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After decades of caring for his autistic son, Ryan, Adam Murphy, a 51-year-old father of three from Gloucestershire, England, noticed that Ryan, 27, was becoming a bit more open to trying new things. His son, Mr. Murphy realized, might be able to take his first airplane ride. But traveling would not be without difficulties. “Going to our local supermarket could be a challenge,” said Mr. Murphy. But 94 percent of those surveyed said they would travel more if they had access to options that are certified to recognize and understand the needs of people with autism.

Persons: Ryan, Adam Murphy, Murphy, ”, “ Organizations: International Board of Credentialing Locations: Gloucestershire, England

☆ Airlines and Passengers Still Struggling, a Day After Global Outage
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Christine Chung | Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A day after a tech outage disrupted industries worldwide, airlines are digging themselves out from the fallout of thousands of delayed and canceled flights that have left travelers stranded and searching to find a way home over the weekend. On Saturday morning, delays and cancellations had ebbed, and both domestic and international airlines said they expected to return to near normal operations. But higher than usual cancellation rates are still likely throughout the day, as airlines continue to maneuver planes and their flight crews back into position. Yesterday’s software outages immobilized airlines, affecting numerous functions, including calculating aircraft weight, checking in and communicating with travelers. The waits stacked up for passengers, and some were left with no option other than to sleep at airports.

Persons: Grace Aldrin Organizations: La Guardia Locations: New York, Chicago

Travel plans across the world were thrown into disarray on Friday, as a global technology outage disrupted businesses and services — including air travel — leaving thousands of flights canceled or delayed across the United States and beyond. While service was slowly recovering by midmorning Eastern time, the ripple effect was still snarling travel plans as delayed and canceled flights created a buildup of passengers waiting at airports, and some planes and crews out of position. “The anxiety is getting up a little,” said Adonis Ajayi, 35, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday morning. Messages posted on social media by travelers worldwide showed flights grounded, some terminal monitors down and crowds of stranded passengers waiting at airport gates and customer service desks. Some passengers at one airport in India had to stand in long lines to obtain handwritten boarding passes.

Persons: ”, Adonis Ajayi, Ronald Reagan, Ajayi, “ I’ve, CrowdStrike Organizations: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Key West, Microsoft Locations: United States, Ronald Reagan Washington, Key, Fla, India

☆ Cellphone Outage in Europe Leaves Many U.S. Travelers Disconnected
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Derek M. Norman | More About Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Verizon told some of its customers on social media that it was also aware of the issue and that its teams were working with local providers to resolve it. A T-Mobile representative said the carrier was one of “several providers impacted by a third-party vendor’s issue that is intermittently affecting some international roaming service” and was also working to resolve it. George Lagos, a 70-year-old real estate developer from Dunedin, Fla., who is visiting the Greek island of Crete with his family, noticed yesterday that his T-Mobile cellular data was not working. For about 24 hours, he said, he was not able to reach the people he had made plans with, though luckily, they had already gone over the details together. “You know it’s an inconvenience, but it wasn’t a disaster,” said Mr. Lagos, whose service appeared to be restored by Thursday evening.

Persons: George Lagos, ”, Lagos’s Organizations: Verizon, Mobile Locations: Dunedin, Fla, Crete, Lagos

☆ In California, Hotels and Rentals Must Reveal Fees Upfront. What Does That Mean for You?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last May, Samir Bhavnani, a 47-year-old tech executive from San Diego, was planning a trip to Palm Springs, Calif., where he planned to propose to his girlfriend. “And $595 plus $595 doesn’t equal $2,300,” Mr. Bhavnani said. “Taxes, host fees and service fees basically doubled the price. I asked the owner what the fee breakout was, and they said it was $300 for cleaning and $300 for ‘air-conditioning.’ This is Palm Springs. On July 1, a sweeping new state law will ban hidden fees on purchases — including event tickets, hotel rooms and food delivery services — by requiring businesses to include all mandatory fees or last-minute charges in their advertised and displayed price.

Persons: Samir Bhavnani, Mr, Bhavnani Locations: San Diego, Palm Springs, Calif, Springs, California

☆ No Eclipse Plans? Try These Last-Minute Strategies.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Many made their plans to view it well in advance. You’re not trying to make it into your dream vacation. You just want to get to the path of totality.”So first, get your hands on some eclipse glasses so you can safely watch. Then find a way to get yourself into the path of totality, the strip running across 13 states where the moon will fully eclipse the sun. You’ll be competing with people who have already spiked the demand for flights and accommodations, so be ready to pay more.

Persons: you’ve, ”, Melanie Fish, “ You’re, You’re Organizations: Expedia Group Locations: Mexico, Canada, North America

☆ Need a Passport? You’re in Luck.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Among the many aspects of travel that the pandemic disrupted, one issue was more bureaucratic — but no less frustrating — for some Americans: an enormous backlog of U.S. passport applications. As recently as last summer, the estimated wait time to get a passport was as long as 10 to 13 weeks — nearly twice as long as the prepandemic benchmark. Even expedited service took seven to nine weeks. Through August of last year, many Americans expressed fury and frustration that passport application wait times were disrupting their summer plans. Many across the United States were writing federal lawmakers for help, while others wrote directly to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.

Persons: —, Antony J, ” Organizations: State Department Locations: United States

☆ A Timeline of Plots Against Sikh Activists, According to Canada and the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal prosecutors in the United States announced this week that they had charged an Indian national in a murder-for-hire scheme that targeted a Sikh activist in New York. The plot was foiled, they said, but it further complicated the delicate diplomatic relations between the United States, Canada and India. The U.S. prosecutors also linked the plot to a murder in Canada last June. Relations between India and Canada had soured this fall after Canadian officials accused Indian government agents of the killing. In or around May 2023American prosecutors said that, around this time, an unnamed Indian government employee recruited Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, to orchestrate the assassination of a U.S. citizen, according to the indictment.

Persons: Biden, Narendra Modi, Nikhil Gupta, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Organizations: United States, Biden, The U.S, Indian, Justice Locations: New York, United States, Canada, India, China, Russia, The, Punjab

☆ Don’t Try This on Vacation: Learning From Other Travelers’ Mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Derek M. Norman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Nadia Caffesse, that pain came in the form of a number of tiny needles lodged in her hands, forearms and chest. In September 2006, Mrs. Caffesse, now 45, and her family were driving through Big Bend National Park in Texas, where she found herself admiring the native blind prickly pear cactuses jutting out along the rocky roadside. She was violating a cardinal rule when visiting a national park: Take only memories and leave only footprints. “They are a poetic threat.”She knew she’d made a mistake the second she grabbed the paddle of the cactus. “The pain was instant, searing and, because of the diffuse nature of all those tiny needles, unrelenting,” Mrs. Caffesse recalled.

Persons: Nadia Caffesse, Caffesse, ”, “, she’d Organizations: Big Locations: Texas

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