After nearly three years, China will be reopening to tourism. Starting from 15 March, you can once again dust off those Chinese tourist visas. Better yet, if you had a Chinese tourism visa issued before 28 March 2020 — that is, the date China sealed itself off from the world — those will return to […]
Tourism
Innovations in Airport Security Are Emerging
In spite of having been mostly disappointed by my first visit to the new Terminal A at Newark International Airport (EWR) earlier this March, there was definitely a highlight worth mentioning– the security checkpoint. I’m not referring to how the airport botched the queuing system (i.e. most fliers with airline status don’t get their own […]
United Is Adding Flights from Newark to this Scottish Gem
Did you think I was referring to Aberdeen, the oil capital? Maybe from Houston. Having temporarily suspended routes between the United States and Scotland during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, United was the first U.S. carrier to resume flights between the two places back in March 2022, from NY/Newark EWR to Edinburgh EDI. Resumptions […]
Japan’s ANA Restarting Two Nonstop Flights to Europe
I try not to make it a habit of flying through Brussels International Airport (BRU). For being located in a wealthy part of the world, it’s complete rubbish. (But hey, at least they have a supermarket on-site). Nevertheless, while flying through the Belgian capital in 2015, I coincidentally noticed the following advertisement: With leisure travel […]
Saudia Starting Flights to At Least Four Destinations in 2023
The SkyTeam airline alliance — of which Delta, KLM/Air France, and ITA Airways form a part — has my two favorite underrated airlines in the industry (thus far; I haven’t flown every airline in the world, not by a long shot). China Airlines is one of those carriers, and the other? Saudia. Since my first […]
Singapore Airlines Trialing Paper Utensils
One of these days, I’m hoping to read that airlines will start introducing “Turkish food” as an option, but until then, I have some news about how your next in-flight meal might be presented. Per CNA (formerly Channel NewsAsia), since last month Singapore Airlines has been trialing paper wares on select flights in Economy Class […]
Brandenburg.2: The EU Again Threatens an Entry Fee Starting in 2024
For the title of this post, I was wavering between the current one, and Brandenburg.2: Electric Boogaloo. For some background, Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) was slated to open way back in 2011, but due to a number of issues, only opened on 31 October 2020. Similarly, the European Union’s has frequently delayed its plan […]
Japanese Convenience Stores: Oh, The Flavors You’ll Try
I didn’t grow up going to convenience stores in the United States, in part because they weren’t really a thing. Then, once I started visiting other parts of the country, I found them to be torturous for the five senses. Aromas didn’t seem human — or edible — and whatever “food” that was sold was […]
