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Why millions of Aussies are delaying, modifying or scrapping their travel plans

<p>While it might seem like everyone around you is enjoying a luxurious European summer vacation, recent data reveals that the majority of Australians are facing obstacles in pursuing their travel dreams. The rising cost of living and inflated travel prices are compelling millions of Australians to reconsider and adjust their holiday plans, according to the latest consumer sentiment survey conducted by NAB, which involved approximately 2,000 local respondents.</p> <p>According to an alarming <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-millions-of-australians-are-cancelling-or-postponing-their-holidays/gbyz8v0yt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">piece by SBS</a>, the survey found that nearly two-thirds of Australians (65 per cent) who had intentions of traveling in the next 12 months have been forced to either cancel or postpone their trips. Among them, 24 per cent decided to scrap their plans entirely, while 42 per cent opted to delay their vacations. The data shows that an overwhelming number of individuals believe that travel and holidays have become considerably more expensive.</p> <p>According to the SBS piece, Tara Hartley, NAB's retail customer executive, offered some reassurance to those experiencing FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) on extravagant European holidays. She stated that many Australians are making prudent spending decisions, prioritising their expenses based on what they value most. With the cost of living rising, including grocery bills and fuel prices, Australians are finding it increasingly challenging to budget for their holiday plans. As a result, they are making thoughtful adjustments to their spending habits.</p> <p>Approximately 40 per cent of respondents have scaled back their travel plans, opting to explore domestic destinations instead of traveling abroad to save money. Hartley mentioned examples like people swapping trips to the Mediterranean for Maroochydore or Bali for Burnie, indicating that Australians are finding joy and relaxation within their own country.</p> <p>One significant factor contributing to the hesitance in making travel arrangements is the soaring cost of airfares. Airlines have been slow to resume normal operations after the COVID-19 pandemic caused international flights to come to a halt. The combination of increased demand for flights, inflation, rising fuel prices, and a shortage of staff has led to a surge in airfare costs.</p> <p>Data released by online travel company Kayak in May indicated that return flights from Australia to overseas destinations are now over 50 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels. For instance, the average return economy international flight between July and December currently costs $1,827, compared to $1,213 in 2019. Domestic flights have also experienced a notable increase, with costs up by 10 per cent compared to 2019 figures and 15 per cent higher than last year.</p> <p>Even though capacity is expected to return to the airline industry, outgoing Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce cautioned that airfares might not return to their pre-pandemic affordability. Nevertheless, the adjustments in travel plans have had some positive financial impacts. On average, Australians have saved around $392 each month by changing their travel plans. Over the course of a year, these adjustments have translated to approximately $4,704 in savings.</p> <p>The rising cost of living and inflated travel prices are causing millions of Australians to reconsider their holiday plans. With airfares surging and travel becoming more expensive, many are opting to modify their trips or explore domestic destinations instead. While these changes may bring financial benefits, it remains uncertain when airfares will return to their pre-pandemic levels.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Turtles on the tarmac could delay flights at Western Sydney airport

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ricky-spencer-158597">Ricky Spencer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deborah-bower-283709">Deborah Bower</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-new-england-919">University of New England</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-van-dyke-351841">James Van Dyke</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-b-thompson-351796">Michael B. Thompson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-thomas-1451841">Richard Thomas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>Amid the controversy surrounding <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-27/western-sydney-airport-flight-paths-made-public/102524808">preliminary flight paths</a> for <a href="https://www.westernsydneyairport.gov.au/">Western Sydney’s new airport</a>, another potential challenge is looming: turtles on the tarmac.</p> <p>The land surrounding Sydney’s newest airport is prime nesting area for native turtles. This may create problems for the airport’s operations.</p> <p>Turtle invasions at airports are not unprecedented. In recent years, a freshwater turtle was found wandering around <a href="https://m.facebook.com/SydneyAirport/photos/a.302787769759897/2906361926069122/?type=3&amp;locale=zh_CN">Sydney Airport</a>, which is built on Botany Bay. In 2021, a turtle strolling across a runway in Japan <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/28/turtle-slow-moving-reptile-delays-five-planes-at-japan-airport">delayed five planes</a>. A few years earlier, a passenger plane <a href="https://qcostarica.com/turtle-shuts-down-limon-airport/">aborted takeoff</a> because a 1.5m leatherback turtle was on the runway. And at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, employees <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/644989/nyc-airport-gets-barrier-to-protect-runway-from-armoured-short-slow-moving-turtle-threat/">carried 1,300 turtles</a> off the tarmac in one nesting season alone.</p> <p>Our expertise spans zoology, conservation biology and ecology. We know individual freshwater turtles can wander well beyond their wetland habitat into areas where they pose a risk to aviation safety, if proper planning is not in place. We urge authorities to incorporate turtle-friendly features into the airport’s design and make contingency plans for these remarkable reptiles.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vHbM3ytHKdA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Western Sydney airport: construction is well underway.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Western Sydney airport is turtle nesting habitat</h2> <p>Freshwater turtles face an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982220306369">uncertain future</a>. Their numbers in Australia are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39096-3">declining</a>. Globally, more than half of all freshwater turtle species face <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30636-9">extinction</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/zo/zo17065">Collisions with vehicles</a> are a main cause of death for adult freshwater turtles across south-eastern Australia. And data collected through the <a href="https://1millionturtles.com">1 Million Turtles</a> citizen science tool <a href="https://TurtleSAT.org.au">TurtleSAT</a> reveals Western Sydney is a roadkill hotspot.</p> <p>Wetlands, including the area around the new airport at Badgerys Creek, serve as prime nesting habitat. Citizen science data also feeds into our world-first predictive <a href="https://emydura6.users.earthengine.app/view/predicted-nests-and-water-bodies">nest mapping tool</a>, which confirms Sydney’s newest airport is prime nesting area for both long- and short-neck turtles.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=537&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=537&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=537&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=675&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=675&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535185/original/file-20230703-213604-aa70gw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=675&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Left, hotspots of turtle roadkill in Western Sydney. Right, predicting turtle nesting areas at Western Sydney airport.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">TurtleSAT and 1 Million Turtles</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Turtles nest throughout the airport district from November to January. Given the number of wetlands and the extent of cleared, open vegetation, turtles can be expected to emerge from the water and traverse the entire area during this period.</p> <p>Between nesting seasons, eastern long-necked turtles often move between wetlands on rainy days.</p> <p>Redirecting turtles away from runways (and roads) is a challenging but feasible task. It requires proactive planning, integration of turtle-friendly design elements, and recognition of their significance in environmental impact assessments.</p> <p>Construction of the Western Sydney airport involved filling in streams and farm dams. The Environmental Impact Statement for the project, released in 2016, <a href="https://www.westernsydneyairport.gov.au/sites/default/files/WSA-EIS-Volume-2a-Chapter-16-Biodiversity.pdf">recognised</a> the threat to turtles. To mitigate the impact on aquatic animals generally, the proponents planned to salvage and relocate them to nearby habitats deemed suitable.</p> <p>A spokesperson for Western Sydney airport, contacted for comment on this story, said all of the required wildlife and risk management procedures would be in place when the airport opens in late 2026. She said the turtle habitat was well outside of the airport site, so the risk of turtles on the runway was negligible.</p> <p>But around the airport, many streams and wetlands remain. So we believe there’s still a chance turtles will enter the airport grounds and, potentially, walk onto runways.</p> <h2>Turtles at the crossroads</h2> <p>Turtles are often little more than an afterthought in hectic construction plans and timetables. Wetlands are often filled in and roads built without any thought to wildlife crossings.</p> <p>Our study of the wetlands of Western Sydney, and the corridor between north-western and south-western Sydney, found up to 25% of wetlands were lost <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.22.12736">in the last decade alone</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=948&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=948&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535249/original/file-20230703-240908-y2xpsk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=948&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A map showing the change in western Sydney wetland surface area between 2010 and 2017 by local government area" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Change in western Sydney wetland surface area between 2010 and 2017 by local government area: more than 1% increase (green), 0-10% decrease (orange), more than 10% decrease (red).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Harriet Gabites</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>While groups such as <a href="https://www.wildconservation.com.au/turtle-rescues-nsw/">Turtle Rescue NSW</a> can relocate wildlife such as turtles, eels and fish, many animals die when streams and wetlands are <a href="https://www.westernsydneyairport.gov.au/sites/default/files/WSA-EIS-Volume-2a-Chapter-16-Biodiversity.pdf">drained and filled</a> during development.</p> <p>Western Sydney’s new airport offers an opportunity to break this pattern. Construction has passed the half-way mark but it’s not too late to incorporate turtle-friendly infrastructure such as <a href="https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1466&amp;context=theses">specialised underpasses</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wlb3.01012">fencing</a> to guide these slow-paced wanderers away from high-risk areas. We also need monitoring programs to check interventions are working and identify any problems along the way.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/our-turtle-program-shows-citizen-science-isnt-just-great-for-data-it-makes-science-feel-personal-155142">Our research</a> emphasises education and awareness campaigns foster a culture of understanding and respect. This is important to ensure the long-term survival of turtles in the region.</p> <h2>It’s not too late for Western Sydney’s turtles</h2> <p>We must prioritise turtle-friendly design and integrate turtles into environmental impact assessments for major developments.</p> <p>The likely presence of turtles on runways at Western Sydney’s new airport warrants immediate attention. The project and its network of major roads are a chance to demonstrate how major urban infrastructure and wildlife can coexist harmoniously.</p> <hr /> <p><em>We acknowledge the vital contribution of Western Sydney University masters student Harriet Gabites to research on the turtles of Western Sydney and this article.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208930/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ricky-spencer-158597">Ricky Spencer</a>, Associate Professor of Ecology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deborah-bower-283709">Deborah Bower</a>, Associate Professor in Zoology and Ecology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-new-england-919">University of New England</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/james-van-dyke-351841">James Van Dyke</a>, Associate Professor in Biomedical Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/la-trobe-university-842">La Trobe University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-b-thompson-351796">Michael B. Thompson</a>, Emeritus Professor in Zoology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-thomas-1451841">Richard Thomas</a>, Senior lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/turtles-on-the-tarmac-could-delay-flights-at-western-sydney-airport-208930">original article</a>.</p>

