In Travel News for January 12th, 2023 we talk about more stakes affecting travel in the United Kingdom, an unwelcome guest in Riviera Maya, and a Canadian Air Traffic Control issue.
Mexico to Experience a Surge in Seaweed in 2023
Travelers to Riviera Maya, Mexocp which include Cancun, Mexico; Tulum, Mexico; and other popular destinations, can expect to experience more seaweed this spring and summer. Starting in march the strong northern winds that keep seaweed at bay shift and the seaweed starts to wash up on beaches across the area. 2022 was an especially bad year for seaweed with an estimated 37,000 tons making landfall. Current analysis is suggesting that 2023 will be much worse. The good news is that the government has been aggressively investing in a variety of tools and solutions to decrease the effects and to better clean the seaweed from the beaches.
Canada Briefly Grounds Aircraft
Yesterday the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all flights early in the morning due to a technical problem with the system that alerts pilots of potential hazards in the sky that could affect the safety of their aircraft. Around the same time the FAA experienced this issue Canada experienced a similar problem within their version of the system. Nav Canada, a private non-profit that owns and operates Canadas air traffic control, experienced issues with adding and updating data to the system, this resulted in a temporary grounding of aircraft until the problem was resolved. Unlike the U.S., the impact on Canadian flights seems to have been minimal. While not directly connected the timing of the same system failing in both Canada and the U.S. is suspicious.
More Strikes Coming to the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has been facing numerous labor strikes over 2022 that have impacted travel and so far it looks like 2023 could be worse. About 100,000 workers across 124 government departments and institutions will hold a 24 hour strike on February 1st. Five more departments will be voting on joining the strike next week, this would add 33,000 more union workers to the strike. As of right now it looks like all border force workers throughout the UK will be involved. Air travel could be severely limited. Travelers already in the UK can expect issues with government run institutions such as the National Galleries of Scotland, the British Museum, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. If you are traveling in or around the UK on February 1st it would be a good idea to have a backup plan in place.