A beach resort taking a stand against bikinis, a dangerous hairdo, an ocean-crossing donkey drop, an armrest altercation and a mortgage broker turned British felon are now contenders for this week’s Icarus Award. While all five nominees have surely failed, read on to find out which offender proves to be the week’s biggest travel flub.
Burkas, Not Bikinis
Beach resorts are the prime place to wear a skimpy swimsuit, but think twice before packing your string bikini for a trip to Malaysia. The Pangkor Island Beach resort in the Muslim nation was forced to cancel a publicity event for the international “Miss Bikini” contest. Government officials warned the resort that the event would encourage indecent behavior and would “tarnish the country’s image.” The resort will still hold their “Full Moon Beach Party” on October 7 but will cancel the “Miss Bikini” part of the program, even though the event would have just featured an ice sculpture and announcements, and no bikinis were scheduled to be worn. The resort has a storied history of two-piece trouble. Last year, local officials were angered by Facebook photos showing several bikini-clad young women at a party on the property.
Armrest Wrestling
David Alan Anderson, a 60-year-old resident of Salt Lake City, is now facing federal felony charges after a squabble with his seatmate on a Las Vegas-bound flight. Anderson apparently threatened his seatmate by using his elbow to claim the armrest. He subsequently put his foot on his seatmate’s leg. After his seatmate complained, Anderson then said, “If I had a knife, I would slit your throat.” After repeated threats, officers responded to the scene and did indeed find a knife in Anderson’s bag. Anderson was then arrested but remained irate, threatening police and the FBI with choice comments like “I’ll pull your eyeballs out,” and “It will give me a lot of pleasure to see you again, but you won’t see me, bucko.”
Donkey Drop
After donkeys started disrupting traffic on Hawaii’s Big Island, the state decided to re-home the jackasses. This past week, 120 donkeys were sent on a plane from Hawaii to California’s Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue in Tehachapi. After a long flight and two-hour drive, the donkeys arrived in their new home, no worse for the wear. No word on how the pilot or crew handled their honking animal cargo.
Dangerous Dreads
Is the TSA anti-big hair? Isis Brantley is complaining about discrimination after TSA agents at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta insisted on checking her hair for explosives. After passing through the security screeners, TSA agents then asked if Brantley had had her hair “checked.” Brantley replied no and headed towards her gate only to be chased down by agents who said she couldn’t proceed until her hair was checked for explosives. Without retreating to a private screening area. Two agents patted down Brantley’s hair and even were “digging in [her] scalp.” Brantley complained to the TSA and the media. As professional hairdresser and advocate for natural hair, this is the first time she and her coif have been searched in over 20 years.
Punch-Drunk Passenger
A mortgage consultant might not seem like the most likely suspect for an international incident of drunken and disorderly behavior, but financial consultant Tim Bradley will be spending the next four months in a British jail for a drunken rant aboard a British Airways flight from Phoenix, Arizona to London. Having consumed several glasses of beer and wine, Anderson became irate and threatened the crew once they stopped serving him. Bradley was sentenced today to three months for drunkenness and then another month for assault. His prison terms will be served back to back.
A Not-So-Virgin flyer won last week’s Icarus Award. Check out past winners in our Icarus Award section. Vote for this week’s prime contender:
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By Lily J. Kosner for PeterGreenberg.com
Related links: AP, MSNBC, Huffington Post, MSNBC
