Southwest Airlines is turning 52 this weekend, and the carrier is celebrating by offering a huge fare sale and daily prize giveaways.

To start, the airline is giving travelers the chance to save a whopping 40 percent off base fares if they book by 11:59 p.m. PT on June 15, Southwest shared with Travel + Leisure. The sale applies to trips between Aug. 15 and Dec. 14. (It excludes blackout dates from Nov. 16 through Nov. 27.) To book, travelers must use the promo code “40OFF.”

Southwest’s destinations include international getaways like Aruba; Belize; Cancun, Mexico; Havana, Cuba; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Turks and Caicos. (A September trip from New York City to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for example, is as low as $335 round trip.) Travelers can also opt for popular U.S. cities serviced by the carrier like Austin, Nashville, Denver, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. (An October trip from Los Angeles to Nashville is as low as $99 each way.)

In addition to the sale, Southwest Airlines is giving away prizes each day leading up to its official birthday on June 18, which the airline has dubbed “Wanna Get Away Day.” Travelers can snag everything from round-trip air travel for two to a Companion Pass.

To enter to win a prize, travelers can fill out a sweepstakes form at wannagetaway.com before 11:59 p.m. CT on June 18. Those participating must be Rapid Rewards members.

“In true Southwest style, we’re celebrating with Heart all week long with one of the largest sales of the year, week-long sweepstakes, and more fun opportunities leading up to our 52nd birthday and our established national day, ‘Wanna Get Away Day,’ on June 18,” Jonathan Clarkson, the vice president of marketing at Southwest Airlines, said in a statement shared with T+L.

And to take the party to the skies, Southwest Airlines will offer all customers 21 and older flying with them on June 18 one free premium drink onboard.

If there’s one thing that Mariah Carey does better than celebrating Christmas, it’s taking fabulous vacations. Now you can follow in her travel footsteps — literally — with Booking.com’s Mariah’s Beverly Hills Escape. It’s a dream two-night getaway in her favorite mansion, along with reservations at her go-to restaurants and a style consultation.The posh getaway will be available to book for one pair of fans on June 21.

The winners will stay at The Laurella Estate at 1091 Laurel Way, where Carey lived for three months this spring. With eight bedrooms and 10 baths, the 10,380-square-foot home is decked out with arched doorways, intricate chandeliers, a stunning pool, and of course, a gorgeous tub with marble columns around it — in true Mimi style.

“Sometimes a week or two isn’t enough to get away. That’s why I was thrilled to stay for a few months in a gorgeous Beverly Hills estate, which I found on Booking.com,”

Guests will also get reservations at all of Carey’s choice restaurants in the area, including The Terrace, Cara Restaurant, Dan Tana’s, and Craig’s. Winners will get a guide to some of her favorite local sites, like Will Rogers State Beach, Runyon Canyon Park, Getty Center, The Hammer Museum at UCLA, and Skirball Cultural Center. They’ll also receive a private style consultation with tips on how to emulate Carey’s look.

The five-time Grammy winner shared a taste of her own family time inside the mansion in an Instagram and Tiktok post, with clips of her 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, splashing around the pool with her, as well as shooting hoops and getting manicures. Her two dogs also enjoyed the lavish accommodations, running around through the kitchen and up the grand staircases.

“I’m staying in this really beautiful home that I booked on Booking.com and I saw it and I was like, ‘Oh, this looks really nice,’ so let me just see what it’s like to take a little mini vacay there,” she said in the video. “In your own home, you can personalize it, you can make it your own place. One of the most important things for me personally when I’m on vacation is just feeling free. Having some privacy means we can just be ourselves to whatever we want, and enjoy special moments together.”

The coveted package for a stay June 24 to 26, will be available right at noon ET on June 21 for $6.21 to celebrate the first day of summer. (Winners will have to cover their transport to and from Los Angeles.)

“My family and I enjoyed all the luxuries this beautiful home has to offer and now, one of my Lambs has the opportunity to experience L.A. in true Mimi fashion by staying in the same home and visiting all my favorite places in the area!” Carey said in the statement.

Turbulence is unstable air movement that is caused by changes in wind speed and direction, such as jet streams, thunderstorms, and cold or warm weather fronts. It can range in severity, causing minor to dramatic changes in altitude and air speed.

Countless travelers have experienced the distinct anxiety-inducing sensation of turbulence on flights: eyes squeezed shut, hands clamped to the armrests for dear life, bracing for the roller coaster to come.

Recent incidents have left dozens of passengers with injuries. Last month, seven passengers on a Lufthansa flight from Texas to Frankfurt, Germany, were hospitalized with minor injuries after their plane encountered severe turbulence as it flew over Tennessee. And in December, about two dozen people, including an infant, were hurt on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu that hit rough air shortly before landing.

The recent reports raise questions about whether turbulence is getting more frequent and intense.

