Shorts

This week's travel news in brief

This week's travel news in brief

App fights fear of flying

Sweaty palms could soon be a thing of the past for some of the estimated one in three adults who are scared of air travel. A new iPhone app, based on Virgin Atlantic’s Flying without Fear course, aims to calm anxious passengers’ nerves with features that include a video explaining what happens on a flight from start to finish, relaxation exercises and fear therapy, as well as a fear-attack button for emergencies, with breathing techniques. The software, whose developers claim a 98 per cent success rate, counts Whoopi Goldberg among its satisfied customers. See apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone.

Disney heads for China

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The Walt Disney Company has announced a significant step towards opening its first theme park in mainland China, in Shanghai, following the approval of its project application by the Chinese central government, in Beijing. The decision, which is the result of years of negotiations, paves the way for finalising plans and beginning construction on the new Magic Kingdom-style theme park in the city’s Pudong district. Scheduled to open in 2014, the park would be the fourth of the company’s properties outside North America. Hong Kong Disneyland opened on Lantau Island in 2005.

3,589

Amount, in kilos, of CO2 produced by one person flying to the overseas destinations in this week's Go, excluding the last-minute deals and our advice column