Samoa Air is in the news again. After launching their pay by weight fares, they are today introducing a special section for passengers weighing more than 130 kilograms (287 pounds). XL class for super-sized passengers will feature extra-wide rows and special ramps to help passengers reach their seats. The section is created by removing a row. Leg room is increased by 30 to 35 centimeters (12 to 14 inches) in the next row: “like a three-seat couch“, according to the airline. It makes sense for Samoa, which the World Health Organisation says, has one of…
Weird or Wonderful
Category Archives for Weird or Wonderful.
Unicorn flies to Turkey
Excited about her vacation to Turkey, Emily Harris, from Wales made a toy passport for her design-a-bear unicorn named Lily. Her mother Nicky said “The passport doesn’t even look real – it’s got gold teddy bears on the front and was a completely different size from mine and my husband, Allen’s… The picture ID …was of a pink unicorn” Despite this, Nicky accidentally handed over the unicorn’s passport instead of Emily’s to Immigration officials who in turn stamped it , granting Lily the Unicorn access to Turkey. Ironically, the Unicorn had been left at home. It was…
How bad can you be on a plane?
In what has to be one of the weirdest and most unpleasant travel experiences documented for a while, a man has been arrested in Los Angeles for touching himself inappropriately during a flight from New York. The man was witnessed by a 17 year old female passenger who was sitting across the aisle from him. The passenger positioned his airline blanket so that his activity could not be seen by passengers on the other side of him. This may make you re think using an airline provided blanket on your next flight. She advised the cabin crew of the…
Picnicking on an ice block
Something to add to your list of things not to do on holidays…. A volunteer rescue team saved four US tourists who became stranded on an ice floe in Fjallsárlón glacier lagoon after it broke loose from the shore. Five tourists set up a table and chairs to picnic on the ice when part of the ice floe broke loose and drifted off ten metres (yards) into the water. One tourist jumped off and got help. Staff members from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon located west of Fjallsárlón were despatched with a boat to rescue the tourists…
Airbus drops 100 feet
What caption would you put on this picture? This picture taken by Alan Cross and published to Instagram has gone viral. The two Singapore Airlines flight attendants sit calmly after being ordered to their seats when their Airbus A380 (registration 9V-SKH) encountered severe clear air turbulence 90 minutes into a Singapore to London flight on 26 May. Behind them is a scene of devastation. Breakfast was just being served when the plane dropped 100 feet. Eleven people had minor injuries as a result of the turbulence. The flight SQ308 continued onto London and landed safely…
Branson fulfills his bet
I would have loved to be on board but I missed out on seeing Branson in drag action on Air Asia in response to a long time bet with Air Asias’s owner: Tony Fernandes. On the flight, Branson dressed in the Air Asia uniform complete with his trademark beard, fumbled the safety briefing and tipped orange juice into Tony Fernandes’ lap. For revenge Fernandes sprayed champagne over Branson in Kula Lumpur. I wasn’t quite sure what the Malaysian public will make of the images of Fernandes kissing Branson -all in a good day’s work to…
Emergency landing caused by song
Soon after take off, a passenger aboard an American Airlines flight began singing the Whitney Houston’s song ‘I Will Always Love You’. She refused to stop. Half way through the flight, a marshall intervened. The plane diverted to Kansas City Airport where she was handcuffed and removed from the flight by air marshals. As you can see in the video, she kept on singing. The woman was later interviewed by police and released without charge. Perhaps she was a nervous flyer? Related Posts Chinese Air Rage goes viral! The T shirt that stopped a plane (almost)
Branson’s flight a drag
In 2010, Virgin Atlantic Sir Richard Branson made a bet with Air Asia owner Tony Fernandes over who’s Formula 1 Racing team would finish higher in the 2010 season. Whoever’s team won would have to serve as a flight attendant on one of the other airline’s flights. Fernandes won. Branson will fly dressed as a flight attendant on Air Asia’s Perth to Kuala Lumpur flight next Sunday May 12th. He will carry out all of the responsibilities of a flight attendant on the six-hour flight. Fernandes who worked for Branson at Virgin in the 1980s said: “who would have thought my mentor will…
Boosting the Image of Down Under
As an Australian, I am used to people reacting enthusiastically to the mention of my country. Last year, however, at the launch of a $180 million “There’s nothing like Australia” campaign, research was revealed that Australians have a mixed perception internationally. 80 per cent of international travellers see Australia as “different”, 60 per cent had knowledge of it, half thought Australia was a relevant place to them – but only 30 per cent held Australia in high esteem. Americans saw Aussies as “carefree and rugged” but believed Australians don’t deliver quality or good value. British believe Aussies are “charming and…
Air Fares based on Weight
Following on from my post from two weeks ago about Air Samoa charging by the kilo to fly, Dr. Bharat P. Bhatta from Norway has proposed three models that he asserts would benefit “airlines, passengers and society” by cutting each flight’s fuel usage and carbon dioxide emissions. His three “pay as you weigh” models are: Total weight: A passenger’s luggage and body weight is calculated, with the fare comprising a per kilogram (kg) cost. In this scenario a passenger weighing 80kg (178 pounds) with 20 kg (44 pounds) of luggage would pay a fare of a base amount…
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