It has been a relatively quiet year for plane crashes. On July 6, 2013, however, the Korean airline Asiana Airlines experienced a crash. Their flight 214 on approach to San Francisco International Airport from Seoul crashed after reportedly clipping a sea wall. The crash landing sheared off the plane’s landing gear and tore the tail off from the rest of the fuselage. It then burst into flames. The Boeing 777 had 307 people on board (291 passengers and 16 crew). The passengers included 141 Chinese nationals, 77 South Koreans, 61 Americans, three Indians, three Canadians, one French,…
380,000 points for $70
Here is a deal for you! When Mr Agius of Melbourne, Australia got a letter from the National Australia Bank (NAB) in January, offering him 100 additional points for each eligible purchase made on a NAB Qantas credit card, he went into action. He made 7000 purchases of one cent each – mostly between January 6 and January 9. Most of the purchases were used to top up his CityLink Tollway pass. For the bank had made a fatal error in that they didn’t specify how much you had to spend on each purchase to…
Ten tips to not leave stuff behind
It is a horrible feeling to realise that you have left something important or valuable in a hotel room, on a bus or in a taxi. I have lost a small amount of stuff over the last 49 years of travel. Some steps to reducing: Take less stuff Avoid travelling with valuables- assume you can and will lose whatever you take and ask yourself “is it worth the risk” Label stuff with your name and email/phone Place a shoe on top of or right next to your hotel safe. This will make you think twice before forgetting stuff…
Qantas Downgrades Status
I must admit, I am somewhat protective of my “status” with Qantas and Virgin Australia. I like my perks of lounge access, express check in and other bonuses. So any change an airline makes to how status credits are earned, what they mean and what benefits I receive, piques my interest. For example, from tomorrow, Qantas is changing how you get their “Loyalty Bonus” For every 500 status credits earned, Qantas currently will reward passengers with an 8000 point “loyalty bonus”. 500 status credits is equal to 50 flights between Sydney and Melbourne in Discount…
Fiji Airways Flies Again
Fiji Airways started flying under its orignal name yesterday, after forty two years as Air Pacific. Fijian artist, Makereta Matemosi has created three new symbols based on Masi art: The first Symbol is at the centre of the tail and is referred to as the Teteva symbol. It represents the friendliness of the Fijians, their spirituality and consideration of others. The second motif, called Rova, is ringed around the two engines, and represents the warm hospitality Fijians extend to visitors. The last design, the Makare, surrounds the Teteva and evokes the allure of Fiji’s clear…
Samoa XL (Extra Large) seat
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…
Trip report: Malaysia “five star”
Of the 5000+ air carriers on the world, There are only six five star airlines: ANA All Nippon Airways Asiana Airlines Cathay Pacific Malaysia Airlines Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines What makes a five star airline? According to Skytrax: The 5-Star Airline rating recognizes airlines at the forefront of product innovation, that set quality benchmarks and trends that are often followed by other carriers. The Airline Rating systems assess the standard of an airline’s Product and Service Delivery Quality, using more than 800 assessment categories, applied across both the Onboard and Airport environments. My experiences with…
Getting Stuck or Delayed
Murphy’s law states that “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. We travel thousands of miles in complex machines and most of the time it actually doesn’t go wrong. I am amazed over the distances and hours I have spent travelling, how lucky I have been. But sometimes it does. Weather, mechanics, people and electronics can all conspire to derail your travel plans. 1. Do your research-some flights, some airlines and some airports can have a notorious reputation for delays. Choose a better option 2. Check the airline’s website or Twitter feed before leaving…
What will we be flying in 2023
The Paris Air Show sales give a good indication as to what the fleets of the world will look like in a decade. It looks like the airlines were buying -with plane orders for over $US140 billion dollars being placed. Airbus, the European plane maker announced orders at the show for 466 planes worth $US68.7 billion including numerous orders for their new A350 (pictured below). The deals include options for 225 aircraft worth US$29.4 billion and firm purchase orders for 241 aircraft worth US$39.3 billion. There was strong interest in the A320neo ( New Engine…
Ryanair to USA
Michael O’Leary the CEO of Ryanair likes to startle people with announcements. Who can forget his infamous promise to charge to use the lavatory in-flight? Or the news in March that the airline was buying 175 Boeing 737-800s for almost $US16 billion. On one of the takeover attempts of rival Irish airline Aer Lingus, last October, he promised $US150 fares on US to Ireland flights if the deal succeeded. He promised that the Aer Lingus brand would be kept: “We need a two-airline brand strategy,”. The takeover bid was thwarted but Ryanair owns 30 percent…
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