Listen to the Travel Update in RealAudio.
Can't hear the audio? Get help.
with David Brancaccio
Egypt Air Crash
The tragic Egypt Air crash last weekend that killed 217 people has produced a long list of unsupported theories into the cause, but little hard data so far. Radar images do show wild gyrations in altitude before the Boeing 767 crashed into the Atlantic off Nantucket. An initial finding has provoked more questions than answers.
Some travelers assume that brand-name American carriers are somehow safer than lesser-known foreign carriers, such as Egypt Air. But a new study says that's not necessarily the case. Arnold Barnett, an air safety expert from M.I.T., looks at safety records on routes where more than one airline compete for your business. He found that it doesn't really matter which airline you take. On the same routes, safety records don't really vary by airline.
Barnett: "To agonize and say, well if I stay off of this airline and choose this one, that I'm somehow reducing the risk, maybe, is to fall prey to an illusion. If you are going to choose one airline over another, do it on the basis of price or comfort or alphabetical ordering. But don't do it under the illusion that you're safer by making that choice."
Barnett analyzed the numbers for airline fatalities over the last ten years.
In the case of Egypt Air, industry insiders consider it a safe airline. While there have been some criminal incidents -- like a non-violent hijacking last month -- mechanical problems on that airline's planes are rare.
Korean Air Crash Report
Air safety issues dominated the news over the last week. First, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report on that Korean Air crash in Guam a few years ago. The 747 was trying to land during a storm and crashed five miles short of the runway. The safety board has now determined that crew fatigue and pilot error were to blame.
New F.A.A. Fuel Tank Regulations
And the F.A.A. issued new regulations to the airlines about fuel tank maintenance. This is in the wake of T.W.A. flight 800, which exploded above Long Island Sound back in 1996. Though a complete report on that accident isn't due until next year, safety inspectors suspect one of the plane's fuel tanks ignited. The new rules will affect about 6,000 planes currently in service.
Gay Paris
Well, they're trying to revive the magic over in Gay Paris. The French Tourist Office has just written a new guide highlighting gay-friendly tour operators, neighborhoods and historical sites all over France.
Free Love in the Virgin Islands
And, you can let love rule again in the British Virgin Islands. The government there just repealed a law banning hippies. Island residents complained years ago that hippies camped out on the beaches and engaged in, shall we say, free love...in plain sight.
Travel Advisory
with Cheryl Glaser
Fever in Fiji
Officials in Fiji are worried about Dengue fever. The rainy season is just starting and that's when the mosquitoes that carry the disease are most active. But unlike most mosquitoes, these are out during daylight hours. If you visit Fiji, try to keep covered as much as possible and always wear bug repellent.
Infections and Volcanic Ash in the Air in Mexico
And the Mexican states of Chiapas, Tabasco and Veracruz have yet to see relief from major flooding there. The waters are just starting to recede and now skin and respiratory infections are on the rise. And on Thursday, a volcano near Mexico city spewed a two-mile-high column of ash into the air. Scientists there say the chance of a major eruption is still slim.
