Happy Sunday! 
❤️ I hope you're having a great weekend! We are because we're celebrating two milestones in our family today! Eight years ago today, on our fourth wedding anniversary, my wife gave me the best anniversary present ever. Here's the story of when baby Jack was born and photos from our 2012 wedding.
🎥 Universal Studios Hollywood
The photo above was taken yesterday at Universal Studios Hollywood. Jack and Olivia love visiting and we've been often. My best tip is go right when they open. The first hour, there's no wait for most of the rides, except maybe Super Mario Brothers but if you upgrade to the Express Pass, you don't have to worry about wait times period.
📰 Travel News
There's a lot of travel news today and this week so be sure to scroll down to read it all. Thankfully, Air Canada just avoided a costly strike this morning when they reached a deal with their pilots.
✈️ Frontier Airlines passenger arrested after attacking flight attendant and causing diversion
One of the top 10 stories this week concerned a Northern California man who was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he assaulted flight attendants shortly after his flight from Orange County to San Francisco took off, causing the flight to divert to Ontario for the safety of passengers and crew. Here's the story.
👶 ‘Truly awful’ American Airlines gate agents scream at mother and flight attendants at JFK over child’s car seat aboard aircraft
Another unfortunate story: It's not easy traveling with children, which I know all about since my kids have been on over 100 flights. So this AA incident really struck a nerve.
🛂 TSA Checkpoint Numbers
It's safe to say I was flat out wrong when I said there would be a huge drop in travelers once Labor Day weekend passes. That's because on Thursday, TSA officers screened 2,629,536 people at airport checkpoints nationwide. That's a solid number for this time of year.
🙏 RIP former NY1 and Travel Channel travel reporter Valarie D’Elia
I was so saddened to learn that my friend Valarie D’Elia, a longtime member of the NY1 family and Travel Channel, died Tuesday after a battle with ALS. Valerie and I had a lot in common. We both grew up in Connecticut, we're Italian and we shared a love of travel. She was always so kind to me and especially my late father when we would cruise together on media trips. Rest in peace, Valarie.
🌎 Travel Trivia Tuesday
If you read last week's post about a snorkeler getting tossed in the air by humpback whale, then you already know the answer to this week's question: In which body of water is the Great Barrier Reef located? Scroll down to find the answer!
🌴 The Selling Sunset cast visits California’s Pioneertown and here’s what it’s really like
In Season 8, Episode of 5 of Netflix’s smash hit show Selling Sunset, some of the Oppenheim Group cast put on their cowboy hats, slid into their cowboy boots and headed to Pioneertown. Plenty of drama ensued so you’ll have to watch the season to follow along but if the show piqued your curiosity about Pioneertown, here’s a closer look.
🙌 I regained control of my hacked Facebook account
I thought I would end with some good news! As you may recall, my company Facebook account was hacked but after nine months, it’s finally back. So, I will no longer be posting work stories on my personal Facebook page. If you're interested in travel news, deals and tips, please follow me at Facebook.com/JohnnyJet747.
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✈️ Today's Travel Outlook 
As of 8:45am PT, there have been only 37 canceled flights to, from or within the United States and 1,038 delayed. Here's a link to the up-to-date stats and a live look at the FAA's National Airspace System Status. Here's what to do during weather delays and flight cancelations.
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🧭 Travel Product of the Week
Apple AirTag's on sale!
Apple AirTags, which continue to be the hottest travel gadget, is back on sale. A four-pack is, at the time of this newsletter distribution, 20% off. Check it out here.
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📞 Monday 
How to reach an airline's reservations agent without waiting
It’s so frustrating to sit on hold, especially when an airline doesn’t have a callback feature. I feel for travelers who can’t make other calls or are afraid to walk into another room in case the call drops. If you ever find yourself in a predicament and you’re trying to reach an airline agent, here’s how to get through without waiting.
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👶 Tuesday 
Disgusting: Delta Air Lines passenger changes baby’s diaper at their seat and fellow passengers are appalled
I've got two kids and have traveled extensively with them when they were babies, especially our son, since our daughter was born right before the pandemic. But neither my wife nor I would dream of doing what this Delta Air Lines passenger did. Here's the story.
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🚬 Wednesday 
American Airlines passenger goes on ‘foul-mouthed homophobic rant’ when told to stop vaping; flight diverted
Did you know that e-cigarettes are allowed in the airplane cabin but cannot be used on the plane? This passenger, who obviously had too much to drink, learned this the hard way. Here's the story and the major airline's policies.
