News and notes from around the interweb:
- Why do restaurants serve free bread? Of course in Italy you may pay coperto so the bread isn’t free.
- The challenge Europe faces opening up travel to vaccinated Americans foreigners would get more rights than Europeans, who lag in vaccination. In other words it’s a political problem, not a public health one. It’s not just slow European bureaucracy causing delay here, waiting months allows Europe to narrow the gap.
- When Uber drivers don’t like the trip or fare they’re cancelling by claiming the passenger wasn’t wearing a mask. Lyft drivers are doing it, too:
I was at a vaccine site getting my shot. Believe me face coverings were required and I was wearing one. Your driver never saw me!
— Marshall Jackson (@MJonTravel) April 14, 2021
- Qantas expects to bring all its A380s back into service but not before 2024.
- If Democrats currently in power legalize marijuana at the federal level then Uber will get into the pot delivery game. Presumably monthly Amex credits could be used for grass, but new Marriott-earning wouldn’t automatically extend to hotel ganja delivery.
- Several passengers from the United Denver – Honolulu flight which lost an engine are suing the airline for post-traumatic stress disorder.
UPDATE / VIDEO: Footage from on-board United #UA328 which suffered an engine failure after take-off from Denver en-route to Honolulu (Boeing 777-200 N772UA) earlier, dropping parts on a residential area. Flight returned to DEN. No injuries being reported.
Source: @michaelagiulia pic.twitter.com/cbNDCJCvwt
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) February 20, 2021
Coperto is optional by law. Don’t let a restaurant tell you otherwise . . . which they will try to do if you are a tourist.
@ Gary — Why must every weed smoker be portrayed as a black guy with dreads? Most of my millennial white neighbors smoke weed.
@Gene – If marijuana is legalized at the federal level, we are going to see advertisements everywhere including Uber for delivery. Currently, nearly all advertisements in the Wall Street Journal feature mainly African American and/or minority models. Based on this, Gary is simply slightly ahead of the trend.
Europeans traveling within Europe already have more rights than locals in certain countries. Spanish nationals and residents are not allowed to travel within Spain for example, but visitors from other EU countries are free to come to Spain and travel around as they please. In Catalunya you’re not even allowed to leave your administrative division. It’s a bit maddening.
@Jordan, a reminder that it’s only been 45 years since Franco died. Spain has been through a lot worse.
President Biden and team are doing an amazing job outpacing most of the world with vaccine availability. With full vaccination should come additional opportunities.
I wonder if there’s more to the UA story, or if passengers are just becoming more used to suing for emotional distress/damages. Interesting!
Until most EUropean/Schengenites adults have a Covid-19 vaccine locally available to them and been able to complete the shot sequence + a couple of weeks, the pressure to open up to US visitors may not exceed the pressure that comes from those with the attitude of “why are they allowed in on the basis of something we can’t all get yet”.
@Brodie Trump and his “warp speed” team did most of the work getting the vaccines out. Not faulting Biden just credit where credit is due…
While in the middle months of the crisis the Europeans did pretty well, it has all fallen apart. Cases have been soaring (well above the U.S. in many countries in proportion to population) several governments are in lock down mode; and the vaccine rollout has really been a sad trickle out, beset by bureaucracy and mismanagement.
Long gone are the days when they logically kept out Americans because we were doing so much worse. Don’t expect to go until they get their act together.
@Nick is exactly right.
@ABC
and Franco is still dead
uber and lyft have heinous customer service. it is not in the business model to do otherwise.
Thank you, @Nick. Operation Warp Speed initiated by the Trump administration receives ALL the credit for quite possibly saving the future of travel.