737

Tag Archives for 737.

Alice Springs Surrounds- a Central Australia Journey

Entering the Centre of Australia is like entering a whole new world. The landscapes are alien, the animal unusual, the flies relentless, the stars stunning and the visitors surprisingly few. When people think of the centre of Australia, they often only think of Uluru, regarded as the spiritual heart of the continent. I have had the privilege of visiting “The Rock” five times in my life. It is a is mind blowingly wonderful place. The town of Alice Springs, 500 kilometers from Uluru, is home to a number of impressive sights which I am exploring…

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Herb Kelleher passes away

The world today will be full of blog posts, interviews and articles about Mr Kelleher, co-founder, CEO, and Chairman Emeritus of Southwest Airlines. I wanted to pay my own quick tribute. Born March 12, 1931 Mr Kelleher died on January 3, 2019. He was a lawyer and reportedly created the Southwest concept on a serviette with one of his law clients. Southwest became known as an airline that was fun, friendly, low fares and operated direct low fare flights in opposition to its competitors of the  “hub-and-spoke” scheduling systems. This successful airline stemmed from Mr…

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World’s Most Popular Plane but I am not a fan 

The 737 concept first hit the drawing boards  back in 1964 and is now the world’s most popular aircraft having carried more than 22 billion people since that time. Right now, there is a 737 taking off or landing every one and a half seconds. Boeing handed over the 10,000th Boeing 737 ever made  to US Carrier Southwest Airlines (the world’s biggest 737  operator) this week. The event cemented their Guinness World record  for the most produced commercial jet, a distinction it has had  since  2006: Boeing says there are now about 4,645 of the Boeing…

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Qantas 737 Business between NZ and Australia

WLG: Wellington,  New Zealand to SYD: Sydney, Australia QF164: Scheduled Departure: 15:55 Arrival: 17:40  Distance: 5,689 km -1,387 miles Auckland to Sydney is a route rich with options. China Airlines (Skyteam), Air New  Zealand (Star),  Latam and Qantas (One World), Emirates and Virgin Australia all offer flights across the”The Ditch” (which is how Aussies and Kiwis refer to the Tasman Sea). I have flown every one of these airlines in the past few years.  However, between Wellington and Sydney, only two airlines fly and only Qantas offers Business Class seats. Booking: 8/10 Qantas booking engine is much improved. There are still a few small…

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Flying like a Fijian -tips for all airline passengers, I reckon

A clever way to remind people to behave -including consiering what food you bring on to a plane. I just discovered this fun video from Fiji Airways which engages the Fiji Rugby team to give seven lessons on good flying. Introduced by Fiji Rugby coach Ben Ryan.  (Coach since 2013, Ryan took the team to become 2015 Rugby 7 winners. His work resulted in Fiji winning its first ever Gold Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, for Rugby. Ryan was this year appointed to be Fiji Airways Ambassador. The airline is a sponsor of Fiji…

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After 299 times, I still don’t like the B737!

There are many reasons to like the Boeing 737. It is reliable. It is prolific (over 8,500 built). It has been around for almost 50 years. It has a fantastic safety record. It is fuel efficient.  It is not an unattractive plane to look at. I have never liked it. This week I reached a milestone with my 299th flight on a 73. There is no other plane I have been on as many times. The 737 has taken me 340,000km (212,000) to 91 airports on five continents. I have disembarked as far south as Queenstown,…

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My 737th flight ever on a Southwest B737

Woke up Saturday morning feeling some excitement. My flight from Portland, Oregon to Spokane, Washington was essentially a fairly routine one. While I have never flown that sector before, I have been to both airports and both cities a few times now. Yet Southwest Airlines flight 3218 was no ordinary flight for me. It was the 737th flight in my life. Yup, I have left the ground 737 times -and returned 737 times. I have fastened my seatbelt 737 times.  Thanks to Southwest airlines being an airline who (currently) only fly Boeing 737s, my 737th flight…

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