Domestic Travel

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Actors blamed for delaying movie production

<p>These single cast members have been responsible for delaying movie production on these titles.</p> <p><strong>1. Marlon Brando — <em>Mutiny on the Bounty</em></strong></p> <p>Brando was singled out as the reason months of production and $6 million went down the drain during the making of <em>Mutiny on the Bounty</em> in 1962. According to the film’s director Lewis Milestone, Brando put earplugs in on set to silence instructions and argued over many scenes in the script. Reportedly, he also refused to shoot the finale and demanded to make his own ending. The delays and tension on set were ironic as the film focused on deadly mutiny.</p> <p><strong>2. Johnny Depp <strong>— </strong><em>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales</em></strong></p> <p>The fifth movie in the <em>Pirates of the Caribbean</em> franchise had a very messy production due to extensive delays and behind-the-scenes drama. Depp delayed production after illegally bringing his dogs into Australia during shooting, injuring his hand and reportedly showing up late to shooting.</p> <p><strong>3. Brad Pitt <strong>— </strong><em>The Fountain</em></strong></p> <p>Writer and director of <em>The Fountain</em> Darren Aronofsky admitted that Brad Pitt was responsible for delaying film production. Pitt was initially going to star in the film but when it was just weeks away from the start of principal photography in Australia, Pitt let Aronofsky know that he was leaving the film. The departure meant there were extensive delays in starting production, but Aronofsky pins the departure on creative differences and says that neither of them were to blame.</p> <p><strong>4. Benedict Cumberbatch <strong>— </strong><em>Doctor Strange</em></strong></p> <p>Benedict Cumberbatch was originally the only actor director Scott Derrickson had in mind to play Marvel’s <em>Doctor Strange</em>. Cumberbatch initially turned the role down due to conflicting schedules, so production was delayed to allow the actor a second chance at starring in the film. "If you can't jump on board when the ride's going past, that's usually it," Cumberbatch said "So the hugest compliment they paid me was to come back to me. It motivated me to try to fulfil their faith in me."</p> <p><strong>5. Robert Downey Jr <strong>— </strong><em>Sherlock Holmes 3</em></strong></p> <p>The next instalment of <em>Sherlock Holmes</em> has been delayed while Robert Downey Jr fulfils his contractual obligations with the <em>Avengers</em>, according to <em>Holmes</em> producer Joel Silver. Hopefully Downey will return to the<em> Sherlock</em> films after the fourth <em>Avengers</em>. </p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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10 ways to stay sane on a flight delay

<p>Flight delays seem to be a part of air travel today, so you’ll need some innovative ways to fill your time. Here are 10 ideas to pass time at the airport (without having to pull your smartphone out of your pocket).</p> <p><strong>1. Explore the city</strong></p> <p>Depending on how long your delay is (and how close the airport is to town), you might be able to get out and have a quick look around. Many airports even offer free bus tours for passengers that will take them past all the major sites.</p> <p><strong>2. Or explore the airport</strong></p> <p>Airports aren’t what they used to be. In fact, many are practically cities in their own right! Have a look around and you will be amazed what you can find – movie theatres, spas, gardens, libraries, playgrounds and more.</p> <p><strong>3. Grab something to eat</strong></p> <p>Would you believe that celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver and Wolfgang Puck now operate airport restaurants? The quality of food in airports has increased dramatically over recent years, so you can spend your time on a great meal.</p> <p><strong>4. Take a nap</strong></p> <p>This will depend on how comfortable you are with sleeping in public, but most airports have a lot of quiet hidey holes that you can seek out. Use your carry on or your coat as a pillow, set your alarm (you don’t want to miss your flight) and catch a few Zs.</p> <p><strong>5. Buy a new book</strong></p> <p>Airports reliably have great bookstores, so grab yourself the latest bestseller or a classic you’ve always wanted to read and settle in for the wait. We think that time spent reading is never time wasted.</p> <p><strong>6. Do some exercise</strong></p> <p>Plane travel means sitting still in a small space for hours at a time, so take this opportunity to get moving. This can be a simple walk around the terminal or outside, or you can find a quiet space and do some stretching. Some airports even have gyms, yoga rooms or jogging tracks for passengers to use. </p> <p><strong>7. Hit the shops</strong></p> <p>Frustrated at the delay? Retail therapy can do wonders for your mood. Airports are a great place to get new release makeup or perfumes, high tech electronics or fashion accessories like handbags and sunglasses at a great price.</p> <p><strong>8. Splurge on lounge access</strong></p> <p>At a number of airports you can pay a relatively small fee (usually less than $50) and access one of the exclusive priority lounges. Facilities will vary, but you can expect free food and drinks, wi-fi, televisions, books and magazines, and showers. Think of it as a little treat for having to put up with a delay.</p> <p><strong>9. Find the airport hotel</strong></p> <p>If your delay is going to be a long one, it might be worth checking into the airport hotel for a few hours. Many will offer special rates for a day or part thereof, so for a reasonable price you can have a shower, watch some TV and even have a nap in a proper bed.</p> <p><strong>10. Meet new people</strong></p> <p>Remember when we used to be able to strike up conversations with people in real life? Without the aid of a smartphone? Now’s a great time to bring it back. Others from your flight will be in the same position as you, so you’ve already got some common ground.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Airlines to cough up millions in refunds and fines over delays and cancellations

