Two planes diverted to Sacramento International Airport for emergency landings - Yahoo News

Two planes diverted to Sacramento International Airport for emergency landings - Yahoo News
How to capitalize on holiday airfare deals amid COVID-19 - Los Angeles Times
U.S. condemns actions of Myanmar forces that resulted in deaths of detained NLD members - Yahoo News Canada
Black Friday, Cyber Monday Deals at Mexico's Top Resorts - TravelPulse

Posted: 13 Mar 2021 06:05 PM PST

Associated Press

'Nothing but problems': Shipwreck tear-down enters 5th month

When salvage crews began cutting apart the capsized Golden Ray, a shipwreck the size of a 70-story office building with 4,200 cars within its cargo decks, in early November they predicted the demolition could be wrapped up by New Year's Day. Both ends of the cargo ship have been cut away and carried off by barges in a pair of giant chunks. "It's been nothing but problems out here," said Andy Jones, a St. Simons Island resident who heads to the wreck site in his small fishing boat most days to monitor the demolition and post updates to a YouTube channel.

How to capitalize on holiday airfare deals amid COVID-19 - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 23 Oct 2020 12:00 AM PDT

This may be a once-in-a-lifetime moment: We're edging toward the holidays, you haven't made airline reservations and there is no need to panic.

This may mark the first time I have used italics to emphasize type (except words in another language). But in a year of many surprises, many of them ugly, not sweating bullets about your holiday fare is an unexpected plus.

The reasons your underarms are dry at this late date are myriad.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn't keen on holiday celebrations because of COVID-19. Here's what it says: "Fall and winter celebrations, such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Halloween, Día de los Muertos, Navratri, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and New Year's, typically include large gatherings of families and friends, crowded parties, and travel that may put people at increased risk for COVID-19."

Apparently a big part of the American public isn't excited about holiday travel either. Two-thirds of people who were going to travel in the next six months are changing their plans because of coronavirus, according to a study by Longwoods International, a market research consultancy. Those stats, released Oct. 13 and based on information gathered the previous week, reflect "traveler sentiment" that covers our favorite holiday periods.

Even more surprising, 39% of respondents said they had "canceled their trip completely." Apparently, there is no place like home for the holidays — and by "home," we mean the one you've been stuck in for eternity or the last seven months, depending on your point of view. A fifth of respondents cited economic worries; another fifth said costs were part of their decision.

The biggest culprit was coronavirus, which 48% said would "greatly impact" their decision to travel.

For the 10% of you who said coronavirus would have no impact, available airfares are the feast before the feast.

"Typically by this point I wouldn't have been surprised to see fares jump up to $1,000 and certainly over $500 round trip, depending on destination, for domestic flights on peak days," said Zach Honig, editor at large for the Points Guy, a leading site for travel advice, especially airfares.

But he's not seeing that, he said in a recent interview. He suggested monitoring Google Flights and, if you can, being as flexible as possible.

Again, blame or thank the pandemic, which has people waffling and waiting. "Overall, uncertainty around COVID-19 is continuing to fuel last-minute travel searches, and flight prices are based on supply and demand," said Steve Hafner, chief executive of Kayak, a travel aggregator that searches numerous sites for airfares and hotels, among other travel products.

"With regards to pricing, domestic flight prices are down nearly 16% year over year for the holidays," he said in an email. "Given demand is in flux, it's hard to predict, but we can tell you that we suspect there will be deals out there right up to the holidays."

Using the experts' hints, on Monday I could have snagged a $297 round-trip fare from L.A. to New York's JFK on Delta, leaving Nov. 24, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and returning Nov. 30, the Monday after. It's a basic economy fare, so you can't choose your seat and you will board last, but changes are allowed to that ticket and you get a free carry-on. This fare may be gone by the time you read this but, given demand — or lack thereof — you may find others.

If you don't have a destination in mind, look for places that have suffered as a result of the pandemic, Hafner said.

That could include Hawaii, which has recently reopened for tourism, its lifeblood. If you can prove you don't have COVID, you can fly to Honolulu. I found a holiday fare for $379, with a ticket to Oahu on Hawaiian and back on American, for Dec. 23-29. Again, that fare may no longer show up.

