Holiday travel can be taxing even without the added stress of disruptions such as cancellations, flight delays or lost bags.

Last winter, Southwest Airlines’ holiday travel meltdown left millions of travelers stranded and angry. Travelers were still filing for compensation for ruined trips weeks later. Consumer complaints against U.S. airlines to the Department of Transportation in February 2023 increased sixfold compared with February 2019, forcing the agency to temporarily stop reporting more data as it processes complaints.

Despite the chaos, holiday travel shows no signs of slowing down this year. About 50% of Americans plan to pay for flights or hotel stays this holiday season, according to a NerdWallet survey conducted by The Harris Poll in September among over 2,000 U.S. adults. They will be referred to as “2023 holiday travelers” going forward.

More than a third of 2023 holiday travelers (35%) say they will keep their usual holiday travel plans this year, regardless of expense. And given the rising cost of gas, a quarter (25%) of those traveling say they’re flying rather than driving.

If you’re determined to get your dose of festive cheer, you may wonder if it’s worth paying extra for travel insurance this year. The survey found that 21% of 2023 holiday travelers plan on buying or have already bought travel insurance for their holiday trips, up from 16% last year.

Is flying truly worse?

The post-pandemic travel surge is real. But has the flying experience honestly gotten worse? Let’s take a look at the numbers.

The Department of Transportation releases reports on the performance of the 10 largest airlines and their marketing carriers. An analysis of data through June 2023 (which, it should be noted, doesn’t capture the complete picture of summer travel) by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund found:

• The number of airline passengers for the first half of 2023 increased by 11%, to 419.2 million, compared with 2022. That’s almost back to 2019 pre-pandemic levels (419.7 million).

• On-time performance for flights in June fell to 71.3%, worse than a year ago. The on-time rate for the first half of 2023, at 76.5%, was slightly better than in 2022, but worse than in 2019.

• Flights are fuller this year than they were before the pandemic. More than 419 million passengers traveled in both the first half of 2023 and the first half of 2019. There were, however, fewer flights operated in 2023 — nearly 3.5 million compared with nearly 3.9 million in 2019 — meaning the same number of travelers had fewer flight options.

• The flight cancellation rate in June fell to 2.1%, better than a year ago. The cancellation rate for the first half of 2023, at 1.6%, was half of what it was in 2022 and better than in 2019.

So, while travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, travelers have fewer flight options. Given those gloomy statistics, travel insurance is at least worth considering this year.

Insurance aside, one way to lower the risk of disrupted travel is by adjusting when or how you fly. Nearly 2 in 5 2023 holiday travelers (35%) in the NerdWallet survey plan to avoid busy travel days by extending the duration of their holiday trips.

» Learn more: The busiest days to fly during the winter holidays

What type of travel insurance should you get?

The type of insurance you should buy depends on a few factors, including:

• Whether your trip is nonrefundable.
• Where you’re going.
• If your credit card has built-in protection.
• What your health coverage is at the destination.

Let’s assume you’re traveling domestically and already have health insurance coverage. Depending on your age and health, you may not have to pay extra for medical coverage. Note that only some travel insurance policies cover pre-existing conditions.

Some travel credit cards offer basic trip cancellation or interruption, baggage delay coverage and rental car coverage up to a certain dollar amount. If you think the options your credit card provides are good enough, you won’t need additional coverage.

If you don’t have a credit card with built-in protection or the limits aren’t high enough for you, look into buying a stand-alone travel insurance policy.

You can opt for the trip insurance your airline offers, buy it directly from an insurance provider or get it via an online travel agency such as Expedia. You can also compare quotes from travel insurance marketplaces you can find online. The cost of your policy will depend on the details of your trip.

Flying home for the holidays may not get any better this year, but having travel insurance could give you some comfort during your trip.

The article Should You Buy Travel Insurance for Holiday Travel? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Holly Smith Mount wanted to be first.

Smith Mount, chair of the city council in Huntington, West Virginia, was determined to see her community launch the state’s initial outdoor drinking zone — an idea made possible only after the legislature changed the state’s alcohol law earlier this year.

“I will fully admit I’m very competitive,” she told Stateline. “And I told the mayor, ‘I want to be first on this one.’”

