Atlanta disputes travel magazine’s ‘dirtiest’ ranking
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Sure Atlanta is big and vibrant, but it’s also dirty and unsafe, according to a national magazine’s survey of travelers.
So dirty is the city, Travel & Leisure ranks Atlanta as the fifth filthiest among 35 major metro areas, following New York (1), New Orleans (2), Baltimore (3) and Los Angeles (4).
Travel & Leisure’s 2012 America’s Favorite Cities report said Atlanta “moved up a full four spots” in the ranking of dirtiest cities from the previous year, partly because of its nightlife. The magazine said big cities that bustle with nightclubs attract plenty of young partiers who may not care much about the trash they leave behind.
Ca. amusement park riders spend hours at 300 feet
Boston.com
The Windseeker attraction at Southern California’s Knott’s Berry Farm broke down and left 20 riders who expected a three-minute thrill dangling 300 feet over the amusement park for nearly four hours.
Knott’s spokeswoman Jennifer Blazey told several media outlets the ride, which lifts fun-seekers high over the park with their legs dangling and spins them in a circle, malfunctioned at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
International tourism to US taking off again – White House
Reuters
More people from around the world are holding court with Disney World princesses and pondering the Grand Canyon’s depths this year, all the while boosting the U.S. economy, according to a White House report released on Wednesday that found international tourism to the United States is growing.
The number of international visitors to the United States rose 10 percent in the first three months of 2012 from the same period in 2011, the report found, which estimated that demand for tourist visas would grow almost 19 percent this year from last.
“The demand in travel to the United States, whether it’s leisure or to buy things, has always been there. What hasn’t been there in recent years was a process that made the United States attractive,” said Geoff Freeman, chief operating officer at U.S. Travel Association, which represents the travel industry.
Flight cancellations surge at American Airlines
NBCNews.com
Flight cancellations have spiked at American Airlines, which is fighting with unhappy pilots.
The Wall Street Journal’s veteran travel reporter, Scott McCartney, on Tuesday told travelers to avoid the carrier because “American’s operation is in shambles.”
McCartney said American Airlines is too unreliable because of trouble with the pilots union.
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