Being an Aussie based flyer, almost one-third of my 1585 flights have been with the Australian carrier, Qantas. In addition I have flown every current and past One World carrier! This volume of flights means that I have achieved Qantas Gold for Life status (equivalent to One World Sapphire) in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. I have also been Qantas Platinum (One World Emerald) for nine of the last ten years (I slipped one year). This status earns me a level of One World Priority benefits, which includes priority check-in, airport lounge access, priority boarding,…
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New Qantas Safety Video-is ten minutes too long?
Qantas, known as “The Spirit of Australia” has been around for more than a century, and in that time it has proven itself to be one of the safest and most dependable airlines in the world. The excellent safety record of Qantas is a reflection of the company’s dedication to safety, which is a core value. Qantas pioneered the long storytelling safety video, and they have now produced a number of them. I have loved them all. As a Qantas passenger who has flown them over 470 times earning me Gold for Life Frequent Flier…
Don’t Waste that Safety Briefing-Save a Life
The aviation year has started with a bang — literally. We saw the first Airbus 350 destroyed in a ball of fire. The pictures of the burnt-out shell are chilling. Then the USA grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9s after a brand-new Alaska airlines plane had part of its fuselage ripped out violently. Tragically, Japan saw five lives lost in the smaller plane on the runway that was hit by the JAL A350. People going to start others impacted by the recent Japanese quake. After 1580 flights with just one scary landing (plus three memorably…
Decoding the Airline Alliances in 2024
I shared last week, that in 2023, I have been around the world five times on 83 flights bringing me to 1580 flights in my lifetime. Over half (46) of my 2023 lights were with one of the airline alliances: These Airline alliances weave an interesting web across the airline industry globe. They allow airlines to expand their local reach and more easily funnel passengers between each other. As a passenger, they allow me to earn points more easily for my “home” airline which make flying easier by allowing me to enjoy the same rewards…
Unpacking the safest airlines in the world
I really enjoyed this recent RankingRoyals visualisation of the top 20 safest airlines in the world according to AirlineRatings.com. This is reproduced with their permission. In coming up with its list, the reviewers at airlineratings.com consider a range of factors, including audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies; government audits; aircraft crashes and serious incident records; profitability, industry-leading safety initiatives, and fleet age. It’s also important to keep in mind that airline safety ratings are not absolute measures of an airline’s safety record, and different agencies may have different opinions based on their criteria and…
Pleasant Surprise: A Comprehensive Review of Philippine Airlines Business
My expectations of Philippines Airlines were quite low. My only experience of Philippine Airlines had been a single adequate domestic flight five years ago. Instead, I found that PAL holds their own and offers service that is, overall, currently better than both Thai Airways and Malaysia Airlines. As those two airlines’ standards appear to have slipped, PAL has overtaken them. Best of all, I managed to snag business class fares that cost less than a third of those being charged by Singapore Airlines. I got a very comfortable ride. All my flights were marred by…
Bali’s Mount Agung Volcano Disrupts- What to do if affected.
The Indonesian disaster management agency has raised the threat level for Mount Agung (around 75km from Bali’s tourist hub of Kuta) to the highest possible level 4, amid fears of a greater eruption. Ash up to half a centimeter thick has settled on villages around the volcano and masks were distributed on the weekend. Rumbling can be heard up to 12km away. Since July 2017, Agung has been discharging volcanic gases after being inactive since 1964. Its eruption in 1963 killed 1,549 people when Agung spewed ash ten kilometres into the air with lava flowing seven kilometres from the…
Navigating Airports – My favourite Apps
I blogged a couple of weeks ago about how I use airports as a place to walk for exercise, people watch and plane spot. I have spent a lot of time in airports and am keen to maximise my productivity. When travelling through airports, these are the apps I go to: Tripit has been my go to app for five years now and I must admit, I completely rely on it. By forwarding my flight and hotel confirmations to Tripit, the app organises them into complete itineraries that I can access via phone or laptop or even print paper…
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,…
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…
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