Following my post warning about checking in batteries, I began thinking through what else should not fly. Out of my 1120+ flights, on five occasions I have checked luggage that has not arrived. As a result, I have had to report to the “lost luggage room”. I have been amazed at what other people declare what they have in their luggage! In summary, do not put anything valuable, dangerous and illegal in your checked baggage: A. Antiques, Art objects, artifacts, furs, Game trophies, antlers, and pelts, heirlooms and sculptures – ship them home with insurance B. Batteries; car batteries, wet cell…
Travel Tips (Monday)
Category Archives for Travel Tips (Monday).
Special Meals Decoded- Descriptions and Ticketing Codes
Last week, I covered airline “Special Meals”. If you are ordering a special meal, you may want to know what the code is for one or be ready to read your ticket information for what the airline has scheduled as a meal for you. Just as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) allocates two letter codes for airlines (AA= American Airlines) and three letter codes for airports (JFK = John F Kennedy, NY), they have created four letter standardised codes for meals which should cover every combination you will ever encounter! AVML – Asian Vegetarian Meal…
All about Airline Special Meals
Just before the main meal service, the crew will be bustling along the aisle discreetly serving what are known in the industry as “special meals”. There are a bewildering range of special meals (IATA lists over 30 different types). Vegetarians and diabetics are usually covered as are those requiring Kosher, Halal or beef free. These can be split amongst five categories: Baby and Children Meals Dietary meals – e.g. Diabetic, Gluten free, Low cholesterol Occasion meals e.g. Birthday Cake, Champagne Religious meals- Halal, Hindu, Kosher Vegetarian and Vegan meals A few tips on ordering a special meal:…
All about Flight Numbers & Airline Codes
After a couple of posts on airport codes, it is time, I turned my attention to airline codes and flight numbers! Every airline has a two letter code issued by IATA, the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Some are easy and recognisable e.g. AA = American Airlines BA = British Airways NZ = Air New Zealand UA = United Airways Others are more obscure such as: AY: Finnair – I discovered when I flew them originally carried the name Aero Oy 9W = Jet airways WN = Southwest airlines. There are multiple theories as to why Southwest is…
What’s that code? The ultimate airport decoder lists
I wrote a few weeks ago that I have been to 212 unique airports in 48 countries. Each of these airports, like most airports across the world has a three letter code which appears at ticketing, on documents and in airline routing procedures. Some codes are obvious eg SYD for Sydney or SFO for San Francisco and some of these codes can be quite obscure. eg EZE is Buenos Aires or IAD is Washington Dulles or ORD is Chicago O’Hare. If I am ever unsure of an airport code, there are two places I turn:…
Know your Emergency Response Numbers
As I was driving through New Zealand today, I observed a motor accident where a guy drove off the road. There were other New Zealand witnesses who immediately called the police and ambulances who responded very efficiently. It crossed my mind if a foreign tourist had been the witness, would they have known the numbers to call? It is 111 in New Zealand. I remember a news report about an Englishman who died in Australia. He had been alone when he had had a heart attack. The police found he had been repeatedly dialing 999, the UK…
Airline route maps in one spot
This may be worth bookmarking. Airfare watchdog has links to around 200 airline route maps. From Adria Airways to Yemenia It is mostly accurate! I tweeted them this week to let them know of a couple of out of date links. All the big ones are there (eg American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, United Airlines) plus some smaller ones (eg Nature Air, Regional Express). There are a few missing carriers (Scoot, Air Malindo). Related Posts Mapping 10 Busiest Air Routes of 2012 Picturing Air Routes Navigating Airports – My favourite Apps
Navigating Airports – My favourite Apps
I blogged a couple of weeks ago about how I use airports as a place to walk for exercise, people watch and plane spot. I have spent a lot of time in airports and am keen to maximise my productivity. When travelling through airports, these are the apps I go to: Tripit has been my go to app for five years now and I must admit, I completely rely on it. By forwarding my flight and hotel confirmations to Tripit, the app organises them into complete itineraries that I can access via phone or laptop or even print paper…
Getting Exercise- A walking guide to world airports
I don’t like spending much time in airports. Every minute in an airport feels like a minute wasted! I mentioned last week, however, that I use spare time in airports to help build fitness whilst flying by using the experience to build toward my 7 to 10 thousand daily step goal. I even sacrifice riding in the airport shuttle trains to achieve this. As a train nut, this is a sacrifice! Walking also enables me to people watch and plane spot. Let’s face it, using the time to get exercise is probably better than being a couch…
Avoiding weight scale shock
I gazed at the line at a hotel buffet in Perth, Australia and observed that almost every person in the line was overweight. Some were clearly just a little bit over their weight and others were in a concerning level. We know that being overweight increases the risk of many health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. I know that frequent travel increases the chance that weight will build up. Much time being sedentary, poor food choices at many airports and the temptation to enjoy exotic foods all contribute to weight gain risks. My…
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