I knew I don’t like flying Air Asia for a reason. On Saturday 11th August, One of their flights from Miri in Sarawak state, Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur, the country’s capital was delayed for an hour when a man opened the emergency doors and leapt out of the plane just before take off. Other flights were also delayed. Fight passenger Siva Nathiran. said “The raft automatically opened. Other passengers started screaming. The plane was brought to a halt,” Flight attendants advised the captain who halted the flight (do the pilots know when a door is opened?). The passenger was arrested…
Slow Train in Hungary
Two weeks ago, I blogged about my High Speed ICE experience. Today’s Trip Report is a little of a contrast. A much more slower trip from Budapest, the capital of Hungary to Baja, a small city south of Budapest. Booking: 3 out of 10 MAV Start has the most complex train booking system I have ever experienced. The site also froze a few times. It does provide all of the fare and train options on the one screen so you can see which train has the cheapest seats and make up your mind easily about tickets. Eventually,…
What the H*ll is this Code Sharing? (Travel Tip #9)
I was at a party recently and a guy I was talking to, was reflecting on his recent holiday. He had been shocked to find despite being booked on what he thought was a Qantas flight, it was in fact operated by British Airways. “What the hell is this Code Sharing?” was his comment. This experience can be a bonus. For example, being booked on an American Airlines flight but the carrier is Qantas. The service will be better and the food better! I have also found it can save you money. When I booked…
Qantas Gold Frequent Flyer-again
Quiet week here with no travel anywhere! Qantas sent me through my new Qantas Frequent Flyer card last week. My Frequent Flyer membership ticked over July 31, 2012. I have retained Gold status for another year.I had contemplated a last ditch Platinum run but resisted it. I also have some points with Emirates, JetBlue, Southwest and United. My other two main Frequent Flyer programs are with Virgin Australia (Platinum Status until December, 2013) and Delta (Silver Status until January). I also reached 7000 vists in July which was a new record for me. 80 per cent of you are regular visitors…
The 787 heads to Ethiopia
This one snuck up on me. Ethiopian Airlines will take delivery of its first 787 on Tuesday 14th August (next Tuesday). A crew will fly the new plane from Washington, D.C. to Addis Ababa on Thursday, August 16, 2012. The plane’s maiden flight the following weekend dubbed “The Dream Tour,” will be on August 18, 2012, with a sightseeing flight to Mount Kilimanjaro for around 270 invited guests, consisting of Ministers, Ambassadors, other VIPs, Ethiopian ShebaMiles [Frequent Flyer] Gold Members and media. Jealous! The first Ethiopian Dreamliner conducted its first test flight on Monday, July 9,…
JetBlue WestJet Expand Space for Pay
JetBlue has made a lot of fuss about the extra legroom in their cabins. It is one reason I love them. I also have been very happy to pay the premium to get the extra row emergency exit seats. They call this Product “Even More(TM) Space”. On JetBlue’s Airbus A320 aircraft, Even More Space seats with 38-inches of legroom are offered in rows 2-5 plus emergency exit rows 10 and 11. I like it because not only do you get more room (38″ instead of 33″), you also get Priority Boarding which means your luggage is first…
Mum, Look what I did today
Most 11 year old boys can end up in some sort of altercation with their family. Sometimes they have been known to run away as a result. Not many can do it by slipping away from their family and ending up on an international flight – without reservation, passport or boarding pass. Liam Corcoran was with his mother at Wythenshawe Civic shopping Centre. He ran away from her and travelled the 5km (3miles) to Manchester airport on a bus, after finding a ticket on the floor of the shopping centre. Liam was reported missing by his parents to…
Superjet Update
Armenian airline Armavia the launch customer of the 100 seat Sukhoi Superjet-100 airliner has decided it’s no longer going to fly the type. On July 9, 2012, Armavia cancelled its order for a second Sukhoi Superjet 100 but did not give reasons for the cancellation. Russian media have reported that Aeroflot’s fleet has been plagued by technical difficulties. The reported that Aeroflot had asked Sukhoi for compensation because the six Superjet 100s it operated were in the air for only 3.9 hours per day on average instead of the standard 8 to 9 hours because of Breakdowns, technical…
Amtrak goes Electronic
Amtrak, the US Rail system has some of the most archaic ticketing systems of any rail system in the world. One element of their system is that you have needed a paper ticket to ride. Not anymore. As of last Monday, Amtrak passengers may print out their own tickets at home or download them to their smartphone or tablet. Yes, E tickets have arrived on trains, only years after airlines abolished paper tickets. The system was trialled in California and had a massive uptake. I have been generally using the electronic ticketing machines at stations which…
280 times at MEL
I fly for the 280th time through Melbourne (Australia) airport! This is the airport I have used the most through my life. 280 check ins! Altogether, that is a lot of time in the security lines, shops and lounges! As of today, my ten most visited airports are: Melbourne, Australia (MEL): 279 times. 4.3 out of 5 Sydney, Australia (SYD): 248 times. 3.0 Los Angeles, USA (LAX): 89 times. 1.8 Auckland, New Zealand (AKL): 69 times. 3.2 Adelaide, Australia (ADL) 69 times. 4.1 San Francisco, USA (SF): 46 times. 4.0 London Heathrow, UK (LHR): 41 times. 2.6 Wellington,…
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