<p dir="ltr">Frustrated travellers subject to major delays or cancellations to their US flights could be entitled to a portion of $US 600 million ($AU 896 million) in refunds from six airlines forced to refund their customers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The airlines have been ordered to pay back customers by the US Department of Transport as part of “historic enforcement actions”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Under US law, customers must be refunded by airlines or ticket agents if the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from or within the US and they don’t want to accept the alternate offer.</p> <p dir="ltr">The department also ordered the airlines to pay a total of $US 7.25 million ($AU 10.84 millIon) in fines for “extreme delays in providing refunds”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When a flight gets cancelled, passengers seeking refunds should be paid back promptly. Whenever that doesn’t happen, we will act to hold airlines accountable on behalf of American travellers and get passengers their money back.” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/more-600-million-refunds-returned-airline-passengers-under-dot-rules-backed-new" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a> shared on Monday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A flight cancellation is frustrating enough, and you shouldn’t also have to haggle or wait months to get your refund.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to 7News.com.au, the refunds apply to both US and international travellers.</p> <p dir="ltr">The fines and refunds vary from airline to airline, with the affected airlines including: </p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Frontier Airlines - ordered to refund $US 222 million ($AU 331.9 million) and pay $US 2.2 million ($AU 3.2 million) in fines</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Air India - to pay back $US 121.5 million ($AU 181.6 million) and fined $US 1.4 ($AU 2.1 million)</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">TAP Portugal - with refunds totalling $US 126.5 million ($AU 189.1 million) and fines of $US 1.1 million ($AU 1.6 million)</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Aeromexico - to refund $US 13.6 million ($AU 20.3 million) and pay $900,000 ($AU 1.3 million) in fines</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">El Al - due to pay $US 61.9 million ($AU 92.5 million) in refunds and $900,000 ($AU 1.3 million) in fines</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Avianca - with total refunds of $US 76.8 million ($AU 114.8 million) and a fine of $US 750,000 ($AU 1.1 million)</p> </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">Most of the fines will be paid to the Treasury Department, with the remainder to be credited based on airlines paying customers beyond the legal requirement.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to Blane Workie, the assistant general counsel for the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection DOT, the refunds have either already been made or customers should have been informed of them.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fdbaa05c-7fff-7d0d-8da4-81e90c75a489"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

International Travel

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Is delaying retirement a good idea?

<p>It’s that time in your life when you should be able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labour, so how does the prospect of delaying retirement sit with you?</p> <p>The idea may not be a popular one but with the rise in the cost of living and the government looking to slash financial support for older Australians, it’s a decision many need to consider. </p> <p>US sites have been awash with stories of seniors remaining in the workforce beyond retirement age, with data suggesting more than one in five people in the US by 2040 will be over the age of 65. The same is true here in Australia. </p> <p>Following the Federal Government’s announcement to raise the pension age to 70 by 2035, it also seems like a trend that will continue, and for those born after 1965, a reality of life.</p> <p><strong>But, is it all bad?</strong> </p> <p>While in most cases the decision to remain in the workforce is a financial one, many older workers enjoy the social engagement and the health benefits associated with keeping a job.</p> <p>Last year, a report found that workers in their early 60s who had a chronic health condition had better retirement savings and wealth than those who had quit work.</p> <p>The findings, released in National Seniors Australia Productive Ageing Centre’s report, <em>A widening gap: The financial benefits of delaying retirement</em>, also found that remaining in the workforce past the age of 65 had the potential to offset the high costs of poor health, which include treatment costs, changes to living arrangements and buying aids or equipment.</p> <p>The same study found that working up to and past the retirement age was associated with a significant increase in the value of household assets. For example, between 2006 and 2010, the financial assets of those who remained employed in 2006 and in 2010 increased by $59,400 while those who were employed in 2006 but not in 2010 saw less of an increase with $34,300.</p> <p><strong>The upside of phased retirement</strong></p> <p>Darren James, financial planner at AMP, says many Australians are giving greater consideration to the option of a phased retirement – reducing their hours over time and gradually “weaning” themselves into retirement – rather than going cold turkey. An approach which can lead to significant advantages from a superannuation standpoint. </p> <p>“The biggest advantage of waiting to retire until 60 or over is that income and any withdrawals from super are 100 per cent tax free, whereas up until this age tax may apply,” he reveals. </p> <p>“Also for every year that you delay retirement is another year that you avoid dipping into your retirement savings which will obviously help your retirement income last longer. You will also be another year closer to being eligible to receive the age pension which could reduce the amount of money you need to draw from your own retirement savings (provided you meet an income and assets test).”</p> <p><strong>Why it pays to keep working</strong></p> <p>For those nearing retirement but still working, look into topping up your super balance without reducing your after-tax income with a transition to retirement strategy. Mr James says you can make extra contributions to boost your super by salary sacrificing but then draw on the super to replace this income. </p> <p>“This super income is highly tax effective – it is currently tax free for people over 60 and tax advantaged for those aged 55 to 59,” he explains. “As the tax benefits of super really kick in after retirement, the less you can draw down on your super balance before retiring, the more money you will keep in your pocket for the future.”</p> <p>The reality is that Australia has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, which is good news, but along with that has gone the retirement age. For those who enjoy their job and are in no hurry to retire, or who wish to retire with a few extra bucks in the bank, delaying retirement can be a great boost for setting yourself up to be in a much better financial position for when you decide the time is right.</p> <p>Always seek professional advice to better understand your financial position and to find out when retirement may be possible for you.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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The “marshmallow test” of delayed gratification is actually culturally diverse

