And other travel news you may have missed.
This week in travel, we’ve uncovered several stories that might have flown under your radar. Among them: a Mexican governor says the U.S. canceled her tourist visa; AAA predicts record-breaking travel over Memorial Day weekend; and disturbing incidents continue to plague Newark Airport.
Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news.
NO.1
45.1 MILLION AMERICANS EXPECTED TO TRAVEL OVER MEMORIAL DAY
Despite concerns about rising travel costs, 45.1 million Americans are projected to travel domestically from May 22-26 this year. AAA predicts that the record of 44 million travelers set in 2005 will be broken this year, with the number exceeding last year’s figures by more than 1.4 million.
Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA, said that trips don’t have to be costly or extravagant. “While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school.”
NO.2
BRITISH TOURIST DISAPPEARS IN AMSTERDAM
A 34-year-old British tourist disappeared in Amsterdam on May 4. The Dutch authorities are looking for Ryan Jones, and the police described this as an urgent matter. Jones was with friends and, on Sunday, split from the group at the airport, saying he had forgotten his passport. The police said that he made brief contact with his friends at 2:17 p.m., but he has not been heard from since.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
It is not known why the police considered this an urgent matter, but they are actively searching for him. The British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Offices also reported that they are in contact with local authorities.
NO.3
TWO UNITED PLANES CLIP WINGS AT SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported last week that two United Airlines planes clipped wings around midnight at San Francisco International Airport. One flight was heading to Sydney when its right wing struck another United plane’s left wingtip. The second United flight was heading to Hong Kong, and the FAA said that the incident occurred “in an area where air traffic controllers do not communicate with flight crews.”
United reported that no injuries were sustained and passengers deboarded normally, while the airline rebooked them on other flights.
This is the second such incident in a month. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, two American Airlines aircraft clipped wings.
NO.4
EQUIPMENT FAILS AGAIN AT NEWARK AIRPORT
On Sunday morning, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were disrupted again after FAA equipment failed. There was a ground stop on flights for 45 minutes during which flights could not take off. The FAA said in a statement that it was a telecommunications issue, resulting in 280 delayed flights and 87 cancellations on Sunday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that flights at the airport will be scaled back. “In the next several weeks, we’re going to have this reduced capacity at Newark. I’m convening a meeting of all the airlines that serve Newark to get them to agree on how they’re going to reduce capacity. So you book, you fly.”
On Friday, the airport also experienced a blackout for 90 seconds at 3:55 a.m. This follows a similar incident on April 28 that caused air traffic controllers to lose all contact with flights departing and arriving at the airport. Five employees took leave after the traumatic incident, and hundreds of flights were disrupted due to a shortage of employees and technical issues.
Related: Air Traffic Controller Warns That Newark Airport Is Not Safe
NO.5
A MEXICAN GOVERNOR’S U.S. TOURIST VISA CANCELLED
The governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, said that the U.S. has revoked the tourist visas of her and her husband, Carlos Torres. She did not specify why her visa was revoked but mentioned on X that she trusts the situation will be resolved satisfactorily.
Her husband said that he has hired an expert in immigration law to “reopen or reconsider the decision, or to initiate the process for a new visa application.” He also added, “This proceeding does not represent a formal accusation, investigation, or indictment by any authority in Mexico or the United States.”
Baja California borders the American state of California. The U.S. Embassy refused to disclose the reason for the visa revocation, stating that visa records are confidential and they cannot discuss individual cases.
Baja California borders the American state of California. The U.S. Embassy refused to disclose the reason, saying that visa records are confidential and they cannot discuss individual cases.
