Air Travel

In northeastern Vietnam, Van Don International Airport (VDO) began operations on Dec. 31, 2018. The airport, in Quang Ninh Province, is located only 31 miles north of Hạ Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was announced that same day that a cruise terminal able to hold two cruise ships, each with a passenger capacity of 4,000-plus, would be built in Halong City (Bãi Cháy). At press time, no completion date had been set. Currently, cruise passengers dock in Hanoi, about three hours away from Hạ Long Bay.

Dismay and disappointment were what my wife, Fyllis, and I experienced when the call came that our Jan. 20-27, 2019, tour to Panama had been canceled. "Panama Canal Cruise, Rainforests & Beaches" was to be our first tour with Caravan Tours (Chicago, IL; 800/227-2826, www.caravan.com).

What we were told next, however, turned what could have been a doomsday dispatch into a delight.

First, we learned that another departure of the same tour would be leaving a day earlier and that, if our schedule allowed us to take it, there was room.

As of Dec. 17, all airlines in Australia now weigh carry-on bags on domestic flights to ensure they meet weight requirements. Any carry-on bag over the weight limit will need to be checked. The allowed one additional "personal item," such as a handbag or similar small bag, will not be weighed.

Qantas and Virgin Australia both limit carry-on bags to 7kg (near 15.4 pounds). The budget airlines Tigerair Australia and Jetstar Airways also have a weight limit of 7kg, but each offers an upgrade at extra cost that increases the limit to 12kg and 10kg, respectively.

A Skyhour gift card can be purchased in hour and half-hour increments at $1 per minute (one hour costs $60 and a half-hour, $30). The card can then be used to book flights of equivalent time through the Skyhour website on any of the more than 350 participating airlines.

For example, a 12-hour flight can be booked with 720 Skyhours ($720) on any airline flying a chosen route.

All major US airlines and many international airlines, such as British Air, Emirates, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, can be booked through Skyhour. Visit www.skyhour.com.

I traveled to Australia in November 2018 and encountered a new airport security procedure.

In Adelaide, passengers were required to remove umbrellas from their carry-on luggage before the parcels were x-rayed. Umbrellas in carry-on luggage were legal but had to be removed for screening.

I was told that this security procedure now applies at all airports in South Australia and would soon be required in all airports in the country. While I was there, the procedure was not required in the Sydney (New South Wales) and Melbourne (Victoria) airports.

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Dear Globetrotter:

In past issues, we have printed letters from subscribers who took customized private tours (outside of the US) that were arranged by tour companies and guides that are local to the destinations.
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As part of a whirlwind trip to pick up additional countries on my Travelers' Century Club (travelerscenturyclub.org) list, my wife, Susan, and I scheduled a private day tour on the Isle of Man ... .

For £150 (near $193), Jane gave us a fantastic tour of the southern half of the island. Highlights included Castletown, Balladoole, the village of Cregneash and the Sound, the town of Peel, the village of St. John's and the Laxey Wheel. Jane's love for the island came across very clearly as she showed us many unique sights.

While planning our May 2018 trip to Morocco, it became apparent that my wife, Paula, and I would likely be spending two or three hours in Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) while awaiting our return flight.

There was relatively little practical information (e.g., a decent terminal map) available online about this airport. What I did find were mostly negative reviews of the facilities, the staff and the prices at airport shops and food outlets.

In the suburb of Nouaceur, adjacent to Casablanca, Morocco, the Relax Airport Hotel (phone, in the US, 888/205-7322, www.relaxhotelairportcasablanca.com) is ideally situated for stopover travelers. Away from any noisy flight paths, it's just a 10-minute hotel-shuttle ride from the airport.

Also, the hotel offers an unusual feature that makes it perfect for long layovers. You can stay from 9 a.m. the day you arrive until 2 p.m. the following day — up to 29 hours — all for the cost of a single day!