Appearances were important for jet setters in 2006. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie hunkered down in Namibia to produce baby Shiloh, who made her debut in a designer T-shirt. Katie Holmes travelled to Italy where she wore a crystal-embroidered Armani gown for her wedding to Tom Cruise. Michael Jackson went to Bahrain covered head to toe in a robe and veil. Stephen Harper went to Mexico and was criticized for wearing an unflattering vest.
Globetrotters made decisions — some good, some bad — about their travel wardrobes. But for many, that wasn't enough to ensure a perfect journey. As always, some travellers won 15 minutes of notoriety for their own blunders. Others had their trips botched up by someone else. Even travel industry workers got caught up in muddles and mayhem.
To honour those who were tripped up on their journeys, here are the 22nd Annual Travel Hall of Infamy Awards: The Snakes On A Plane Award
To a Filipino woman who tried to smuggle a hissing menagerie aboard a flight from Manila to Bangkok. Security officials noticed something moving while her luggage was being X-rayed. Inside, they found more than 130 reptiles intended to be sold as aphrodisiacs and good luck charms. They included 60 snakes, among them poisonous cobras, inside water bottles, as well as dozens of lizards dressed in diapers to conceal their smell.
The No Leg To Stand On Award
To British Airways for jeopardizing the chances of disabled runner Kate Horan at the Paralympic world championships in the Netherlands. Changing planes in London just as new security rules came into force, the New Zealand athlete was told she must check the prosthetic leg she normally takes as a carry-on. She did, but the airline sent it to a London warehouse instead of putting it on her flight to Amsterdam. It turned up a week later, just in time for Horan to win a medal.
The Model Behaviour Award
To Swedish fashion model Marzena Kamizela, who waved a bottle of wine and danced wildly on her seat aboard a British Airways flight from London to New York. Passengers helped to restrain her until staff were able to tie her to her seat. The plane was diverted to Goose Bay, Labrador, where she was arrested, jailed for seven days and later hit with a hefty fine. She put the blame squarely on the airline. “They provide you with free alcohol on the plane,” she said. “What do you expect?”
The Cultural Learnings of America Award
To a genuine TV news crew from Kazakhstan assigned to cover U.S. elections. Press secretaries for American political parties dodged the reporters, suspecting they were part of a hoax associated with the hit movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The mockumentary, starring comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, follows a fictional Kazakh journalist who tours the U.S. and goads people into making racist and sexist comments. The State Department, which set up the trip for the real Kazakh crew, was bombarded with phone calls from worried officials including even the FBI. “They were really adamant that they were not Borat,” said one Democratic Party official.
The Knock Knock Who's There Award
To an Air Canada Jazz pilot who took a washroom break near the end of a flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg, leaving the first officer in charge of the cockpit. Passengers looked on in amazement as the pilot returned to the cabin door and knocked — and knocked and knocked. He kept on knocking for 10 minutes and also talked to the cockpit through an internal phone. It was all to no avail. The door was either locked or stuck. Eventually the crew took the door off its hinges. The pilot resumed the controls and safely landed the plane.
The One Ringy Dingy Award
To a Thomsonfly pilot who lost his cellphone in the cockpit before takeoff from an English airport. Because it was switched on, safety precautions meant the flight couldn't leave until it was located. The pilot made an announcement about the problem. Fifteen minutes later, he said he was still looking. “We thought we'd heard every excuse in the book for delays,” said one passenger, “but this one took the biscuit.” Engineers eventually dismantled the cockpit to find the phone.
The Curb Your Enthusiasm Award
To Phil Newbon, whose Greek vacation was ruined after he returned home. Arriving at his house in England, he left his luggage on the sidewalk while he chatted to a neighbour. Minutes later, he realized garbage collectors had thrown the bags into their truck and crushed them. Lost were his clothes, mobile phone, satellite-navigation system, digital camera, duty-free booze and gifts for family and friends. “The council told me people often leave suitcases out for collection and I'm sure that's true,” he said. “But I doubt they have 25 kilograms of luggage inside, tags still attached and a bag of hand luggage and duty-free next to them.”
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