Facial Recognition Coming to Tokyo Airports in July Two of Japan’s main international airports will start using a new facial recognition system called “Face Express”. Therefore international passengers no longer have to show their tickets or passports when boarding. Narita and Haneda airports, which are both used by travellers flying into Tokyo, plan to have the system ready before the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games in July 2021. The new system means that airport Read More

Why Airlines Make Flights Longer On Purpose Flights are much longer than they were a few decades ago. For example, in 1973, a flight from New York City to Houston, Texas, was only two and a half hours long. However, the same flight takes almost four hours today. Why does it take longer to fly the same distance? The simple answer is fuel efficiency. Fuel is very expensive and airlines can save millions of dollars a year by Read More

World’s Tallest Swing Ride Opens in Dubai Theme Park The world’s tallest swing ride has opened at Bollywood Parks Dubai. The ride, called the Bollywood Skyflyer, is over 140 metres tall, which is about the same size as the Great Pyramid of Giza. It has space for 24 people who sit in swings that hang from a tower. The swings are then lifted high into the air and spun in a circle. The Bollywood Skyflyer is 3 Read More

Skiplagging: Cheap Flights that Airlines Hate Did you know that you can sometimes save money by buying more airfares than you actually need? This is called skiplagging. For example. Let’s say you want to fly from New York to San Francisco. A direct flight might be $400, but a flight from New York to Seattle with a stop in San Francisco might be $250. So you could save $150 by buying the Seattle flight and getting off Read More

Tips for Surviving a Long Haul Flight Dramatic Clouds above and below on Sunset In 2008 Singapore Airlines broke the record for the world’s longest commercial flight. The flight from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey, travels 16,700 kilometres in about 18.5 hours. There are no economy seats on the flight – just premium economy and business class seats. Most travel writers recommend flying business or first class for long-haul flights, but how do you survive if you can’t Read More

Aeroplane Etiquette – Don’t Make These Mistakes Everyone shares a small amount of space on an aeroplane, so it’s important to always think about how your actions affect other passengers. If you want to help everyone have a good experience, try not to make these etiquette mistakes! Going barefoot An Expedia survey found that 90 percent of people say going barefoot on a flight is bad etiquette. If you do want to take your shoes Read More

Harry Potter Theme Park Coming to Tokyo in 2023 Tokyo is getting its own Harry Potter theme park in the first half of 2023. The new park will open in Nerima, and will replace the 94-year-old Toshimaen theme park. Except for its hot springs, Toshimaen will close on August 31. Kyodo reports that Seibu Railway Company, which owns the theme park, has signed a deal to sell a large part of the site to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Read More

Hong Kong Skyscraper Inspired by Flower on Flag In an area that used to be a Hong Kong parking garage lies one of the most expensive pieces of land ever sold. Soon it will be the site of a 36-story skyscraper inspired by the city’s flag. Zaha Hadid Architects, the team that designed the glass skyscraper tower, offered details in late 2020 about the site. This sold for a record-breaking $3 billion in 2017. However, at least Read More

Qantas Is Named World’s Safest Airline Despite there being far fewer flights since the COVID-19 pandemic, Qantas has been named the World’s Safest Airline for 2021 by AirlineRatings.com.  Since 2014, the Australian airline has been named the world’s safest airline every year. Except in 2018, when it shared the title with 19 other companies. AirlineRatings reviews 385 different airlines when making its top twenty list. The list is based on a number of different factors Read More

The Best Places to See Wildlife in Africa Africa is famous for its wildlife, with animals such as lions, elephants and hippos calling it home, as well as creatures that can’t be found anywhere else. Here are three of the best places to see some of these animals in the wild. Serengeti National Park Serengeti National Park was created in 1951, and covers almost 15,000 square kilometres of Tanzania. Each year, the Great Migration takes place Read More