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VIDEO & CAMS

PANDA CAM at the world famous San Diego Zoo

To see Yun Zi Baby Panda goto
San Diego Zoo online

Donate to their foundation.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH DISNEYLAND!

ALERT NEWS

The State Department is warning U.S. citizens of possible risk when traveling to the southern Philippine islands of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. The alert is on the heels of the recent acts of violence in the Mindanao province of Maguindanao.

This state of emergency for the Philippines includes road checkpoints conducted by the Philippine military and law enforcement. U.S. citizens should know that there are heightened tensions as well as an increased military presence in these regions. Travelers are encouraged to research the restrictions and avoid congregating in public areas.

AIRLINES NEWS

AIRLINES NEWS:

TERROR ALERT

KTNV reports that United Airlines flight 223 en route from Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., to McCarran International Airport has been diverted to Denver due to a passenger disturbance.

According to the TSA, the male passenger attempted to open one of the plane doors while it was in flight. The aircraft was immediately diverted and was met on the ground by TSA and FBI officials as well as Denver Police.

Barry Eynon of Coopersburg, Pa., said in a phone interview that he was in the third row when another passenger “saw this person trying to open the airplane door and trying to get into the cockpit.” The other passenger “jumped up and grabbed him from behind and yelled for help.”

Eynon said, “I jumped up and grabbed him from the front.” Three or four other passengers also helped to subdue the man, putting him in a seat and ensuring he remained there, Eynon said.

The man seemed “really out of it,” Eynon said. Source – Washington Post The passenger was taken into custody by the FBI and questioned. Passengers and crew members are also being questioned by the FBI. via United flight from D.C. to Las Vegas diverted after disturbance – KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada.

Thank God. We have lots of friends and family in Las Vegas!!!

San Diego International Airport to offer H1N1 and other vaccinations to ticketed passengers

Vaccines available post-security
SAN DIEGO – January 14, 2010 – The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has partnered with Pacifica Medical to offer H1N1, pneumonia and other CDC-recommended shots to ticketed passengers and employees at San Diego International Airport.
The flu shots will be offered at four post-security locations in Terminals 1 and 2, from the hours of 6:00am – 6:00pm. The vaccinations are available starting Friday, January 15, and are expected to be available through early 2010. At each kiosk, travelers will have the option of receiving the H1N1 vaccine as well as a host of other travel-related vaccines, including Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, pneumonia and typhoid. Seasonal flu shots will also be available. For all vaccines, there will be a discount for San Diego residents.
The vaccines are yet another customer service initiative provided by the Airport Authority for the convenience and well-being of its passengers.
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority was established by state law in 2003 to operate San Diego International Airport and to address the region’s long-term air transportation needs. San Diego International Airport — funded through user fees —generates some $10

Continental Airlines will be launching new service between Orange County and Maui as of March 7, 2010.

In addition, the company increased to daily previously announced service between Orange County and Honolulu, also starting March 7, 2010.

The new Orange County-Maui flight will operate four times weekly, departing John Wayne Airport (SNA) at 5:20 p.m. and arriving at Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) at 8:05 p.m. The return flight will depart Maui at 11:10 p.m. and arrive at Orange County at 7:45 a.m. the next day, except on Saturdays when it will depart 40 minutes later. Continental will utilize a Boeing 737-700 on the new route with 124 seats, and plans to increase the service to daily during the summer.

In addition, Continental will increase from four times weekly to daily previously announced service between John Wayne Airport and the Honolulu International Airport (HNL). The new flight will depart Orange County daily at 9 a.m. and arrive at Honolulu at 11:45 a.m., returning from Honolulu at 1 p.m. and arriving at 9:35 p.m. Continental will operate the new route with a 124-seat Boeing 737-700.

Delta will add San Diego-Honolulu service

Delta will begin once-daily flights between San Diego and Honolulu starting June 3, 2010.
Delta attributed the new route to increased demand resulting from an expanded customer base created after the company's merger with Northwest Airlines.
Delta will use Boeing 757s for the new San Diego-Honolulu service.
A second daily Delta flight between Los Angeles and Maui is scheduled to begin in March.

With a bar code on a cellphone, a traveler can get through airport security and onto a Continental Airlines flight at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

And American Airlines said it plans to add the service at D/FW in December.