We spoke to a handful of experts to learn more about the tricky-to-predict weather phenomenon. Here’s what they said.

What is turbulence?

Turbulence is unstable air movement that is caused by changes in wind speed and direction, such as jet streams, thunderstorms, and cold or warm weather fronts. It can range in severity, causing minor to dramatic changes in altitude and air speed.

It’s not just associated with inclement weather, but can also occur when skies appear placid. And it can be invisible both to the eye and weather radar.

There are four classifications for turbulence: light, moderate, severe and extreme. In cases of extreme turbulence, pilots can lose control of the airplane, and there can even be structural damage to the aircraft, according to the National Weather Service.

Is turbulence increasing? And if so, why?

Recent research indicates that turbulence is rising and that this change is sparked by climate change — specifically, elevated carbon dioxide emissions affecting air currents.

Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in England, has studied turbulence for more than a decade.

Williams’ research has found that clear air turbulence, which occurs most frequently at high altitudes and in winter, could triple by the end of the century. He said that this type of turbulence, of all categories, is increasing around the world at all flight altitudes.

His research suggests that we could encounter bumpier flights in the coming years, which could potentially result in more passenger and crew injuries.

How is turbulence monitored and measured?

Meteorologists rely on a variety of different algorithms, satellites and radar systems to produce detailed aviation forecasts for conditions such as cold air, wind speed, thunderstorms and turbulence. They flag where and when turbulence might happen.

Jennifer Stroozas, a meteorologist at the weather service’s Aviation Weather Center, called turbulence “definitely one of the more challenging things to predict.”

Using these forecasts, in addition to guidance from air traffic controllers, pilots attempt to skirt turbulent areas by adjusting their altitude to find the smoothest ride. This means flying higher or lower than the altitude where forecasters predict turbulence and potentially burning more fuel than initially anticipated, an endeavor that can be costly.
Robert Sumwalt, a former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board who now heads a new aviation safety center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, stressed that it was impossible to prevent or predict all turbulence.
“There is always the possibility of unexpected rough air,” Sumwalt said. “Generally, it’s not going to hurt you and not going to pull the wings off the airplane.”

Mountain tourism represents between 9 and 16% of international tourist arrivals worldwide, translating into 195 to 375 million tourists for 2019 alone, a report said.

While mountain tourism has become an increasingly relevant motivation for travel, data on its size and impact remains scarce, according to the new report from the UN agencies the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Mountain Partnership (MP).

However, the scarcity of domestic mountain tourism-related data make it difficult or even impossible to assess the economic, social and environmental impacts of this important segment.

This new report aims to address this data gap.

Mountain tourism for sustainability and inclusion


Mountains are home to around 1.1 billion people, some of them among the poorest and most isolated in the world.

At the same time, mountains have long drawn tourists interested in nature and open-air destinations and outdoors activities like walking, climbing and winter sports.

They also attract visitors with their rich biodiversity and vibrant local cultures.

However, in 2019, the most recent year for which figures are available, the 10 most mountainous countries (in terms of average height above sea level) received only 8% of international tourist arrivals worldwide, the report “Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism”, shows.

Managed sustainably, mountain tourism has the potential to boost the incomes of local communities and help preserve their natural resources and culture.

And, according to FAO, UNWTO and MP, measuring the volume of visitors to mountains represents the first vital step towards unlocking the potential of the sector.

With the right data, we can better control the dispersal of visitor flows, support adequate planning, improve knowledge on visitor patterns, build sustainable products in line with consumer needs, and create suitable policies that will foster sustainable development and make sure tourism activities benefit local communities, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stated.

Recommendations


The study, which was based around research carried out in 46 countries, shows that generating economic benefits, creating opportunities for local communities and developing sustainable products are the main motivations for mountain tourism development.

The sustainable development of mountain tourism was also identified as a means to help to spread tourism flows, tackle seasonality and complement existing tourist offerings.

Through the report, FAO, UNWTO and MP highlight the importance of collective efforts, involving public and private stakeholders from across the value chain, to improve data collection, standardization and delivery to gain a more comprehensive assessment of mountain tourism in terms of volumes and impacts, so that it can be better understood and developed to align with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The report also calls for concerted work to help raise awareness of the socio-economic importance of tourism in mountains and targeted policies to create jobs, support small and medium sized businesses and attract green investments in infrastructure and the digitalisation of tourism services.

In a bid to help decarbonise the aviation sector, new rules requiring airlines to use more sustainable fuels across the European Union (EU) have been agreed upon by negotiators from member countries and the EU Parliament, reported a news agency.

The executive arm of the EU, the European Commission, on Wednesday, said that the deal reached by member states.

The European Parliament demanded that from 2025 suppliers blend sustainable aviation fuels with kerosene in growing amounts.

