'Haunted' island filled with creepy dolls included in Mexican 'Day of the Dead' tour package
Fans of haunted dolls finally have a vacation designed just for them.
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Monday, September 30, 2019
FOX NEWS: 'Haunted' island filled with creepy dolls included in Mexican 'Day of the Dead' tour package
'Haunted' island filled with creepy dolls included in Mexican 'Day of the Dead' tour package
Fans of haunted dolls finally have a vacation designed just for them.
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FOX NEWS: 'World's largest underwater theme park' opens in Bahrain, features sunken Boeing 747
'World's largest underwater theme park' opens in Bahrain, features sunken Boeing 747
It’s not exactly Disneyland, but it’s the closest thing to a “The Little Mermaid” theme park we’re likely to get.
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Sunday, September 29, 2019
FOX NEWS: Qantas flight turns around after tire explodes during take-off: report
Qantas flight turns around after tire explodes during take-off: report
A Qantas flight carrying 72 passengers on Sunday was forced to turn around after one of its tires exploded upon takeoff.
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FOX NEWS: Airplane engine violently shakes midflight in terrifying footage
Airplane engine violently shakes midflight in terrifying footage
This isn’t the sort of thing anyone wants to see when they look out the window of their plane.
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FOX NEWS: Fake AirBNB rental scams elderly couple out of thousands: report
Fake AirBNB rental scams elderly couple out of thousands: report
A British couple claims that they booked a "VIP penthouse" room through AirBNB only to discover that it didn't actually exist.
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FOX NEWS: Air Force Sergeant saves choking baby while flying to award ceremony
Air Force Sergeant saves choking baby while flying to award ceremony
This technical sergeant has definitely earned the title of “hero.”
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Saturday, September 28, 2019
FOX NEWS: FAA to review whether airplane seats are too small for safe evacuations
FAA to review whether airplane seats are too small for safe evacuations
You may see economy seats with more legroom in the future, thanks to updated plane safety rules.
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FOX NEWS: Airline offers seating map to avoid crying babies
Airline offers seating map to avoid crying babies
Japan Airlines launches a 'baby seat map' to help travelers avoid sitting near infants.
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Friday, September 27, 2019
FOX NEWS: Cathay Pacific airlines terminates 2 employees who allegedly tampered with plane's oxygen canisters
Cathay Pacific airlines terminates 2 employees who allegedly tampered with plane's oxygen canisters
“The airline is taking the issue very seriously,” said Cathay Pacific following this latest instance of tampering.
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FOX NEWS: Alaska Airlines flight diverted after passenger was allegedly denied access to first-class bathroom, became 'unruly': report
Alaska Airlines flight diverted after passenger was allegedly denied access to first-class bathroom, became 'unruly': report
No potty humor here.
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FOX NEWS: UK travel company leaves thousands of travelers stranded
UK travel company leaves thousands of travelers stranded
Thomas Cook has gone under after failing to secure emergency funding leaving thousands of vacationers stranded; Greg Palkot reports from London.
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Thursday, September 26, 2019
FOX NEWS: Massive airport with world's largest terminal opens in Beijing
Massive airport with world's largest terminal opens in Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday formally opened a second international airport for Beijing which boasts the world's biggest terminal.
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FOX NEWS: Japan Airlines praised by travelers for booking process that shows seats taken by babies
Japan Airlines praised by travelers for booking process that shows seats taken by babies
The chart shows which seats have been reserved for children who are 2 years old or younger.
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FOX NEWS: United Airlines flight makes emergency landing after passenger gets stuck in bathroom
United Airlines flight makes emergency landing after passenger gets stuck in bathroom
There might be worst places to get stuck on a plane – but the lavatory is definitely up there.
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FOX NEWS: Plane passenger opens emergency exit for 'a breath of fresh air'
Plane passenger opens emergency exit for 'a breath of fresh air'
You’re not supposed to do that!
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FOX NEWS: One of America's most haunted hotel rooms available to rent in October
One of America's most haunted hotel rooms available to rent in October
It’s officially fall – time to snuggle up with some ghosts.
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FOX NEWS: Southwest Airlines brings 'legendary' peanuts back via online store, sells out completely
Southwest Airlines brings 'legendary' peanuts back via online store, sells out completely
Seriously, what is the deal with airline peanuts?