So, when Huntington’s downtown drinking district launched this fall, Smith Mount aimed to be at the front of the line to grab a beer from a local taphouse. The new program sanctions open containers of alcohol within designated boundaries officially known as a Private Outdoor Designated Area, or PODA.

“I walked down the street and I felt so naughty,” she said. “I went into one of my favorite shops and I was like, ‘Look, I’ve got a beer!’”

Huntington leaders saw the district as a way to encourage economic growth by drawing more people to the heart of the city: The hope is that by allowing people to grab a drink and linger, they’ll spend more time and money downtown. Steps away from the banks of the Ohio River, the zone’s few square blocks include local restaurants, bars and shops.

“To me this was just a cherry on top of our already thriving downtown,” Smith Mount said. “It’s a way to kind of get people outside, get people socializing, and ramp up the economy even more.”

In recent years, several states have relaxed alcohol consumption laws to allow communities to create their own limited drinking zones. They aim to revitalize downtown cores hollowed out by the changing nature of retail and the post-pandemic loss of office workers.

North Carolina cities have been creating outdoor “social zones” since Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed a new law in 2021. Dozens of Ohio communities big and small have created Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, which the legislature sanctioned in 2015 to allow people to walk around freely with a beer, wine or cocktail. Communities in Kansas and Indiana are exploring or creating new areas after legislatures in both states changed their laws earlier this year.

Indiana’s new outdoor refreshment areas largely mirror those in neighboring Ohio. Republican state Sen. Liz Brown sponsored legislation over the past three years after a constituent enjoyed one of the districts in Ohio and asked her why the Hoosier State didn’t have something similar.

“I don’t usually like to give other states credit, but I do have to give Ohio credit,” she said. “ … We copycatted them.”

Aside from bringing foot traffic to shops and restaurants, officials say the success of the new districts reveals the need to update antiquated liquor laws that long banned public consumption in most places to try to reduce public intoxication and drunken driving. While some critics have raised concerns about the new districts’ potential to promote drinking, crime or littering, organizers across the country say they have largely been adopted without incident.

In West Virginia’s second-largest city, officials said the drinking district faced little public opposition.

Huntington, a city of about 47,000, is home to Marshall University. On football game days, the area around campus is already “basically open container,” Smith Mount said.

The district is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from April to October. But Smith Mount said the effort was already so successful that city leaders are looking at expanding the season. In the future, she envisions holiday shoppers clutching mulled cider while browsing in downtown shops.

The Private Outdoor Designated Area isn’t a free-for-all. Only licensed bars and restaurants can sell drinks, which must be served in clearly marked cups — no red Solo cups allowed. Drinks must be consumed within the district’s boundaries. And store owners can choose to opt in or out.

So far, the city hasn’t heard of any problems with the program, officials said.

“In the years past, you had to go to places like New Orleans or Key West to walk down the street just having a cold beverage,” Smith Mount said. “And those days are kind of past us.”

‘This is just the start’

In the northern stretches of Topeka, Kansas, Redbud Park is home to sculpture gardens and bright murals. Once a month, the park turns into a concert venue for the area’s First Friday art walks.

But those performances so far have been alcohol-free, said Thomas Underwood, executive director of the NOTO Arts & Entertainment District.

“At this point you can’t buy a beer from the place across the street and come over and listen to the band, because you can’t cross the street with a beer,” he said. “That just seems stupid.”

Until this year, Kansas law only allowed public consumption areas if streets were blocked off to traffic. Underwood’s nonprofit was among the groups that lobbied legislators earlier this year to make a change.

The First Friday events bring valuable foot traffic to the state capital’s arts district. But Underwood said businesses don’t want to see streets closed off — which could dissuade customers from attending, not to mention the complications of renting barricades and acquiring city permits.

This year, the legislature allowed communities to apply for Common Consumption Area permits that don’t require street closures. The Kansas Department of Revenue reports the state has licensed 32 common consumption areas, in a mix of tiny towns, larger cities and booming suburbs.

