TripWire…📌📌

Paris, Munich, Dallas, Disney World’s gator grab: Trip-ups everywhere, at any time. So you’ll get the real-time alerts, advisories and developments to come, re: Dispersion, mobility gaps, de-tourism traps, as in U.S. mass shootings, Euro/Mideast bombings, air carrier mishaps, Nice, France truck terror, Italian train wreck, German rail assault, etc. to help you guide—and when necessary, re-guide your way…

 

TripWire: 10/20/23:

Fallout Before the Fall.

Where would we be without a frightful October surprise? This one comes in the form of a US State Department ‘Worldwide Caution’ travel alert, owing to regional unrest and worse amid the current Israel-Hamas War. The warning cites potential for violent demonstrations and terrorist attacks anywhere, anytime in the contentious days ahead:

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Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Travel Advisory. 
(Courtesy of the United States Department of State)

TripWire: 2/23/23: 
+ See TripWire update…

VamoSyntax: Tourist Trap Begets Tourist Cap.

As much buzz as has been developing around generative AI and ‘prompt engineering’, one actual buzz killer has been the further emergence of ‘visitor caps’.

Call it thinning the herds, but Amsterdam is the latest popular destination (not unlike certain major parks) to limit travel and tourism traffic at the onset of an anticipated spring/summer rush. Its City Council is aiming a ‘clamp down’ campaign at discouraging ‘nuisance’ and voyeuristic tourism—namely the boozy sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll crowds that hit the Dutch capital’s Red Light District and cannabis cafés by the millions every year.

Pressure apparently has been coming from local NIMCanal residents who demand that Amsterdam clean up its bawdy, wide-open reputation—for starters by limiting ‘foreign’ overnight visitors to some 20 million annually. Beyond the logistical challenges of ‘gating’ one of Europe’s go-to cities, this ‘stay away’ effort reminds us of Oregon’s ‘too rainy’ discouragement campaign in the 1970s, which only drew curious visitors and movers to that wet-blanket state all the more.

So we’ll see whether Amsterdam’s ‘sin tax’ cap holds water, or even more of us just cap it all off with another toke or round. But maybe the better route is to buzz off: dispersing to destinations where we are genuinely filliped and welcome. (MTC…)

TripWire: 2/28/22: 
+ See TripWire update…

One Putrid Incursion: Witness the real-time war over Ukraine, where Russia has been blitzing Europe’s largest independent, democratic nation—the first major European land war since WWII. Vladimir Putin’s M.O. is to seize Ukraine’s principal airports, such as in Kyiv, Donetsk, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr; same time to ‘No-Fly Zone’ commercial flights out of the region’s embattled airspace, to which major European carriers like BA, Air France and Lufthansa had already halted service (even for ‘ghost flights’). In response numerous Euro nations, from the UK to Estonia, Poland, and Bulgaria, (now blanket EU) have banned all Russian aircraft from their skies; as Delta Airlines, for one, cuts its ties with Aeroflot.

This while nearly a half-million Ukrainians become refugees—desperately fleeing their towns and cities, sheltering in teeming metro stations, flocking toward western borders by overrun train, gridlocked road and trampled foot. Mainly women and children are rushing entry points in Poland and Rumania, picking through piles of used clothing against the freezing cold, scrapping for crisis/starvation provisions—swarming, doomscrolling with no particular place to go, much less hope of returning home. Scenes that evince heartbreaking rail station separation spread no end, as able Ukrainian men remain behind to fight for their homeland, under enemy fire by Russian military troops, tanks, choppers, missiles and warplanes. Much more to come on how this tragic, brutal invasion will further impact Ukraine and the wider Continent, let alone Euro travel over the coming weeks and months.

TripWire: 1/8/20: No-Fly Skies. The U.S. FAA has banned commercial flights across the Middle East, specifically over Iraq, Iran and the Gulf of Oman. The reason? Increasing hostile military action action in the wake of Iranian General Qassam Suleimani’s assassination.

Emergency Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) were issued late Tuesday, applying to all U.S. airlines and commercial operators. The orders ban air carriers from flying over regions like the Persian Gulf airspace due to the risk of misidentification and/or miscalculation. The prohibition will continue, subject to developments, which are being monitored by the agency, in coordination with its national security partners—incorporating information with domestic and foreign civil air carriers such as BA, Qantas and Singapore Air.

Oversight of military trouble conflict zones and trouble spots has intensified since the missile downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in 2014. Not to mention the most recent fiery crash of Flight 752, the Ukraine International Airlines’ 3.5 year-old 737-800—shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport—killing all 167 passengers and nine crew onboard.

