Happy Monday, all. Did you spend the weekend in Nashville? No? Waiting for Tampa, huh? Me too. It's warm, at least. Well, here's a bit of what's going on in the world of travel.
Is flying safer than it's ever been? A report in today's USA Today says for the first time ever, U.S. air carriers have gone two years without any fatalities. Since 1958, there have only been four years where no passengers died and two of those years were 2007 and 2008. Last month's crash of a Continental Airlines jet in Denver was the only major accident during that time. While several passengers were injured, some seriously, there were no fatalities.
Avalanches at ski resorts: Skiers out west are facing weather conditions that increase the risk of avalanches. According to a story in The New York Times, there have been 13 deaths related to avalanches in the U.S. since Dec. 14. Weather experts say the heavy snow that fell in parts of the western United States and Canada last month is sitting on an unstable base of ice that formed during the rainy and cold fall.
Speaking of snow: Thousands of travelers in Spain were grounded after heavy snowfall closed the major airport in Madrid. Iberia canceled hundreds of flights beginning Friday when a blizzard - I use the term loosely - coated the city with, gasp!, 4 inches of snow! I guess the airport doesn't have a snowplow?
Inaugural tickets for the parade bleachers have sold out, but if you managed to snag one and are trying to figure out how you'll get to the stands, consider taking a water taxi from Alexandria. Bridges may be closed but the Potomac is open and a couple water taxi companies are offering roundtrips from the marina at Old Town's waterfront to Pier 4 on Water Street in Washington, about a mile from the Mall. Tickets are $90 roundtrip or $50 each way. Washington would be so proud.
