Supersonic travel has been on the cards for decades, but Nasa appears to be speeding up the process with its Advanced Air Vehicles Program, which is now moving into its next phase, the agency recently confirmed.
Slowing travel down, on the other hand, are the huge queues at one British airport, which has been named the UK's worst.
Meanwhile, one UAE airline is offering tickets to lucky winners for a weekend trip to a “mystery destination”.
Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.
UK’s worst airport named in study
Manchester Airport is the worst airport in the UK, according to the latest research from Which?
Customers rated it “dismal”, though the airport hit back saying the study was “deeply flawed”.
The consumer group’s annual report asked about 4,000 people about their experiences in airports across Britain between June 2022 and 2023. Criteria included seating, toilets, queues, passport control, staff and security.
All three of Manchester’s terminals ranked in the bottom five, with Terminal 3 coming last, with a score of 38 per cent, closely followed by Terminal 1, with 44 per cent. Terminal 2 scored 50 per cent, just ahead of Luton and Birmingham’s airports. Liverpool's John Lennon was ranked highest.
Earlier this year, online luxury travel agent eShores also placed Manchester Airport last in its rankings of UK airports.
Mystery flight competition returns to UAE
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has brought back its #GetLostwithWizz competition, which offers winners the opportunity to “get lost” over a weekend in a mystery destination, along with a plus one. Flights, accommodation and travel insurance are all included in the prize pot.
The flight will depart from Abu Dhabi on September 21 and return three days later. Passengers won’t know where they’re going until they get there.
To be in with the chance of winning, applicants must have their Instagram profile public and follow @WizzAir, as well as share a post on the platform of their most memorable travel moment, tagging the airline with the hashtag before midnight on Sunday.
Last year, for the inaugural competition, the mystery destination was revealed as Georgia.
New tool predicts best time to book
Last week, Google Flights launched a new tool to give customers insight on when might be the best time to book the most affordably priced plane tickets.
Using trend data, the platform can tell you if the cheapest time to book similar trips is usually two months before departure, or that prices have previously dropped closer to take-off, suggesting you wait to book.
This complements older features such as price tracking, which, if turned on, automatically notifies you when flight prices drop; and the price guarantee badge, which means Google is “especially confident” the fare won't get any lower before departure.
Qantas could face hundreds of millions in fines
Australia’s biggest airline is being accused of advertising and selling tickets for more than 8,000 flights it had already cancelled in its system, breaking the country's consumer law.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which is taking Qantas to court over the claims, says the tickets were on sale on its website for an average of two weeks after the cancellations, potentially affecting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people and causing them to buy higher-priced tickets as a result. This happened during the period of May to July 2022, when the airline cancelled almost one in four flights.
Qantas could face maximum fines of 10 million Australian dollars for each breach or 10 per cent of the corporation’s annual turnover, depending on which is the greater amount.
Nasa moves into next phase of supersonic flight research
Flying from New York to London in about 90 minutes could be feasible, according to recent research by Nasa. In a recent blog post, the space agency announced it has been investigating the business case for supersonic passenger air travel with aircraft that could theoretically go between Mach 2 and Mach 4 (2,470kph to 4,900kph), or about 80 per cent of the speed of sound.
The study concluded that there are “potential passenger markets” in “about 50 established routes”.
Nasa is also developing a “quiet” supersonic aircraft, called X-59, as part of its Quesst mission.
The Advanced Air Vehicles Program is now moving into the next phase of this high-speed travel research, the agency confirmed. This includes issuing two contracts to companies to develop concept designs and technology road maps that will explore air travel possibilities, outline risks and challenges, and identify “needed technologies to make Mach 2-plus travel a reality”.
Redheads congregate at Netherlands festival
Thousands of redheaded people gathered in the town of Tilburg, in the Netherlands, to celebrate their auburn hair as part of the annual three-day Redhead Days Festival.
About 5,000 redheads from across the world attended, according to organisers, to participate in workshops, photo shoots and speed-meet events.
The Dutch festival began by accident in 2005, after Bart Rouwenhorst placed an advert in a regional newspaper seeking 15 red-haired models. He got 150 responses – and the rest is history.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
RESULT
Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)
Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
Results:
5pm: Baynunah Conditions (UAE bred) Dh80,000 1,400m.
Winner: Al Tiryaq, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Abdullah Al Hammadi (trainer).
5.30pm: Al Zahra Handicap (rated 0-45) Dh 80,000 1,400m:
Winner: Fahadd, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi.
6pm: Al Ras Al Akhdar Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m.
Winner: Jaahiz, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
6.30pm: Al Reem Island Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m.
Winner: AF Al Jahed, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
7pm: Al Khubairah Handicap (TB) 100,000 2,200m.
Winner: Empoli, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh80,000 2,200m.
Winner: Shivan OA, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
South Africa squad
: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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