#1 One of Air New Zealand’s administrators screwed up big time
NEWS: Air New Zealand #NZ289 Auckland to Shanghai (Boeing 787-9 ZK-NZQ) returned to AKL at 0935NZDT today (2035UTC Saturday) due to the operating aircraft not being in CAAC’s database of those cleared to land in the country: https://t.co/QSEZsei2hb pic.twitter.com/bndFdbuxVd
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) February 10, 2019
Where: Somewhere over the Pacific
What: An Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Shanghai was turned back several hours into its journey. As it turns out, thanks to an administrative error, the flight did not have permission to land in China. After an eight-hour flight that landed its 270 irate passengers nowhere and an additional fifteen-hour wait in the Auckland airport, the flight was able to head back to Shanghai.
We’ve all made mistakes at work, but thank your stars that your mistakes (probably) have never been this big.
Read also: How to Survive a Missed, Delayed or Cancelled Flight
#2 Get hitched ‘Under the Sea’ ?
Where: Trang Province, Thailand
What: In an annual tradition in celebration of Valentine’s Day, seventeen couples are getting married beneath the water’s surface. The ceremonies, which, are aimed at promoting Thai traditional weddings around the world (we don’t know how that works either) and tourism to Trang Province, are binding and all marriage licenses will be registered as having occurred in the water. This year, couples are coming from Thailand, China, Malaysia and the Netherlands and will all be decked out in their bridal best!
Check out footage from last year’s underwater weddings above!
Read also: How to have a stress-free wedding in paradise
#3 Don’t make Lufthansa angry. You wouldn’t like Lufthansa when they’re angry.
Where: Oslo to Seattle then Seattle to Berlin.
What: German airline Lufthansa is suing an unnamed passenger who skipped the second half of their return flight from the United States. The passenger flew from Oslo to Seattle via Frankfurt with the airline but skipped the Frankfurt to Oslo leg of his flight on the way home. He, instead, hopped on a flight to Berlin. Lufthansa is now seeking 2,112 Euros in damages for the violation of its terms, as this was deemed a case of ‘skiplagging’.
‘Hidden city’ or ‘skiplagging’ is when passengers book tickets for layover trips that they never intend to complete for the sake of a cheaper flight.
I don’t know what you think, but maybe if airlines priced their fares in a way that made sense this wouldn’t happen.
#4 Amateur cyclist rides for charity without a bike seat
Where: Mont Ventoux, France
What: Amateur cyclist Rob Holden climbed the most notorious section of the Tour de France without a seat. The Brit, who was raising money for prostate cancer charities, decided to take on the challenge because he and his friends couldn’t decide what was easier – cycling up a hill while sitting or standing. Rob completed the 21.5-kilometre climb in two hours, despite not being able to sit the entire way.
There is no word yet as to whether he will attempt the climb with a seat. So, the debate regarding what’s easier lives on!
Update: The owner of the seal faeces covered USB drive has been found! And the story is stranger than fiction.
Where: A freezer at the New Zealand Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
What: Last week we told you about a working USB drive that was discovered in frozen leopard seal faeces. Well, after a global search the owner has been found!
Amanda Nally, a volunteer at New Zealand’s Sea Lion Trust, has been identified as the USB’s owner. And in a strange twist of fate, Amanda just happens to be the exact volunteer who collected the fateful faeces sample in the first place. How Amanda’s USB stick got stuck in the faeces remains a mystery.
We assume this means NIWA is getting the new faeces sample they wanted.