It is expected that this step will help in the reduction of aircraft carbon emissions by two-thirds by 2050.

In the EU, the aviation sector accounts for 13.9 per cent of transportation emissions.

This makes it the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the sector (first is road transport), said the Commission.

If global aviation were a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters, a report said.

The political deal is part of the “Fit for 55” package of the EU. It strives to slash by at least 55 per cent (by 2030) emissions of the gases that push global warming.

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Friday, April 28, 2023 Favorite

In a bid to help decarbonise the aviation sector, new rules requiring airlines to use more sustainable fuels across the European Union (EU) have been agreed upon by negotiators from member countries and the EU Parliament, reported a news agency.

The executive arm of the EU, the European Commission, on Wednesday, said that the deal reached by member states.

The European Parliament demanded that from 2025 suppliers blend sustainable aviation fuels with kerosene in growing amounts.

It is expected that this step will help in the reduction of aircraft carbon emissions by two-thirds by 2050.

In the EU, the aviation sector accounts for 13.9 per cent of transportation emissions.

This makes it the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the sector (first is road transport), said the Commission.

If global aviation were a country, it would rank in the top 10 emitters, a report said.

The political deal is part of the “Fit for 55” package of the EU. It strives to slash by at least 55 per cent (by 2030) emissions of the gases that push global warming.

By 2050, the union hopes to reach climate neutrality. To achieve this, it needs to cut transport emissions by 90 per cent compared to 1990 levels.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation sector took a hit. However, emissions from the aviation sector are expected to continue increasing.

According to data from the EU, they increased an average of 5 per cent year-on-year between 2013 and 2019.

Under the agreement, at least 2 per cent of all fuels supplied from 2025 (at airports) will need to be sustainable, with that share reaching 70 per cent by mid-century.

To enter into force, the deal now only needs formal approval from member states and EU lawmakers.

Citing the current state of the economy, some consulting firms are providing incentives to those willing to delay their start dates.

New hires at popular consulting companies are being offered a unique situation — accepting a job with a significantly delayed start date, combined with a one-time bonus to bridge the gap and allow for travel, adventure, and education.

McKinsey and Bain, consulting firms both based in the United States, have been reaching out to some incoming employees to delay their start date in exchange for a sum of money — as much as $40,000 — to bridge the time, according to a recent report from the Australian Financial Review.

Bain has said a $20,000 payment for the delayed workers could be used to take a safari, reported The Wall Street Journal. With popular safaris being offered for $10,995, these future employees should have no problem finding a unique opportunity to apply this one-time bonus. Future employees are also encouraged to use the funds to learn a new language, work at a non-profit, or even learn yoga. Travel + Leisure reached out to Bain for a comment, but had not received a reply at the time of publish.

Companies have been delaying start dates and citing changing economic conditions.

“I was recently notified because of the economy and that work is slow, all new grad hires have to have their start dates delayed by 3 months,” one person wrote in a Reddit forum, and asked for advice on whether it was a signal their job was in jeopardy of potential layoff before they started. The employee did not disclose which company they were joining.

For the future McKinsey and Bain employees, the financial payment during the delayed period may be a signal of commitment that their jobs are safe.

Providing funds for wellness has become a popular benefit in corporate work. For example, Adobe offers full-time employees $600 a year to use on wellness activities, which include yoga classes, CrossFit, dance classes, personal training, and more, as listed on the benefits site.

Other companies have woven in travel and reimbursement to their benefits package to entice prospective employees to join, and current employees to stay. Instead of paid vacation time, these companies are actually paying for the vacation. For example, Airbnb touts that they offer employees an “annual travel and experiences credit” on their careers page.

Evernote, a tech company focused on note-taking, provides an annual vacation stipend to encourage companies to take vacation. The stipend is $1,000 for breaks of over five days, according to their career site.

New York City is the wealthiest city in the world, beating out other major hubs like Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong.

The Big Apple took the top spot thanks to the largest concentration of millionaires, according to a study from Henley & Partners, which looked at the amount of resident high net worth individuals in each city. Overall, there are 340,000 millionaires living in New York City.

“The right to live, work, study, and invest in leading international wealth hubs such as New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, and Hong Kong can be secured via residence by investment,” Juerg Steffen, the CEO of Henley & Partners, said in a statement. “Being able to relocate yourself, your family, or your business to a more favorable city or have the option to choose between multiple different residences across the world is an increasingly important aspect of international wealth and legacy planning for private clients.”

Beyond New York City, Tokyo came in as the second wealthiest city with 290,300 millionaires, followed by California’s Bay Area with 285,000 millionaires, London with 258,000 millionaires, and Singapore with 240,100 millionaires. Los Angeles took the No. 6 spot on the list with 205,400 millionaires, while Chicago took the No. 11 spot with 124,000 millionaires.