With little opposition, Underwood expects Topeka to approve a common consumption area soon. In late October, a Topeka City Council committee discussed creating consumption areas in downtown and in the arts district. The city will hold a series of listening sessions before voting on the matter, said city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

If approved, Underwood said, the common consumption area will bring more visitors to concerts, galleries and shops in the arts district — and hopefully boost sales for bars and restaurants.

“Nobody down here thinks it should be a seven-day-a-week-type thing,” he said. “We think it should be somewhat limited. We know there’s going to be some enforcement and management issues with this.”

Kansas Republican state Rep. Tory Blew was among those who supported the change in state law. She sits on the board of Great Bend Alive, a nonprofit that hosts a monthly Friday evening event in downtown Great Bend, a city of about 15,000 in the middle of the state.

Called Fridays on Forest, the event has been held on a side street as Great Bend’s Main Street happens to be a state highway — making street closures there prohibitively difficult. So, organizers have closed down Forest Street to bring in food trucks, games and alcohol. As many as 600 people will attend any given Friday, Blew said.

“People look forward to it,” she said. “It’s just everybody coming together. … I think it’s just a sense of something to do in town.”

She knew Great Bend wanted to expand its Friday events without closing down Main Street, but was surprised to learn how many Kansas communities were also planning big events and celebrations with common consumption areas.

“They all have a totally different vision,” she said.

Great Bend is currently exploring ways to expand the seasonal event now that the state law has changed. In her community, the consumption area is part of a wider effort to rejuvenate downtown: Younger people are moving back or into town, bringing new coffee shops and a brewery.

She said the alcohol district isn’t a panacea but has greatly helped improve downtown’s trajectory.

“We’ve got a great start with what we’ve done so far with the common consumption district,” Blew said. “I think this is just the start of the momentum.”

Recovering from the pandemic

Robin Davis had been worried about opposition in Norwood, North Carolina, a town of about 2,600 people about 50 miles east of Charlotte.

One of the community’s main churches sits just steps away from the small downtown where she aimed to create a social district that would allow alcohol following a new law in 2021.

“Luckily, it was a Methodist church,” she said. “We went straight to them and said, ‘Look, this is our vision. We’re not looking to have an outdoor community where people are stumbling around drinking.’”

The church and the town embraced the idea, she said.

Davis owns 110 Main Mercantile, which houses a boutique, co-working space and coffee shop, and runs a nonprofit supporting the downtown businesses. She said the new social district complements other investments in rebuilding the downtown.

“There was really nothing going on downtown,” she said. “You know, there wasn’t a community down there for hanging out and socializing. We actually have built that community.”

Nestled just a few miles from Lake Tillery, Norwood was discovered during the pandemic by dwellers of North Carolina’s bigger cities, Davis said. The social district has helped downtown businesses, but it’s also elevated events such as the town’s annual Arbor Day celebration, which is now able to bring in wineries and breweries in addition to live music and other events.

In fact, some members of the town council questioned why Norwood’s recent fall festival didn’t have any alcohol vendors on hand, Davis said.

“So, it was kind of neat that they were asking for it and a bit disappointed,” she said.

More than 100 miles away, officials in Raleigh purposely created their social district in the parts of downtown most affected by the loss of office workers during and after the pandemic.

“We were avoiding our nightlife area because they didn’t have as many challenges,” said Rachel Bain, the city’s hospitality and nightlife planner.

Raleigh launched its Sip n’ Stroll Downtown in August 2022 centered around Fayetteville Street and the Warehouse District. The district allows patrons to carry around specially marked cups from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

That’s helped boost sales at places like Crank Arm Brewing Company, where business remains uneven more than three years after the pandemic.

“2020 was really, really rough, as was the early part of 2021,” said co-owner Adam Eckhardt. “So we are definitely looking for a way to recoup massive and catastrophic losses.”

More people are living in downtown Raleigh, he said, but the after-work crowd has not rebounded, as many employers remain on hybrid schedules or have closed their downtown offices altogether.

Eckhardt said some residents were worried that the social district would cause a rise in public drunkenness or other crimes. But he said that simply hasn’t happened, because all the same laws forbidding drunken driving and disorderly conduct are still enforced.

“Those laws aren’t being done away with. All that’s being done away with is essentially the retail open container law,” he said.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization focused on state policy.