<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford marshmallow experiment</a> is one of the most enduring child psychology studies of the last 50 years.</p> <p>The test is a simple one. A child aged between 3 and 6 had a marshmallow (later experiments also used a pretzel) placed in front of them and told that if they wait, they could have a second marshmallow when the tester returned. The original study found that those who waited for the extra marshmallow had more success as an adult than those that scoffed the marshmallow down, suggesting that being able to delay gratification is an important life skill. </p> <p>But since its inception, people have argued whether waiting for a marshmallow as a five-year-old can really tell you how successful, thin and educated you’ll be as an adult, or if there might be other, more complicated factors going on behind the scenes.</p> <p>A new study published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09567976221074650?journalCode=pssa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Psychological Science</em></a> has suggested one of those factors – showing that cultural upbringing could change the way children respond.</p> <p> “We found that the ability to delay gratification – which predicts many important life outcomes – is not just about variations in genes or brain development but also about habits supported by culture,” <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/today/2022/07/21/new-take-marshmallow-test-when-it-comes-resisting-temptation-childs-cultural-upbringing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said one of the researchers</a>, University of Colorado Boulder psychology researcher Yuko Munakata.</p> <p>“It calls into question: How much of our scientific conclusions are shaped by the cultural lens we, as researchers, bring to our work?”</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p199467-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 resetting spai-bg-prepared" action="/people/marshmallow-test-cultural-diverse/#wpcf7-f6-p199467-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="resetting"> <p style="display: none !important;"><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"><input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page spai-bg-prepared" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/" data-value="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/" aria-invalid="false" /></span></p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></form> </div> </div> <p>This is a larger problem than just some kids eating marshmallows. Historically, science – across <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/clinical-trials-have-far-too-little-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clinical</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620927709" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">psychology</a> research – has a habit of having too little cultural diversity, and the new research shows why this can be an issue.</p> <p>The researchers found that the 80 children in Japan were much better at waiting to eat food when asked than the 58 children in the United States. However, this was reversed when asked to wait to open gifts.  </p> <p>“This interaction may reflect cultural differences: waiting to eat is emphasised more in Japan than in the United States, whereas waiting to open gifts is emphasised more in the United States than in Japan,” <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/09567976221074650" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the team write in their new paper.</a> </p> <p>“These findings suggest that culturally specific habits support delaying gratification, providing a new way to understand why individuals delay gratification and why this behaviour predicts life success.”</p> <p>This small study doesn’t look into the longer-term results of the original marshmallow experiment, like whether the kids will be more successful as adults. Along with cultural differences, other studies have shown <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/marshmallow-test/561779/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">qualities like affluence</a> are also a defining factor.</p> <p>All of this is only if the marshmallow test actually holds at all. <a href="https://anderson-review.ucla.edu/new-study-disavows-marshmallow-tests-predictive-powers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Recent follow up studies</a> with <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797618761661" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">larger groups</a> of children followed into adulthood have shown that those who chose marshmallowey goodness straight away are not generally more or less financially secure, educated or healthy than their food-delaying peers.</p> <p>It seems that 50 years later the test is still telling us things – just about our own biases rather than predicting the future of five-year-olds.</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=199467&amp;title=The+%26%238220%3Bmarshmallow+test%26%238221%3B+of+delayed+gratification+is+actually+culturally+diverse" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/marshmallow-test-cultural-diverse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/jacinta-bowler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jacinta Bowler</a>. Jacinta Bowler is a freelance science journalist who has written about far-flung exoplanets, terrifying superbugs and everything in between. They have written articles for ABC, SBS, ScienceAlert and Pedestrian, and are a regular contributor for kids magazines Double Helix and KIT.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Caring

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Pierce Brosnan film to debut after eight-year delay

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pierce Brosnan’s latest role sees him portray King Louis XIV in </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The King’s Daughter</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, but its January release comes after an unusually long delay.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The film, based on Vonda N. McIntyre’s 1997 novel </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Moon and The Sun</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, follows King Louis XIV’s journey for immortality. His quest seemingly ends when he captures a mermaid with the intention of stealing her life force to fuel his immortality. However, the plot thickens when he discovers his illegitimate daughter, Marie-Josèphe, has become close with the mythical creature.</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OdCNs2pkNLk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Starring alongside Brosnan is Kaya Scodelario (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Maze Runner</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) as Marie-Josèphe, Fan Bingbing (</span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">X-Men: Days of Future Past</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">) as the Mermaid, and Julie Andrews as the film’s Narrator, as well as William Hurt, Benjamin Walker and Rachel Griffiths.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although a trailer for the film was released in December 2021, no-one had heard of the film at the time, with </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://screenrant.com/kings-daughter-pierce-brosnan-movie-8-year-delay-release/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ScreenRant</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reporting that the film was actually completed in 2014.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With an initial release date set for the following year, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The King’s Daughter</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was cancelled just weeks before its premiere due to issues with the film’s water-based visual effects with no future release date set. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After responsibility for the film’s distribution was passed around multiple times, independent film company Gravitas Ventures eventually secured the rights and will now release it on January 21, 2022.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846767/brosnan2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f96782bb92b94b66a203ff15ec356131" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pierce Brosnan stars as a French king in the film, which will finally be released after eight long years of delays. Image: Thekingsdaughter.com</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The film’s lengthy delay comes as the film industry continues to grapple with the impact of COVID-19, which has seen delays affect big titles such as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">John Wick 4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">and Marvel’s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Morbius</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> among others.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though delays are often a bad sign for films, Paul Currie, a producer for </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://thekingsdaughtermovie.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The King’s Daughter</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, has said he is confident in the film and claims it will be “somewhere between <em>Twilight</em> and <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Expectations may also be running high due to the popularity of the source material, with the critically acclaimed </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">T<em>he Moon and The Sun</em></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> even beating </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game of Thrones</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1997. But, it’s debut is sure to spark plenty of scrutiny too, as is common with book adaptations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whatever the outcome, the long-overdue release of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The King’s Daughter</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> will prove to be a victory in itself, all while showing that pandemic-related delays are nothing to be complained about.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Thekingsdaughter.com</span></em></p>

Movies

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Will omicron delay Australia's return to cruising?

<p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> <p>Last fortnight, after a meeting with cruise lines and NSW government officials looked set to result in permission to sail as early as next February for local waters.</p> <p>Now, with the sudden concerns over Omicron and the world’s response could mean health officials will delay all announcements about cruising in NSW. It had been expected that an early announcement on the Biosecurity Act ban on foreign flagged vessels, which expires on December 17, would allow homeported fleets like those of Princess, P&amp;O and Carnival could be back. There is widespread support from NSW and Federal Government and the move may still eventuate.</p> <p>NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has revealed there is a confirmed two cases and a “possible” third of the new strain in NSW. As a result, NSW, the ACT and Victoria are now requiring all overseas arrivals to get tested and isolate for 72 hours and South Australia is now requiring all international arrivals to do a full two weeks of quarantine. At a Federal level, Australia has closed its borders and suspended flights to nine Southern African countries, including South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.</p> <p>Countries across the world including the US, European Union, Brazil, Canada and more have placed restrictions on those entering from Southern African countries, while these are unlikely to affect Australian travellers, they more so serve as reminders to how quickly you can get shut out. Some countries have taken even more drastic actions, with Israel completely shutting down borders to all non-citizens and Morocco suspending all incoming flights for the next fortnight. Many travel insurance policies at the moment are not covering for border closures, highlighting an importance to be aware of what your insurance covers.</p> <p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he is planning on calling a meeting of state and territory leaders to discuss the nation’s response to the Omicron variant and has said he is not yet willing to make decisions about whether quarantine could be reinstated before Christmas.</p> <p>Mr Morrison said: “We have had many new variants, we have had many variants of concern.” “This is another variant of concern and it is one that the initial information is suggesting some [increased] transmissibility but even that, as yet, is not fully proven. So it is important we just calmly and carefully consider this information.” “National Cabinet will come together over the next couple of days and a key purpose of that is to ensure we are all working off the same information.”</p>

Cruising

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Nobel laureate delays retirement to help combat COVID