Iranian authorities deny the plane exploded upon being struck by a missile or drone, but the scattered crash debris field suggests otherwise. Iran’s refusal to turn over the aircraft’s black boxes to either Ukraine, the U.S. or Canada (where the flight was ultimately headed), much less Boeing, only heightens causal suspicions. Turns out the Iranian military itself was responsible for the unintended strike with an (SAM) anti-aircraft missile, which Tehran officials no longer deny. (MTC…)

TripWire: 12/27/19: Holiday Weakend. News of the Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza week crash of a Bek Air Fokker 100 is soon followed by the missing tourist helicopter over Kauai, Hawaii.

Kazakh Nosedive. 

The Kazakh commuter plane went down shortly after a shaky takeoff from Almaty International Airport. Bound for Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan, the low-cost airline’s regional aircraft, carrying 93 passengers and five crew members, reportedly twice tail bumped the runway, veering rightward at pavement’s end, its forward landing gear fully breaking away upon liftoff.

The 23 year-old Fokker then plunged through a nearby concrete wall, nosing into a two-story residential building—miraculously without catching fire. So far, at least 12 have perished, over 50 sustained injuries, some survivors from slip sliding off the plane’s icy wings during evacuation. Apparently most fatalities were concentrated in the foreword cabin.

All of Bek Air’s flight operations were immediately grounded by Kazakh authorities, pending investigation of technical snafus and/or pilot error. This is the budget airline’s second Fokker incident: a 2016 crash in Nur-Sultan resulted in no fatalities, although it did yield another case of a failing, falling landing gear. Then again, such air safety problems are endemic to the Commonwealth of Independent States. (MTC…)

Chopper Down Over Kauai. 

Meanwhile, rescue crews have found the wreckage of the Island Helicopters Kauai tour helicopter in the rugged mountains of Koke’e State Park, near Nualolo. Having departed from Lihe Airport, the copter was slated to tour over Kauai’s Na Pali Coast State Park. But the Europcopter AS350 went missing Thursday evening in stormy rain and cloud cover with seven onboard. Among the passengers listed were two children; six victims have been found dead, one is unaccounted for to date.

Another Hawaiian Islands tour chopper crashed near Honolulu last April, killing all three aboard. In the same month, yet another crash landed in the Sacred Falls State Park after  grappling with engine failure. (MTC…)

TripWire: 12/14/19: Blown Coverage. What with New Zealand’s tragic White Island eruption, got to thinking about Mount Etna, on the eastern coast of Sicily. Dormant for almost 20 years, the stratovolcano had erupted fiercely in 1971, destroying vineyards, orchards, whole villages nearly down to Catania. The geothermal activity continued sporadically for over a decade, not to mention on Stromboli Island.

Yet with hot lava glowing and flowing from Etna’s crater and flanks, local villagers were already rebuilding and replanting in fertile volcanic soils back up the lower slope. This, even while the mountain spit fire and fury overhead—as if it were some Zeusian guiding light.

White-Out Conditions. 

Or mythical magnetism—which flows through to the White Island disaster: There, on December 9, an ‘Ovation of the Seas’ Royal Caribbean cruise ship bound from Whakatane delivered its high-paying passengers, kids to codgers, unto Whakaari’s landing wharf on Crater Bay, about 29 miles from the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

The attraction? An unworldly rugged volcanic island that has starred in a Star Wars movie and ‘Lord of the Rings’, which is visited by thousands of tourists every year. The Whakaari payload load included ‘volcanites’ from the U.S., Australia, Germany, China and Malaysia—some 50 in all.

The Whakaari experience was to get close to the rim and crater, visitors donning gas masks against its sulphuric smell, to selfie up to bubbly mud pits and stormy vents, streams and lakes. New Zealand has long touted itself a destination where such intrepid tourists can experience its natural beauty with a dollop of drama and danger.

So some of these visitors even dared to enter the crater floor of this “living, breathing gas giant”, considered “the world’s most accessible active marine volcano.” Why not, right? For GeoNet, the nation’s geologic monitoring authority, had recently determined that White Island registered chances of a “minor volcanic eruption” on a 2 of 5 scale. But it was “still safe”, posing “no direct hazard to visitors”—even though it had been New Zealand’s most active volcano since 1976.

Blanket Coverage. 

Some 70 feet underwater, 1,053 feet above sea level, the mountain has been especially active for eight years. More specifically, its active volcano has an endlessly boiling core steaming lakes and streaming waters, hot gasses firing up these fluids beneath molten rock and magma. The persistently active hydrothermal system also crystallizes minerals, forming blockages, increasing geo stresses.

