A US airport has undergone a 'confusing' name change. Here's how it goes CNN
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In travel news: Hurricane Helen, a veritable Gulf of Mexico monster, disrupted air travel and travel plans in the Southeast and beyond later this week while a different kind of storm slowly builds in San Francisco Bay. Also: flight attendant etiquette tips and the wonderful world of waffles.
In May, California's “Metropolitan Oakland International” changed its name to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport”—even though San Francisco International Airport is only 30 miles (48 km) away. Hatred has been going on ever since.
The Port of Oakland says the rebrand aims to remind tourists that Oakland is an access point for visiting the Bay Area, but some people seem to have confused themselves more than helped.
According to San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, some passengers showed up at the wrong airport. Meanwhile, San Francisco has filed a trademark lawsuit against its neighbor, saying the name of the new Oakland airport was part of a plan to “deliberately and knowingly capitalize on confusion.”
In addition, San Francisco is asking for an injunction and Oakland to pay its legal fees. The Port of Auckland rejected this motion. Its attorney, Mary Richardson, accused Chew's office of “primitive tactics of propaganda and anti-competitive intimidation.”
Whatever the case, consider this a useful reminder to always triple-check the airport name and location before your flight, lest you end up in Bucharest when you want to fly to Budapest.
Mixing up similar airport names is one thing that can go wrong for travelers.
Lately, a social media trend of artistically arranging items in security check-in bins has raised fears of long lines at departure terminals despite being aesthetically pleasing.
Meanwhile, joining a frequent flyer program can give you access to airport lounges or help you score an upgrade. However, the lack of transparency around these miles and points means you could end up at the bottom of the pile from the gold list.
Now, a Department of Transportation investigation is looking into the largest frequent flyer programs to prevent “potentially unfair, deceptive, or competitive practices.”
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Here's what not to do on your next flight
And who better to offer travel etiquette tips than those who spend their lives in the sky? Hear from five flight attendants about what you should and shouldn't do on board.
One thing you can do to reduce stress at the airport is to make sure your bag is under the weight limit before checking your bag. Our partners at CNN Underscored, a product review site owned by CNN, recommend these luggage scales.
This American couple moved to Greece for a more peaceful life
Picking up and moving to a new country is enough to challenge anyone. But this American couple did it not just once, but twice.
Patricia Mahan and Dan Matarazzo left Arizona for Mexico in 2006. Then they changed course and bought a $150,000 house in Greece in 2023.
“The last third of your life is doing some soul searching about what you're looking for,” says Mahan, a retired dancer and teacher.
Now, the couple, who live in a former bakery in the town of Kritsa, told CNN Travel how they chose the place they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.
Waffles are paired with dinners and cozy weekend brunches. But did you know that they can trace their origins back to the time of Caesar?
Giorgio Franchetti, author of the book “Dining with the Ancient Romans,” believes that waffles originated from a particular taste in ancient Rome.
“They are probably descendants of the popular 'crustulum' (plural of 'crustula'), which were sweet biscuits favored by the ancient Romans,” Franchetti, a food scholar of ancient Rome, told CNN.
“The word, in Latin, clearly implies that these biscuits were crispy, with a crumbly crust that melted in the mouth.”
Time to make a batch of waffles and cover them with whipped cream and fruit. For research, of course.
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