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Peter Doherty was preparing to retire in early 2020, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw him meeting with leading coronavirus experts and working on a new book about the pandemic instead.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I thought I was going to retire,” the laureate professor said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was 79 years old, I’d just finished our last big NHMRC grant, and I was also working on a book that I’ve been working on for ages.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Doherty won a Nobel Prize in 1996 after discovering how our immune cells destroy viruses, and has since revolutionised the field of immunology.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last year, he joined conference calls with senior researchers from The Doherty Institute - named in his honour - to discuss the latest findings about the deadly disease.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I haven’t been running a lab for a while, but I joined in on that, and suddenly got a sense [COVID-19] was pretty dangerous,” Professor Doherty said of the early meetings.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“My sense was I could help by being in the discussion because I’d been working on this kind of stuff for years so I have got some sort of understanding of it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sitting on these morning discussions, I’m hearing details of what people who are running the diagnostics, evaluating the tests and so forth are doing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And though I knew superficially about the challenge, I had no idea about the actual detail that was involved.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But his scientific work isn’t the only reason why he came to prominence during the pandemic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In April 2020, the 80-year-old gave the internet a well-needed laugh when he accidentally asked his Twitter followers when Dan Murphys was open, mistaking the platform for Google.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Dan Murphy opening hours</p> — Prof. Peter Doherty (@ProfPCDoherty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProfPCDoherty/status/1254616358479966209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2020</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I love it. Scientists (even Nobel laureates) are human first,” one follower commented.</span></p> <p><strong>Predicting the pandemic</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scientists like Professor Doherty have been warning about the threat of a pandemic for decades.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2013, he wrote a book he jokingly described as “pandemics for dummies”, called </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pandemics: What Everyone Needs to Know</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It didn’t sell well because who wants to read about disease and death?”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the science in his book still holds up, Professor Doherty said he and other experts mistakenly believed a flu pandemic would be a threat.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If I’d been thinking more clearly, I would have thought about coronaviruses, and what happened with SARS,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While he did predict the economic cost of the pandemic, the use of social media, and the transition to working from home, he said COVID-19 has proved to be a “steep learning curve”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Both on the science side - we didn’t understand the virus to begin with, it’s much more complicated than we thought,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And also the social dimension of it - I think we’ve all been grappling with that one.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I had no real understanding of the social dimension of [a pandemic], and I think you have to live through it to really understand that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Based in Melbourne, Professor Doherty and his wife Penny joined other Melbournians in the city’s 112-day lockdown during the second wave of the virus.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s pretty scary because we’re both old,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He tried to stay cautious and still take regular walks, including some in his own backyard to avoid needing to wear a mask, where he would “stride up and down like on the deck of a ship”.</span></p> <p><strong>Looking to the future</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thinking about the next 12 months, Professor Doherty’s biggest concern is a possibility of a new variant emerging that vaccines won’t be able to protect against.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Current variants such as Delta appear to dilute the effectiveness of the vaccines but don’t prevent the immune response triggered by vaccination.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He worries that the virus could mutate in such a way that it “subverts the vaccine”, requiring scientists to modify the vaccines.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Apart from that concern, I think we’re now really on the right track,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What we absolutely need is for people to get vaccinated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[Herd immunity] is incremental. If you get 50 percent of the people vaccinated, you’d worry a lot less about locking down and all that sort of stuff.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But if we can get to 80 percent vaccinated, I think we’d be in pretty good shape.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: The Doherty Institute / Instagram</span></em></p>

Retirement Income

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"How were the oysters?" Sydney model booed for delaying flight

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A Byron Bay model has fought back after being heckled by the media and fellow Jetstar passengers for being late to board a flight.</p> <p>Ruby Tuesday Matthews was due to fly from Ballina to Sydney but her flight was delayed due to technical issues and was rescheduled to fly at 7:45pm.</p> <p>After being told the flight was delayed, she shared a picture to her Instagram story of her eating oysters, saying "Flight delayed, f*** my life".</p> <p>However, after an engineer assessed the aircraft, the take-off time was pushed forward to 6:20pm.</p> <p>After Matthews boarded the plane at around 6:50pm, she was booed by other passengers on the flight.</p> <p>Frustrated travellers yelled at the model “how were the oysters?” and “what a good day to be pretty”.</p> <p>She has since hit back at passengers, saying she didn't hear the announcement.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGj01xjBNGV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGj01xjBNGV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">regular mum ?</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/rubytuesdaymatthews/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> RUBY TUESDAY MATTHEWS</a> (@rubytuesdaymatthews) on Oct 20, 2020 at 2:08am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“I didn’t hear that, I swear to god, I wouldn’t have left the airport,” she said.</p> <p>“I’m not a d***head, I do have respect for everyone else.”</p> <p>She has also lashed out at criticisms saying she was "entitled".</p> <p>“You failed to mention the other passengers that were actually another 30 minutes later than me and copped no verbal abuse,” she said, regarding an article about the incident.</p> <p>“After a 5 pm flight change we were given a time of 7.45 takeoff that then changed with no text update.”</p> <p>She has said that she received no support from airline staff when she was being yelled at and have said that her children were threatened.</p> <p>“I was abused, followed and my children were threatened,” she said.</p> <p>Jetstar has not commented on the incident.</p> </div> </div> </div>

News

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Why you shouldn’t delay in getting your hearing tested

