Giant Rat Clings to Jet Flap During Landing, Real or CGI You Decide, Pilot Arrested for Dive-Bombing a Crowded Beach Three Times, and More Travel News!

Here are this week’s travel news headlines from around the web and interweb I found the most interesting. Take a look:

• There Is a Giant Rat Riding on the Deployed Flap of a Jet Coming in for Landing. Yes, Really.

I honestly don’t know what to think about this one. A video making the rounds on Twitter with well over 2 million views that shows what appears to be a very large rat clinging to the deployed flap of a commercial jet during final approach to landing. The rat’s fur is blowing in the wind, it’s moving around slightly, and it looks absolutely terrified but is somehow hanging on for dear life. Is it real? It could easily be CGI. But it also looks disturbingly convincing. I’ll let you watch and decide for yourself. What do you think, readers? Real rat or Hollywood-level CGI? (btw NOT the AI fake one we used at the top of the news round-up post – see the linked video before you comment)

• The UK Is Moving Closer to a Shared No-Fly List for Unruly Passengers Across All Airlines

Back in 2021, Delta proposed that U.S. airlines share a no-fly list to collectively ban disruptive passengers across all carriers. It never went anywhere in the U.S. But the UK government is now actively developing exactly that. Officials from the Department for Transport and the Home Office are working on a proposal that would allow British airlines to notify each other about problem passengers, meaning a single bad actor could find themselves banned from flying on every UK airline, not just one. A formal discussion is scheduled for June. The FAA is still tracking 687 unruly passenger incidents in the U.S. so far this year, down from a 2021 peak of nearly 6,000. The U.S. still hasn’t acted on Delta’s original idea. Maybe seeing the UK do it will change some minds.

• Southwest Rolls Back Its Overweight Passenger Policy After Backlash

Back in January, Southwest started requiring passengers who need a second seat due to their size to purchase it in advance. Advocacy groups called it “more restrictive” and pushed back hard. Southwest has now reversed course, allowing gate agents to assign a free second seat at no charge when two adjacent seats are available on the flight. If no adjacent seats are open, the passenger gets rebooked on a later flight. Southwest still encourages booking an extra seat in advance just to be safe. Travel experts are calling it a rare moment of Southwest “bringing back some of the LUV.” Given how many pro-passenger policies they’ve rolled back in the last couple of years, that’s a pretty low bar, but it’s something.

• Americans Heading to Europe This Summer, Brace Yourself for the New Entry-Exit System Lines

The EU fully rolled out its new Entry-Exit System on April 10, replacing manual passport stamping with a digital biometric system that records your entry and exit times across all 29 Schengen countries. The problem? The lines. CNN’s Clarissa Ward posted video from Lisbon Airport of what she called the longest line she had ever seen in her life, describing elderly people, families with small children, missed connections, and missed flights. The registration process is supposed to take about a minute per person, but when 500 people are ahead of you that math gets ugly fast. If you’re heading to Europe this summer, build extra buffer time into your airport arrival and keep your patience handy.

• Delta Cut a Food Service Contract and About 70 Atlanta Airport Workers Lost Their Jobs

When Delta eliminated complimentary food and beverage service on flights under 350 miles back in May, it wasn’t just passengers who felt it. The airline terminated a food service contract tied to its Atlanta operation, and roughly 70 hourly workers were laid off as a result. These are the people who handled meal prep and commissary services, and they’re now gone. Delta framed the onboard change as a consistency play. For the workers who lost their paychecks, it’s a different story entirely. This is what cost-cutting decisions look like when they land on the people who never show up in shareholder reports.

