My thoughst to the people of the Philippines impacted by Super Typhoon Haiyan which slammed into the country on Friday with a sustained windspeed of 278km/h (170mph). The death toll sits at 1200 plus with some saying it may be 10, 000. The typhoon is now heading toward Northern Vietnam. The Red Cross/Red Crescent movement world wide is supporting the relief work. Donations can be made by Paypal, Credit Card or Bank Transfer. Related Posts: Japan- One Year On
Hyperloop – less hype- more real?
The hyperloop concept was unveiled earlier in 2013. It involves sitting in a capsule and being “fired” down a pressurised tube between two cities at 1100km/h (660pmh). On Thursday a company “Hyperloop Transportation Technologies Inc” was established to have a prototype running by the end of 2015. The company is using a crowd source model to complete the work. 130 people have indicated an interest in company leadership. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has also announced partnerships with: Ansys, which created some of the first software simulations of the rail and stated: they were “convinced that the Hyperloop…
Fly Nonstop Stops
The old adage about the airline business is that the way to make a small fortune in the airline business is to start with a large one. Espen Hennig-Olsen, an heir to the Norwegian Hennig-Olsen ice cream company invested his money in a full service airline start-up carrier called Fly Nonstop. The airline started flying on April 25th, 2013. The airline leased a 100-passenger Embraer 190 which was flown by a Dutch charter company. The aircraft had two-class seating. Fly Nonstop had 17 weekly flights serving eight European destinations: Berlin, Dubrovnik, London City, Manchester, Nice,…
Funny Safety Briefings
Depending on how strict the airline is, some flight crews will make their safety presentations funnier. Here are some of the better ones that I havew found on the web. Any more? Intro “Ladies and gentlemen, did anyone lose a wallet near the front of the aircraft? – (silence) – We found a brown leather wallet on the floor (again, more silence……..). Ok, now that we have your attention, let’s begin the safety briefing… Please pretend that you care while we go over these important announcements. Welcome to SWA flight #3479. This is a non-stop,…
Test your wardrobe pre trip
On Sunday, I spied a visitor arriving in Canberra. Dressed in a white shirt and white trousers, he was only already showing signs of wear! Worse, it was a rather windy day in the capital so he was going to be battling dust and leaves all day. Have you ever looked at a traveller and thought: “what did you pack that for?” I am a very light traveller and almost never check bags in. I have to know my clothes combinations will work. I have a travel wardrobe set aside. I add to it from…
Lao Airlines Flight 301
The news that a Lao Airlines plane crashed a mere six kilomtres (three miles) from its destination has barely been a blip on the international news networks. Yet 49 people from 11 countries perished in the crash. 16 Laotians, seven French, six Australians, five Thais, three South Koreans, three Vietnamese, and one national each from the China, Malaysia, Taiwan and USA. Five were crew and 44 were passengers. The crash highlights the danger of traveling in some parts of the world. Roads in Laos are in a very poor condition and rail service non existent. Tourists, business people, aid workers and locals all…
British Airways Beautiful new A380 has arrived, a visual tour
I have to be honest, I am in love with the A380. After 12 A380 flights with six airlines over 120,000km, I am hanging out to add more airlines to my A380 experience. This week it is British Airways turn as they add a Heathrow to Los Angeles A380 route (operating as BA268 and 269). British Airways Senior First Officer Peter Nye takes you on a tour of British Airways new A380 aircraft. It certainly whets your appetite for the real thing. The BA A380 will have 469 seats in a four class set up: 1. BA First…
Plane hits Roo
A Royal Flying Doctor Service plane, with a hospital transfer patient on board, was coming in for a scheduled 7.50pm landing at Blackwater Airport last Thursday. It hit a kangaroo and shuddered to a halt as it landed. No people were injured but the damage done will cost the service around $AU200 000 to repair. After the accident, another RFDS plane landed to transport the passenger to Rockhampton and an engineer flew in to inspect the aircraft the next day. This is the third kangaroo strike the service has had in the past 12 months…
Track Your Fare
When searching for a good price, I track airfares with Kayak.com. I know Hotwire’s Trip Watcher and Farecompare do the same thing. After searching for a fare, I register the route and dates I want. If the fare drops to the price point i have chosen, an e-mail is sent to me. It saves checking flights every couple of days! Related Posts Subscribe for cheap deals Hotel Clubs Priceline Be Date Flexible
Alitalia-finally doomed?
Alitalia is the airline I love to hate. They are one of my least favourite airlines ever. Flying them has rarely been a treat. I keep expecting to hear of their demise but somehow they seem to claw their way back from the edge of doom. The current Alitalia is almost five years old rising out of the ashes of the “old” Alitalia which went bankrupt in 2008. On September 6, the Italian carrier released their first half year financials. Revenue fell four per cent from 1686 million Euro to 1621 million. Passenger loads improved…
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