<p>While COVID-19 restrictions caused life as we know it to change drastically, many industries quickly adjusted to the new normal - and that was especially true of hearing aid companies.</p> <p>Hearing specialists knew that many of their customers would be wary or even unable to get to an appointment, so have adjusted accordingly. From sanitised stores to video check-ups, it’s meant those who need hearing help can still get it.</p> <p>Now restrictions are slowly being lifted, it’s a good time to get your hearing checked out - especially if you’ve been putting it off over the autumn. Companies like <a rel="noopener" href="https://hearingaidfinder.com.au/?utm_source=directgroup&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=over60-advertorial-hearing-tests-still-available" target="_blank">Hearing Aid Finder </a>can help you book an appointment, taking away the hassle of doing the research yourself.</p> <p><strong>Free tests and financial assistance for hearing devices  </strong></p> <p>The good news for Australian pensioners is that hearing tests are free and <a href="http://hearingservices.gov.au/wps/portal/hso/site/eligibility/programhelp/eligibility/!ut/p/a1/pZFLb8IwEIT_Cj3kaPmRlzlaFGiggKq-klyQE5zEbWKH1EXk3-NIPXApFHVvK41mZ-eDKYxhqvhBltxIrXg97GmwXT75AY4QWdK3zQwxtn59XMw8ghiG7zCFaa5MayqYVF96lGtlhDIOar-zWuYOqnQjHFTobiQOouu1slvb6bLjTSXq1kGilqXMZC1NP5i1udzBxHP93RiTDAgvLICHMAfUpwLsCC7GoRsEbhDadIlNh34Zhv4U_oIE-T-CCycSmyHcEnrPHsYejjbTaIrYZP6ymNOIzEMMn2986opheLPh4loNtkbSrSar0tpyUwGpCg3jM0YwPmdk5fJjv0-ZBT_APhoY_5982zTU7cFnsV4DntH-6Cd3JwKtaBE!/dl5/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/">eligible seniors</a> can get government assistance to help with the cost of a new device.</p> <p>Even if you’re not eligible for a government voucher, it’s worth checking if your private health fund extras will cover the cost of a hearing aid.</p> <p>So if you’re thinking about a test, it’s worth booking one sooner rather than later. Don’t wait for everything to reopen and risk your local hearing specialist being booked out. You can book an appointment via <a rel="noopener" href="https://hearingaidfinder.com.au/?utm_source=directgroup&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=over60-advertorial-hearing-tests-still-available" target="_blank">Hearing Aid Finder</a> today.</p> <p><strong>Increasing safety at hearing aid tests</strong></p> <p>Hearing specialists have been putting in special measures to ensure your safety. Stores are regularly sterilised, with longer gaps between appointments to allow time to clean. There’s also a limit on the number of people who can be in store at any given time.</p> <p>Companies like <a href="https://www.bloomhearing.com.au/en-au/news/coronavirus">Bloom</a> and <a href="https://www.ihear.com.au/blog/">ihear</a> are also conducting initial appointments over the phone. This will speed up the next step where, if necessary, you’ll head into the clinic for a hearing test.</p> <p>If you’re self-isolating or have mobility problems and are unable to leave your home, many clinicians will offer solutions, all the way from home visits through to fitting hearing aids remotely over telehealth, or leaving you an iPad with instructions on how to fit your new device.</p> <p><strong>Go with the hearing experts</strong></p> <p><a rel="noopener" href="https://hearingaidfinder.com.au/?utm_source=directgroup&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=over60-advertorial-hearing-tests-still-available" target="_blank">Hearing Aid Finder</a> makes your life easy. You’ll get a free hearing screening from a professional audiologist near you, and enjoy no-obligation trials on hearing aids so you can find a device that’s right for you.</p> <p>So if you’re ready to book your hearing test before life gets busy again, <a rel="noopener" href="https://hearingaidfinder.com.au/?utm_source=directgroup&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=over60-advertorial-hearing-tests-still-available" target="_blank">schedule an appointment today</a>.</p> <p><em>This is a sponsored article built in conjunction with <a rel="noopener" href="https://hearingaidfinder.com.au/?utm_source=directgroup&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_campaign=over60-advertorial-hearing-tests-still-available" target="_blank">Hearing Aid Finder</a>.</em></p>

Hearing

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The amazing chart showing the ticking housing time bomb caused by Australians delaying major decisions

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Australians are carrying significant mortgage debt into retirement because they are increasingly delaying major life decisions such as marriage, home purchases and even getting a full-time job.</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">On Monday, 18 November the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR)<span> </span><a href="http://cepar.edu.au/resources-videos/research-briefs/housing-ageing-australia-nest-and-nest-egg">released a new report<span> </span></a>which seeks to explain why so many Australians are now entering retirement with housing debt. In 2016, about 36% of homeowning households still had a mortgage at the point of retirement (age 60-64), up from 23% a decade earlier.</p> <p>The report finds that the situation can be explained by the fact that Australians are practising bulk procrastination and making practically every major decision later in life.</p> <p>The report finds that, between 1971 and 2011, the median age at which Australians:</p> <ul> <li>Started their first full-time job increased from 16 to 25</li> <li>Finishing education increased from 17 to 22</li> <li>Had their first child increased from 24 to 31</li> <li>Married increased from 23 to 31</li> <li>Bought their first home increased from 27 to 33.</li> </ul> <p>According to the report, these delayed decisions mean that the median age that Australians had paid off their mortgage has increased from 52 in 1971 to 62 in 2011 (and is likely to have increased since 2011).</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition, the delayed decisions are continuing well into retirement.</p> <p>For instance, the median Australian is now leaving the labour force at 64, rather than 61 in 1971, and entering aged care at 85, rather than 81 in 1971. Here's the data in chart form:</p> <p><img src="https://img.seniorshousingonline.com.au/787cb58b6bac427d7cfab89e067d4a131f172e1b" alt="" width="650" height="298" /></p> <p>Rafal Chomik, a CEPAR senior research fellow at UNSW Sydney, said that while high house prices and overall reduced affordability was a factor in delayed home purchase decisions, people needed to be wary about taking forever to get into the market.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Lifetime homeownership rates will decline if some people postpone purchasing a home indefinitely,” said Rafal Chomik. “Banks may be reluctant to lend past a certain age given retirement ages are increasing more slowly.”</p> <p>Centre Director John Piggott, Scientia Professor of Economics at UNSW Business School, said that with the Australian retirement system built on the premise of homeownership, excessive or indefinite deferral of home purchase can have consequences.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is the potential that in the future more older people end up renting, and if so, we need a safety net to support them as the current retirement income system is failing renters,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>The Downsizing.com.au view</strong></p> <p>This research brings a different perspective to the national debate about retirement incomes and indicates part of the problem is an emerging national psychology against taking early, hard decisions.</p> <p>As the old saying goes ‘there is no time like the present’.</p> <p>Australians need to be alert to, and wary of, this growing life decision deferral trend.</p> <p>While it’s a bad move to delay buying your first home, it is an equally bad move to delay making a decision to move from the family home into more suitable and more lifestyle-rich downsizing-friendly accommodation.</p> <p>Many Australians delay making a downsizing decision, and then find they are too old to move into a retirement village or land lease community and need to go straight into aged care. In doing this, they have missed the opportunity to live among a supportive community and access great lifestyle features and age-appropriate accommodation. </p> <p>Indeed, research shows that moving into a<span> </span><a href="https://www.cityam.com/retirement-villages-extend-life-expectancy-women/">retirement village community can extend life by five years.</a></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Mark Skelsey</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.downsizing.com.au/news/626/The-amazing-chart-showing-the-ticking-housing-time-bomb-caused-by-Australians-delaying-major-decisions" target="_blank"><em>Downsizing.com.au</em></a><em>. </em></p>

Retirement Income

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The Chase delays filming as star Andrew O’Keefe takes time off for mental health

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Production for the 2020 season of Channel 7’s quiz show<span> </span>The Chase<span> </span>has been put on hold again as host Andrew O’Keefe needs more time to manage his mental health issues.</p> <p>Filming of the latest season was due to start in Melbourne this week, but Seven confirmed that filming would be delayed by months.</p> <p>“Production on The Chase is to be held over for a couple of months,” Seven said in a statement to the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fiona-byrne/okeefe-takes-more-time-out-from-the-chase/news-story/dccf8606d46e637088edd259f4be0ff5" target="_blank">Herald Sun</a>.</em></p> <p>“Andrew O’Keefe is taking time to manage and recover from a health issue.</p> <p>“The Chase continues 5 pm weekdays on Seven unaffected by this delay.”</p> <p>It’s not the first time that the filming schedule has been moved to help O’Keefe deal with his health challenges, as production of the show last year finished three weeks earlier than expected to give the host a break.</p> <p>2019 was tough for O’Keefe as he took an eight-week break in April to reset his life and seek out mental health treatment.</p> <p>“I was surprised to discover perhaps I was not as resilient as I imagined I was and that …. I was exhausted, I was a bit lost,” O’Keefe told the<span> </span>Sunday Herald Sun<span> </span>in October.</p> <p>“We all use different methods to escape from the most uncomfortable parts of our existence and I certainly was not using the most healthy ones.</p> <p>“I mean sleep would have been handy, I think maybe spending some time doing things that I enjoyed rather than spending all of my time dealing with the micro details of the more painful parts of my life would have been wise.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Congratulations to our team on their EPIC $60,000 WIN! <br /><br />Sorry <a href="https://twitter.com/Issa25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Issa25</a>. 😅 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheChaseAus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheChaseAus</a> <a href="https://t.co/gPc7XyC7G3">pic.twitter.com/gPc7XyC7G3</a></p> — The Chase Australia (@THECHASEAUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/THECHASEAUS/status/985842748166033409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>“The diet could have been better, fluids that had no decimal points in them would have been good.</p> <p>“(It was) an accumulation of sorrows and stresses and poor choices about health, really, and I just could not see that I had the time or the strength to change that without removing myself entirely from the world for a bit.”</p> <p>However, O’Keefe is still committed to filming<span> </span>The Chase<span> </span>as his current contract is believed to run through to the end of 2020.</p> <p>“It is the best show on television. I will host it for as long as it is there to be hosted and as long as (Seven) wants me to,’’ O’Keefe said last year.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="post-action-bar-component-wrapper"> <div class="post-actions-component"> <div class="upper-row"><span class="like-bar-component"></span> <div class="watched-bookmark-container"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