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Wednesday, September 25, 2019
FOX NEWS: Thomas Cook guests continue to claim they're 'held hostage' at hotels
Thomas Cook guests continue to claim they're 'held hostage' at hotels
The fallout from the collapse of Thomas Cook continues to cause chaos for travelers.
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FOX NEWS: A Washington woman is lucky to be alive after a near fatal fall on a hike
A Washington woman is lucky to be alive after a near fatal fall on a hike
A Washington woman is lucky to be alive after breaking her leg on a hike. Thanks to her dog and 20 rescuers she is alive.
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FOX NEWS: Delta revokes 8-hour flight limit for emotional support animals, but upholds ban on pit bulls
Delta revokes 8-hour flight limit for emotional support animals, but upholds ban on pit bulls
The proverbial leash has somewhat been lengthened.
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Tuesday, September 24, 2019
New story in Business from Time: ‘A Doll For Everyone’: Meet Mattel’s Gender-Neutral Doll
A child opens a box. He starts jumping and screaming with joy—not an unusual sound in the halls of Mattel’s headquarters where researchers test new toys. But this particular toy is a doll, and it’s rare for parents to bring boys into these research groups to play with dolls. It’s rarer still for a boy to immediately attach himself to one the way Shi’a just did.
An 8-year-old who considers himself gender fluid and whose favorite color is black one week, pink the next, Shi’a sometimes plays with his younger sister’s dolls at home, but they’re “girly, princess stuff,” he says dismissively. This doll, with its prepubescent body and childish features, looks more like him, right down to the wave of bleached blond bangs. “The hair is just like mine,” Shi’a says, swinging his head in tandem with the doll’s. Then he turns to the playmate in the toy-testing room, a 7-year-old girl named Jhase, and asks, “Should I put on the girl hair?” Shi’a fits a long, blond wig on the doll’s head, and suddenly it is no longer an avatar for him, but for his sister.
The doll can be a boy, a girl, neither or both, and Mattel, which calls this the world’s first gender-neutral doll, is hoping its launch on Sept. 25 redefines who gets to play with a toy traditionally deemed taboo for half the world’s kids. Carefully manicured features betray no obvious gender: the lips are not too full, the eyelashes not too long and fluttery, the jaw not too wide. There are no Barbie-like breasts or broad, Ken-like shoulders. Each doll in the Creatable World series looks like a slender 7-year-old with short hair, but each comes with a wig of long, lustrous locks and a wardrobe befitting any fashion-conscious kid: hoodies, sneakers, graphic T-shirts in soothing greens and yellows, along with tutus and camo pants.
Mattel’s first promotional spot for the $29.99 product features a series of kids who go by various pronouns—him, her, them, xem—and the slogan “A doll line designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in.” With this overt nod to trans and nonbinary identities, the company is betting on where it thinks the country is going, even if it means alienating a substantial portion of the population. A Pew Research survey conducted in 2017 showed that while 76% of the public supports parents’ steering girls to toys and activities traditionally associated with boys, only 64% endorse steering boys toward toys and activities associated with girls.
For years, millennial parents have pushed back against “pink aisles” and “blue aisles” in toy stores in favor of gender-neutral sections, often in the name of exposing girls to the building blocks and chemistry kits that foster interest in science and math but are usually categorized as boys’ toys. Major toy sellers have listened, thanks to the millennial generation’s unrivaled size, trend-setting ability and buying power. Target eliminated gender-specific sections in 2015. The same year, Disney banished “boys” and “girls” labels from its children’s costumes, inviting girls to dress as Captain America and boys as Belle. Last year, Mattel did away with “boys” and “girls” toy divisions in favor of nongendered sections: dolls or cars, for instance.
But the Creatable World doll is something else entirely. Unlike model airplanes or volcano kits, dolls have faces like ours, upon which we can project our own self-image and anxieties. Mattel tested the doll with 250 families across seven states, including 15 children who identify as trans, gender-nonbinary or gender-fluid and rarely see themselves reflected in the media, let alone their playthings. “There were a couple of gender-creative kids who told us that they dreaded Christmas Day because they knew whatever they got under the Christmas tree, it wasn’t made for them,” says Monica Dreger, head of consumer insights at Mattel. “This is the first doll that you can find under the tree and see is for them because it can be for anyone.”