Suddenly, two pressure cooker explosions: releasing a massive thick, billowing gray/white plume of smoke and vapors 12,000 feet high, blanketing the tiny island in choking white ash, cutting out the sun. The two-vent phreatic eruption spewed superheated steam and gas, as well as murderous ballistic block projectiles.

It trapped and/or buried some 27 of the island’s visiting volcanites, so far killing as many as 16, leaving over 20 chance survivors with burns on 30% to 80% of their bodies—skin hanging from faces and arms. Frantic rescue efforts, mainly via cruise ship dinghies and helicopters, turned quickly to recovery stage, hampered by toxic conditions and the constant threat of further tremors and eruptions.

Risky Rewards.

As global tourism grows to 1.1 billion arrivals by 2019, New Zealanders proudly plant their flag as the adventure capital of the world.

And no denying White Island has long been key to New Zealand’s tourism economy, which represents some 6% of its domestic product—having soared 50% over the past six years—80% of WI visitation by Kiwis themselves.

Yet critics counter that such ‘adventure tourism’ exploits natural beauty for ‘shallow experiences’. The nation’s native Maori tribe says Whakaari’s volcanic explosion is her payback for making millions off the island’s ‘sacred ground’ over the years.

Their rahui spiritual ban has now been joined by calls for a moratorium on all tourism activity there. Activists term it ‘dark tourism’ anyway, akin to the desecration of Hawaii’s island wonders and Mount Everest’s deadly crowd climbs. More danger than drama, caution NZ’s ‘adventour’ detractors, but advocates say that more safety regulations and comfort zones would turn the country into a ‘nanny state’.

In any case, New Zealand’s ‘no-fault’ approach to personal injury lawsuits, rather opting for a governmental compensation process, sets a sky-high bar for damages recovery.

Meanwhile, adventure junkies the world over are contacting Whakatane about coming to “feel the fury.” It’s the challenge and reward some travelers and tourists will risk their very lives for to scale, selfie and score.

Who and What’s at Blamin’ Fault Here?

Back to White island, which was so named by explorer Captain James Cook in 1769, because it seemed ever cloaked in a white cloud. Stockbroker George Raymond Buttle bought it in 1936, and his family has owned it to this day. Refusing to sell, the Buttles reached an agreement with the New Zealand government in 1953 to declare the volatile little island a ‘private’s scenic reserve’. White Island Tours then became its official guardians, access limited to designated tour operators. It has been drawing moviemakers and visiting volcanoes by the touring shipload ever since. 

Now, as the smoke and fumes clear, it remains to be VamSeen where the blame and volcanomic responsibility for this lates tourism disaster peak and fall from here. Or whether thrill-billing Kiwis can keep Hollywood, the 9/11 pilgrims and Chenobylists at bay. Just ask those Sicilian villagers. (MTC…)

Vamaside: Hawaii, Lei or Nay?

Incidents & Accidents.

TripWire: 9/12/19: Inflammable Conception. Whether out for scuba diving or nature droving, the 34 passengers who look to have perished in Southern California’s Channel Islands National Park off Santa Barbara were aboard an excursion to Elysium that became a voyage to hell.

A garbled mayday call came into authorities at about 3:15 am today. The Conception, a 75-foot commercial diving vessel had ignited minutes before, barely 20 yards off Santa Cruz Island. The charter dive boat was on a Labor Day weekend trip to the island chain to explore its colorful coral and spectacular marine life.

The ship’s passengers (most from Santa Cruz, CA) were apparently sleeping, so quickly trapped below deck in cramped rows of  wooden framed bunk beds. Meanwhile the crew of five, all asleep as the fire broke out (suspected in the galley area), scrambled to the bridge and wheelhouse deck—finding a ladder down to the main deck blocked and aflame. So they  quickly jumped ship to safety with minor injuries, soon rescued by a Good Samaritan craft. Upon which Conception’s captain apparently radioed for help as two crew members swam back to the burning craft to search for survivors.

Nevertheless, at least one crew member on a boat like Conception is required by (Coast Guard) regulations to remain awake, on watch at all times, particularly come nightfall.

Ventura County first responders and firefighters struggled in the dark, dense fog to gain control over the repeatedly erupting inferno—fed by the vessel’s fuel load and scores of highly flammable diving tanks.

Engulfed in flames, the Conception soon sank bow-up in 64 feet of water off Santa Cruz Island’s north shore. The U.S. Coast Guard has since continued a search-and-rescue operation that was inevitably devolving into search and recovery around the Platt’s Harbor shoreline.