A fare that low is infrequent any time of year and, around the holidays, a popular time to visit Hawaii, almost unheard of. Best to lock in now, Honig said, even if it's for later in the winter or in the spring.

As you do, look for airlines that are flexible in allowing you to change dates. Kayak has a list of airlines offering flexible options "so you can easily see which travel partners are offering free cancellations (in the form of travel credits) and those waiving their change or cancellation fees altogether, so travelers have all the information they need to make smart decisions about current and/or upcoming travel plans in one place," Hafner said

If you think you'd be a dummy for flying at the holidays, a Department of Defense study showed that if you wear a mask, you "would have to be sitting next to an infectious passenger for at least 54 hours to receive a dangerous dose of the virus through the air," the Washington Post reported. It noted the test used a "mannequin expelling simulated virus particles to determine how the virus spreads as an aerosol inside an aircraft cabin." The test had "limitations," the DoD said, but was "encouraging."

Not 100% foolproof, but what is?

The good news is that you still have some time before you must make a final decision. Fares probably aren't going to increase much unless there's a huge surge in demand. Based on what has happened this fall — demand has lagged the number of available seats, OAG, which provides aviation analytics, said in a recent webinar — that seems unlikely.

Holiday travel seems like a definite maybe right now. In a year that has been all that, we shouldn't be surprised. But we should continue to follow safety guidelines to protect you and yours for the happiest holidays.

Have a travel problem, question or dilemma? Write to catharine@catharinehamm.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.

U.S. condemns actions of Myanmar forces that resulted in deaths of detained NLD members - Yahoo News Canada

Posted: 12 Mar 2021 12:00 PM PST

The Canadian Press

Call me? US-Turkey reset faces long list of hurdles

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has toned down his anti-Western and anti-US rhetoric in an apparent effort to reset the rocky relationship with his NATO allies, but so far he's been met by silence from U.S. President Joe Biden. Nearly two months into his presidency, Biden still hasn't called Erdogan, which some in Turkey see as a worrying sign. By contrast, former President Donald Trump and Erdogan spoke just days after the 2016 election. Ties between Ankara and Washington — which once considered each other as strategic partners — have steadily deteriorated in recent years over differences on Syria, Turkey's co-operation with Russia and more recently on Turkish naval interventions in the eastern Mediterranean, which U.S. officials have described as destabilizing. Despite tensions, many within Erdogan's government were hoping for four more years of the administration led by Trump, who had a personal rapport with Erdogan and didn't give him any lectures about Turkey's human rights record. Biden drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with the New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkey's opposition against "autocrat" Erdogan. In public statements, Turkish officials have played down the lack of a phone call from the White House, noting that conversations are happening at other levels, but a senior Turkish government official told The Associated Press that Erdogan's office "is not thrilled" about it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said last week that there were many world leaders Biden still hadn't talked to and that she was sure he would call Erdogan "at some point." Left with few friends due to a spate of assertive foreign policy, anti-Western rhetoric and increasing authoritarianism, Turkey is now looking to attract foreign investments to rescue its troubled economy. Erdogan has been reaching out to the U.S., European nations and other former allies in a bid to patch troubled relations and end its international isolation. Biden, who has spoken about restoring international alliances and traditional ties as well as strengthening NATO, would have an interest in rebuilding ties and trying to pull Turkey away from Russia's sphere of influence. But analysts say it's going to be very difficult to reset the relationship, given the range of issues where the two countries don't see eye to eye, including Turkey's decision to acquire the advanced Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system, which Washington says poses a threat to NATO and to the U.S. F-35 fighter aircraft program. Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 production program and last year imposed sanctions on senior Turkish defence industry officials as well as bans on military export licenses. Turkey argues that the Russian system, which cost the country $2.5 billion, is not a threat to the NATO alliance and it has repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve the issue. Washington insists the sanctions cannot be lifted as long as the Russian system remains on Turkish soil. During a Senate hearing before his confirmation as U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken described Turkey as a "so-called strategic partner" and called it "unacceptable" for Turkey to be "in line with one of our biggest strategic competitors in Russia." Merve Tahiroglu of the Washington-based Project on Middle East Democracy, said it would be difficult for Erdogan to backtrack on the S-400 "because he made such a big deal about the purchase and what this would mean for Turkey's geopolitical independence." American military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters to combat the Islamic State group is another point of contention. Turkey argues they are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency and Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has said that ties cannot improve unless Washington halts its co-operation with the Syrian Kurdish group. In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following the latter's decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group. The Biden administration is likely to put pressure on Turkey on its energy dispute with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, which led to a tense standoff between two NATO members. Turkey has since halted its search for energy reserves in disputed waters while Erdogan has toned down his fiery rhetoric. Gonul Tol, director of the Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies, said Turkey cannot give concessions in the eastern Mediterranean "because it is considered a national cause by a wide segment of Turkish society." The Biden administration is expected to place more emphasis on democracy and human rights than Trump did. During a telephone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Blinken underlined the "importance of democratic institutions, inclusive governance and respect for human rights" for Turkey, according to a U.S. readout of the conversation. Last week, Erdogan pledged a series of reforms to improve human rights but analysts said they were unlikely to make a huge impact or lead to the release from prison of high-profile figures such as activist Osman Kavala, who is accused of ties to anti-government protests in 2013 as well as a 2016 failed coup attempt. "For a true reset to happen, the Biden administration needs to see more of a democratization process ... that can come in the form of major judicial reforms or by the release of some of the most contentious political figures," Tahiroglu said. Turkey is also seeking the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in 2016. U.S. officials say Ankara has not been able to present documents that would allow his extradition. Turkey accuses Washington of providing him shelter. Also threatening to perturb ties is a trial against Turkish state bank, Halkbank, accused of helping Iran to evade U.S. sanctions worth $20 billion. "If the court sentences Halkbank, it is going to be devastating for the Turkish economy and I don't see how you can have a reset after that," Tol said. Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press

