Great Moments in Travel History – November 2012
Las Vegas, Nevada experienced the third worst hotel fire in modern U.S. history on November 21, 1980. The MGM Grand fire started in a hotel restaurant called the Deli, and claimed 85 lives out of the approximately 5,000 people who were in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino at the time.
In November of 1982, McDonnell Douglas introduced a new designation system for commercial aircraft, combining the “M” of McDonnell and the “D” of Douglas. The DC-9 Super 80, now known as the MD-80, became the first aircraft to use the designation.
The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the new 33-cent “Jumbo Jet” postage stamp on November 15, 1999. The stamp was in honor of the Boeing 747.
The Palms Casino Resort opened its doors in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 15, 2001. The hotel is where the cast of MTV’s The Real World: Las Vegas stayed while filming the show.
The Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner established a new world record on November 10, 2005, for nonstop distance traveled by a commercial airplane, flying 11,664 nautical miles in 22 hours and 42 minutes. The flight was from Hong Kong to London.
On November 14, 2005, the Boeing 747-8 program was launched with an order of 10 747-8 Freighters from Cargolux, based in Luxembourg, with purchase rights for 10 additional aircraft. The program’s launch included the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane and the 747-8 Freighter airplane.
Boeing Business Jets began offering a larger Boeing Business Jet, which was based on the 737-900ER commercial jetliner, on November 21, 2005.
The Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner established a new world record on November 10, 2005, for nonstop distance traveled by a commercial airplane, flying 11,664 nautical miles (18,771 kilometers) in 22 hours and 42 minutes. The flight was from Hong Kong to London.
Rezidor Hotel Group signed an agreement with Italian fashion house Missoni on November 28, 2005 to create and operate Hotel Missoni, a lifestyle hotel chain and brand. The first property, Hotel Missoni Edinburgh, was opened on June 8, 2009.
On November 8, 2006, Boeing started using a moving assembly line to build its twin-aisle 777 jetliner.
The 200th DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, the DoubleTree by Hilton London-Regent Street, was opened on November 26, 2008. The first DoubleTree by Hilton hotels in Africa were opened in November 2009, in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, Tanzania.
On November 20, 2009, Boeing held a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction for the second final assembly site for the 787 Dreamliner program at its Boeing Charleston facility. The first Dreamliner built there was completed and rolled out in April of 2011.
Five Canadian tourists and two Mexican hotel workers lost their lives in an explosion that rocked the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, on the morning of November 14, 2010. Speculation over what caused the explosion initially varied, with theories ranging from leaked sewer gas, problems with the operation or maintenance of the hotel, and trapped gases from a nearby swamp igniting and exploding. In December of 2010 however, officials found an unauthorized gas line extension under the hotel’s lounge, which had apparently been damaged and leaked prior to the explosion.
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