The Metropolitan Opera premiered its new production of Bizet’s Carmen on New Year’s Eve, starring the dynamic Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshinain the title role. Her performance has won over critics and fans all over the world.
26.12.2023 - 17:11 / afar.com / Amelia Deluca
Soon, whether you drink coffee, wine, water, ginger ale, or any other beverage on a Delta Air Lines flight, it’ll be served in a paper cup.
This month, the airline announced it had begun testing a new prototype cup on some transcontinental domestic routes. While Delta has long used paper cups for coffee and tea, these new cups won’t be the same—largely because they don’t have the plastic lining commonly found in paper cups, meaning they are compostable and recyclable. It’s something the airline has been working on for several years, as the cups needed to stand up to both hot and cold drinks and the dissolving effects of alcohol (and needed to be stackable and easy for flight attendants to separate).
Once approved, these new paper cups will replace the old paper and plastic cups currently used on board its fleet of planes. It’s an effort the carrier said will eliminate nearly seven million pounds (roughly the equivalent weight of 1,300 pickup trucks or 77 Boeing 737s) of single-use plastic each year.
“As an airline, our main goal is to decarbonize our business—a lot of which will come from what we fly, how we fly, and the fuel we use,” Delta’s chief sustainability officer, Amelia DeLuca, said in a statement. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also focus on what we can do right now within our own operation to be more sustainable. These cups are a great example of how Delta is working to address our impact through what we can control today. They’re a highly visible and tangible example for our customers and our people of how Delta is taking our commitment to embed sustainability in everything we do seriously.”
Delta has yet to commit to a date when all the planes will have the new cups on board but has said it would wrap up testing sometime in spring 2024. The plastic cups will return to the aircraft briefly while enough of the new paper cups are manufactured to meet the needs of Delta’s fleet of nearly 1,000 airplanes, after which the new beverage receptacles will be rolled out permanently.
When Delta finishes the roll-out of the new paper cups, it’ll be the second U.S. airline to do away with plastic—in January 2023, Alaska Airlines announced it had finished transitioning away from plastic cups. The Seattle-based carrier has used responsible-sourced paper cups and boxed water containers for the last year.
Efforts to ban single-use plastics in the aviation industry are happening on the ground, too. Both Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport now prohibit the sale of single-use plastic water bottles at in-terminal stores. Fliers can still purchase water in the airport, though they’ll now be sold in paper cartons or bottles made out of glass or aluminum (travelers can
The Metropolitan Opera premiered its new production of Bizet’s Carmen on New Year’s Eve, starring the dynamic Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshinain the title role. Her performance has won over critics and fans all over the world.
New Yorkers looking for quick winter getaways from the city are in luck: Amtrak is bringing back its popular buy-one-get-one-free sale, which offers free adult companion fares for midweek trips through February. The deal applies to full-fare adult coach tickets for trips within the Empire State on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on the Adirondack, Empire Service, Ethan Allen, Maple Leaf and Associated Thruways lines, with the exception of 7000-8999 Thruway service.
Longtime JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will retire, the airline announced Monday, and will be succeeded by airline president Joanna Geraghty.
Embark on a literary journey at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. On Jan 12, 2024, the hotel will host the second instalment of the Reese’s Book Club x Sheraton Lobby Library. It’s the Reese’s Book Club’s only stop in Canada. This collaboration is a cornerstone of the new Gatherings by Sheraton program, which features weekly experiences aimed to help guests and locals feel inspired by the stories and cultures of communities around the world, ultimately helping guests get the most out of their travels.
Leading luxury hospitality company Four Seasons, US-based real estate development firm Two Roads Development and Access Real Estate announce plans for The Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas. Anticipated to open in 2027 and set within an oceanfront enclave on Paradise Island in The Bahamas, the upcoming residential community will present a curated collection of 67 turnkey Private Residences managed by Four Seasons located in close proximity to The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas.
Amtrak is making it easier to travel around the Big Apple from the bustling streets of New York City to the soaring peaks of the Adirondacks, the thundering roar of Niagara Falls, and beyond with a buy-one-get-one ticket sale.
Tickets will be awarded via cumulative sales, with the first two winners being awarded at the end of January, then one new winner each month from February – July.
The company has released an update to its estimated budget at its Dallas-Addison home basing campus project.
For the vast majority of travelers, a cruise is anything from a weekend getaway to a 7- or 14-day vacation in the sun. Some people can afford the time and money to splash out on a longer trip, perhaps an intensive month-long historic tour of the Mediterranean, or the Caribbean and Central America. But for the fortunate few, there is another option.
In our 5 Shops series, we’ll point you in the direction of our favorite independent shops across some of the world's best cities. From food markets and bookshops to vintage and homegrown design stores, we’ve found a diverse and exciting mix of local retailers where you can pick up one-of-a-kind pieces.
AirlineRatings.com Names Air New Zealand As Its Safest Airline For 2024
With a rate of $1190 for the cheapest room, New Orleans emerged top of the rankings.