Pets in Flight
American Airlines’ pet quarters have gotten an upgrade. The carrier’s newAirbus A321T aircraft feature two ventilated pet cabins, one in each bulkhead seat, for stowing pets during takeoffs and landings. While you can keep your pet carrier with you during your trip the cases must be stowed in the closet-like compartments during ascent, descent and taxiing.
The Airbus operates between New York’s Kennedy Airport and Los Angeles 13 times daily, and Kennedy and San Francisco five times daily. The pet service was added to the second route in March, and American is adding new planes to its fleet each week.
The company cited Paris Hilton’s travels with her late frequent-flying Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, as inspiration for the amenity.
New on Apple Watch
Moovit, a crowd-sourced local transit guide, just introduced its new 4.0 version for Apple Watch.
The free app offers point-to-point public transportation directions in over 600 cities in 55 countries. Many urban transit systems offer apps with schedule updates (New York’s M.T.A. system lists 84 iPhone apps that use its data), but Moovit allows address searches with corresponding transit options for getting there, shows businesses nearby and tracks your location.
The app also encourages users to provide real-time updates on delays that are due to accidents or traffic. User reports include ratings on crowdedness and cleanliness.
Moovit is also available for Apple and Android phones.
Out-of-the-Ordinary Holidays
If a resort sounds commonplace or a road trip ho-hum, consider setting up residence in Sweden in a modernist treehouse, moving in with a Berber family in Morocco or spying a solar eclipse in Yellowstone National Park. These are some of the unusual holidays rounded up by Responsible Travel, a Britain-based company that specializes in selling tours from small operators vetted for their commitment to supporting local communities, culture and the environment.
The company’s new online guide identifies 850 nontraditional vacations, including volunteering at a primate rehabilitation center in South Africa, taking a Dracula tour in Romania and training Genghis Khan-style to be a 13th-century Mongol warrior over the course of nine days.
Deal of the Day
The favorable exchange rate on the euro isn’t the only deal abroad. Rail Europe, distributor of European rail passes in North America, has announced a sale, the first of its kind, for summer travelers.
The European Rail Sale offers savings of $50 on tickets of $600 or more, $25 on bookings of $500 and up, and $10 on $400 reservations. The passes are valid on more than 35 railway systems in Europe, and the company says a pass is more cost effective than purchasing individual tickets if you plan to make three or more train trips.
The sale runs through June 3.
[“source-nytimes.com”]