The diving/nature field trip, which departed at 4 am Saturday, was due back to Santa Barbara at 5 pm Monday. The excursion was organized by Truth Aquatics, Inc.; the Conception was owned by Worldwide Diving Adventures, based in Santa Barbara. Although WDA claims it has safely operated scuba diving tours since 1972, at least one former customer has Tweeted of the company’s profit-over-safety nautical bearing.

However, the USCG has since stated that the dive boat was “in full safety compliance.” In any case, the NTSB has now sent a go-team to assist investigating the deadly fire, one of the worst maritime disasters ever off the California coast, as at least 25 bodies (and counting) have been recovered by rescue crews. Search efforts for the remaining fatalities have now been suspended.

Already, Truth Aquatics is attempting to skirt potential liability in federal court by invoking the Shipowners’ Limitation of Liability Act, enacted by Congress in 1851 to mitigate claims stemming from the Titanic ocean liner disaster. Because Truth Aquatics could be looking at $100m-plus in possible liability regarding the victims’ families should the accident have happened on terra firms. 

However, if TA and Conception’s owners can convince a federal judge that they responsibly equipped and staffed their boat, with no idea they had any reason to foresee the deadly onboard fire, they could skate with low five-figures in damages. Thus TA is suing in L.A.’s U.S. District Court to pare liability on the Santa Cruz Island disaster, claiming that “…the fire and all consequential alleged injuries, damages and deaths…(were) not caused or contributed to by any negligence, fault or knowledge on the part of (the owners), or anyone for whom (they) may be responsible.”

On what grounds? See that Shipowners Liability Act—whereby TA, et al need only prove to a federal judge that they did not create hazardous conditions or overlook potential problems with their craft and crew. No jury, no peers, just sole judicial disposition: the burden of proof would shift heavily to the victims’ survivors.

This arcane maritime law was deemed outdated by the U.S. Supreme Court itself in 1954; and Congress has tried repeatedly to repeal it, to no avail. Many federal judges are even said by legal observers to look askance at the limitation law, and defer to victims’ families regardless.

Besides, given modern communications technology, TA’s crying ignorance of any possible hazards on the Conception may find rougher legal waters and shoals. Truth Aquatics’ Santa Barbara offices have since been searched as part of the combined USCG, ATF, FBI, NTSB and SB sheriff’s investigation. Initial allegation floated among law enforcement officials: seaman’s manslaughter—although no official charges have been filed as of now. Focus is also on the shipboard use of power strips, extension cords and lithium-ion battery chargers for the vast array of electronic/diving gear—breathing tech and propulsion scooters to video cameras and canister lights. 

So Vamigré will remain in the crow’s nest, spotting if and how this shifty ship is liable to sail, what with the tragedy’s official investigation possibly continuing over the course of a year. (MTC on that…)
Vamaside: Branson Duck Boats.

TripWire: 9/1/19: Fleeing Dorian Gray. The northwest Bahamas are now beset by catastrophic Hurricane Dorian, (category 5), the area’s strongest on record, and currently one of the five worst Atlantic Ocean storms. Abaco Island(s) have been hit the hardest, then Elbow Cay, with over 180 mph winds, historic low pressure readings (913mb) and torrential rains. (9/3):Dorian is presently slow/stalled over the north Bahamas, wreaking devastating destruction and storm-surge flooding on Abaco and Grand Bahama, the main airport under six inches of water. Traveler/tourists were urged to evacuate the islands early on, but if Florida bound, the massive hurricane is likely to follow them, projected to move over and strike state’s Atlantic coastline with its Dorian gray by Tuesday or early Wednesday, then potentially up along the shores of Georgia and the Carolinas. By (9/12), as many as 2500 Bahamians had been reported missing amid the wreckage and devastation, with more Caribbean storm activity on the way. (MTC…)

TripWire: August 12, 2019: Amid massive Hong-Kong anti-government demonstrations, Hong Kong International Airport has been effectively occupied by protesters. As a result, the Airport Authority has cancelled flights in and out of the former British colony today, stranding scores of passengers and disrupting air traffic around the globe. One of the world’s busiest air transit hubs, HKI serves over 120 airlines, and some 75 million passengers per year. Marooned travelers are expressing annoyance and outright fear as the mass protests have grown dramatically over the past two months (to nearly 20% of all Hongkongers)—and Hong Kong police crackdowns have turned increasingly bloody. The entire airport is on knife’s edge now as the specter of Chinese mainland intervention looms larger by the day, what with Beijing officials beginning to term the city’s demonstrations ‘violent terrorism’.

