I have been a member of the Youth Hostels Association on and off since 1977. Over the last few years I have faithfully renewed my membership without hesitation. Yet, my days of staying in backpacker rooms with 12 or more backpackers are very rare. My major motivation frankly for staying connected as as member are the discounts that many establishments offer youth hostel members. These discounts far outweigh the cost of my mmbership. The YHA discounts, I think, are the best of any discount scheme I have encountered travelling. Travelex gives commission free cash at…
Ear Grounded Me!
Somehow, I picked up an ear infection last week. On Thursday evening, I was meant to be flying for a short one hour flight but pulled the pin and postponed the trip because my ear did not feel right. A visit to the doctor an hour later confirmed I did the right thing. The doctor told me that if I had flown, I was at risk of damaging my ear drum. She also said there was a five per cent chance I could have caused permanent hearing damage. She prescribed no flying for seven days and a course…
No time for 1time?
The South African airline industry has had a very colourful and interesting selection of carriers. Now they really seem under pressure. Earlier in 2012, airline Velvet Sky went into liquidation. The action was launched by oil company BP over unpaid bills. At the end of August, the carrier 1time which is estimated to have 15 per cent of the SA market, filed for “Business Rescue” . This arrangement protects the airline from any creditor forcing it into liquidation while the new management team tries rescue the carrier. 1time (which means in South Africa: “for real!” has…
Bye BMI Baby
Last flight last Sunday for BMI Baby. As part of the sale of BMI to British, BMI’s lower fare subsidiary has now gone from the skies. Related Posts British Midland Regional Future??? Bye bye BMI Who gets BMI?
Seoul at last
A Korean movie In Another Country at the recent Melbourne International Film Festival followed by an amazing Korean banquet with friends, reminded me I have not written about my Seoul experience. So here we go: Aesthetics: 8.5 out of 10 Seoul is built on the Han River, its plains and is bordered by eight mountains. It is easy to bike, run or walk along the riverside and there are many cafes and restaurants dotted along. In a 2011 survey, over half the population and two-thirds of “urban planning professionals” voted the river as the second most scenic place in the…
Travel Tip: Charge Constantly
In today’s high tech gadget world, finding places to recharge equipment, can be very difficult. I have learnt to charge my stuff at any time. Anytime I see a spare electrical outlet, I now take advantage of it!
Never Forgetting
Qantas and Emirates – another nail
Qantas Airways on Thursday, this week announced an agreement with Emirates after months of speculation. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce called it “the biggest deal in Qantas history“. Qantas have publicly declared it is “The World’s Leading Airline Partnership” The ten year deal, yet to be approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (which I see as a formality) means Qantas will shift its main hub for London flights from Singapore to Dubai fly daily Airbus A380 services from both Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai adding to Emirates 84 services a week out of…
Bollywood Epic: Air India’s 787
Wasn’t sure this was going to happen but State-run carrier Air India’s first Boeing 787 has been delivered! The plane touched down at Terminal 3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport on September 8th at around 1700h (5pm). Behind the delivery is a saga of Bollywood proportions! First up, there is Air India’s precarious financial state. There was talk that the carrier may simply sell the planes to another carrier. Add to that, a dispute between Boeing and Air India over compensation for the four year delay in delivery. Three of the 787s have sat waiting in South Carolina for…
Kingfisher D day closer?
In the airline world, Kingfisher Airlines faces a meeting with its bankers – 17 banks have over 70 billion rupees ($US 1.26 billion) in advances to the carrier. The carrier has not serviced this debt since January, 2012. Kingfisher airlines also has an accumulated loss of over Rs. 80 billion rupees ($US1.4 billion). Since its launch in May 2005, the airline has never made profit. It has not been paying salaries consistently for a year now. The result has been a series of rolling strikes by staff for payment of wages. Last week, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), said Kingfisher must…
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