There are few experiences worse than getting off a 14 hour flight and encountering LAX customs and immigration. Walking through miles of grey corridors one encounters a huge understaffed space. The custom agents have been rarely welcoming. San Francisco, by contrast is a joy. One agent asked me why I flew through SFO and I told him “because you guys are a delight“. Much nicer airport, friendlier staff and easier to connect. (Plus I prefer the Bay area to its rival down the coast!) This is why I am so excited to see SFO is back on the…
Qatar’s A350 Aborted takeoff-lets not exaggerate
Disaster? MegaFail? Embarrassment? Last week, Qatar Airway’s inaugural flight from New York’s JFK to Qatar had an aborted take off 18 seconds into acceleration. The jet’s computer system canceled it’s own takeoff — because it calculated that runway 22R was too short. Journalists and staff onboard the plane were filming the take off and watching it on their individual screens when the craft came to a juddering halt. Pillows from economy reportedly flew through the cabin. The Points Guy Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig reported that he and others were terrified. He and other passengers wanted to get off the plane…
Don’t choose hotels just on cost
Out of the 1000+ nights, I have spent in hotels, I have only been disappointed on nine occasions and of those six were chosen by my client! And I suspect their major motivating factor was cost! In our modern cost conscious world, hotel choices are often made on the basis of their cost alone. The number of accounts departments that enforce decisions about accommodation on this factor alone are numerous. Assuming the hotel itself is not a flea ridden unpleasant place, there are five factors I consider and argue for with my travel and that of my staff:…
Can’t use a Non refundable hotel room?
The other week my boss had to fly to Sydney, Australia for work. And almost every hotel was booked out. The few rooms available were at astronomical prices. The Boardingarea community came to the rescue! Through a brilliant article on Magic of Miles on what to do with non refundable hotel rooms, I discovered Roomer, one of several websites that allows people to sell non refundable hotel rooms. As a result, I found a hotel room at my boss favourite hotel for less than half of what was being asked for. Win for the employee (me). There is…
Pray for #Paris
In view of the situation in Paris, I have withdrawn my original post. Praying for our world and especially those impacted directly by these events. Paris is my favourite city in the world and I feel very sad for this day. May we work to create peace not division between all of us on this one small wonderful planet.
Tiny Intersky insolvent
Austrian airline Intersky ceased flying immediately this week. The cessation was caused by the company that owned four of the planes leased by Intersky recalling them over unpaid leasing charges.The company reportedly owes five million Euros mainly to airports in Europe. A potential investor then withdrew their interest in the airline. The airline’s only owned plane flew the carrier’s last service from Zürich, Switzerland to Graz, Austria. The video below shows Intersky Dash 8 taking off from Graz for Zurich two months ago. Intersky, started operations in 2002. They flew charter and scheduled flights from Graz and Salzburg to…
Five things you must do while waiting for plane
There is a debate in my family over how early to get to the airport. Some family members like to be there four hours before a flight. Not me! I try to balance between spending the least amount of time waiting with having adequate time if something goes wrong. Even with my routines aimed at minimising every second I spend at airports, I still spend way too long waiting for planes! I reckon I have spent close to fifty days of my life waiting for planes at 212 airports around the globe! I have not counted…
Transaero Terminated
Out of the 90 carriers I have flown, none have been Russian. I had wanted to try private Russian airline Transaero’s legendary Imperial First Class with its gold embroidered seats, cotton sheet sets and special China! Its First Class came 16th in the world’s First Class cabins. Alas not to be for the airline closed their doors on 26 October 2015, days from their 24th Birthday on 5 November. Transaero had aimed to keep flying through to 15 December but its operating certificates were revoked after Russian banks withdrew support. The safety authorities then determined that Transaero’s massive debt posed a hazard…
Travelling with Books
I am an avid reader. While I live off my electronic gadgets, I still like a real paper book to read on journeys. Watching other people on buses, planes and trains, I know that I am not alone! Books take up space and add weight so here are some of my tips for travelling with books: Before Travel avoid buying books at the airport or train station- rarely will they be discounted-the exception is in the UK where I have found deals such as three books for the price of two! avoid hard covers as they add to…
United builds 787 routes
While a lot has been going wrong for United recently, on the positive side is the steady roll out of their 787 Dreamliners and their future planned destinations which have been steadily announced. The airline now has 22 of the 55 Dreamliners they have ordered. The Dreamliner’s ten destinations from San Francisco International are now: Auckland -July 2016 (787-8 increasing to a daily 787-9 from October) Chengdu -Commenced Houston Osaka -Commenced Shanghai Sydney -March, 2016 Taipei Tel Aviv – March 2016 (787-9) Tokyo Haneda Xi’an The airline is deploying the 787 on its longest flights which means they have a massive fuel…
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