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Flight chaos: Eight hour delay after passenger’s huge mistake

<p>A passenger aboard a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight couldn’t seem to wait when it came to using the bathroom and as she rushed to the toilet, she accidentally opened the emergency exit door – causing the slide to deploy, according to reports.</p> <p>PIA Flight 702 was preparing to depart from Manchester to Islamabad on Friday night but was faced with a delay of up to eight hours according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.independent.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Independent</a>.</em></p> <p>The woman allegedly chose to ignore seatbelt signs and accidentally opened the emergency door towards the back of the plane, close to the toilet.</p> <p>All doors were “armed” which is what caused the emergency evacuation slides to deploy.</p> <p>“A passenger erroneously opened the emergency door causing the emergency slide to activate,” forcing all passengers to be removed from the plane, PIA said in a statement.</p> <p>When a slide is mistakenly deployed, the airline is able to continue to fly as per usual and replace it at its home base, which is the option PIA chose to take. Though problems tend to arise as fewer passengers are allowed to fly because of reduced evacuation capacity.</p> <p>38 passengers put their hand up to board a later flight.</p> <p>“All passengers were provided dinner. The offloaded passengers were provided with transportation and hotel accommodation and will be adjusted on the next available flight,” the airline said.</p> <p>Though not everyone was satisfied, as many complained that their luggage was left in Manchester.</p> <p>“Pathetic service from PIA. I am one of the 38 passengers who voluntarily offloaded from PK702 so it can fly to Islamabad only on the condition that all 38 of us will get our luggage,” a passenger tweeted.</p> <p>“First you did not give it to us in Manchester. … Then when we reached here today, we were told half of our luggage is still at Manchester airport,” she wrote after arriving in Islamabad.</p>

International Travel

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Samsung delaying Galaxy Fold launch due to screen issues

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A report from </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/samsungs-galaxy-fold-smartphone-release-delayed-11555941705?mod=e2tw"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wall Street Journal</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has suggested that Samsung are pushing the breaks on the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which is the brands latest phone.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Galaxy Fold is a phone that is bendable, but people have found it too flimsy. The Fold has been plagued with bad press since the announcement, but not all complaints have been legitimate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some had issues with the size of the phone, but that can be overlooked as the users adjust to their new device.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, other issues are more pressing. Some users, who were too excited about their new phone to read the instructions, peeled off the protective film that is necessary for the device to function properly.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those who keep the film on report a large crease down the middle of their phone that is frustrating to look at.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">After one day of use... <a href="https://t.co/VjDlJI45C9">pic.twitter.com/VjDlJI45C9</a></p> — Steve Kovach (@stevekovach) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevekovach/status/1118571414934753280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">17 April 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some are folding the phone like it’s built to do, but are losing the function of the other screens. Journalists who have been given the phones as trials are reporting these problems, which can be seen in the tweet below.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">The screen on my <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GalaxyFold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GalaxyFold</a> review unit was completely broken and unusable just two days in. Today Samsung has replaced my review unit, and I am waiting on an official statement. <a href="https://t.co/VXionV5PsO">pic.twitter.com/VXionV5PsO</a></p> — Gautam Tandon (@TheGautamTandon) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheGautamTandon/status/1118804506618335237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">18 April 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Samsung have released a statement addressing the issues with the phones:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We recently unveiled a completely new mobile category: A smartphone using multiple new technologies and materials to create a display that is flexible enough to fold. We are encouraged by the excitement around the Galaxy Fold.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“While many reviewers shared with us the vast potential they see, some also showed us how the device needs further improvements that could ensure the best possible user experience.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“To fully evaluate this feedback and run further internal tests, we have decided to delay the release of the Galaxy Fold. We plan to announce the release date in the coming weeks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Initial findings from the inspection of reported issues on the display showed that they could be associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge. There was also an instance where substances found inside the device affected the display performance.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We will take measures to strengthen the display protection. We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We value the trust our customers place in us and they are always our top priority. Samsung is committed to working closely with customers and partners to move the industry forward. We want to thank them for their patience and understanding.”</span></p>

Technology

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Virgin Australia threatens to kick family off flight for complaining about delays

<p>Virgin Australia threatened to kick a family with a five-month-old baby off a flight if they complained about flight delays over social media.</p> <p>Katie Kolenberg, her partner Jeremy Byrnes and baby August were flying from Canberra to Cairns on August 1 when they were told at check-in their Virgin flight would be delayed by five hours, <em><a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/virgin-australia-threatens-to-kick-family-off-flight-after-delays/news-story/ab2c5c3207a9a6ac5e13a10bcd9a636d"><strong>The Daily Telegraph</strong></a></em> reports.</p> <p>The supervisor on duty allegedly told the couple that they had to wait at the airport with their son and their flight would not arrive until 10.30pm later that night. Or the family could fly tomorrow, meaning they would miss a day of their holiday and a night’s accommodation,</p> <p>“If we didn't have Augie we would've just gone home and enjoyed a day in front of Netflix. But it's a bit different when you need a car seat to get home and all your sh*t is packed etc,” Katie told the publication.</p> <p>“We’ve been here since 11.30am. And we now fly out at 5.30pm,” she added.</p> <p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" class="tge-imagecaption_img" src="https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/2de26341ec43cd7a1cce00d44b1cdf52?width=650" alt="" width="650" height="488" /></p> <p>Deciding to wait at the airport, Katie asked Virgin staff for assistance to find a comfortable place at the airport, so she could breastfeed and look after her son. But staff refused all their requests, including access to the Virgin lounge.</p> <p>“Staff were rude, unhelpful, no compensation, no assistance,” Katie told <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/virgin-australia-threatens-to-kick-family-off-flight-after-delays/news-story/ab2c5c3207a9a6ac5e13a10bcd9a636d"><strong>The Daily Telegraph</strong></a>.</p> <p>“I was really mad about how they were treating us and I said to her that I’d post on social media and maybe get a better result.</p> <p>“(The check-in supervisor) said that she could prevent us from flying later in the day if I went on social media to complain.</p> <p>“(She) told me that’s what WOULD happen if I complained about the flight stuff up and our subsequent treatment on social media.</p> <p>“She said ‘we have the authority to do that’.</p> <p>“It took three people and tears on my behalf before someone even offered us a meal voucher.”</p> <p>The family were forced to look after their newborn in an airport lounge for six hours.</p> <p>In a statement to the paper a Virgin Australia spokeswoman said the company was “looking into the issue” but did not provide any information if it was company policy to restrict customers speaking on social media.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Sydney Airport meltdown – travellers told to stay away

