A Trip News

IT was a humid evening in New Orleans and the shops along Magazine Street were open late, pouring free wine for the Art for Art’s Sake street fair. Bands played on every other street corner, kids and dogs were underfoot amid the crowds, and it was tempting to pretend that no disaster ever befell this city.
Or at least Magazine Street, which was spared the brunt of the destruction. Once lined with boardinghouses and rowdy saloons, this bustling street in the Uptown neighborhood is perched atop (more…)

Fresh from its first ever arrival in Xiamen (reported in TDA on Friday 13 February), Royal Caribbean International’s Legend of the Seas liner has made its maiden call at Shanghai. An official ceremony welcomed the 2,074-passenger capacity ship’s arrival, marking the cruise brand’s return to China in less than a year, following its successful first season in Asia.

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Qantas baggage handlers have walked off the job in Melbourne causing flight delays and passenger congestion at the Tullamarine airport’s domestic and international terminals.
A Qantas spokesman said 45 handlers walked off the job about 10.30am causing minor delays to flights and congestion for passengers arriving at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport.
“Our baggage handlers at Tullamarine Airport walked off the job at around 10.30 this morning,” the spokesman said.
He said “a handful” of baggage (more…)

Silversea Cruises has finished its multi-million dollar renovation of its Silver Wind liner. The comprehensive refurbishment includes a centerpiece Observation Lounge (seating 60 guests), a spa, beauty salon and fitness centre and floor-to-ceiling windows. A new two-floor, glass-enclosed elevator was also installed, while the liner’s suites and restaurants were also revamped.

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SIR Richard Branson has spoken about “laughing his head off” after receiving a now infamous complaint letter regarding the quality of food aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight.
The letter has swept the internet following the author’s flight from Mumbai to Heathrow in December in which he details his “culinary journey of hell” complete with photos of the curious looking food.
London’s Daily Telegraph has since identified the man as 29-year-old advertising executive Oliver Beale.
(Read the (more…)

HERE’S how to spot out-of-town spectators along the Zulu parade route in New Orleans on Mardi Gras morning: Look for those who seem perplexed about what to do with their hands. Applaud? Or cover their mouths in shock?
At 8 a.m. on Feb. 24, give or take an hour or so, the raucous Zulu parade will roll down Jackson Avenue from Claiborne Avenue, then make a left on St. Charles Avenue and head toward Canal Street. The parade consists of about two dozen colorful floats, each with up to 50 riders. (more…)

THE industrial upheavals affecting Australia’s air traffic management body may have contributed to a near miss over south-west Sydney, an investigation by the aviation safety watchdog has found.
A report by the Air Transport Safety Bureau released on Thursday revealed that a Boeing 767 and a SAAB 340B came within 2.8 kilometres of each other 19 kilometres west-south-west of Sydney Airport, in May 2007.
They breached of the minimum vertical separation distance of 305 metres, and the two aircraft (more…)

Kiwi theme park operator, New Zealand Experience, has reported an 18.4% fall in net profit to NZ$590,000 (US$315,000) for the second half of 2008, the NZ Herald reported. The company said that the result was a direct result of declining visitor numbers at the company’s Rainbow’s End theme park in South Auckland.

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Melbourne’s latest attraction, the Southern Star observation wheel, has reportedly buckled and cracked during the heatwave that is gripping the city. According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, Chairman Fred Maybury said that the wheel would be closed indefinitely.
“Until I get that report I can’t answer the question,” he was reported saying when asked when the wheel would reopen.
Maybury added that the company had sought international advice on how to fix the wheel and why it had succumbed (more…)

Australia’s troubled national carrier Qantas has suffered another blow with a flight leaving Melbourne forced to turn back after experiencing “technical issues” shortly after take-off.
Flight QF25 from Melbourne to Los Angeles left Tullamarine at about 1pm today and was still climbing when passengers heard what they described as a loud bang.
“We were still going up when we heard this really loud bang and the plane started to level out,” passenger Cormac Lally said.
“Not long after, the pilot (more…)