One of the disadvantages of being based in Australia is that my long distance flights are all very long. And many of my flights have been done in the back of the plane! the reality is that this is where most passengers end up. The hallowed grail of Business or First can be elusive despite our best prayers, wishes and attempts! Here are 12 tips: Do some research- some airlines do long haul better than others. Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Finnair, Lan, Malaysia, Qatar, Qantas, Turkish and Singapore keep me much happier than Air Canada, Air France, American, Delta, Etihad and…
19 hour marathon will be longest Flight
If you can bear a 19 hour non stop flight, then the Qantas announcement of a non stop flight between Perth, Australia and London, England from 2017 might excite you. Using a Boeing 787-9 two pairs of pilots and a spare cabin crew would allow the aeroplane to make the 14,000 kilometre (9009 mile) journey in 19 hours. At the moment, Perth-London can be reached with one stop via Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Malaysian, Qatar and Singapore. The new service to London would have an early evening departure from Perth, reaching London, the next day by noon. Even…
Good Bye US Airways- will they be missed?
Tomorrow, US Airways disappears as a brand. It joins AirTran, Aloha, Continental, Midwest Express, Northwest, TWA as airline brands that have all disappeared since 2001. The largest airlines in the US have contracted to just three large carriers: American, Delta and United. US first flew in 1939 as mail carrier All American Aviation, adding passenger traffic in 1949. In 1953 it became Allegheny Airlines, a name it carried until the deregulation era of 1979 when USAir was adopted. USAir was varied to US Airways in 1997. In 2005, they entered into a “reverse merger” with America West with the America West…
$2015 US to London- BA Business Class Sale
Right now British Airways has roundtrip business class travel to London from $US2,015 from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC. The sale is only for October 15 and 16 for travel from November 16, 2015 through August 31, 2016 (although blackout dates apply on some routings). This is a great chance to fly the BA A380 or 787 product! The sale applies on British Airways code-shared flights operated by American Airlines. (although given the choice between BA and American…) You can reduce the cost by booking through AARP. Membership is only $16 and gives you an extra $400 off Business Class.…
The MH 17 Full Report (and summary)
As many have speculated, the Dutch Safety Board Report have found that a Russian made BUK missile brought down the plane. The missile travelling at three times the speed of sound exploded just above the cockpit of MH17 at an altitude of 10.1km (33, 000 feet). Eight hundred pre-formed fragments in the missile punctured the plane bringing it down in one and a half minutes. The three crew members in the cockpit were killed immediately. The Board found multiple missile fragments in their bodies. This video shows the painstaking reconstruction of the Malaysian 777: The speed…
Reducing Lost Luggage Problems
I have had a few bags lost in my travels. There are some things one can do to minimise them. Don’t check in luggage -I do all I can to reduce my total luggage to one carry-on and a small extra bag Choose an airline that has a better record with bags than the others. Do not put anything important in your checked luggage. This includes medicines, ID documents, cash, credit cards, laptops, ipad or jewellry Put your name, email and phone number on a piece of A4 or A3 paper inside your bag and…
Finnair’s A350 First Commercial Flight
This week’s airline porn is Finnair‘s first every A350 visit to Amsterdam Schiphol: Oneworld airline Finnair have ordered 19 of the A350 to fly their long haul routes along with A330s. They will replace their current A340 fleet. Qatar was the A350 launch customer has ordered a whopping 80 of the type. A further 31 other airlines ordered the type. Airbus has sold 598 of the type. Finnair’s A350 has 297 seats in three classes: Business-class: 46 flat bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration with a 78 to 81″ pitch and 21″ width. Every passenger will have direct aisle…
And the best airline is… Ethiopian?
There are few airline success stories from the continent of Africa. The wreckage of national carrier after carrier is strewn across the landscape. For example, Nigeria where I lived, has had a revolving door of carriers. South African Airways, once the strongest African carrier is bleeding cash as it limps along with an ageing fleet. Kenya Airlines announced a massive deficit and is facing an uncertain future. I have been following closely 70 year old Ethiopian Airlines. I noted their joining of the Star Alliance in 2011 and their status as one the 787 launch customers in 2013. The airline has…
PEOPLExpress is Gone
The last time we heard from PEOPLExpress on their plans to fly again was one year ago. A year later, I am definitely calling it. People’s Express has permanently putted out. Despite a cheery New Year’s message on Facebook (see below), nothing of substance has resulted in the airline flying again. For those of you who have forgotten… The original PeopleExpress went out of business in 1987, despite taking advantage of US air deregulation to become the fifth largest airline in the USA by offering ultra low fares which the staff collected on the plane.…
2015 CAPA Aviation Awards in Helsinki
Airline Finnair received their brand new Airbus A350 in time to show it off at this year’s CAPA 2015 World Aviation Summit in Helsinki, Finland. Presentations and discussions at the event organised by CAPA (Centre for Aviation) addressed Open skies, Subsidies, Ownership, Alliances, Distribution and Productivity. In the midst of the event were announcements for CAPA’s 2015 Aviation awards: Ethiopian – Airline of the Year for their leadership in the African market. IndiGo – CAPA Low Cost Airline of the Year Qantas -the CAPA Airline Turnaround of the Year Qantas CEO Alan Joyce named CAPA Airline Chief Executive of…
Recent Comments