• Someone Is Trying to Build a Nuclear-Powered Cruise Ship That Is Nearly a Mile Long and Holds 80,000 People

The Freedom Ship concept has been floating around (pun intended) since the 1990s, but it’s back in the news with updated plans. The proposed vessel would measure nearly a mile in length, weigh over 2 million gross tons, rise 30 decks above the waterline, and accommodate 80,000 people including 50,000 permanent residents, 10,000 visitors, and 20,000 crew. It would be nuclear powered, travel continuously around the globe at 7 knots, and couldn’t dock at normal ports so passengers would shuttle to shore on smaller vessels. For context, Icon of the Seas, currently the world’s largest cruise ship, is 1,198 feet long and just under 250,000 gross tons. Freedom Ship would be several times larger. The estimated cost is over €14 billion, construction would take 3 to 4 years and would happen in Indonesia, and the CEO admits the crucial factor is funding. Many maritime experts are skeptical. I’ll believe it when I see it, but it’s a wild concept.

• A Carnival Passenger Jumped Into the Water to Save a Drowning Man Who Fell Off the Pier in Costa Maya

While a Carnival Jubilee passenger named Myron was in Costa Maya on May 19, an elderly man fell off the pier and landed face down in the water. Crew members tried to throw him a rope, but he was unconscious and face down, unable to grab it. Myron kicked off his shoes and jumped in without hesitation, kept the man afloat, and held him up until crew could pull them both out. The 84-year-old man had black eyes, cuts, and bruises, and his daughter later commented on his wife Amy’s TikTok: “Your husband is the reason I got to hug him again.” Carnival gave Myron a keepsake pin and a free steak dinner. A pin and a dinner feels a little light for saving a man’s life, but the real reward is the outcome. There’s video of the rescue on TikTok and it’s genuinely moving.

• Delta Premium In-Flight Drinks on Us from T-Mobile

T-Mobile is celebrating 10 years of T-Mobile Tuesdays with its first-ever Member Month in June, and buried in the list of perks is one that caught my eye. T-Mobile members will get a free premium in-flight drink on Delta flights going forward, and this isn’t just a Member Month promo — it’s an always-on travel perk. You’ll need an eligible T-Mobile plan with a linked SkyMiles account set up at least 24 hours before your flight, and you access it through the T-Life app. Limit one per person per flight, and you need to be 21+ for anything alcoholic. Other June perks include 12 free months of DashPass, a $1.99-per-gallon gas day at select Shell stations in LA, Houston, and Chicago, and sweepstakes for Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix trips and $100,000 in cash. If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber who flies Delta, this one’s worth setting up.

• American Airlines Damaged This Man’s Wheelchair Twice in One Trip. His Story Is a Reminder of How Bad This Problem Still Is.

Jon Krieger, who has cerebral palsy, flew American from Detroit to Phoenix in March with his partner and caregiver. American damaged his power wheelchair on the way there, had Global Repair Group patch it at the airport, then couldn’t fit the chair on the return flight and rebooked him on a longer connecting itinerary. Back home, the airline offered a $400 travel credit and took days to respond to follow-ups. Krieger says his wheelchair is still not fully restored. American was hit with a $50 million DOT fine back in 2024 for mishandling wheelchairs and mobility devices. Stories like this are a reminder that fine or no fine, the problem hasn’t gone away. “My mobility are my legs,” Krieger said. “Without the chair, I can’t live my life.”

• A Pilot Has Been Arrested for Allegedly Dive-Bombing a Crowded South Carolina Beach Three Times

William Roger Williamson III, 50, turned himself in to Georgetown County authorities on May 26 for an incident back on April 10, when he allegedly made three extremely low passes over the packed beach at Pawleys Island in a single-engine plane. Witnesses said they literally dove out of their beach chairs thinking the plane was about to crash into the sand. One witness said it nearly clipped a beach house with its wheel. Williamson told FAA investigators he had carburetor icing and a control knob fell off, causing the aircraft to dip. Investigators weren’t buying it, partly because FAA training requires pilots to steer toward water in an emergency, not a crowded beach. There is video on social media and yes, it is exactly as close and alarming as it sounds. He was charged with aggravated breach of peace and released on a $5,000 bond.

Were there any crazy or interesting travel news stories you found interesting that I missed? If so please drop a comment below and include a link to the story! – René