I complained a few weeks ago about the eyesore of the locks being placed on Parisian bridges. It started as a cute idea in 2008 with lovers from across the world visiting Paris to “seal their love” by attaching a lock carrying their names to the railing of the Pont des Arts and throwing the key in the Seine. No one has stated whether relationships where the couple do this last longer! The Pont des Arts crosses the French capital’s river Seine just in front of the Louvre Museum. It is one of my favourite bridges in…
Qantas -My 1001st flight
Bravo to Qantas for recognising my 1001st time in the air! (it was also my 292nd second flight with the Aussie airline) and my third time on this particular aircraft an Airbus 330 (VH-QPF) named Esperance (after a town in Western Australia). I had last flown this plane back in March. Booking: 9/10 I was prompted to book by the announcement of a Qantas fare sale to Bangkok. In an unusual deviation from pattern, I only checked one fare comparison site kayak. I had almost hit “confirm” on the Qantas website which would charge my card and finalise…
Getting my cheap fares
I have to admit that I enjoy boring my friends with my latest exploits of finding low fares. I hate paying top fare for anything! What I enjoy more is when my friends use these tips to score their own low fares! Subscribe to email alerts for airlines and travel companies Watch for new cities – when an airline starts a new service, often there is a flurry of discounting not just from that carrier but their competitors. Jumping in on a new routing can save cash! Don’t use Expedia and Orbitz automatically – these are…
Off to Thailand this week
Heading to Thailand: Bangkok and Chiang Mai this week so hopefully can keep you appraised of the current situation. Excited about Chiang Mai as thats new to me. Will also be flying my 1001st flight with Qantas so a bit going on. Have a great week. Related Posts My 999th Flight How I got hooked on Flightmemory.com
Darwin Flights to resume after Volcanic disruption
Flights will resume late Sunday local time, from Darwin airport in Australia after ash from a volcano eruption in Southern Indonesia closed airspace for hundreds of kilometres. The volcano, which erupted on Friday, is 1373km northwest of Darwin on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. It is roughly halfway between Bali and Timor. The volcano was reportedly erupting up to 15 kilometres (nine miles) in the air. Some tourists slept on the floor of the airport. For information on departures from the airport, check here.
Air New Zealand’s new 787-9 takes flight
Wishing desperately I was in Seattle this week when Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 787-9 took off from Paine Field airport north of Seattle for a three hour and ten minute flight. It reached an altitude of 11,800 metres (39,000 feet) and an airspeed of 360 knots during its B1 test flight during which the two pilots throughly checked all systems to ensure performance while simultaneously checking full cabin functionality of every aspect of the cabin is tested in-flight. Air New Zealand is the launch customer for the Boeing 787-9 and this aircraft (tail registration ZK-NZE) is the first of…
Volcanic ash cloud spreads south – Yahoo!7
Darwin airport has been closed. Volcanic ash cloud spreads south – Yahoo!7.
Vincent Aviation Australia Collapses
The airline serving one of the most remote regions of the world: the Australian Northern Territory collapsed this week. Vincent Aviation Australia, based in Darwin, advised its 120 employees by letter that they had lost their jobs, grounded its fleet, advised customers to contact their banks for a refund and closed its doors. Their New Zealand operations are not impacted.
Thai Curfew Times Relaxed
In a move which is intended to help tourism, the military has relaxed the curfew. The curfew now runs from from midnight to 4 a.m. (It was 10pm to 6am). Markets, shops, petrol stations and bars will now be able to stay open longer. This follows a fall in tourism numbers of 20 per cent since martial law was imposed just over a week ago. Nine per cent of Thailand‘s GDP is tourism related. There has also been a drop in consumer spending by Thais. Outside Bangkok, tourists and locals are reporting little difference to day…
Don’t let the Bedbugs bite
In my travel adventures, I have managed to miss out on the joy of meeting bedbugs (Cimex lectularius). There is signficant fear from many about these critters. Bedbugs are tiny small wingless insects that feed by exclusively on the blood of warm blooded animals. Humans, are therefore, ideal hosts for them. Bed bugs feed every five to ten days. The peak feeding time for a bed bug is about one hour before sunrise. They pierce the skin of the host with two microscopic hollow tubes. One tube injects saliva which contains anaesthetics and anticoagulants, so that the…
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