The population of young people who identify as gender-nonbinary is growing. Though no large surveys have been done of kids younger than 10, a recent study by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that 27% of California teens identify as gender-nonconforming. And a 2018 Pew study found 35% of Gen Z-ers (born 1995 to 2015) say they personally know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns like they and them, compared with just 16% of Gen X-ers (born 1965 to 1980). The patterns are projected to continue with Generation Alpha, who were born in 2010 and later. Those kids, along with boys who want to play with dolls and girls who identify as “tomboys” and don’t gravitate toward fashion doll play, are an untapped demographic. Mattel currently has 19% market share in the $8 billion doll industry; gaining just one more point could translate to $80 million in revenue for the company.
Mattel sees an even broader potential for Creatable World beyond gender-creative kids. In testing, the company found that Generation Alpha children chafed at labels and mandates no matter their gender identity: They didn’t want to be told whom a toy was designed for or how to play with it. They were delighted with a doll that had no name and could transform and adapt according to their whims.
But it’s parents who are making the purchasing decisions, and no adult is going to have a neutral reaction to this doll. In testing groups, several parents felt the “gender-neutral” branding of the toy pushed a political agenda, and some adults objected to the notion of their sons ever playing with dolls. Mattel’s President Richard Dickson insists the doll isn’t intended as a statement. “We’re not in the business of politics,” he says, “and we respect the decision any parent makes around how they raise their kids. Our job is to stimulate imaginations. Our toys are ultimately canvases for cultural conversation, but it’s your conversation, not ours; your opinion, not ours.”
Yet even offering customers that blank canvas will be seen as political in a country where gender-neutral bathrooms still stir protests. Mattel joins a cohort of other companies that have chosen a side in a divisive political climate. Just in the past two years, Nike launched a campaign starring Colin Kaepernick after the NFL dropped him from the league for kneeling during the national anthem to protest racism. Airbnb offered free housing to people displaced in the face of President Trump’s travel ban. Dick’s Sporting Goods stopped selling assault-style weapons after the Parkland shooting. All these companies have reported eventual sales bumps after staking their claim in the culture wars.
When pressed with these examples, Dickson admits that staying neutral is not an option if you want to be perceived as an innovator. “I think being a company today, you have to have a combination of social justice along with commerce, and that balance can be tricky,” Dickson says. “Not everyone will appreciate you or agree with you.”
In fact, dissent among boomers, Gen X-ers and even millennials may be a positive sign, according to Mattel’s own researchers. “If all the parents who saw the dolls said, ‘This is what we’ve been waiting for,’ we wouldn’t be doing our jobs,” says Dreger. “That would mean this should have already been in the market. So we’re maybe a little behind where kids are, ahead of where parents are, and that’s exactly where we need to be.”
***
Walking into Mattel’s headquarters, it’s difficult to imagine a gender-neutral world of play. A huge mural depicts some of the company’s most recognizable toys. A classic bouffanted version of Barbie in a black-and-white bathing suit and heels squints down at visitors. In another picture close by, a little boy puffs out his chest and rips open his shirt, Superman style, to reveal a red Mattel logo that reads “Strength and Excellence.” Even a toddler would be able to discern the messaging on how a woman and a man are expected to look from these images.
But the evolution within Mattel is obvious once visitors make their way past the entryway and into the designers’ cubicles. Inspiration boards are covered with pictures of boys in skirts and girls in athletic gear. The most striking images are mashups of popular teen stars: the features of Camila Mendes and Cole Sprouse, who play Veronica and Jughead on Riverdale, combine to create one androgynous face, and Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard, who play the main characters on Stranger Things, blend into a single floppy-haired, genderless person with sharp cheekbones.
In the past decade, toy companies have begun to tear down gender barriers. Smaller businesses like GoldieBlox, which launched in 2012 and builds engineering toys targeting girls, and large companies like Lego, which created the female-focused Lego Friends line the same year, have made STEM toys for girls more mainstream. Small independent toymakers have pushed things further with dollhouses painted green and yellow instead of purple and pink, or cooking kits that are entirely white instead of decorated with flowers or butterflies.
Perhaps it’s surprising, then, that nobody has beaten Mattel to creating a gender-neutral doll. A deep Google search for such a toy turns up baby dolls or strange-looking plush creatures that don’t resemble any human who ever walked this earth. Nothing comes close to the Creatable World doll that Mattel has conjured up over the past two years.
