Buffalo is New York State’s second-largest city, with just over a quarter million people in the city and just over a million in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Area. The city is located in the western part of New York state on the eastern shores of Lake Erie. It is opposite, Ontario, Canada. Like many US cities it has really struggled with the stagnation and a falling population as industry moved out in a major way. Buffalo’s population is 55 per cent less than it was in the 1930s. Further, 27% of Buffalo’s residents are financially disadvantaged. Aesthetics: 6.5 out of 10 Buffalo could have…
Would you wear this?
It may not look great but kawamura-ganjavian, a European architecture and design studio, have claimed this device the “Ostrich Pillow” will help travellers counter the ill effects of jet lag on long-haul flights by enabling power naps “anytime, anywhere”. As you can see, the “pillow” has a hole for a user’s head, mouth hole designed to allow breathing and two side holes for your hands, if napping at a table for example, as illustrated below. Kawamura-Ganjavian, a Swiss-Spanish consortium behind the pillow say: “We have tried it in airports, trains, aeroplanes, libraries, at the office, on a sofa and even…
Trip Report: Qantas 93: Melbourne to Los Angeles
Booking 8 out of 10 I actually started my flight in Auckland, New Zealand. The fare for Auckland-Melbourne-Los Angeles-Melbourne-Los Angeles was actually $A1000 less than the fare for Melbourne-Los Angeles-Melbourne. Combining two New Zealand trips in was easy for me. The Qantas website easily worked out the multi city fare and came up with a better fare than Expedia.com or Webjet or Kayak could find. Sometimes looking at the airline’s website can be a bonus. Trying the same search with Virgin Australia online was not possible. Seat selection was easy. All the preferred seats were gone, These included the…
Crazy Week
Two things about this week: The first is I have a crazy schedule: five US cities in five days with flights from Auckland, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia. Will be flying Qantas, United, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest. The second is that I will fly the 900th flight of my life! Sadly, not a very exciting flight on a Delta connection to Richmond, Virginia. Check out my flight memory which tracks where I have flown. I have now flown over two million kilometres (1.2 million miles). That is almost 53 times around the world! Related Posts Two Million…
Thoughts about Aeroflot
I am flying in Eastern Europe in November. I have assiduously avoided Aeroflot all of my life. Should I have a rethink these days? Aeroflot is the Russian carrier founded by the Communists in 1923. It is now a profitable semi privatised carrier and part of the Skyteam alliance. Skytrax ranks them as a three star airline and the passeger reviews have them at 4.7 out of ten, which seems to be average for the Skyteam carriers! The carrier used to have an appalling safety record – so bad it has its own wikipedia page devoted to the…
ANA adds EVEN MORE 787s
ANA (All Nippon Airways) is purchasing eleven more Boeing 787-9 aircraft valued at $USD3.3 billion) for delivery between 2018 and 2021, the carrier said in a statement. ANA plans to switch its Narita to Seattle service to 787 aircraft from 1st October and between Tokyo and Beijing from 28th October. Tokyo Narita to San Jose, California will follow in January 2013. When added with existing orders, these purchases bring ANA’s Dreamliner fleet to 36 B787-8s and 30 B787-9s. The 787-8 is the base model of the 787 family: 57 metres long (186 feet), a wingspan of…
Adios Air Nigeria
When I was a child, in the late 1960s, I lived in Ibadan, Nigeria. From Ibadan we once flew to the then capital Lagos on a Nigerian Airways WAAC flight –along with live chickens in the cabin. (Pictured is a the type of Vickers plane they used at Lagos Airport in 1969 -Wikipedia) The carrier was renamed Nigeria Airways in 1971, the year I left Nigeria. Sadly, despite government ownership, the great BOAC legacy and a potentially huge passenger base, Nigeria Airways folded in 2004. The Nigerian government immediately began negotiations for a new carrier and Virgin…
Changement d’Air France
Air France announced this week, a series of changes designed to reposition its products and services at the best possible level in the industry” . These changes are all designed to attract custom back to an airline which has been hit by the global economic downturn and volatile oil prices. Under a three-year plan dubbed “Transform 2015,” Air France- KLM is seeking to reduce operating costs by two billion euros ($US2.59 billion) with the proceeds going to pay down debt. This includes cutting more than 5,000 jobs by 2015. Alongside this, is a new focus on attracting…
Croc on the Plane
In the 2006 film, snakes are deliberately released on a 747. en route to Los Angeles. On Monday September 17, a baggage handler in Melbourne, Australia upon opening the cargo door of a Qantas passenger flight found a small crocodile loose in the hold. The reptile had escaped from its container during the two hour flight from Brisbane, Australia. The reptile was safely re-captured without a problem and no baggage handlers lost a hand or finger. The airline and cargo handling company Australian Air Express are investigating how the crocodile got out of its cage. Related Posts Stop…
Don’t Overlook Youth Hostel Stays!
When I was a teen I used to stay in Youth Hostels with ten people in the same room. Before we left for the day, members had to present themselves to the manager to do a chore before checking out! Youth hostels have changed (as have I!). My post last week prompted on youth hostels prompted me to reflect that hostels still remain an amazing way to travel – and not necessarily just for teenager backpackers. For example, in Sydney, Australia during a really busy peak time in that city, the chepaest decent hotel room…
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