Active Shooter Alarm Delays Flights at LAX, Zika Arrives in Singapore

los angeles international airport lax
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It’s Monday, and we’re back with the four biggest travel headlines you should be keeping an eye on this morning. 

LAX Flights Delayed From Active Shooter Alarm

Travelers headed through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are in for a rough start to the week, as reports of an active shooter in the airport Sunday night stopped travel and caused flight delays to continue into Monday morning, ABC News reports. While the report of a shooter was a false alarm, the reports caused passengers to breach the security doors and move onto the airport tarmac around 9 p.m., forcing the terminals to be cleared and incoming flights to be partially shut down for 30 minutes. 

Zika Spreads to Singapore

Across the Pacific, bad news out of Singapore this morning as authorities there have confirmed 41 locally transmitted cases of the virus, CNN reports. (To review: while many reported cases of Zika happen when travelers return to their home and are diagnosed by doctors there, locally transmitted cases mean the virus is present in local mosquitos.) 

All of the cases were clustered in one neighborhood, according to CNN, but the Ministry of Health (MOH) warned that the virus could spread further, as some patients either live or work in other parts of Singapore. Nearby, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines have "possible endemic transmission or evidence of local mosquito-borne Zika infections in 2016," according to the World Health Organization (WHO)

Hurricane Gaston Forces Cruise Itinerary Changes

As predicted, stormy weather proved problematic for weekend travel, with Hurricane Gaston forcing Royal Caribbean to modify a four-night Empress of the Seas itinerary over the weekend, Cruise Critic reports. The ship, which was sailing roundtrip from Miami, called at CocoCay as scheduled on August 26, but called at Nassau August 27 instead of spending a day at sea. On August 28 the ship had its sea day instead of calling at Key West before returning to Miami today. 

The latest forecast: According to CBS Local in Miami, Gaston remained a Category 3 hurricane about 575 miles east of Bermuda as of 5 a.m. Eastern this morning. The storm is expected to weaken as it drifts further north, eventually turning toward the northeast. No further watches or warnings have been posted. 

But that’s not all…a new tropical depression (Tropical Depression Eight, for those keeping score at home) formed Sunday, Weather.com reports, and that storm could spell trouble for travelers headed to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, where a tropical storm watch has been posted. The storm is expected to track to near the Outer Banks by Tuesday, before a cold front moving in from the Northeast pushes the system out to sea. 

We’ve reached out to all the major cruise lines for any itinerary updates yet to come…stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for further details. 

Karisma Hotels & Resorts and Viacom, Inc. Executives with SpongeBob SquarePants at The Pineapple at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana
Karisma Hotels & Resorts and Viacom, Inc. Executives with SpongeBob SquarePants at The Pineapple at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana

And Now…a Party for Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana

On a lighter note, the new Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana has celebrated its official grand opening. The product of a partnership between Karisma Hotels & Resorts, Nickelodeon and Nickelodeon parent company Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), the resort just wrapped a three-day celebration showing off its Nickelodeon character breakfasts (guests will be able to rub elbows with Nick stars like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Boots, and Paw Patrol), as well as the resort’s other experiences: think an oceanfront infinity pool and swim-up bar, the Nickelodeon Place water park, and more. Joe Pike recently got a chance to take a firsthand tour of the property — you can check that out here

Looking ahead, Nickelodeon and Karisma are set to open their next property, Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, in December 2017. 

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