Travel Wires

More sites to see

For those who think they’ve been everywhere, Unesco has added 19 new places to its World Heritage list of protected sites of significant cultural or historical value. There are now 1092 sites — 845 cultural, 209 natural. Which proves a modern bureaucracy is far more productive than an ancient democracy, because the Greeks could only come up with Seven Wonders of the World. The new sites include one of the oldest temples in the world — Gobekli Tepe, Turkey — dating back 12,000 years and regarded as “ground zero for human history”.

I’ll take the aisle

The US Federal Aviation Administration won’t regulate the size and distance between airline seats because tests prove there’s enough room to get out in an emergency. Flyersrights.org claimed passengers have grown larger, with three out of four Americans overweight or obese. At the same time the distance between seatbacks — called “pitch” — has shrunk from 89cm in 1978 to 78.75cm today, with some at 71cm. Seat width has also dropped. The FAA says there’s no evidence larger passengers will take more than a couple of seconds to get out of their seats, or that the smaller distance between rows will “increase human panic”. Travel Wires recommends if you’re flying on an American airline, insist on an aisle seat.

Holidaymakers feel the sting

Barbados has introduced taxes on hotel rooms, flying out of the country, car hire and other tourist services. From last Sunday, the levies add $3.70-$14.75 to a hotel night and 2.5 per cent to car hire. From October 1, those flying from Barbados to a destination outside the Caribbean will pay an “airline travel and tourism development fee” of $100. Holidaymakers and travel agents are riled that the government gave less than a week’s notice of the levies, which apply to everyone — even those who booked and paid for their holidays months ago.

Whales might fly

You’ll never fly on one, but Airbus’ new A330-700L may crack a smile if you see it on your travels. The super-sized transporter will carry parts for Airbus planes from manufacturing sites across Europe to assembly factories in Toulouse, Hamburg and Tianjin. It’s big enough to carry both wings for the A350 and large sections of an A380. Airbus asked 20,000 employees how it should paint the plane: they chose a whale-style nose cone, sparkling blue eyes and smiling mouth and the nickname “Beluga” because it looks like a white whale. Slightly more imaginative than Planey McPlaneface.

— travel@nzherald.co.nz