro, Romania and Iceland. Click here for images from the party.
While destinations like Romania and Montenegro may seem a little out-of-the-box to some, Contiki’s Global CEO, Casper Urhammer, told KarryOn the destinations were added based on request from past guests.
NOT, NOT, NOT!
1. Aircraft turns around after pilot falls ill
It’s not everyday the man behind the wheel falls ill mid-flight.
A recent American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Baltimore was forced to turn around when the captain said he was too sick to fly, NBC News reported.
Flight 618 made the u-turn with 85 passengers onboard about an hour and a half into the flight.
A spokesperson didn’t reveal the cause of the illness, but said it was severe enough that the co-pilot decided to land the aircraft and takeoff with another Captain.
“The aircraft landed without incident.”
American Airlines spokesperson
2. BA plane catches fire
It may seemed like a scary sight from the outside, but apparently passengers onboard the Boeing 777-200 that caught fire this week were feeling calm enough to take their carry-on luggage with them during the emergency exit.
It’s great that the incident wasn’t serious enough to terrify them, but on the other hand every safety video reiterates the need to leave all belongings behind during an emergency.
Click here for more on the original story.
3. The loneliest bachelor party weekend – ever
A bachelor party is often defined as an epic night with the bros, strippers, some cigars and potentially a bit of gambling.
But not for this one party-goer who thanks to a string of flight cancellations ended up carrying the torch alone for his friend’s bachelor party weekend.
New York-based Robbie flew into Chicago one week ago for the four-day getaway. However, upon arrival he found not only was the husband-to-be left behind but so was the rest of the bachelor squad.
In the absence of the crew he took to Instagram to document his solo-trip to Chicago, accompanying each image with hilarious captions.
Unfortunately as his lonesome trip continues, Robbie starts to feel the weight of loneliness in the Windy City.
Check out his Instagram for the full picture-story.