<p>Sydney Airport is in a state of chaos, with major technical problems throwing a spanner in the works for holidaymakers at two of the airport’s major terminals.</p> <p>Hundreds of passengers have seen their travel plans thrown up in the air by the issue, which affected the T1 international and T2 domestic terminal. The T3 Qantas domestic terminal and inbound flights to Sydney have not been affected.</p> <p>After some frustration, passengers have slowly started to move through the check-in desks but both terminals have massive queues and the sheer backlog of passengers still waiting to be processed is expected to cause delays throughout the day.</p> <p>Sydney Airport confirmed this in a statement on Twitter.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">UPDATE: We are now processing passengers at Sydney Airport. We are working hard to catch up any delays. Please contact your airline for flight status. We appreciate your patience this morning.</p> — Sydney Airport ✈️ (@SydneyAirport) <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyAirport/status/971849397469290496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Virgin Australia has also responded to passenger concerns, saying there were currently being processed by at a significantly “reduced capacity”.</p> <p>“Due to a technical issue at Sydney Airport’s domestic and international terminals, guests are being processed through security at a reduced capacity,” the airline said.</p> <p>“We are holding flights to minimise any disruption to passengers, and working to re-accommodate affected guests.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-airport-chaos-after-technical-issue-leaves-passengers-stranded-20180309-p4z3jc.html" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Fairfax reports</strong></em></span></a> a power outage is believed to be behind the issue.</p> <p>Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines to confirm flight schedules, but many in line are the terminal are starting to lose patience with the situation.</p> <p>“Calling people for the first 4 flights to ‘proceed immediately to security’,” said one passenger at the T2 domestic terminal.</p> <p>“Like there’s 10,000 people ahead of them. They need to clear a priority lane, but the cops and security guards are standing at the back of the crowd and shrugging their shoulders.”</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Scenes of chaos in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SydneyAirport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SydneyAirport</a> as flights are delayed due to technical fault. Poor communication from <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyAirport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyAirport</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sydney?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sydney</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/airport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#airport</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/delays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#delays</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@abcnews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/10News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@10News</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@7NewsSydney</a> <a href="https://t.co/p2yqYGtFHo">pic.twitter.com/p2yqYGtFHo</a></p> — Mathew Jones (@mathewlj) <a href="https://twitter.com/mathewlj/status/971815168282804224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Friday is traditionally one of the busiest travel days at Sydney Airport, adding to the frustration of thousands of passengers passing through he check-in gates.</p> <p>“So much for a developed city, can’t solve a security screening issue since the last 3 hours,” Nishank Kotain tweeted, venting on social media.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Epic delays at Sydney airport domestic. <br />The security cameras aren't working so security ain't open... <br />Fun <a href="https://t.co/xbh7lqVFG3">pic.twitter.com/xbh7lqVFG3</a></p> — Feenicks (@feenicks) <a href="https://twitter.com/feenicks/status/971821621936766976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Earlier today, Sydney Airport’s general manager of corporate affairs, Sally Fielke talked to <a href="https://www.2gb.com/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Alan Jones on 2GB</strong></em></span></a> and asking passengers to be patient while they resolve the issue.</p> <p>“We’ve got the IT and technical teams working at the moment with the software provider,” she said.</p> <p>“Our key priority is we’ve got to get this glitch fixed. What it means at the moment is we can’t process outbound passengers.</p> <p>“People who have booked flights to head out this morning… we are unable to process them.</p> <p>“We’re asking passengers: you’re going to have to be a little bit patient this morning.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Do you think Sydney Airport has handled the situation well?</p> <p><em>Hero image credit: Twitter / Nishank Kotain </em></p>

Domestic Travel

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The clever trick to predict if your flight will be delayed

<p>Rocking up to an airport only to find your flight has been delayed by up to four hours, is about as much fun as having your baggage rerouted to the wrong hemisphere.</p> <p>While for the most part, flight delays are a relatively fickle phenomenon, there’s a clever way to figure out if this unsightly fate is going to befall you, ahead of time.</p> <p>Thanks to a useful website called <a href="https://www.flightaware.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Flight Aware</span></strong></a>, you can get up to date information regarding the status of your flight and whether it’s going to be at the gate when you are.</p> <p>Dan Miller, the man behind the popular travel blog <a href="http://www.pointswithacrew.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Boarding Area</span></strong></a>, explains how this website can be an absolute godsend for travellers stuck heading to busy terminals.</p> <p>“The #1 trick I use to tell if my flight is going to be delayed is checking where your inbound aircraft is.  I use Flightaware.com for this (not an affiliate link),” Dan writes.</p> <p>“Just pull up your flight, and click on the ‘Where is my aircraft now’ link at the top.</p> <p>“The part that irritates me the most is that most airlines do not actually put any delay notice up until well past the time that it is obvious to just about everyone that the flight is going to be delayed.  Put another way, airlines seem to cling to the belief that just possibly, everything will go right, time will stand still, and they still might put this flight out on time until the absolute last possible second.”</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQNs_HA32Js" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p>So there you have it, that’s how you figure out whether your flight will be delayed! Do you think you will give this advice a try? Let us know in the comments section!</p>

International Travel

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Virgin Australia slammed after crew takes break on tarmac

<p>Flight delays are an unavoidable part of air travel, and while there’s not much we can do about bad weather and engine issues, passengers on a recent Virgin Australia flight from Launceston to Sydney would’ve found their delay hard to take. </p> <p>Especially when they were greeted with this sight:</p> <p><img width="306" height="387" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266385/virgin-australia.jpg" alt="Virgin -australia (1)"/></p> <p><em>Image credit: Facebook </em></p> <p>The photographs, which were uploaded on Facebook, were taken by passengers after learning their flight would be delayed by an hour-and-a-half.</p> <p>Irritated passengers waited inside the terminal watching the crew take a smoko, with the captain reportedly saying the delay was due to 'crew needing a break'.</p> <p>One passenger said, “Our Virgin flight from Launceston to Sydney yesterday was running an hour and a half late.</p> <p>“We learned later in the flight, from the captain, that this was to give the crew a break... which they had taken in full view, while we watched from the gate.”</p> <p><img width="500" height="298" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266386/flight-attendants-virgin_500x298.jpg" alt="Flight -attendants -virgin"/></p> <p><em>Image credit: Facebook</em></p> <p>“Not acceptable. The airline should organise their schedules without disruption to passengers,” another wrote.</p> <p>Virgin Australia responded to the incident in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.</p> <p>“We were required to replace the crew member so the flight could continue to safely operate,” a spokeswoman said.</p> <p>“Virgin Australia always prioritises the safety of our guests and team members and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.”</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Is the delay justified? Or is this not good enough from Virgin Australia?</p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-insurance/?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance&amp;utm_medium=in-article-banner&amp;utm_content=travel-insurance" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.oversixty.com.au/images/banners/Travel-Insurance_Website_GIF_468x602.gif" alt="Over60 Travel Insurance"/></a></p>

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