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📅 Thursday 
This is the date you need to book 2024 Thanksgiving and Christmas flights by (and other holiday travel tips)
Last week, Google released their top travel tips, tricks and insights to help travelers get the lowest prices possible, especially during the holiday season. This week, the team at Hopper broke down when to book, when to fly and how to save the most money on Thanksgiving and Christmas travel this year. Here are their findings and holiday travel advice.
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🚲 Friday 
New York City is finally cracking down on one of the biggest scams targeting tourists
One thing about living in New York City is that it teaches you to be a good traveler because it’s a global melting pot where you can find anything and everything … including all kinds of scams. Thankfully, the city is starting to crack down on one of the big scams that targets tourists. Here's the story.
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💬 TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE DAY “There are not seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” ~ Walt Streightiff |
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📺 Travel Videos of the Week 
VIDEO: Jon Bon Jovi helps save woman from jumping off Nashville bridge
Jon Bon Jovi and his crew were filming a music video on a bridge in Nashville when they noticed a woman. They were in the right place at the right time as they may have saved her life. Watch the incredible and heartwarming video here.
Juggler or smuggler? TSA officer makes passenger juggle five balls at security checkpoint
Here’s something new: A traveler was asked to prove he was not smuggling drugs by juggling. On the social networking site Threads, Bennett Santora shared a video of himself with the caption: “When you have to prove your [sic] not smuggling by juggling.” Here's the video and story.
Delta Air Lines A350 knocks tail off regional jet in ground collision at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
A Delta Air Lines A350 headed to Tokyo this morning clipped a regional jet while taxiing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). Video shows the tail ripped off. Here's the video and story.
Zach King: What really happens to your lost luggage
Zach King, who makes magical short videos, just posted one from LAX. If you've ever played the video game Tetris, you will appreciate this. Here's the funny video.
Santa Monica, California live beach cam
Here's the view from Explore.org headquarters, from the bustling Santa Monica Pier to the hills of Malibu. It's a beautiful day here in L.A. but as you can see, the air isn't that clean thanks to some nearby wildfires. |
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🌎 12 Things to Know in Travel Today 1 Air Canada reaches pact with pilots’ union, averting strike
2 Boeing machinists: Strike is a now or never moment
3 United Airlines to offer free Wi-Fi using Starlink from Elon Musk's SpaceX
4 SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew returns to Earth victorious
5 Notre Dame bells returned and blessed before cathedral’s December reopening
6 Royal Caribbean cancels cruise itinerary due to damaged lifeboat
7 ‘It just exploded’: Springfield woman says she never meant to spark rumors about Haitians
8 Three Americans and 34 others sentenced to death over coup attempt in Congo
9 Stranded in the CrowdStrike meltdown: ‘No hotel, no food, no assistance’
10 National Park calls out ‘world changing’ impact of dropped Cheetos bag
11 Waymo robotaxis to become available on Uber in Austin, Atlanta in early 2025
12 A hotel is offering ‘self-love pods’ for solo play. Here’s why that’s a thing
Read it all here as well as the 84 other top travel news stories from this past week! |
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🧵 TRAVEL THREAD OF THE DAY @kadoolah: Pro tip for flying into LAX and taking an Uber home. Instead of shuttling to the rideshare zones, head [down] to the arrivals level and jump on the first hotel shuttle you see. It’s a faster pickup, same distance, AND you save $10-$15 with less wait time for a car. Drivers are already waiting nearby to get call to go into lax. |
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✅ Currency Exchange 🇪🇺 €1 Euro = $1.10 USD
🇬🇧 £1 GBP = $1.31 USD
🇨🇦 $1 CAD = $0.73 USD
🇦🇺 $1 AUD = $0.67 USD
🇲🇽 $1 MXN = $.052 USD
✅ Calendar Countdown 🎃 46 days until Halloween
🦃 74 days until Thanksgiving
🎅 101 days until Christmas
🎊 107 days until New Year's Eve
❤️ 152 days until Valentine's Day |
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💳 Our favorite credit card rewards to earn in 2024
💳 5 reasons why the Bilt Card is worth it
The Bilt World Elite Mastercard continues to be the best way to pay rent with a card as you can earn 1 point per dollar in rent payments without fees. However, if you have a high monthly payment, you can reach the previous $50,000 annual earning cap before year-end. Thankfully, the annual Bilt points cap is being lifted so you can earn more points on rent. Here are 5 of the best reasons the Bilt Card is worth it.
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✅ Travel Trivia Answer 
Travel Trivia Tuesday Question: In which body of water is the Great Barrier Reef located?
Answer: According to NOAA: "Stretching for 1,429 miles over an area of approximately 133,000 square miles, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. The reef is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, in the Coral Sea. The reef, which is large enough to be visible from space, is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs. Much of the Great Barrier Reef is a marine protected area, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of Australia."
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