My partner flew Malaysia Airlines two weeks ago and had the choice of four empty rows of five seats per economy passenger to stretch out in. This was how empty the plane was. A photo doing the rounds of the internet shows a starkly empty Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 operating as flight 146. The service which departed Melbourne at 740am flying direct to Kuala Lumpur arriving at 1415 on Thursday 14 August 2014 had about 60 people on board. My next Malaysia Airlines flight is in two weeks. I called to arrange a “good seat” to find that…
Looking for the World’s Fastest Airline
As a runner, I am really interested in this event taking place next Saturday at Budapest Airport in Hungary. They will play host to a competition between airlines to see who is the fastest airline …on the ground. On Saturday 6 September, a 12 kilometre (8 mile) race involving 1,000 runners will take place on Budapest Airport’s Runway 1 (13R-31L) to raise funds for child cancer charities. The runway is 3km long so I presume teams will run it four times. There will be prizes awarded for: The fastest male and female “The Fastest Airline in the World” “The Fastest Airport…
Iceland Northern Lights from USA $899
I know that Iceland has been somewhat topical with a volcano threatening to blow! It is also one of the most amazing stunning and interesting places, I have ever visited. I have been hankering to go back since my visit there five years ago. On top of that I well and truly want to see the phenomenon known as the Northern Lights. Many years ago, I had the privilege of watching the “Southern Lights” ( Aurora Australis) in Tasmania, Australia. the shimmering, dancing colours is an image I will never forget. My appetite is whetted for their Northern…
Iceland Volcano threatens -live feed
In 2010, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjoell led to the biggest European airspace shutdown since World War Two with one hundred thousand flights across Europe cancelled and eight million passengers stranded. Over the weekend Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano has been shaken by earthquakes and started a small eruption. Located in south-east Iceland under the country’s largest glacier Vatnajoekull, Bardarbunga rises to more than 2000 metres. It has an ice layer of between 150 and 400 metres thick. So far, there is no indication of imminent flooding caused by glacier melt. There have been fears that this volcano will have the same impact as Eyjafjoell if it erupts. I fly…
Australia to Singapore Scoot 2 for 1 Sale
For two days only. Scoot is offering a very cheap way to get to Singapore from Gold Coast, Perth and Sydney. Flight dates: from today until 30th November. The first passenger pays fare and taxes and the second passenger only pays taxes. The offer does not apply to their Business Class fares. In addition, the airline is also taking 15 per cent off the price off Super & Stretch seats which give you 35″ of leg room. I found good availability looking through October and November. The cheapest price I found from Sydney to Singapore was AUD 646.95 return for two ($US602). Thats…
Most pierced man refused entry into Dubai
Rolf Buchholz a 53 year old German is the world’s most pierced man, according to the Guiness Book of Records. He sports 453 piercings plus two horns on his forehead. This week, he was barred from Dubai. No reason for refusing entry was given by airport officials but airpirt workers reportedly told him that officials were concerned he could be a practitioner of black magic. Ironically, he was on his way to a guest appearance at Cirque le Soir nightclub in Dubai’s Fairmont Hotel. This incident will generate some publicity for them? (For the record, he has 16 piercings in his right ear,…
Will I keep flying?
First of all it was MH370, then MH 17, then Taiwan, Iran, one in Mali and a shooting at a plane in Pakistan. Lots of people have been asking me whether I will keep flying after these horrific events. A poll, conducted for TheStreet by GfK at the end of July found that 36% of Americans feel afraid to fly internationally. Women are more fearful than men, older people are more fearful than younger people. For an Australian who flies Malaysia Airlines a lot and who has traversed the skies above the Ukraine a few times in my Europe voyages,…
Would you fly in a Windowless Plane?
The IXION Windowless Business Jet Concept has no windows. Instead any scene can be projected onto a high-res screen on the interior cabin walls and ceiling. It could be the view from the outside of the plane or relaxing scenes or business charts! The displays would be powered by Solar panels on the jet’s exterior. The design recently won the Exterior Design Concept category at the 2014 International Yacht & Aviation Awards for Paris-based company Technicon. The advantages of removing windows include: construction cost reductions a lower weight leading to decreased fuel usage increased flexibility for the inside layout of the plane…
Air Asia Wifi Flying Soon
120 AirAsia staff last Wednesday (August 13) undertook the first ever user acceptance testing of the airline’s newly installed Wi-Fi service. The team used three popular messaging services – LINE, WhatsApp and WeChat with reportedly positive results for all three services. The team also shared live updates on the company’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts. Instant messaging, emails and content streaming will be gradually rolled out across the entire group starting with flights with the AK code. Sixty AirAsia passengers per flight will be able to participate in a “free user test” of the system for the next two months. I am on…
Video: Dangerous Dreams in Rural Utah
This video on the BBC Travel website had me rolling around. Hilarious – and sobering. What crazy things people do when young and carefree?! The site has a series of animated mis adventures based on reader experiences including: Near drowning in Morocco Dangers in the Outback A stranger in Romania What misadventures have you had? Apart from almost getting robbed in Paris, having my starter motor die on my four wheel drive in the outback, sleeping in my car when we ran out of fuel in rural Western Australia, and almost getting blown up, I have…
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