UAE airline Emirates has scrapped a 2–7 deal valued at $US16billion for 70 A350 planes (50 A350-900s and 20 of the larger A350-1000s). The news hit Airbus and engine manufacturer Rolls Royce hard this week. The planes were due for delivery from 2019. Emirates was the second biggest buyer of the new plane so the decision has removed nine per cent of A350 orders. Airbus still holds 742 commitments for the aircraft with Qatar Airlines the largest customer and Singapore Airlines is now the second biggest. The A350 has been designed to compete with the 777 and 787. Why has Emirates…
Thailand curfew lifted
Thailand‘s military government has fully lifted the nationwide curfew it imposed after seizing power last month. They announced that there is no threat of violence and tourism needs to be revived. Good timing for the World Cup! Related Posts Being in Busy Bangkok Thai Curfew Times Relaxed Martial Law in Thailand- Staying Safe [Updated] Thai Army takes full control in Coup -imposes curfew.
Not People’s Express…Puh lease
So it seems the PEOPLExpress name which belonged to a low fare carrier that disappeared in 1987 has been revived. The new PEOPLExpress is selling tickets on its website for flights starting June 30. Their hub is Newport News in Virginia, a city of 180 000 people and the airline will offer one daily Boeing 737 service to the cities of Boston, Newark, Pittsburgh and West Palm Beach. PEOPLEexpress is billing itself as a Low Cost Carrier which will offer better treatment. I am not sure what better treatment will look like because almost everything costs: Check in Baggage starts at $20 for the…
Being in Busy Bangkok
“you’re going to Thailand…in a coup?” My friends were incredulous. After all news of a coup conjures up images of danger, disorder and degeneration. My friends were not alone in their fears. Tourism arrivals fell 20% in the first week after the Thai coup, some airlines have canceled flights into Bangkok and most tourist spots are way less busy. The capital itself is operating pretty normally, the army presence is minimal and apart from the curfew (which has now been lifted in some beach side areas) tourists have been largely unaffected. Remember, this is not the first…
Paris ‘Lovelocks” bridge railing collapse
I complained a few weeks ago about the eyesore of the locks being placed on Parisian bridges. It started as a cute idea in 2008 with lovers from across the world visiting Paris to “seal their love” by attaching a lock carrying their names to the railing of the Pont des Arts and throwing the key in the Seine. No one has stated whether relationships where the couple do this last longer! The Pont des Arts crosses the French capital’s river Seine just in front of the Louvre Museum. It is one of my favourite bridges in…
Qantas -My 1001st flight
Bravo to Qantas for recognising my 1001st time in the air! (it was also my 292nd second flight with the Aussie airline) and my third time on this particular aircraft an Airbus 330 (VH-QPF) named Esperance (after a town in Western Australia). I had last flown this plane back in March. Booking: 9/10 I was prompted to book by the announcement of a Qantas fare sale to Bangkok. In an unusual deviation from pattern, I only checked one fare comparison site kayak. I had almost hit “confirm” on the Qantas website which would charge my card and finalise…
Getting my cheap fares
I have to admit that I enjoy boring my friends with my latest exploits of finding low fares. I hate paying top fare for anything! What I enjoy more is when my friends use these tips to score their own low fares! Subscribe to email alerts for airlines and travel companies Watch for new cities – when an airline starts a new service, often there is a flurry of discounting not just from that carrier but their competitors. Jumping in on a new routing can save cash! Don’t use Expedia and Orbitz automatically – these are…
Off to Thailand this week
Heading to Thailand: Bangkok and Chiang Mai this week so hopefully can keep you appraised of the current situation. Excited about Chiang Mai as thats new to me. Will also be flying my 1001st flight with Qantas so a bit going on. Have a great week. Related Posts My 999th Flight How I got hooked on Flightmemory.com
Darwin Flights to resume after Volcanic disruption
Flights will resume late Sunday local time, from Darwin airport in Australia after ash from a volcano eruption in Southern Indonesia closed airspace for hundreds of kilometres. The volcano, which erupted on Friday, is 1373km northwest of Darwin on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. It is roughly halfway between Bali and Timor. The volcano was reportedly erupting up to 15 kilometres (nine miles) in the air. Some tourists slept on the floor of the airport. For information on departures from the airport, check here.
Air New Zealand’s new 787-9 takes flight
Wishing desperately I was in Seattle this week when Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 787-9 took off from Paine Field airport north of Seattle for a three hour and ten minute flight. It reached an altitude of 11,800 metres (39,000 feet) and an airspeed of 360 knots during its B1 test flight during which the two pilots throughly checked all systems to ensure performance while simultaneously checking full cabin functionality of every aspect of the cabin is tested in-flight. Air New Zealand is the launch customer for the Boeing 787-9 and this aircraft (tail registration ZK-NZE) is the first of…
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