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Thursday, December 29, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Travel Is Still A Mess

Atlanta Constitution-Journal 12/29/22

Travelers who counted on Southwest Airlines to get them home suffered another wave of canceled flights Wednesday, and pressure grew on the federal government to help customers get reimbursed for unexpected expenses they incurred because of the airline’s meltdown. Exhausted Southwest travelers tried finding seats on other airlines or renting cars to get to their destination, but many remained stranded. The airline’s CEO said it could be next week before the flight schedule returns to normal.

By early afternoon on the East Coast, about 90% of all canceled flights Wednesday in the U.S. were on Southwest, according to the FlightAware tracking service.

Wall Street Journal graphic 12/29/22


Rival airlines capped fares in some cities as Southwest cancellations continue. American, Delta and United said they’d keep prices in check and make flights available to throngs of stranded travelers. Southwest today canceled more than 2,500 flights, or 62% of its scheduled departures, according to data from FlightAware. The carrier has canceled close to 11,000 flights over the past several days while struggling to stabilize operations hampered amid severe weather. Yesterday the company said it would trim its flight schedule for the next few days to reposition staff and planes.

➤WAR INTENSIFIES:  Fighting has intensified in Ukraine after the Russian armed forces deployed a fresh wave of troops and armored vehicles on the frontlines late last night amid a barrage of new rocket attacks. The heaviest clashes are taking place around the eastern city of Bakhmut in Donetsk, which Russia has been trying for months to storm at huge cost in lives, and further north in the cities of Svatove and Kreminna, where Ukraine is trying to break Russian defensive lines. A harrowing video circulating on social media (main) purports to show a 'human wave' of Russian soldiers, many of them believed to be mercenaries from the infamous Wagner group, being blown to pieces as they flee through the countryside near Bakhmut in scenes reminiscent of the First World War.

Another sudden death of a top official in Russia’s military supply chain has been reported following a series unexplained deaths in the past week.  Alexei Fedorovich Maslov, former commander in chief of Russia’s ground forces turned special representative for the military corporation Uralvagonzavod — which specializes in battle tanks — was reported to have unexpectedly died at a military hospital on Christmas Day at the age of 70.  The company announced his death and said he "remained faithful" to Russia "until his last day." No explanation surrounding his death has been provided,

➤U-S SLAPS COVIDS TESTING ON TRAVELERS FROM CHINA: The U.S. will require travelers from China to submit a negative Covid-19 test beginning Jan. 5. The concern is Covid’s rapid spread in China, which increases the potential for new variants, health officials said, adding that Beijing has provided limited surveillance data on the surge and declined U.S. offers to provide additional vaccines. Other countries also recently imposed restrictions on travelers from China, which has loosened its strict pandemic controls. (The country’s censors ended their crackdown on some Covid-policy criticism.) Hong Kong also is ending social distancing, obligatory vaccine proof and almost all testing requirements for visitors.


➤THE BABY FORMULA UPDATE: Tariffs on imported baby formula are coming back next year. Congress waived them to help families amid a nationwide shortage stemming from supply-chain problems and the closure of a crucial factory. In November, the National Milk Producers Federation said the supply had improved enough to allow for a return of the tariffs, which can be as high as 17.5%. Some parents and manufacturers are still reporting problems.

➤KIDNAP RINGLEADER SENTENCED: A Delaware trucker described as an architect of the conspiracy to kidnap Michigan’s governor was sentenced Wednesday to more than 19 years in prison — the longest term yet given to anyone convicted in the plot. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Barry Croft Jr., 47, who was the fourth and final federal defendant to learn his fate. Judge Robert J. Jonker described him as “the idea guy” behind the plot and called him “a very convincing communicator” for people who were open to his views.

➤OUTAGE HITS TWITTER: Twitter Inc suffered a major outage on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands of users globally unable to access the popular social media platform or use its key features for several hours before services appeared to come back online. The incident is the social media site's first apparent widespread service disruption since billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter as CEO in late October. Downdetector, a website that tracks outages through a range of sources including user reports, showed more than 10,000 affected users from the United States, about 2,500 from Japan and about 2,500 from the UK at the peak of the disruption.

➤ABC ANCHOR FILES:  T.J Holmes has filed for divorce from his wife of 12 years Marilee Fiebig ( amid scandal over his affair with GMA co-host Amy Robach (together). The New York City filing comes shorty after he and Robach were seen jet setting at the airport in Atlanta on Monday morning, ready to spend an intimate New Year's together. Holmes and Fiebig's split comes four weeks after DailyMail.com revealed the affair. ABC has yet to make a final decision on whether either or both will return to their lunchtime show since they were suspended 'indefinitely' following the revelation that their well-publicized friendship and on-screen chemistry had 'crossed the line.' Holmes has a house in Atlanta where he and Robach had reportedly planned to spend Christmas.

