Another scary plane incident leaves over a dozen injured

It has happened again.

Another commercial aircraft has plunged through the air, this time after a decompression incident.

This week's incident occurred when a Korean Air flight saw over a dozen passengers needing medical treatment after a fast descent.

The flight from Seoul to Taichung, Taiwan, suddenly experienced a decompression malfunction and the pilots were forced to take the plane down 25,000 feet within 15 minutes, Travel Mole reported.

Thirteen passengers required hospital treatment, reporting hyperventilation and eardrum pain.

Oxygen masks were deployed during the incident but the flight landed safely without further incident.

The scare happened on a Boeing 737 Max aircraft.

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has ordered an investigation.

Pilots said a cockpit pressurisation alert sounded about 50 minutes into the flight.

Last month, a 73-year-old British man died after a flight from London to Singapore hit turbulence, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was reported that some people were propelled into the ceiling and knocked their heads on the baggage cabins overhead. Singapore Airlines said 18 people were hospitalised, including a crew member.

The same month, 12 people were injured, including eight taken to hospital, after Qatar Airways plane hits turbulence on Doha-Dublin flight. 

Travel insurers, predictably, are using the rise in turbulence incidents to spruik their products. 

“Should turbulence impact your travel plans or cause injury, having travel insurance means there’s one less thing to think about, while you navigate a highly stressful situation,” said Southern Cross Travel Insurance Chief Executive, Jo McCauley.

Climate change could mean more turbulent flights

There has been another terrifying airline turbulence incident on an international flight, sparking fears that global warming is making turbulence more frequent - and potentially deadly.

Twelve people were reported injured on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin at the weekend hit massive turbulence, Dublin Airport officials said.

The flight from Doha landed at Dublin and was met by emergency services.

Dublin Airport posted on X that six passengers and six crew members suffered various injuries and that eight of the 12 injured were taken to hospital.

Qatar Airways flight QR017 apparently suffered turbulence as it flew over Turkiye, Travel Mole reported..

“A small number of passengers and crew sustained minor injuries in flight and are now receiving medical attention,” Qatar Airways said in a statement. It added that “the matter is now subject to an internal investigation.”

Just last week a British man died during a severe turbulence incident on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore's Changi Airport. There were 104 passengers injured on that flight.  

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said turbulence incidents are up concerningly. He said turbulence will continue to “affect American travellers, whether here or abroad.”

He told the CBS TV network: “The reality is, the effects of climate change are already upon us in terms of our transportation.

”“Our climate is evolving. Our policies and our technology and our infrastructure have to evolve accordingly, too.”

Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK, previously told CNN that he believes climate change is modifying turbulence. 

“We ran some computer simulations and found that severe turbulence could double or triple in the coming decades,” Williams said.

So disturbing news for frequent flyers. 

Buckle up people. 

* Singapore Airlines has amended its policy on in-flight seatbelt use, taking a "more cautious" approach. 

The airline will not serve passengers food and drink when the seatbelt sign is on, Travel Mole reported. 

The airline said: “SIA will continue to review our processes, as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance." 

Image: Einar Maeland Jensen, Scop.io 

When a river cruise goes horribly wrong

River cruising is a delightfully chilled way to explore Europe - with vessels docking in the centre of fascinating destinations.

No waves. No seasickness. No massive crowds waiting to disembark on a tender.

But river cruising can still be dangerous, as some unfortunate travellers discover this weekend.

At least 17 people suffered injuries after a river cruise ship slammed into a wall on the River Danube, Travel Mole reports.

The incident happened at the pretty town of Aschach an der Donau (above) in Upper Austria.

Local media reported that it is thought the vessel lost power and crashed into a wall beside a lock.

The Bulgarian-flagged vessel was carrying around 142 mostly German passengers from Passau in Bavaria to the Austrian city of Linz.

Officials said 11 people were taken to hospital with various injuries, while another six with minor injuries were treated at the scene.

The Kronen Zietung newspaper reported that some objects on board toppled over and were thrown around after the accidents. Many passengers were having dinner in the dining room and some fell off their chairs due to the violent jolts. Others suffered cuts from broken crockery and glasses.

"Sixteen ambulances and an emergency doctor were ordered to the scene of the accident and firfeighters illuminated the terrain," said District Rescue Chief Philipp Wiatschka.