Scientists have debunked the idea that boys are simply born wanting to play with trucks and girls wanting to nurture dolls. A study by psychologists Lisa Dinella and Erica Weisgram, co-editors of Gender Typing of Children’s Toys: How Early Play Experiences Impact Development, found that when wheeled toys were painted white — and thus deprived of all color signaling whether they were “boys’ toys” or “girls’ toys” — girls and boys chose to play with the wheeled toys equally as often. Dinella points out that removing gendered cues from toys facilitates play between boys and girls, crucial practice for when men and women must interact in the workplace and home as adults. She adds that millennials (born 1981 to 1996) have pushed to share child-care responsibilities, and that battle ought to begin in the playroom. “If boys, like girls, are encouraged to learn parental skills with doll play at a young age, you wind up with more nurturing and empathetic fathers,” she says.
And yet creating a doll to appeal to all kids, regardless of gender, remains risky. “There are children who are willing to cross those gender boundaries that society places on toys, but there’s often a cost that comes with crossing those boundaries,” Dinella says. “That cost seems to be bigger for boys than it is for girls.” Some of those social repercussions no doubt can be traced to parental attitudes. In Los Angeles, the majority of the seven parents in an early testing group for Creatable World complained the doll “feels political,” as one mom put it.
“I don’t think my son should be playing with dolls,” she continued. “There’s a difference between a girl with a truck and a boy with a Barbie, and a boy with a Barbie is a no-no.”
The only dad in the group shrugged: “I don’t know. My daughter is friends with a boy who wears dresses. I used to be against that type of thing, but now I’m O.K. with it.”
In videos of those testing groups, many parents fumbled with the language to describe the dolls, confusing gender (how a person identifies) with sexuality (whom a person is attracted to), mixing up gender-neutral (without gender) and trans (a person who has transitioned from one gender to another) and fretting about the mere idea of a boy playing with a doll. A second mom in Los Angeles asked before seeing the doll, “Is it transgender? How am I supposed to have a conversation with my kid about that?” After examining the toy and discussing gender-fluidity with the other parents, she declared, “It’s just too much. Can’t we go back to 1970?”
After the session, Dreger analyzed the parental response. “Adults get so tied up in the descriptions and definitions,” she said. “They jump to this idea of sexuality. They make themselves more anxious about it. For kids it’s much more intuitive.”
Why, exactly, a new generation is rejecting categorizations that society has been using for millennia is up for debate. Eighty-one percent of Gen Z-ers believe that a person shouldn’t be defined by gender, according to a poll by the J. Walter Thompson marketing group. But it’s not just about gender — it’s about authenticity, whether real or perceived. Macho male actors and glam, ultra-feminine actresses have less cultural cache than they used to. Gen Z, with its well-honed radar for anything overly polished or fake-seeming, prefers YouTube confessionals about battling everything from zits to depression. When the New York Times recently asked Generation Z to pick a name for itself, the most-liked response was “Don’t call us anything.”
Perhaps their ideas of gender have expanded under the influence of parents who are beginning to reject practices like gender-reveal parties that box kids in even before they are born. Jenna Karvunidis, who popularized the gender-reveal party, recently revealed on Facebook that her now 10-year-old child is gender-nonconforming and that she regrets holding the party. “She’s telling me ‘Mom, there are many genders. Mom, there’s many different sexualities and all different types,’ and I take her lead on that,” Karvunidis said in an interview with NPR.
Perhaps it’s that a generation of kids raised on video games where they could create their own avatars, with whatever styling and gender they please has helped open up the way kids think about identity. Perhaps the simple fact that more celebrities like Amandla Stenberg and Sam Smith are coming out as gender-nonbinary has made it easier for other young people to do the same. Generation Alpha, the most diverse generation in America in all senses of the term, is likely to grow up with even more liberal views on gender.
“This is a rallying cry of this generation,” says Jess Weiner, a cultural consultant for large companies looking to tap into modern-day markets and navigate issues of gender. “Companies in this day and age have to evolve or else they die, they go away … And part of that evolving is trying to understand things they didn’t prior.”
Mattel isn’t the first company to notice the trend among young shoppers moving away from gender-specific products. Rob Smith—the founder of the Phluid Project, a gender-free clothing store that caters to the LGBTQ+ community in New York City—says several large corporations, including Mattel, have approached him for advice on how to market to the young masses. “I work with a lot of companies who are figuring out that the separation between male and female is less important to young consumers who don’t want to be boxed into anything,” he says. “There’s men’s shampoo and women’s shampoo, but it’s just all shampoo. Companies are starting to investigate that in-between space in order to win over Gen Z.”