©2023 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is set to join Taylor Swift in Argentina as she continues her worldwide Eras Tour.

The athlete’s travel plans were confirmed by a source close to the couple and reported by NBC News on Wednesday. The meetup was set to come as Kelce enjoys a bye-week ahead of the Chiefs’ Monday night Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 20.

He was already abroad, having played an international NFL game in Frankfurt, Germany, where the Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14 on Sunday.

Swift, meanwhile, will resume her massive Eras Tour in Buenos Aires with three consecutive nights of performances at Estadio River Plate beginning on Thursday.

The meet-up would mark an interesting role reversal for the couple after Swift traveled in recent months to cheer on Kelce at many of his games.

It won’t be Kelce’s first time watching the Eras Tour. He discussed on his podcast, “New Heights,” a time when he attempted to give Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number during one of her shows in Kansas City over the summer.

In a recent episode of the podcast, Kelce hinted that he might be meeting up with Swift in Argentina.

“Got anything you’re looking forward to going to?” asked his brother Jason, a center for the Philadelphia Eagles.

“Not really,” replied the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. “I might just say, ‘f— it’ and just go somewhere nice, I don’t know. My skin’s getting real pale so I gotta go somewhere sunny.”

Jason then asked whether his brother would be heading “somewhere south,” only for Travis to confirm, “Closer to the equator.”

“South of the equator?” Jason teased, but Kelce refused to give a clear answer at the time.

Revenue increased for Walt Disney Co.’s theme parks globally in the fourth quarter, but the numbers lagged at Walt Disney World, the entertainment giant reported Wednesday.

Disney’s experiences division, which includes theme parks, hotels, Disney Cruise Line and merchandise, saw an uptick in revenue of 13% for the quarter ending Sept. 30. Domestic parks earned $5.4 billion, up 7%, while earnings at international parks were up 55% to $1.7 billion.

The report said Disney World suffered “lower results” without offering specific numbers. They were attributed to lower guest spending because of a decrease in hotel room rates, the cost of the accelerated depreciation for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the two-night theme experience that was shuttered in September, as well as inflation.

The company’s third-quarter report also indicated a slump at Disney World and pointed to the flattening of attendance and softening in other Florida tourism markets.

Higher attendance and higher ticket prices fueled the growth at Disneyland, officials said.

“Parks and experiences overall remains a growth story, and we are managing our portfolio exceptionally well,” Disney CEO Robert Iger said during an analyst call Wednesday afternoon.

“Even in the case of Walt Disney World, where we have a tough comparison to the prior year, when you look at this year’s numbers compared to pre-pandemic levels in fiscal ‘19, we’ve seen growth in revenue and operating income of over 25% and 30% respectively over the last five years,” Iger said.

Interim Chief Financial Officer Kevin Lansberry said Disney World numbers were suffering in comparison with those from the resort’s 50th anniversary celebration, which ended April 1.

Disney World will have “a little bit of that lapping effect that will continue for a little bit as we go through Q1,” he said. “But as I look out at the other domestic businesses … Disneyland continues to look exceptionally strong, as does Disney Cruise Line. So bookings, all of those continue to be very, very strong going forward.

“We continue to be bullish on the long-term positioning of our experiences business,” Lansberry added. “We expect those investments to ramp up towards the back half of that 10-year period, with more gradual increases in the first few years,” he said.

Iger repeated his $60 billion plan to “turbocharge” growth for the theme parks at multiple locations.

In an interview with CNBC’s Julia Burstin, Iger said the long-term success of the parks played a part in those investments.

“When we looked ahead and how we’ll allocate capital … we decided that a great place to place our bets or our capital is in the business that’s delivered the best results,” he said.

Fourth-quarter revenue for Walt Disney Co. overall was $21.2 billion, a 5% year-to-year increase.

The company reported an increase of almost 7 million subscribers to its Disney+ streaming service. The addition of theatrical releases “Elemental,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” boosted the service, Iger said.

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com

Most of the offers are one day only on Saturday, Nov. 11 but a few are for Friday or Monday. Some offers require additional purchases. All of them require valid military ID or at least some proof of service, such as discharge papers. Check with the restaurants for details and restrictions.