Black Friday, Cyber Monday Deals at Mexico's Top Resorts - TravelPulse

Posted: 25 Nov 2020 12:00 AM PST

There's still plenty of time to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in Mexico, a destination that has been receiving accolades for health and safety protocols at its resorts and flexible booking programs.

Bahia Principe's Hotels & Resorts' four Riviera Maya properties are offering cyber savings ranging from 45 to 59 percent.

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Bahia Principe Luxury Sian Ka'an is featuring discounts of up to 45 percent on room rates, Bahia Principe Grand Tulum discounts of up to 53 percent, Bahia Principe Luxury Akumal discounts of up 54 percent and Bahia Principe Grand Coba discounts of up to 59 percent.

Guests who register on My Bahia Principe can receive an additional 15 percent discount.

Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos is providing Cyber Monday discounts of up to 45 percent – and the additional bonus of kids staying free. Travelers can also take advantage of free room upgrades.

Trending Now

UNICO 20 87 is offering rates of $433 per room and 30 percent discounts on suites, a best rate guarantee and flexible cancellations for bookings from Nov. 23, 2020, to Dec.2, 2020.

To obtain the $433 room rate, travel must take place between Jan. 4 to April 10, 2021; and Dec. 19, 2020, to Dec. 17, 2021, for the 30 percent suite discount.

Viceroy Riviera Maya unveiled savings of up to 45 percent along with a cancellation policy that enables guess to cancel three days prior to arrival.

The window for Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings at Playa Hotels & Resorts is Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, 2020, for travel between Nov. 25, 2020, to Dec. 20, 2021. Travelers can save up to 68 percent.

Palladium Hotel Group is offering travelers booking a Grand Palladium or TRS Hotel property in Mexico savings of up to 57 percent on three-night minimum stays and $1,500 resort credits. The offer applies to bookings from Nov. 15, 2020, to Dec. 20, 2021.

Palace Resorts and Le Blanc Spa Resorts are featuring an offer enabling travelers to obtain two vacations for the price of one by booking a minimum of four nights and receiving another room of the same value, free. The offer is available for bookings between Nov. 23 and Dec. 4, 2020, for travel between Dec. 22, 2020, to Jan. 3, 2021.

The resort company is also offering a buy four nights, get the fifth-night-free deal. Guests who book and pay for four nights will receive the fifth night free. Kids and teens stay free at select resorts. The offer applies to bookings made between Nov. 27 and Dec. 4 for travel between Jan. 4 to April 10, 2021.

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