Still, Mattel enters a politically charged debate at a precarious moment for corporations in America, where companies that want to gain customer loyalty are being pushed to one aisle or the other. A study from the PR agency Weber Shandwick found 47% of millennials think CEOs should take stances on social issues. Some 51% of millennials surveyed said they are more likely to buy products from companies run by activist CEOs. Now, if you walk into a Patagonia store, you’ll see a sign that reads, “The President stole your land. Take action now.”
Such activism is often born of self-interest: companies want to appeal to liberal customers and retain young employees and their allies. They face little risk by speaking up, but major consequences by sitting on the sidelines. In August, customers boycotted Equinox and SoulCycle—two companies that have aggressively courted the LGBTQ+ community—when reports emerged that their key investor was holding a fundraiser for Trump with ticket prices as high as $250,000. According to data analyses by Second Measure, a month later, SoulCycle attendance is down almost 13%.
Weiner says SoulCycle’s experience should serve as a cautionary tale. “I think businesses of any size now recognize that their consumer base values transparency over any other attribute. They want to know that your board is reflective of your choices, and that’s caught a lot of businesses off guard,” Weiner says. “You can’t talk about gender equity in your commercial and then have no women on your board. They have to be savvy.”
Now, a toy company has chosen to make a product specifically to appeal to the progressive part of the country. Lisa McKnight, the senior vice president of the global doll portfolio at Mattel, says major retailers have been enthusiastic about Creatable World. “They’re excited about the message of inclusivity,” she says. “The world is becoming a more diverse and inclusive place, and some people want to do more to support that.” When pressed on the risks, she lays out the alternative. “Candidly, we ask ourselves if another company were to launch a product line like this, how would we feel? And after that gut check, we are proceeding.”
Mattel will launch Creatable World exclusively online first, in part to better control the message. That includes giving sneak previews to select influencers and leaders in the LGBTQ+ community. Selling the doll in retail stores will be more complicated. For one thing, there’s the question of where to place it in stores to attract the attention of shoppers who might not venture into a doll section. Store clerks will have to be trained in what pronouns to use when talking about the doll and how to handle anxious parents’ questions about it. And then there are practical concerns. Dickson admits the company is ready for the possibility that protests against Creatable World dolls could hurt other Mattel brands, namely Barbie.
Mattel has taken risks before. Most recently, in 2016, it added three new body types to the Barbie doll: tall, petite and, most radically, curvy. It was the first time the company had made a major change to one of the most recognizable brands—and bodies—in the world in the doll’s almost-60-year history. The change helped propel Barbie from a retrograde doll lambasted by feminists for her impossible shape to a modern toy. She is now on the rise. Her sales have been up for the last eight quarters, and she saw a 14% sales bump in the last year alone, according to Mattel.
But Mattel felt late to the game when it changed Barbie’s body: For years the Mindy Kalings and Ashley Grahams of the world had been championing fuller body types. Parents had been demanding change with boycotts and letter campaigns. By contrast, Creatable World feels like uncharted territory. Consider children’s media: Disney hasn’t introduced a major gay character in any of its movies, let alone a gender-nonconforming one. There are no trans superheroes. Even characters whose creators say they are queer—like Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series—haven’t actually come out on the page or the screen. In that pop-culture space, a gender-neutral doll seems radical.
Even though there is no scientific evidence to prove that this is the case, there will be customers who say that even exposing their children to a gender-nonbinary doll through commercials or in a play group would threaten to change their child’s identity. This debate will spin out into sociopolitical questions about whether the types of toys children play with affect their sense of identity and gender.
That conversation, if it comes, is worth it, according to Dickson. “I think if we could have a hand in creating the idea that a boy can play with a perceived girl toy and a girl can play with a perceived boy toy, we would have contributed to a better, more sensitive place of perception in the world today,” he says. “And even more so for the kids that find themselves in that challenging place, if we can make that moment in their life a bit more comfortable, and knowing we created something that makes them feel recognized, that’s a beautiful thing.”