Acapulco Restaurant & Cantina: Veterans and active military can get a free two-item combo on Saturday, Nov. 11, according to a news release. The offer is dine-in only. The chain is also supporting disaster relief for Hurricane Otis victims in Acapulco, Mexico, this week, donating 20% off customers’ bills on Thursday, Nov. 9 to the World Central Kitchen, according to a Facebook post. Mention the fundraiser to your food server. acapulcorestaurants.com

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse: Military members can get a free Chocolate Chunk Pizookie with $11.95 purchase on Saturday, and active and former military can get a coupon for a free appetizer on their next visit with a purchase of $14.95 or more, according to the chain’s website. bjsrestaurants.com

Black Angus Steakhouse: Veterans and active military personnel can get a free steak dinner 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, according to a news release. The offer is good for dine-in and takeout orders. blackangus.com

California Fish Grill: Military can get a free taco of choice and a free drink on Saturday at all Southern California locations, according to a news release. cafishgrill.com

Charleys Philly Steaks: Veterans and active service members can get a free order of Gourmet Fries at participating locations on Veterans Day, according to a blog from the sandwich chain. The offer is for in-store only. charleys.com

Claim Jumper Steakhouse & Bar: This full service chain’s offer is for Veterans Day observance on Monday, Nov. 13. Veterans and active military can get a free meal from a select menu that includes such entrées as meatloaf, fried chicken, country fried steak and cheeseburgers. claimjumper.com

Chili’s Grill & Bar: Veterans and active military can get a free meal on Saturday. The choice of entrée is Old Timer with Cheese, Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas, Three-Piece Crispers with fries, or chili or soup with a side salad. chilis.com

Denny’s: Active and retired military personnel can get a free Original Grand Slam from 5 a.m. to noon on Friday, according to a news release. dennys.com

El Torito: Veterans and active military can get a free two-item combo on Saturday, according to a news release. The offer is dine-in only. eltorito.com

Farmer Boys: Veterans and active military can get a free Big Cheese burger on Saturday at participating locations, according to a news release. farmerboys.com

Golden Corral: Military Appreciation Night is 5 p.m. to close Monday, with free dinners for veterans and active personnel. The event is dine-in only. goldencorral.com

IHOP: Red, White and Blueberry Pancakes are free to members of the military 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. ihop.com

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que: Veterans and active duty military can choose from two free entrées Friday and Saturday. They are a pulled pork sandwich or fried chicken. They will also receive a $10 thank you card good Nov. 24-Dec. 3. lucillesbbq.com

Polly’s Pies: Veterans and active military personnel get a free slice of pie Friday or Saturday, no purchase necessary, according to a news release. pollyspies.com

Raising Cane’s: Service workers will a get 10% “hero discount” on Saturday, according to a news release. Also, the chain will donate $250,000 of net proceeds on Nov. 11 to the Wounded Warrior Project. raisingcanes.com

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews: Veterans and active military can get a free Red’s Big Tavern Burger on Saturday, according to a news release. The meal comes with Bottomless Steak Fries. The offer is dine-in only. redrobin.com

Rock & Brews: Veterans, active military and first responders can get a free pulled Pork Sandwich or Strawberry Fields Salad on Saturday. The offer is dine-in only. rockandbrews.com

Sizzler: Active duty military or veterans can get a free lunch until 4 p.m. Saturday at participating locations, according to a news release. Selections include a six-piece Jumbo Crispy Shrimp, Malibu Chicken, or a 6-ounce Tri-Tip Steak. sizzler.com

Starbucks: Veterans and active duty military can get a free tall — that’s 12-ounce — hot or cold brewed coffee on Saturday. The chain is also donating $100,000 each to nonprofits that help veterans, Team Red, White & Blue and the Travis Manion Foundation. starbucks.com

Wienerschnitzel: Veterans and active military can get a free chili dog, fries and soft drink on Saturday. wienerschnitzel.com

The “Fantasmic” nighttime spectacular will return to Disneyland’s Rivers of America on May 24, according to Disneyland officials.

ALSO SEE: Has Disneyland’s Fantasmic lost its magic?

The return date falls on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend — the unofficial kickoff of the summer season.

