Today I received a card and a model 747 from John Watt of Qantas Customer Services to commemorate my 747th flight on a 747. (See earlier blog post) Unexpected and appreciated. Thank you.
the 787 in “operation: in Japan
I am excited! The 787 has started a series of simulation flights around japan to test the airliner in service. Here are some great pics from Seattle‘s Post Inquirer newspaper. A Boeing 787 (middle) taxis Behind a Boeing 767 after arriving from Seattle at Tokyo‘s Haneda International Airport on Sunday, July 3, 2011 –Seattle PI 787 is welcomed to Japan I want to fly on it soon!
Auckland is getting better
I first came to Auckland as an adult in November, 1991 – almost 20 years ago. It was the middle of the 1990s recession and Auckland felt grim. Wellington, Auckland’s rival city 640 km (398 miles) was also grim but I connected to Wellington with its art and fashion scene, good public transport and walkable sights. Auckland and I never connected. I have always been someone who has favoured one city over another (hence why I do my city rankings): San Francisco over Los Angeles Melbourne before Sydney Paris and not London Liverpool over Manchester Glasgow before Edinburgh Toronto before Vancouver…
China Southern A380 News
The 7th airline in the world to get their 380 will be China Southern. One of their planes rolled out of the paint shop this week. It will go back into the hangers for more work, apparently, before delivery later in the year. The Airline’s layout has been released. They will have 506 seats across all classes (Air France has 516 or 538, Lufthansa 526, Emirates 489/517, Singapore 471, Qantas 450 and Korean 407): First Class, 1-2-1 layout, is located on the lower deck. Business Class, situated on the upper deck, is 1-2-1 428 Economy seats…
Korean A380 in service
The long anticipated first flight of Korean Air’s A380 took place last week. The sixth airline in the world to fly the plane after Singapore, Qantas, Emirates, Air France and Lufthansa, the first flights were from Seoul (ICN) to Tokyo and Hong Kong Korean have ordered ten A380s. Five will be delivered this year and the next five not until 2014. They have configured the plane to have the least number of seats of all the airlines flying it (414) with the top deck being all business class with 94 seats. The lower deck has 12 First Class and…
The Unsafe Tiger
I have been critical about the “budget” carrier Tiger Airways Australia which can be likened to a bus with wings as noted in my previous blog about them.Seems the bus is not safe. On Saturday July 2, 2011 Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) grounded Tiger after the airline’s planes twice breached lowest safe altitudes. This grounding came after they had given the carrier a warning in March saying Tiger needed to “improve the proficiency of Tiger Airways Australia’s pilots, improvements to pilot training and checking processes, changes to fatigue management, improvements to maintenance control and ongoing airworthiness…
A-Z of Welcome Aboard
Ever noticed how airlines welcome you aboard? As you go down the jetbridge and through the open aeroplane door, what happens. In Australia and New Zealand domestic travel, crew members check your boarding pass and usually greet you. This is generally the case with international flights. Not so in the USA as passengers wander onto the plane ignored by cabin crew. These have been my experiences with domestic and international cabin crews. Air Asia-there were flight crew on board? Air Canada- Calm cheerfulness Air France- Gallic hospitality-feel like I am coming home Air New Zealand – Awesome Kiwi friendliness American- Surly British- mix…
My 757th Flight on a United 757-mega fail
Thanks to Flight Memory.com and my friend Tony (see blog post), I know exactly how many fights, miles and hours have been spent in pressurised tubes of metal flying around the world. Even after many flying hours, and despite the determined efforts by some airlines to make travel as horrible as possible, I am still wildly excited about plane travel. United flight 967 at gate in LAX Flight 737 on a Boeing 737 with Southwest was a fun experience. Flight 747 on a Qantas Boeing 747 was made very special by the delightful cabin crew.…
Buzzing Brasilia- the Tourist Experience
This is my fourth article on my recent experiences on Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. When I told people that I was going to visit there, I got one of three reactions: Why? Where? What for? I was regaled with tales of people going mad with boredom in the sterile cityscape and the empty streets. Even Brazilians said to me that it would not take long to see the sights! Brasilia gets such a bad rap – from anyone who has never been there. The locals I spoke to, however, liked their city. Many who were born there, bristle at the…
My 737 Milestone- 200 flights
A Qantas 737-800 I have been flying too much! Another milestone with my 200th flight in a Boeing 737. I have flown 737s more than any other type of aeroplane. (767- 106 times, 747 – 93 times) From Iceland in the North to New Zealand in the South and East to Honolulu in the West, I have flown to or from 84 airports in 737s operated by 23 airlines. around the world, although over half of the flights were a single carrier Qantas (see airline list below) I think of the 737 as a reliable functional car…
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