News and notes from around the interweb:
- Upcoming electronic travel authorization (‘visa lite’) to be required for entry into U.K. and yes for Americans
- Interview with the CEO of new Taiwanese airline Starlux
- I’ll be speaking online on Friday evening at 7 p.m. Eastern for Wendy Perrin’s ‘WOW Week’: “Get More For Your Miles and Points in 2023.”
- Come on, people, your Amex Platinum gets you into Escape lounges as well…
- So that’s why the Pyongyang airport is so much nicer than SFO too, then…?
Singapore is able to have nice things in part because they execute drug dealers by hanging and arrest even petty vandals and thieves and beat them with a cane until they bleed. We don't have nice things because we aren't willing to do what is required to maintain them. https://t.co/n0JLcDPsT3
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) January 23, 2023
- Student who tracks Elon Musk’s jet blasts sale of flight-tracking site he uses to keep tabs on aircraft
Guys, so what’s the story on AAL35?? It was Auckland bound and made a 180 turn back to DFW smack in the middle of the Pacific! ETA 3 mins?? What’s going on??
Well, AKL was flooded.
America infrastructure is a disgrace. The money we sent to Ukraine could have built us several new world class airports with pristine public transportation to them while supporting thousands of local jobs building them. The money we ARE GOING to have to spend to rebuild Ukraine could pretty much build out a world class high speed rail network much like the interstate highway system 50 years ago. Instead, we get what we vote for. Hopefully people will demand better but most people don’t care and just want to be famous on instagram and worry about other peoples feelings.
Thanks for the warning about new requirements for Europe entry. We all need another reason to spend longer entering a country, as well as paying for the privilege. If anyone things this new plan will keep out the bad guys, it would be the bureaucrats and politicians. The same people who waste our tax dollars on things like ‘foreign aid’ and don’t maintain America’s highways or take care of the poor. They’re everywhere and they rule us all.
Welp, for years the US has demanded all who come here get some sort of Visa, excl. the five million who answered Uncle Joe’s call and flooded over the border, so I suppose turn about is fair play. Although, I doubt the UK’s version, e.g, the Albanians invading the UK coastline will bother to apply either.
That said, this will be another fine wrinkle for those of us who hold both US and UK passports.
The price of “freedom” I suppose
@Gravelly Point Guy Search for AP article “Auckland airport closes amid torrential rain in New Zealand”
@DSK. Thanks , read about this earlier…sucks!!
Señor Leff,
There are some Russians living at ICN in the international departures area because their asylum/refugee status request has been refused on the basis that fleeing military conscription is not grounds for South Korea to provide them sanctuary. And so they are living airside at ICN since November and December. Just like in that movie.
@GUWonder – I covered this a few weeks back https://viewfromthewing.com/5-russians-have-been-stranded-in-seoul-incheon-airport-for-months-after-fleeing-putins-war/
Latest news about the United Kingdom ETA
Here you can find the latest UK ETA updates and information:
The UK ETA will be launched in the next few years. It is part of the government’s plans to fully digitalise borders
Yes, @Jerry and you know what else could have paid for all that? The Trump tax cuts for the rich and corporations. $1.7T was a lot of money to hand back to people already sitting on a pile of money.
Do what you want as long as I get my passport stamp. O, wait, the UK no longer does that, the bottom of the list you go to visit. Don’t pull an Australia or NZ on people, making them pay for some ETA and no stamp at the end. No one wants to sit on a plane for 15+ hours to NOT get a stamp.
Where are the days of stamps?
Whose miles can I use to fly Starlux?
The comment about Singapore is spot on.
All those American hypocrites who in one breath extoll “law and order” and in the next breath talk about Singapore as a tyranny because they enforce their laws (including on littering, chewing gum or whatever) get the creaky infrastructure they deserve — and a whopping 12x ratio of dead and lifelong disabled people due to COVID-19.
They actually restrict Escape lounge access for BA passengers closer to the daily departure to London, so there’s a mid-afternoon stretch where the Escape lounge is relatively empty
The money going to Ukraine, wouldn’t even pay for a rail system in Texas. Not that it would be useful anyways considering how our cities are laid out.