FOX NEWS: Thomas Cook employees give emotional speeches during final landings, viral videos show
Thomas Cook employees give emotional speeches during final landings, viral videos show
"We would just like to say thank you."
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FOX NEWS: Thomas Cook pilot sends crew and passengers an emotional message following travel agency’s collapse
Thomas Cook pilot sends crew and passengers an emotional message following travel agency’s collapse
In the wake of Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy and massive layoffs, the pilot on a Manchester bound flight thanked his crew for their professionalism despite the chaos brought on by their company’s collapse.
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FOX NEWS: What went wrong for Thomas Cook?
What went wrong for Thomas Cook?
Thousands stranded as the world's oldest travel company collapses; insight from travel expert Laura Begley Bloom.
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Monday, September 23, 2019
New story in Business from Time: This American Said He Had to Pay $2,400 to Get Home After Travel Company Thomas Cook Collapsed
The collapse of one of the world’s oldest travel agencies has impacted an estimated 600,000 travelers all over the world on Monday—including some Americans.
Thomas Cook collapsed into liquidation in the early hours of Monday morning after rescue talks failed to secure $250 million in contingency funding, leaving many thousands who paid for vacations with the company without a return ticket home.
“We are sorry to inform you that all holidays and flights provided by these companies have been canceled and are no longer operating,” the Thomas Cook said, adding that all Thomas Cook retail shops have also closed.
Thomas Cook is a British company, but it attracted customers from all over the world, particularly Europe.
British stranded travelers are now directed to turn to the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority—which is working to fly back passengers who booked their flights with the travel agency and were due back to the U.K. between Sept. 23 and Oct. 6.
On Monday, Condor Airlines, a German airline subsidiary to Thomas Cook, said that it currently had 240,000 customers abroad awaiting flights to return home.
The travel agency also advised passengers who were due to fly out of the U.K. with Thomas Cook Airlines that their flights were canceled.
While few Americans are likely to be impacted, at least one Florida resident said he spent more than $2,000 to get home after booking a trip to Scotland with the company.
BBC Scotland spoke to American Joe Datolli, who was stuck at Glasgow Airport with his mother Sally waiting for a flight back to Orlando.
“It’s been frustrating… While we were asleep, ready to head back in the morning, they went out of business and there’s nobody to be seen,” he said.
Datolli told the BBC that he and his mother were able to book a flight to Orlando from Dublin but it ended up costing them nearly $2,400 dollars more.
“As we’re standing here trying to book another flight the prices keep climbing or the seats keep getting taken. It’s becoming more and more difficult,” he said.
The collapse of the agency has also affected thousands of employees.
In a statement, Thomas Cook Chief Executive Peter Fankhauser, apologized to customers and employees.
“I would like to apologize to our millions of customers, and thousands of employees, suppliers and partners who have supported us for many years. Despite huge uncertainty over recent weeks, our teams continued to put customers first, showing why Thomas Cook is one of the best-loved brands in travel,” he said. “This marks a deeply sad day for the company which pioneered package holidays and made travel possible for millions of people around the world.”
Here is what to know about Thomas Cook:
Why did Thomas Cook collapse?
Faced with Brexit, poor mergers and increased competition, the 178-year-old company finally fell to its demise on Monday.
Key to its downfall is Thomas Cook’s merger with MyTravel, a U.K.-based package travel company, in 2007. What had initially started out with hope, ended up in disaster. Thomas Cook ended up with huge debts that proved impossible to manage as, MyTravel had only made a profit once since 2001. The impact of the merger came to a head in May after Thomas Cook reported a record loss of £1.5 billion ($1.85 billion) and a steep drop in summer sales.
Thomas Cook also faced new competition from lower cost rival Jet2Holidays, putting the company’s profits under fresh pressure. Previously, the market had been split between Thomas Cook and Tui. Within two months, Thomas Cook had to issue two profit warnings.
Brexit didn’t help their situation either—the original March 29, 2019 Brexit deadline meant that people were nervous about booking holidays.
In August this year, there was hope that Thomas Cook could break free from disaster after it agreed to a $1.1 billion rescue deal with Fosun, a China-based investment company, Thomas Cook’s biggest shareholder and its debtholders.
However, as of Monday, Thomas Cook collapsed into liquidation after talks with shareholders, lenders and the U.K. government failed to come up with a rescue plan after the company’s banks demanded a further $250 million.