Houston-based Continental and the Transportation Security Administration introduced paperless boarding at D/FW late last month at Terminal E and showed off the system to reporters Tuesday.

"For many customers, it is about taking control of their travel," said Jared Miller, Continentals senior vice president of customer self-service. "And it’s one more way to help the environment without all those paper boarding passes."

Since the airline began offering paperless boarding in December 2007, 1.1 million passengers have used the service, Miller said. About 100,000 travelers a month currently use paperless boarding on domestic and some international flights at Continental.

Miller demonstrated the system, which sends an e-mail to a passengers Web-capable cellphone when the passenger checks in for the flight online. The e-mail includes an encrypted bar code. At the airport, scanners at the TSA security station read the bar code and tell guards whether it is an authorized boarding pass.

If it is valid and matches the passengers ID, the passenger can then go through security. If not — for example, if the scanner is unable to read the bar code because the cellphones screen is smudged — the guard will send the passenger to a ticket counter to get a paper boarding pass.

The TSA has partnered with four domestic airlines to test paperless boarding. The service is now available at 49 airports, including D/FW along with Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

American offers paperless boarding at six airports, including its hubs in Los Angeles and Chicago. Spokeswoman Stacey Frantz said the Fort Worth-based carrier has been integrating the paperless boarding passes into aa.com so customers who are checking in for flights are aware that the service is available.

She added that the technology will be available at all American terminals at D/FW and will be introduced in Austin in December.

UNBELIEVABLE TRAVEL DEAL NEWS

Allegiant Air-

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TRAVEL TIPS

Travel Planning Information, Breaking Information, and Notices Find other travel health information on the: CDC TRAVELER'S HEALTH WEBSITE

GO QUESTION OF THE DAY

Where did the San Fransico Pier 39 Sea Lion's go????

If anyone is going to PIER 39 in San Fransico's Fisherman's Wharf. There is news that all the Sea Lions have dissappeared!!! The sea lions of Pier 39 attracted San Francisco visitors for some 20 years now. Stretched out on the docks and barking at passersby by the hundreds, the creatures had earned themselves a small sanctuary. Recently, though, the sea lions abruptly disappeared, and no one is sure why they left, where they went, or if they will ever come back. Scientists aren’t terribly concerned since sea lions are by nature migratory. It doesn’t mean, though, that they aren’t missed.

***FOUND***The Sea Lions migrated off the coast of Oregon"
More fish there I guess!

Will the Travel Industry Catch the Flu?

More than one-third of those who intend to take a leisure trip during the next six months (from now through the end of April 2010), would be very/extremely likelyť to alter their travel plans should their intended destination experience a widespread outbreak of the H1N1 virus, the Ypartnership reports in its October 2009 travelhorizons survey. The survey explores the possible effects of the H1N1 flu on the travel industry.When asked how they would change their travel plans, almost half 45 percent said they would postpone their trip until the outbreak subsided; fully one-third stated they would visit a different destination, and three out of 10 (31 percent) said they would cancel their trip.

Fully two-thirds of U. S. adults expect the incidence of swine flu in the U. S. to be higher this fall and winter compared to last spring, travelhorizons says.

The H1N1 epidemic has been declared a 'national emergency' and the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is reporting the virus is now 'widespread' in 46 of 50 states," Peter Yesawich, the Ypartnership CEO writes. "Numerous schools have been closed and public events canceled as a result. Physician visits to evaluate flu-like symptoms are also reported to be higher now than the level typically recorded at the peak of the winter flu season.

We have vivid memories of the devastating impact of the swine flu on tourism to and within such popular destinations as Mexico and Argentina just a few short months ago," Yesawich continued. "Airlines and attractions (both domestically and internationally) also felt the pain, as travelers were fearful of finding themselves in confined spaces conducive to the spread of the virus. So what impact is the specter of further spread of the disease likely to have on the travel industry?

The October 2009 travelhorizons survey included several questions on this subject in order to gauge the potential impact of an extensive outbreak on the travel intentions of Americans. The results suggest the industry should be concerned about the potential impact, Ypartnership says.

These results clearly underscore the importance of having a comprehensive public information campaign/contingency plan 'at the ready' to deal with the expected consequences of the spread of the virus should it appear your destination is likely to be affected. And given the speed with which the disease is known to spread, the time to do so is now.

Credits: By: George Dooley of Travel Agent Central