I like sharing some of the wackier things I see when travelling. A passenger on my Air France flight last week, moved himself from Economy to Business Class just on pushback from the gate. The flight attendant very swiftly chased the passenger back to the economy section. A few seconds later, while the plane was stil taxiing to the runway, the same passenger moved himself into an exit row seat (middle seat actually). I had a few questions: 1. Was this a regular trick he tries? If so, does it ever work? 2. Was he not aware…
Travel Tip: Walk
When planning a trip for a day, list the attractions you want to see in a city or area. Then group them by locality. Plan your itinerary for a day so you can walk between attractions. You will save money and time and see a lot more than from a taxi, bus or subway. Just make sure you pack good shoes! Related Posts: Travel Tip #6: Take Travel Insurance Travel Tip #7: Be Date Flexible .
My 880th Flight -ever
Saturday saw me step off my 880th flight. Suitably it was on a Qantas A380. I like that synergy- 380 for my 880th! The flight itself was wonderful- trip report soon! It was also my tenth A380 trip: four with Qantas, two with Air France, one each with Emirates, Korean, Lufthansa and Singapore. More information is at: http://My.FlightMemory.com/mjc3000
ANA Passengers love 787
ANA has surveyed 780 of of its passengers who have flown the 787 between Tokyo, Japan and Frankfurt, Germany. A massive 98 percent said they wanted another chance to fly the Dreamliner, no matter which airline it belonged to. One quarter stated they would go out of their way to board the new aircraft again. Now I am really jealous! Other key findings: Cabin lighting exceeded expectations for 90 per cent of passengers 90 per cent said air quality and cabin pressure met or exceeded their expectations 80 per cent said the amount of personal space met…
Less Luxury at Lux air?
I have been to Luxembourg once. This tiny Grand Duchy has a population of half a million in an area of just under 1000 square miles (2 586sq km) in an area bounded by Belgium, Germany and France. It is the 170th smallest country in the world and the second wealthiest. The Grand Duchy has a railway company: Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois with six lines. The last visit I had to Luxembourg was by train so I have not had the pleasure of flying the Duchy’s airline: Luxair. The carrier is rated a 3 star by Skytrax -but has very high customer reviews.…
No Birds
I like this sign on Toronto, Canada. I am not a huge fan of feeding birds – particularly invasive species such as sparrows or seagulls.
German Train Delays
Many years ago, when Germany first had its ICE (Intercity Express) High Speed Trains, I was riding one to Frankfurt. As the train conductor walked through the carriage I was in, three German Businessmen yelled angrily at him “Drei Minuten”. Yes, our train was three minutes late. That image of the punctual German Railway has stayed with me so it was with a sense of disappointment that I discovered on arriving at Berlin’s brand new multi level Bahnhof (Central Station ), that my Hamburg bound train was 20 minutes late. When the train finally rolled in…
Travel Tip #7: Be Date Flexible
I am trying to identify the Top things I do to save me money when flying! Be flexible with dates. By doing so, airfares and accommodation prices can vary enormously. My Dad found on one occasion when booking an airfare found that the same fare was $1495 one day and $3050 the next. The difference? School holidays! When I book flights I always try to use the tools that let me see fares over a week. For example: kayak.com allows you to search for airfares three days before and three days after a selected date. Related Posts: Travel Tip #3…
19 000 miles in a week?!!
This is a crazy travel week this week! Starting with a 200km Hungarian train journey, I end up covering 31 096 km (19322 miles ) with four air carriers and a rail company. I get two A380 rides from Paris to Los Angeles and then onto Melbourne for Australian winter. Anyone else being so stupid?! Wishing you a good week.
Boeing Pips Airbus Orders this week.
At the Farnborough Air show this week: Boeing announced they took orders for 396 aeroplanes with a value of approximately 37 billion dollars US. Airbus bagged less then a third of that with 115 planes ordered valued at 17 billion dollars US. To be fair, 150 of the Boeing planes ordered are from one airline: United. Taking that order out, Boeing at 246 still got orders for more than double the number of planes of its European rival. The 737Max has been selling well with firm MAX of 649 jets. Boeing stated that the MAX has commitments for more than…
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