Travel Wires

AirlineRatings.com has reinstated Qantas as the world’s safest airline for 2019. The lowest ranked are Ariana Afghan, Blue Wing, Kam Air and Trigana.

Dynamic comeback

Top of CNN Travel’s 19 must-visits for 2019: Christchurch. (Before we get too carried away, the list is alphabetical.) The global network’s writers say: “It isn’t the natural disaster that defines a city, it’s the way they choose to regroup and rebuild . . . it feels at once, hopeful and dynamic. Colourful street art about hope and resilience has appeared all over the city. Music performances are often held in rotating venues around the city instead of a single opera house or concert hall so more people have a chance to attend.”

Qantas puts safety first

Regular readers (there are some) may not be surprised to hear AirlineRatings.com has reinstated Qantas as the world’s safest airline for 2019. Qantas topped its list from 2014-17, but last year the Aussiebased website chose not to rank its top 20. Of 405 airlines, using 12 criteria including government and industry audits, the other 19 are: Air New Zealand, Alaska, All Nippon, American, Austrian, BA, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, EVA, Finnair, Hawaiian, KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar, SAS, Singapore, Swiss, United and Virgin Atlantic and Australia. Japan Airlines and Etihad dropped out. Lowest ranked: Ariana Afghan, Blue Wing, Kam Air, Trigana.

Clean up or clear off

Furious Aussies have posted pictures showing their beach as a dumping ground for “lazy grubs”. Nine Mile Beach, south of Newcastle, used to be a chilledout spot; now the big attraction is 4WD beach- and bush-bashing. After New Year, truckloads of rubbish were carted off the beach, including car parts, camping equipment, mattresses and broken bottles. “Everyone has had a gutful of grubs,” wrote the local Facebook page administrator. “Pick ya s**t up or don’t come here.” Another commented, “Wish all the tourists would go away, all of you have stuffed it.”

Situation vacant

New year, new job, new home? If you and your mate are looking for a sea change, there’s a vacancy for two on a small island off San Francisco, starting in April. The role: managing a late-1800s lighthouseturned-B&B. You’ll need to cook, clean, do the laundry, set up supply runs and ferry patrons to and from the mainland, for a shared $NZ190,000 salary. Naturally, there are some catches: you can’t smoke, have children or pets, you’ll need an American Coast Guard licence to operate the boat — and that everso easy-to-get US immigration paperwork. But think of the perks: “incomparable views,” meeting “interesting people,” “birds, marine mammals, fresh air and history.”