Disneyland crews have been working to repair the “Fantasmic” dragon since the technically impressive 45-foot-tall audio-animatronic burst into flames during a performance of the nighttime spectacular in April.

ALSO SEE: The cursed history of Disneyland’s problematic ‘Fantasmic’ dragon that burst into flames

“Fantasmic” won’t include the dragon figure when the show returns, but will instead feature new special effects during the battle scene between Sorcerer Mickey and Maleficent.

The temperamental 18,000-pound Disneyland dragon — mockingly nicknamed Murphy by fans after Murphy’s Law — had a troubled history of malfunctions and breakdowns stretching back more than a decade.

While “Fantasmic” remains on hiatus, Disneyland has replaced the nighttime spectacular with performances of the Jambalaya Jazz band floating on the Rivers of America and the “Heartbeat of New Orleans” projection show.

The “Fantasmic” cast and crew were notified of the show’s return date earlier this week, according to Disneyland officials.

Disneyland officials will share more information about the return of “Fantasmic” in the coming months.

The first event will take place on Saturday, March 16 at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado and the group will spend St. Patrick’s Day proper on Sunday, March 17 at the Las Vegas Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

And they’re not raising a frosty pint alone, Flogging Molly will be joined by Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Buzzcocks, Face to Face, Amigo The Devil, NOBRO, Gen and the Degenerates and additional artists which will be announced in the coming months.

Tickets for the all-ages show go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at shamrockrebellion.com. General admission starts at $69 and VIP starts at $149. VIP admission provides access to designated areas with shade, upgraded restrooms and VIP bars.

Shamrock Rebellion is produced by Orange County-based Brew Ha Ha Productions (Punk in the Park; OC Brew Ha Ha; Brew Hee Haw) and will also feature craft beer tastings and other offerings from local and regional breweries for those 21-and-older from noon to 3 p.m. Participating breweries include Brewery X, Rad Beer Co., Artifex, Radiant Brewing, Tarantula Hill, Stone Brewing and more.

Although the Bravo series highlights many coastal Orange County restaurants — most notably, the Quiet Woman in Corona del Mar, which played host to one of the entire franchise’s most infamous restaurant scenes, which involved Shannon Beador, former castmate Kelly Dodd, and a tossed plate — Kirschenheiter notes that some of her favorite dining spots, located in South County, are rarely seen on the show.

SEE ALSO: Real Housewives of Orange County finale: Tears and truth serum

“Honestly, my favorite place to go to is Five Vines Wine Bar in San Juan Capistrano. It’s such a special place for (boyfriend Travis Mullen) and me,” she says, adding, “When I first started going there, I was still drinking and, yes, it is a wine bar, but Travis and I still go there around once a week because we’re so in love with the food and the space.”

Kirschenheiter’s regular order here is a meat board, which come with either soppressata, smoked prosciutto, chorizo, or smoked pastrami salmon. Other highlights at this family-owned eatery/wine bar near the train tracks include a pear and brie skillet melt, a crispy chicken sandwich, caramelized onion and mushroom pasta and other comfort-food fare. Although the reality star is now a teetotaler, the award-winning restaurant also features more than 65 boutique wines from which to sip. “The food is bomb and so is the hospitality,” she adds.

The “Housewives” star also names Brussels Bistro in San Clemente among her favorite pit stops. “You have to get the mussels there; they’re incredible.” (Former Orange County Register food critic Brad Johnson, who praised the San Clemente location in 2019, also agrees.) Kirschenheiter gives props to South Swell Ice Cream, also located in San Clemente, as a choice spot for dessert and an Instagram moment under its “dip me” pink neon signage. “It’s so cute, you get great ice cream and you can get a super cute picture.”

SEE ALSO: Heritage Barbecue changed OC’s restaurant landscape — and beyond. Here’s how they did it.

As for places she wants to try, San Juan Capistrano’s Heritage Barbecue, considered one of the best barbecue joints in California, sits at the top of her culinary list. “I’m so happy for them because they’re obviously crushing it, but I can’t get in because the line goes down the block,” she says. “I think one day I’m going to send Travis down there to wait in line because I want it so bad.”

