Alison DaRosa
An unruly passenger stripped naked on Wednesday (July 1) and skipped around the cabin of a US Airways flight bound for Los Angeles. No one was hurt by flying undies.
Clothed passengers helped restrain the naked passenger – male, if you’re wondering – while the captain diverted the flight to Albuquerque.
When the plane landed, the naked passenger was arrested and handed over to the FBI.
The flight had started in Charlotte, N.C. Once the naked man and his belongings were off the plane, the flight took off again for L.A.
We’re hoping US Airways at least offered free cocktails for the duration of the flight.
Paris’ Hotel Crillon is for sale - Posted 6/26/09
Nothing is sacred in this economy. The famed Hotel Crillon on the Place de Concorde in Paris is wearing a For Sale sign.
The historic landmark, commissioned by Louis XV in 1758, opened as a government building. It became a luxury hotel a century ago - and attracted guests ranging from the Dalai Lama to Charlie Chaplin, from Elizabeth Taylor to Winston Churchill, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Mariah Carey. .
Starwood Capital acquired the property in 2005 as part of its $3.3 billion acquisition of the Taittinger hotel and champagne empire.
Now it has directed Eastdil Secured to find a buyer for the hotel; asking price is more than $400 million.
Deilmann to scuttle European River cruises - Posted 6/25/09e
Peter Deilmann Cruises, one of the most popular river cruise operators in Europe, is exiting the river cruise business in 2010 and taking all eight of its river vessels out of service because of financial difficulties, a representative from Deilmann’s U.S. office has confirmed.
The Deutschland, Deilmann’s 513-passenger ocean-going ship, is reportedly not affected. River cruises will reportedly operate as scheduled through the end of October 2009.
The company’s U.S. office, based in Alexandria, Va., otherwise declined to comment.
A Deilmann spokesman in the U.S. said employees at the company’s U.S. office in Alexandria, Va., were “shocked” by today’s (June 25) news out of Germany.
Peter Deilmann Cruises has been operating river cruises in Europe since 1983. It owns and operates all eight of its river ships.
“They were a pioneer in river cruising,” said Phyllis Dorfman, owner of Rainbow Travel in La Mesa. “And they had great itineraries.
“The cruises are especially popular among Europeans,” Dorfman added. “Deilmann is really a very German-oriented company. Many of the passengers were not English speakers, entertainment was not in English. Most of my American cruise clients want cruises that cater to English speakers.”
Dorfman said she has sailed on Deilmann cruises: “Their five-star ships are premiere – but they also have three- and four-star ships.
“We’ll miss them – but there are other operators doing the same thing for similar pricing,” Dorfman added. “Globus, Amadeus, Viking and Tauck all have fabulous river cruises.”
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Clear Pass tanks; get back in line for airport security - posted 6/23/09
Clear Pass, the private company that operates virtually all the quick-pass security lanes at U.S. airports, has gone out of business.
The company had signed up 260,000 travelers at $199 each for its expedited security clearance program available at 18 airports across the nation.
No details are available at this time - other than a statement issued by Verified Identity Pass, which operates the Clear Pass service. The company wrote that it was “unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.”
It also noted that travelers who’ve paid for Clear Pass membership are out of luck: “At the present time, because of its financial condition, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. cannot issue refunds.”
Tags: Business, Clear Pass, Crillon, Deilmann, naked, Paris, SDNN, USAirways
Comment by: Antonia Allegra Posted: June 30, 2009, 3:23 pm
Speaking of the Crillon, that hotel, being considered one of the most beautiful in Paris, was taken over as the Nazi headquarters during WWII. Just one of those FYI
tidbits….
Comment by: Recent Travel stories Posted: July 20, 2009, 11:09 am
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