I am filling in my globe with all of the countries, territories and regions I have visited. With the addition of Russia this week, I have made it to 77 countries. I only count a country if I have left the airport. So while, I have transited through Doha and Johannesburg airports, I do not include Qatar and South South Africa in my tally. I have been to about two thirds of the countries in both Asia and Europe and exactly half of all the nations in the Oceania region of the planet. African exploration…
United Arab Emirates
Tag Archives for United Arab Emirates.
FlyDubai Crash -Questions start
A big plane crash is rare these days so every time there is one, we are all riveted. Despite plane travel being one of the safest forms of transport on the planet, people still have an uneasy fear when it comes to planes. The loss of FkyDubai’s Flight 981 today at Rostov-on-Don Airport , Russia, in the early morning hours of 19 March 2016, is shocking. The crash occurred during the 737’s second attempted landing and resulted in the death of all 55 passengers and seven crew. The poor weather that was engulfing the airport meant the…
The airlines that failed in 2014
Overall, fewer carriers seemed to fail in 2014. For many airlines, it was a much more profitable year. Of concern was how many of the carriers that collapsed were only flying for months. I am tempted to call 2014 “the Year of the shortlived airline”. Air One Italy: 23 November, 1995 to 30 October, 2014 Fleet: 10 Alitalia’s low cost subsidiary never quite made sense. Following the takeover of Alitalia by Etihad, Air One was shut down. AirTran USA: 26 October, 1993 to 28 December, 2014 Fleet: 138 Destinations: 72 (at peak) On 28…
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…
Why has Emirates dropped the A350?
UAE airline Emirates has scrapped a 2–7 deal valued at $US16billion for 70 A350 planes (50 A350-900s and 20 of the larger A350-1000s). The news hit Airbus and engine manufacturer Rolls Royce hard this week. The planes were due for delivery from 2019. Emirates was the second biggest buyer of the new plane so the decision has removed nine per cent of A350 orders. Airbus still holds 742 commitments for the aircraft with Qatar Airlines the largest customer and Singapore Airlines is now the second biggest. The A350 has been designed to compete with the 777 and 787. Why has Emirates…
Martial Law in Thailand- Staying Safe [Updated]
Update: Thursday 22nd May, 2014 16:30h Local Time : The Situation in Thailand has changed and the army has taken full control dismissing the government. Its food is unparalleled, beaches beautiful, people lovely, shopping bargains superb and reputation for wild and fun times unsurpassed. Sadly Thailand also has a history and a culture for military interventions for nine decades. According to media sources, the Royal Thai Army declared martial law nationwide at 3am Tuesday 20 May local time (Monday, 19 May: 8pm GMT or 1pm US West Coast time). Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said the…
Etihad unveils flying hotel!
I am most envious of those who got to fly to Abu Dhabi to see the launch of flag-carrier Etihad’s A380 last week! The feature that has grabbed the world is the creation of “The Residence”. This announcement of these features have trumped Korea’s on board duty free shop and Emirate’s First Class showers! The 11 square metre (125 sq ft) Residence will be located at the front of the Upper deck and consists of three rooms: a living room, bedroom with double bed, and private bathroom with shower. Both living room and bedroom feature…
Etihad World #1 Airline
Etihad, the Abu Dhabi based airline has won for the third year in a row the award of World’s Leading Airline 2011. Check out of the video of the awards. The award was previously won by Singapore in 2008. Prior to that British Airways had gained the award every year from 1994 to 2007 with the exception of 2003 when Virgin Atlantic won. Other winners are listed here: http://www.worldtravelawards.com/winners2011-1 They included Qatar Airways for leading Business Class and Cathay Pacific Airways obtaining Leading Economy Class. No US airline got an award except for American Airlines for their…
Wednesday Weirdness- I wanna pay my way
At the Union Square Metro station in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday, an agitated British Backpacker was trying to pay his 4.50 Dirhams metro fare with a British pound coin. He argued with the woman at the ticket counter. He reasoned with her and finally he pleaded with her. “This pound is worth 5.50 Dirhams why won’t you take it? Its worth more!’”. He looked around seeking help from the long line forming behind him. I said to him, tryig to pay with pounds on the dirham metro would be like someone trying to pay with Dirhams in the London Underground. “Thats different” he said “these…
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