As mentioned earlier this month, I flew 119 times for business and pleasure last year with 20 airlines in 2016. Big highlights of the year were my first five flights on the 787 Dreamliner, my first flights with Sri Lankan, my 380th flight with Qantas, my 350th flight on a Boeing 737 and flying into the Maldives. Here are the year’s ten Trip Reports (oops I need to post more Trip Reports!): 2016’s Best flight: My 380th Qantas flight in A380 FIRST – My Flight Rating: 96% (4.8 out of 5) My 2nd 787: Thai Business Brisbane…
Middle East
Tag Archives for Middle East.
My 10 Worst Travel Experiences
Create your own visited countries map or check out the JavaScript Charts. I have been to or lived in sixty-two countries. Most of my experiences have been wonderful and magical. There are a very few that were pretty awful: Being threatened with being tortured or shot by the army in El Salvador just after the Civil War- they had not made their mind up what to do to me. Clearly, I survived. Having my bus blown up in the Middle East two stops before mine. I still reflect carefully on life as six on the…
All about #Bargaining /Haggling
I have bargained for Books in Bombay, Cards in Cambodia, Drivers in Delhi, Face-creams in Fiji, Household oddments in Hong Kong, Linen in Lebanon, Night time accommodation in Nicaragua, Sunglasses in Singapore, Trousers in Thailand, Zimbabwean stone carvings and more! Yup, I love bargaining (also known as haggling)! This shopping method for me is all part of the fun of travel. For other travellers, it feels annoying, confusing and frustrating and even terrifying. I have had friends insist I bargain for them. Others give up buying, lamenting “why can’t it be fixed price?” When I see people struggling with bargaining or when I am tired of the bargaining…
Etihad Free Gold Status match – for Aussies only
Etihad is trying to seriously wrestle Qantas and Emirates for some international traffic out of Australia. Until 6th August, they are have a deal to extend Gold status in their Etihad Guest” Frequent Flyer program to any Australian who holds Gold (or higher status) with any international airline but Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines. Gold with Etihad gets you: 50 precent more miles on every Etihad flight access to business class lounges run by Etihad, Virgin Australia, Air Berlin, Singapore airlines and other carriers for the Gold card holder and guest 15kg additional baggage allowance priority baggage handling Business Class…
Dubai Immigrant Workers Dance “Happy”
For those of who have been to Dubai, you will have seen the gleaming towers, spotless streets, stunning shopping malls and clean hotels. Behind all of this are an estimated 7.8 million immigrant workers- 75 percent of whom are from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. There has been significant criticism of the working conditions of these workers. A charity that works with these workers is Smartlife Foundation, has a mission to “uplift the non privileged members of our community“. I was taken by a video of the people they work with dancing to Pharrell ‘s – Happy. It really humanises the…
Flying with Electronics- new rule & some tips
If you are planning on carrying your mobile, laptop or ipad onto a plane to the USA or UK, make sure it is charged. Under new rules released last week by the US Transport Security Administration (TSA), passengers travelling from Europe, the Middle East and Africa to the US must be able to turn on their electronics at security in order to prove they are the genuine article and not some kind of bomb. The TSA states: During the security examination, officers may also ask that owners power up some devices, including cell phones. Powerless…
5* Emirates Business: Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur
Qatar, Emirates and Cathay Pacific, have been my three favourite airlines for a while now (although I have some misgivings regarding Qatar following revelations last year of their employment practices). Nonetheless, these carriers bring back the pleasure of airline travel providing me with reminders that air flights do not have to be a barren bus like experiences! Today’s flight (my 994th ever) was the epitome of how phenomenal Emirates are. Booking: 9 out of 10 I actually booked my ticket through Qantas. Despite being the same seat on the same plane, Qantas were selling it…
Airlines that vanished in 2013
Twenty carriers disappeared in 2013 compared to twenty-six 2012 . Six of them were based in Eastern Europe/former USSR countries. Most of the carriers were small regional airlines with tiny fleets. Kingfisher of India was only one carrier that could have been considered major, although it has been some time since they were India’s largest airline. Nearly all of the airlinest that vanished are young but a few Evergreen, JAT, OLT Express and Ryan International are old names in the airline game. I thought Air Zimbabwe would finally vanish but they managed to get enough…
Etihad takes on JAT
The four key middle Eastern carriers have developed very different expansion strategies: 1. Emiraes have largely gone it alone with only one major partnership: Qantas 2. Qatar are joining One World alliance 3. Turkish have used their bridge between Asia and Europe 4. Etihad are expanding via equity stakes in other airlines Now Etihad have taken on the Serbian airline JATAirways which will be renamed Air Serbia on October 1. Etihad have: acquired 49 per cent of JAT-the Serbian government owns 51pc matched a $US40 million cash injection by the government agreed to put another…
World’s best airlines -skytrax 2013
The 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards were announced at the Paris Air Show on the 18th June 2013. The awards are based on a passenger satisfaction survey completed on 200 airlines by travellers from over 160 countries. They review over 40 plus areas from check-in to cabin cleanliness to food to service. The airline award winners are becoming fairly predictable. The names Air New Zealand, Air Asia, Qatar, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Singapore sit in the top categories year on year. It makes me wonder if the airlines that are not in the Top 20…
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