The agency was a popular one-stop-shop for travelers—known for its all-inclusive travel packages: the agency would book flights, hotels and tours for travelers.
Marc-David L. Seidel, professor at the University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business says travel agencies like Thomas Cook have become less relevant and necessary for travelers during the internet age.
“The rise of online travel information shifted power in the industry so that individual consumers no longer had to rely on brick and mortar travel agencies for expertise as much,” he tells TIME. “This intensified as the internet transitioned to more of an online travel community model where individual travelers share information about everything travel related to each other. That readily available and detailed information further reduced the power of travel agencies which had traditionally been the primary source of such expertise.”
Seidel adds that the rise of Airbnb might have also played a part.
“The growth trend of small travel providers such as individuals offering up rental units through internet platforms also puts pressure on organizations like Thomas Cook as a portion of their revenue was based on lodging,” he says.
Are American travelers affected?
While the bulk of Thomas Cook customers were based in Europe, the agency offered services to major U.S cities including New York City, Orlando and San Fransisco.
The State Department says that it is not able to track how many U.S. citizens are currently affected because American are not required to register their travel to a foreign country.
A State Department spokesperson tells TIME that the agency is currently monitoring the situation and that travelers should make their own arrangements to return to the United States.
“If Americans are destitute and without resources to get back to the United States, they should contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where they are traveling to help them get in touch with family members or to evaluate other options,” a state department spokesperson said.
Frederic Dimanche, the director at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University tells TIME that the effect on American passengers will be “not much” and that agency had a limited presence in the U.S.—with most of the company’s business coming from the U.K., Germany and Scandinavian countries.
“Thomas Cook had offices in the U.S., but beyond that most operations are European… this will likely be inconsequential for (travelers),” he says.
Seidel also says that the agency going out of business will most likely not have too much of an effect on American travelers.
“They have limited service in some cities—basically, it’s major cities and the leisure market, and a lot of that service would be outbound rather than inbound, so people visiting the States from Europe and a lot of their stuff was offered as packages,” he says.
FOX NEWS: Disneyland Paris visitor goes missing after taking LSD; search party is called in after park closes
Disneyland Paris visitor goes missing after taking LSD; search party is called in after park closes
A Disneyland Paris tourist had quite the trip while visiting the park over the weekend.
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FOX NEWS: Thomas Cook crew members find out they've been laid off midflight, passengers claim: 'They were all in tears!'
Thomas Cook crew members find out they've been laid off midflight, passengers claim: 'They were all in tears!'
Crew members on an international flight reportedly found out that they had lost their jobs mid-flight.
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FOX NEWS: Cruise ship passengers unhappy about bomb scare at Miami port: 'I didn’t come to Miami to sit for an hour or so'
Cruise ship passengers unhappy about bomb scare at Miami port: 'I didn’t come to Miami to sit for an hour or so'
Some vacationers were apparently upset that a bomb scare got in the way of their good time.
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FOX NEWS: Texas hotel employee, 21, pulls incredibly long solo shift amid Imelda flooding: 'He is our hero'
Texas hotel employee, 21, pulls incredibly long solo shift amid Imelda flooding: 'He is our hero'
”He has handled this situation with grace, kindness, and a beautiful smile on his face,” a guest said.
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FOX NEWS: Dog owner blames United Airlines for animal's alleged heatstroke death: 'They literally fried him'
Dog owner blames United Airlines for animal's alleged heatstroke death: 'They literally fried him'
"Rock was a specimen of health when he boarded the United Flight," a lawyer for the owner claims in a statement to Fox News.
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FOX NEWS: Thousands of travelers stranded worldwide after Thomas Cook collapses
Thousands of travelers stranded worldwide after Thomas Cook collapses
It's estimated as many as 600,000 vacationers could be affected by the collapse over the weekend of U.K.-based Thomas Cook, one of the oldest travel companies in the world; Greg Palkot reports from London.
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FOX NEWS: Thomas Cook collapse: Travel chaos erupts, employees laid off across the globe
Thomas Cook collapse: Travel chaos erupts, employees laid off across the globe
Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded across the world after British tour company Thomas Cook collapsed on Monday.
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FOX NEWS: American Airlines makes emergency landing after a passenger lights up a joint
American Airlines makes emergency landing after a passenger lights up a joint
Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Transportation Oliver McGee on how the passenger could have snuck pot on the plane.
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