A collection of interesting bits and pieces from around the world of travel and beyond…
Wow Air failure strands thousands of passengers
Iceland’s Wow Air has stopped flights, stranding thousands of passengers. Its website says Wow Air has ceased operations and cancelled all flights. Wow says passengers needing to travel should book with other airlines.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47731043
Airbnb says it has hosted more than half a billion travellers since its launch
Airbnb, the San Francisco-based home sharing giant valued at some $35 billion, is touting its strength with new statistics about its business — but do they really tell the whole story of the company’s growth and evolution?
- Airbnb has hosted more 500 million guests since the company launched in 2008.
- They previously reported that on August 26, 2018, the company had seen a total of 400 million guest arrivals, meaning that its total number of guest arrivals jumped by 100 million in just the last eight months.
- The company has more than 6 million listings in 191 countries and 81,000 cities worldwide. Airbnb released this statistic on March 1, days after its rival, Booking.com, announced it had a total of 5.7 million alternative accommodation listings.
- Three Airbnb guests check into an Airbnb listing every half second.
Visit the link below to read more…
World’s longest flights
Lately we’ve seen a trend whereby airlines have added an incredible number of new ultra long haul flights. This is a reversal of a previous trend because prior to a few years ago we saw fewer and fewer long flights introduced.
When you look at the list now, a majority of these flights may have been unfathomable several years back, but are now thriving.
https://onemileatatime.com/longest-flights/
Have you flown any of these routes – what was the experience like?
Facial recognition kiosk gives flight updates at Chinese airport
A video showing a kiosk at a Chinese airport that uses facial recognition to provide flight updates and gate information has been shared widely on social media.
Matthew Brennan, a writer specialising in mobile technologies in China, tweeted the video from Chengdu Shuangliu airport in Sichuan province on Sunday.
Wow! China Airport face recognition systems to help you check your flight status and find the way to your gate. Note I did not input anything, it accurately identified my full flight information from my face! pic.twitter.com/5ASdrwA7wj
— Matthew Brennan (@mbrennanchina) March 24, 2019
Biometric technology – particularly facial recognition – is being increasingly used by airlines and airports, from Atlanta and Amsterdam to Tokyo, Dubai and London.