Air travel is matching levels seen before the pandemic ahead of the busiest days of the Easter weekend—the start of spring break for some customers. It could offer a boost to airlines if they can handle the strain.

Passenger volumes so far this week have been tracking around or slightly above the equivalent weekdays in 2019, according to Transportation Security Administration data. Sunday was the third busiest day of the year so far: Close to 2.6 million people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints.

The daily number of people going through checkpoints has now surpassed two million for 30 consecutive days, the first time that has happened since 2019.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday is set to be the busiest travel day of the holiday period, with 51,252 flights expected across the U.S. Friday won’t be far behind, with the FAA forecasting 51,125 flights.

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The U.S., U.K, Albania and Malta walked out of a Russia-led United Nations meeting Wednesday as Moscow’s envoy for children’s rights, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, began speaking to the Security Council by webcast.

The U.S. and Britain also reportedly blocked the video from being broadcast on the UN’s website, reported Reuters.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters that the diplomats blocked the webcast as Russian Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova began speaking, to ensure that she was not granted “an international podium to spread disinformation and to try to defend her horrible actions that are taking place in Ukraine.”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield sits with U.K. and Alabanian ambassadors in UN Security Council meeting. February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

RUSSIA TAKES OVER PRESIDENCY OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL; ‘BAD OPTICS’ FOR WEST, PROPAGANDA WIN FOR PUTIN: EXPERTS

Last month, the ICC levied arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova after accusing them of illegally deporting children from Ukraine to Russia, following nearly a year’s worth of investigations into numerous alleged war crimes.

Russia has dismissed the warrants and said they were invalid, as Moscow does not recognize the authority of the ICC.

While the international community has accused Russia of illegally deporting children, some of whom were separated from their families in Ukraine, the Kremlin has positioned it as a humanitarian aid program.

During her address to UN diplomats, Lvova-Belova reportedly showed images of Ukrainian children and claimed, “I want to stress that unlike the Ukrainian side, we don’t use children for propaganda.”

Russian Children’s Representative Maria Lvova-Belova holds a press conference at the Foreign Ministry following accusations by Ukraine that the Russian leadership is deporting children in its war of aggression against the country. (Photo by Ulf Mauder/picture alliance via Getty Images)

UK TURNS RUSSOPHOBIA ARGUMENT ON MOSCOW, CLAIMS GREATEST THREAT TO RUSSIAN SOCIETY IS WAR IN UKRAINE

Moscow has admitted to transporting children across its borders, and on Wednesday Lvova-Belova said that some five million Ukrainians, including 700,000 children, had traveled to Russia in the more than 13 months since Russia’s invasion, reported Reuters.

The Kremlin’s envoy also said that 2,000 children from orphanages had traveled to Russia with custodians – 1,300 of which had allegedly returned to Ukraine, while 400 remained in Russian orphanages and 358 children had reportedly been placed in Russian foster homes.

Children from the children’s home in Zhitomir (located in western Ukraine), which was evacuated. Zhitomir is 140 km from Kyiv. (International Fellowship of Christians and Jews)

Donald Glover has spoken candidly about his time working on 30 Rock, and said that Tina Fey told him he was a “diversity hire”.

The actor and rapper, also known as Childish Gambino, was speaking during a new interview yesterday (April 4), when he explained how he got his first writing job, working for the US sitcom 30 Rock.

According to Glover, he got the role back in 2006, back when he was still a resident assistant in Goddard – living in a dorm in New York City. However, despite performing well in his role, he consistently felt like an outsider.

“It definitely didn’t feel like I was supposed to be there,” he told GQ. “I used to have stress dreams every night where I was doing cartwheels on the top of a New York skyscraper with the other writers watching me.”

Glover later found out that was only hired as a way for the team to look more diverse; something which was also confirmed to him by series creator and actor, Tina Fey.

There is no animosity between us or anything like that, but [Tina Fey] said it herself… It was a diversity thing,” he said. “The last two people who were fighting for the job were me and Kenya Barris. I didn’t know it was between me and him until later. He hit me one day and he was like, ‘I hated you for years!’”

Last month, Glover – who is now a renowned actor, comedian, musician, writer and director – debuted his latest series, Swarm.

Co-created Glover and Atlanta writer Janine Nabers for Amazon Prime Video, the series follows a young woman named Dre whose obsession with one of the world’s biggest pop stars sets her on a dark journey across the country.

Not only did Glover recently release an EP made in conjunction with the horror series, but the show also saw the acting debut of pop icon Billie Eilish.

Available to watch now, the ‘Happier Than Ever’ singer was one of many unexpected supporting players who crosses paths with the lead character, played by Dominique Fishback.

It was also revealed that former First Daughter, Malia Obama also worked alongside Glover on Swarm, and is credited as a staff writer on all seven episodes of the new show.

“Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny,” said Nabers. “She’s an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table. She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”