"Fortunately, there was no panic on board. "We separated the passengers on the ship into injured and uninjured and transported them to hospitals in Wels and Linz."

The Plantours ship was later able to continue its journey to Linz.

Image: Upper Austria Tourism

When a cruise turns into a nightmare

It was supposed to be a leisurely late autumn European cruise.

It didn't work out that way.

Around 100 people were injured on board a Saga cruise ship this week after storms off the coasts of France and Spain.

Fortunately, none of the injuries were thought to be serious and Saga said only five people needed medical treatment, Travel Mole reported.

The Spirit of Discovery, carrying over 1000 people, had cancelled its last port of call in Las Palmas with predictions for an imminent storm. It then headed for La Coruna, where the port was closed.

In rough seas, Spirit of Discovery's propulsion safety system was activated, causing it to veer suddenly to the left, bringing the vessel to a sudden halt. Passengers were thrown around.  

Spirit of Discovery was on a round-trip voyage to the Canary Islands from Portsmouth when severe weather hit in the Bay of Biscay.

The ship had departed the UK on October 24 on a 14-night ‘Canary Island Quintet’ cruise.

“While the weather is clearly beyond our control, we want to offer our sincere apologies to all those affected,” Saga said in a statement.

“Spirit of Discovery has arrived safely back in port and all passengers have disembarked and are on their way home.

"We have apologised to all our guests who experienced such difficult weather conditions; we know that this was a very distressing experience for them.

"We operate to the highest health and safety protocols and every decision was made based on advice from the ship’s Master and forecasts from our dedicated marine meteorologists.

"We did everything we could at all times to keep our guests as safe as possible and to support them through the storm, including expert medical attention for those injured. I want to thank our guests for their patience and understanding and all our crew, who went over and above to care for everyone onboard."

Tourists warned not to be dickheads

There is nothing more Australian than getting tanked up and then hiring a motorbike or quadbike to bomb around Bali or Thailand without a care in the world.

But as the northern hemisphere holiday season approaches, tourists have been warned to avoid hiring motorcycles and quads abroad. Particularly if they do not have adequate insurance.

Holidaymakers have also been warned to think twice before hiring buggies and mopeds abroad after a string of deaths and injuries.

Car rental experts at StressFreeCarRental.com have cautioned tourists looking for fun, warning that many of the vehicles on offer are extremely dangerous.

Vehicles like mopeds are readily available and accessible to tourists abroad, especially in party destinations in Greece and Thailand. But many tourists are unaware of the dangers and ignore road rules when using them.

In Phuket, Thailand, there were over 500 reports of motorbike accidents involving tourists in the first two months of 2023 alone.

The vice-governor of Phuket, Amnuay Pinsuwan, said most cases involved people with no driving licenses, wearing swimsuits and driving at high speeds.

In January, a Ukrainian man, who was not wearing a helmet, was found dead in Bali after his rented motorbike went off a bridge.

A spokesperson for StressFreeCarRental.com said: “Although hiring motorcycles and quads is popular in tourist destinations, the number of tragic accidents involving them proves just how dangerous they are.

“Tourists should read the fine print on their insurance policies and take all the necessary precautions to protect themselves. Many factors can invalidate their insurance, including not wearing a crash helmet or hiring an unregistered vehicle.

“The risk to life is higher when driving on unfamiliar roads, especially in small, open vehicles which offer little protection, so failure to take proper care will inevitably lead to severe and fatal injuries.

“Although the rules may seem more relaxed while abroad, under no circumstances should tourists consider driving under the influence because the vehicles are still dangerous machinery with the power to harm both driver and passers-by.

“Getting a taxi, or hiring a car, is much safer and should be considered where possible.”

Image: Choi Sung Wook, Scop.io 

Look out - that plane is about to hit us

An American Airlines plane collided with a shuttle bus on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport over the weekend - leaving five people injured.

The weekend incident saw four of those people taken to hospital.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, local media reported.

American Airlines said the bus “made physical contact with an American Airlines aircraft that was being towed from a gate to a remote parking location on the airfield.”

There were no passengers on the plane at the time of the collision. The bus suffered damage including a broken windscreen.

Planes generally have right of way at airports and all other vehicles are expected to yield to them.

It was the third close call at a US airport in the past week, media reports said.