➤BILL COSBY IS PLANNING A COMEDY TOUR IN 2023: Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby is planning to tour again in 2023, according to Variety. This comes after he was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 but was subsequently released in 2021, after the conviction was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. “When I come out of this, I feel that I will be able to perform and be the Bill Cosby that my audience knows me to be,” Cosby said on the WGH Talk show recently. When asked by host Scott Spears if he would tour in 2023, he said, “Yes. Yes, because there’s so much fun to be had in this storytelling that I do.”

🎥‘AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER’ SURPASSES $1 BILLION GLOBALLY IN FIRST TWO WEEKS: According to The Hollywood Reporter, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water has become the sixth film ever to cross the $1 billion mark globally in its first two weeks. The movie reached this milestone on Tuesday, and it is the first to do so since Spider Man: No Way Home in December 2021.

💸MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT REACHES INSANE HEIGHTS: The Mega Millions jackpot has reached $565 million for Friday’s drawing, the last in 2022. There was no winner for Tuesday night’s drawing. The odds of winning are one in 302,575,350.

🥚WHY EGG PRICES ARE SO HIGH:  Egg prices have been on the rise as rapid inflation hits grocery store aisles. One company benefiting is Cal-Maine Foods Inc.  The largest U.S. egg producer on Wednesday said its quarterly sales more than doubled from those of the same period last year as rapid inflation and the effects from an avian-influenza outbreak pushed prices higher. Sickened chickens, which farmers destroy to limit the disease’s spread, have led to reduced egg production and have helped drive egg prices higher, providing a boost for the Ridgeland, Miss.-based company in its fiscal second quarter. Cal-Maine’s net average selling price per dozen eggs for the three months ended Nov. 26 was $2.88, up from $2.37 in the prior quarter and $1.15 a year earlier, the company said. As of Wednesday, the company said there were no positive tests for the virus at its facilities. Prices for conventional eggs exceeded prices for specialty eggs—such as brown or organic eggs—for the fourth quarter in a row, “which is atypical historically,” the company said.

➤FAMILIES TAKING ON DEBT TO GO TO DISNEY: Soaring prices at Disney theme parks haven’t prevented families from booking a trip. They simply charge it to their credit card.  A recent study by the website LendingTree.com found that 18% of those who visited the parks in either Florida or California borrowed money for the chance to see Mickey and the gang. The survey of more than 1,500 respondents found that of the 87% of Americans who have visited a theme park, nearly three in four (74%) have been to a Disney-run venue.

The survey found that 80% of those who borrowed money to fly to a Disney park say they will pay off their debt in six months or less. The families that went into debt said they did not anticipate the exorbitant cost of admission as well as food and beverage. The survey found that 56% were surprised by the price of food and drink while 48% said the ticket prices were beyond what they had initially thought. However, 71% told LendingTree.com that they don’t regret.

🏀MAGIC PLAYER KO'D: Orlando Magic's Moe Wagner was seemingly knocked out during a melee between the Detroit Pistons and the visiting team Wednesday night.  Wagner appeared to briefly get KO'd by a punch to the back of the head after starting a fight that led to three ejections Wednesday night in a scene which triggered memories of an ugly brawl in Detroit 18 years ago - The Malice at the Palace. Wagner was ejected for a flagrant foul, alongside Detroit's Killian Hayes and Hamadou Diallo, who were also thrown out for their actions during the ensuing scuffle. Orlando lost 121-101.

🏈RAIDERS BENCH DEREK CARR: The Las Vegas Raiders are benching Derek Carr, the team’s starting quarterback since 2014, ESPN reported. Jarrett Stidham, who was acquired from the New England Patriots in an offseason trade, will start in this Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Carr will step aside for the remainder of the season.

⚾RED SOX SIGN COREY KLUBER: Free agent pitcher Corey Kluber has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox. Kluber was with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and spent nine seasons with the Cleveland Guardians. He was the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2014 and 2017.

🏀INJURY SIDELINES SUNS’ GUARD DEVIN BOOKER: Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker will miss at least 15 games over the next four weeks due to a groin strain. He suffered the injury in the first minutes of Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

➤DISASTROUS WEATHER WEEK CONTINUES:  A new storm pummeling the West Coast has made an already disastrous weather week in America even worse, as much of Western New York remains buried under the 'bomb cyclone' that killed 34 people. The storm hit the West Coast with such force that trees were ripped from their roots, drivers were stranded on flooded roads, and winds reached up to over 100mph. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of thousands of people were without power throughout the Pacific Northwest, which has since dwindled to 52,521 in Oregon and 17,453 in Washington as of Wednesday afternoon. Those in the Snoqualmie and North Bend area of Washington are expected to get their power back between 4pm and 10pm.


The worst of the historic winter storm is likely behind western New York as temperatures rose Wednesday, a trend meteorologists say was expected to spread across large swaths of the U.S.But community members were still reeling from the storm's devastating impacts this week. The death toll in Erie County, which contains Buffalo – the area hardest hit in the storm – rose to 37on Wednesday, officials confirmed on Twitter. Along with burying the city with more than 50 inches of snow since Christmas Eve, the storm carried frigid temperatures and extreme winds – with gusts measured stronger than 70 mph at times, according to the National Weather Service. 



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