Virginia and then London bound…..first Premium Economy flight with Virgin Atlantic.
Early Unbuckling
On landing in Toronto as the rear wheels of the 737 hit the runway, a guy hopped out of his seat and headed to the rear restroom. Simultaneously a guy in row 16 got up and started looking under the seats of Row 13 as the plane decelerated. The Flight attendant jumped out of his seat shouting as he ran down the plane. He shepherded Mr Row 16 back into his seat and got Mr Bathroom back to his seat. Mr Row 16 didnt buckle up as the fight attendant returned to his seat. As we taxied in, Mr Row 13 got…
Trip Report: American- LAX to SFO
A positive review from me about American airlines? There is aways room for a first! I have flown AA 49 times and given them universally low rankings: Today my fiftieth American Airlines flight was a very pleasant experience. Check in: 9 out of 10 I was on a tight time frame and the LAX inter terminal bus was slowed by lost tourists. Upon getting to the LAX American Airlines terminal, I became a little lost. I saw a sign emblazoned “priority Access” and assumed (wrongly) that it was referring to entry to the gates so for some reason went…
Travel Tip: Don’t Check in baggage
Following on from last week, when I talked about how many toiletries people travel with, I had a very frustrating week with fellow passengers and their luggage . At Melbourne airport, a family of five were checking in, in front of me. They had fifteen bags – for a vacation. They had a huge argument with the check in staff about their baggage allowance. They were claiming the first class luggage allowance whilst travelling in Economy. The check in clerk was not giving it to them despite their posturing and yelling. The end result of a lot of wasted time, was a re pack…
US Best and Worst Carriers
The North America Airline Satisfaction Study was released on June 13 showing satisfaction with US and Canadian airlines declined slightly from the previous year . This survey run by J.D. Power and Associates 2012 involves more than 13,500 passengers giving their input between May 2011 and April 2012. Power scores airlines out of 1000 points with points being awarded for seven factors in this order of importance: Cost and fees In-flight services; Boarding/deplaning/baggage; Flight crew; Aircraft; Check-in; Reservations, Overall North American airlines rated 681 points down from 683 in 2011. Low cost carriers (average score 754 up 3) performed…
This Week: June 17, 2012
Starting in Chicago, I head up to Toronto, Canada and down to Buffalo and New York city – for the first of my birthday celebration s(i figure if I travel so much, I may as well enjoy multiple birthdays!!!
2012 Airline Bankruptcies
A cheerful topic! The one commonality the airline industry has, is that no brand is impervious. Unlike brands in other industries: Ford (USA), Cadbury (UK) and Waitrose (UK), airlines seem to come and go. The airlines lost so far in 2012 are listed below. Where I have blogged about the collapse, you will see my link. 2oth January: Cirrus (Germany) 27th January: Spanair (Spain) 30th January: US3000 (USA) 9th February: Malev (Hungary) – Check out my three blog posts about them: The Collapse 17th February : Air Australia (Australia) 26th February: Norfolk Air (Australia) 27th February: Velvet Sky (South…
Travel Tip: Take No Toiletries
I am amazed at what people carry with them in their as toiletries. Most, if not all of us take too much. The more toiletries you take means the more space they take and the more weight they create. You have to carry that weight. These days airlines are tightening up what you check in . If you are paying for your luggage then, you are paying for those toiletries. Should, you try and take them on board the plane, you may find yourself throwing stuff out because you cannot get the items past security courtesy of the 3-1-1 rule that applies to all US domestic flights and many international flights across the world. This rule limits passengers to Liquids, aerosols and gels must be in containers three oz/ 100 ml or less, Items being in one, clear plastic zip-top bag, and Only one zip-top bag per passenger. So my goal and suggestion is to cut back on toiletries. Taking none is impossible. . Here are my 4Rs for travelling with toiletries: Reduce what you take to one of every item. Do you really need three body washes, perfumes or aftershaves? Remember shampoo, soap and body wash are available in your hotel. The stuff they give away in most 3, 4 and 5 star hotels is perfectly acceptable. No, it may not be the brand you are used to but the point of travel is to try and new things. Reassure yourself that most toiletries are available universally around the world. If you are going to backpack in Cuba or Togo, that may be a different proposition. I used to carry around a roll of toilet paper – for years- I never used it.…
This Week June 11, 2012
I am all over the USA! I am mostly flying American (ugh). See you on board!
Qantas 250th time
I flew my 250th Qantas flight, last week, from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia. It was also my 860th flight of my life! Five weeks of my life spent inside Qantas planes travelling the equivalent of 16 times around the world! As you can see from the map below, the Australian flag carrier has taken me to five continents. What is interesting is how many of the Qantas routes I have flown on have now vanished: Harare to Perth, Bangkok to London, Sydney to San Francisco, Christchurch to Melbourne, and Auckland to Los Angeles are all gone. I have…
Recent Comments