The native Long Islander gives high marks to more relatable spots like Taco Bell and Del Taco. “We didn’t have El Pollo Loco where I’m from — I could eat El Pollo Loco everyday.”

As for the Quiet Woman (or “the Q-dub,” as fans of the show call it), she doesn’t visit its hallowed halls too often. “I’ve been there a handful of times, but to be honest, it’s not really a part of my ‘Housewives’ history because it’s simply not where I live,” she says, adding, “But whenever my girlfriends from the East Coast visit, we’ll go there. We’ve even reenacted some scenes from the show for photos.”

Along with fellow housewives Shannon Beador and Emily Simpson, Kirschenheiter has the distinction of coming aboard the Bravo franchise midway through its run, becoming a hit with fans, and not turning into a one-and-done player, a bungle that befalls many a housewife unable to make past their first season.

Kirschenheiter, who works as a real estate agent when the cameras are off, hopes to act as a representative for South County. “I think South County is very underrepresented down here … there’s so much rich history combined with very good food and culture.”

An Airbus A321 aircraft took off from London Stansted Airport last month with four damaged window panes, including two that were missing, according to UK air accident investigators.

Nine passengers and 11 crew members were on board the plane bound for Orlando International Airport in Florida on October 4, when the damage, apparently caused by high-powered lights used during a filming event the previous day, was discovered after takeoff.

The aircraft had reached an altitude of at least 14,000 feet by the time it was turned around, reads a special bulletin by the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB.) The plane landed back at Stansted Airport safely shortly afterward.

‘Increased cabin noise’

The report, published on November 4, details the incident, noting that it could have resulted in “more serious consequences” if “window integrity” had been “lost at higher differential pressure.”

It describes how passengers had noticed that the aircraft appeared to be “noisier and colder than they were used to” after taking off at Stansted Airport.

As the plane continued to climb and the seatbelt signs were switched off, the loadmaster, who had also noticed “increased cabin noise,” walked towards the back of the aircraft and spotted a cabin window on the left side of the aircraft with a window seal that was “flapping in the airflow.”

The loadmaster, who described the cabin noise as “loud enough to damage your hearing” informed the cabin crew and also went to the flight deck to let the commander know.

Ongoing investigation

Although there were no “abnormal indications,” the crew opted to stop the plane’s ascent at 14,000 feet and reduce airspeed while the window was inspected by an engineer and the third pilot.

“Having inspected the window, it was agreed the aircraft should return to Stansted,” the report continues.

“The cabin crew told the passengers to remain seated and keep their seatbelts fastened, and reminded them about the use of oxygen masks if that became necessary.”

The full extent of the damage to the aircraft wasn’t discovered until it was back on the ground.

The flight crew initiated a descent and the aircraft arrived back at Stansted Airport a short while later. The total flight time was 36 minutes, according to the bulletin.

After passengers had disembarked and the plane was parked and shut down, the crew inspected the plane from the outside, and found that two cabin window panes were missing and a third was dislodged.

“The four affected windows were adjacent to each other, just aft of the left overwing exit,” adds the bulletin.

The AAIB explains that the windows may have “sustained thermal damage and distortion” due to increased temperatures when the aircraft was used during filming for four to five and a half hours the day before the flight.

It will continue to investigate the incident to “fully understand the properties of the lights used and how this risk can be managed in future.”

“Aircraft owners and operators should consider the hazard posed by such activities to minimize the risk of aircraft damage,” it added.

CNN has contacted the AAIB for further comment.

The-CNN-Wire & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

“We will keep you updated as we navigate the next steps. We want to thank the HB community, especially the HB Fire Department, who worked quickly and diligently to save as much of our restaurant as they could,” the owners of Avila’s El Ranchito wrote in message posted to the restaurant’s Instagram page. “We will keep you updated as we navigate the next steps.”

In addition to the Huntington Beach Fire Department, the owners credit “Ryan, the owner of Shake Shack who called 911 when he saw the fire” for helping control the blaze before it caused any further damage.

No injuries were reported.

Avila’s El Ranchito, which has 12 other locations throughout Orange County, including Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, was founded by Salvador and Margarita Avila, who opened their first eponymous restaurant in 1966 in Huntington Park. The two passed away in 2022 and 2019, respectively.