On again, off again. More on the latest chapter of airport as battleground theater: Authorities have shut down check-in operations at Hong Kong International Airport for a second day. Black-clad ‘flash-and-go’ activists again flooded its terminals Tuesday (8/13) with sit-ins, laser pointers and other passenger (luggage trolley) barricades/disruption—clashing with HK police, passing around placards and hand-outs explaining their ongoing objection to an extradition bill that has already been officially tabled. More broadly, protesters insist they are freedom fighting for their (Special Administration Region) city/country’s full sovereignty, and against perceived mainland Chinese influence over the Hong Kong government. Demonstrators want complete removal of the extradition bill from consideration, and an investigation of police brutality. At the same time, many activists are apologizing to HKI passengers for their leaderless, social media-organized obstruction. Meanwhile Cathay Pacific Airlines continues to have its wings clipped by aviation authorities in Beijing, who accuse its crew members of siding with the demonstrators, since prompting the CP CEO’s resignation under Beijing pressure. So British Airways, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic are filling the void.

One Crisis, Two Systems. Having obtained a restraining order limiting any further terminal demonstrations to confined areas, Hong Kong International Airport resumed flights by Wednesday, what with tear gas and rubber bullet conflict abating. Still, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory for destination Honk Kong, as Beijing dispatches army troops to border areas—amid worldwide calls for restraint. As of 9/1/19, the protestors’ access blockage of Chek Lap Kok airport is on again, against the full force of HK police. Flight delays were reported, but operations continued as travelers legged it to the terminals…By 9/4, the Hong Kong government had rescinded its controversial extradition bill, but widespread protests continued over other Hongkonger grievances.

To be sure, the months of heated antigovernment protests and massive, combative demonstrations have taken their toll on Hong Kong’s travel/tourism industry.

Amid scenes of visitors struggling through airport clashes and sit-ins, arrivals have plunged 40% from 2018. Hotel occupancy rates have dropped by 50%, room prices by upwards of 70%. Meanwhile, HK’s ‘safe city’ image has only risen on the risky scale.

So tourism, 5% of Hong Kong’s GDP in recent years, is now teetering, particularly as China’s trade-heavy growth slows: altogether, recipe for regional recession. And such a downward trend line isn’t projected to turn around anytime soon.

Hit harder than most is HK’s flagship Cathay Pacific (already under Beijing’s thumb), a carrier whose very survival is up in the air about now.

Vamigré will see how Hong Kongers fare from here–hopefully minus the tear gas, blockages, batons and rubber bullets. (MTC…)

TripWire: June 21, 2019:  This past Friday brought an emergency order from the FAA prohibiting U.S. airlines from flying through a restricted portion of Iranian airspace, what with the “inadvertent risk” to civilian airplanes after Iran‘s surface-to-air missile shot down a U.S. surveillance drone over disputed waters.

The FAA order covers an overwater area of Iranian airspace above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman until further notice, due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions. The drone was operating near civil air routes above the Oman Gulf.

Airlines (e.g., KLM, Lufthansa) immediately rerouted their flights. United, for one, suspended its flights between Mumbai and Newark, NJ after a thorough safety and security review. (MTC…)

TripWire: The Sharm El shakes. Without revealing any details, British Airways issued a terror alert on July 20, and suspended all flights between Heathrow Airport and Cairo.

Although Egyptair continues its twice-daily flights on that route, while Lufthansa has resumed runs between Egypt’s capital and Frankfurt and Munich, BA looks to maintain this no-fly ban for “security reasons”, at least until week’s end (this flight has now resumed) .

Explaining that it constantly reviews its safety and security arrangements at all its airports around the world, the carrier also cites the UK Foreign Office’s advisory that “there is a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation.”

Problem is, BA’s notification that it was grounding its once-daily Heathrow-Cairo round trip   left its passengers up in the air from the no-go. Its customer letter states that “the safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority”; quickly and clearly informing its air travelers, not so much.

Once again, marooned passengers were left hanging with cancelled boarding passes at the gates—no seats, no peanuts, no accommodating services of consequence. Holidays scuttled, business meetings quashed, fliers found little BA assistance on booking local lodging or alternative flights.

“Handled badly, poor communication”: Such customer pushback on BA’s Egypt flight suspension, but so goes air travel to the volatile Middle East, particularly in the wake of that 2015 Russian airliner bomb explosion over the Sinai Peninsula, just outside resorty Sharm El Sheikh. Even cosmopolitan Cairo cannot be considered safe and secure these days.

But that doesn’t mean everyday passengers in and out have to inordinately pay the price…

+VAMBO: Re-visit as module builds out further…