September 6, 2016: Very cramped — no way to easily look out the window — and you need flight attendant help to create, manage and install your sleeper seat bed — and a degree in electronics needed to operate the entertainment system on their ancient Airbus fleet.
September 1, 2016: It’s no secret that airlines want to shove as many people into their planes as humanly possible, shaving off legroom and, frankly, butt room inch by inch. It’s such an issue that the some U.S. senators put forth a plan to regulate seat sizes earlier this year (it failed).
Not every airline offers the same amount (or lack) of room between seats, but it’s hard to visualize the difference between 31 inches and 34. CNN Money’s graphics whizzes put together this animated gem, which shows how legroom compares across several different airlines. The animation moves through the different setups, bolding the airline’s name and legroom inches as the seat setup is visualized above. JetBlue’s refrain, “the most legroom in coach,” bears out, while Spirit’s stingy spirit—half a foot less legroom than JetBlue—becomes even more apparent. (Story via: mentalfloss.com)
August 31, 2016: Dinner in the Sky straps up to 22 diners around a table and hoists it 100 feet up in the air by crane. You might still want to hold on to your seat, though, as it can get windy up there. The experience can be found in Long Beach until September 14 — if you’re in the area, don’t miss out! Go to Dinner in the Sky‘s official website for more details.
August 30, 2016: Delta, in an effort to “one up” the competition will soon be offering pod-style private business class seats on long haul flights — seats will be individual and even have a door — as high as the seat — that slides shut. The new service, set to start next year, is called Delta One, and includes additional service and pod amenities — maybe even a door bell?
August 29, 2016: The New York Times travel folks have some tips on how to save on airfares — but buyer beware, the airlines have no consistency in how they manage their reservation systems with airfare deals. Here’s a couple of tips: try and avoid booking multiple airfares at one time, chances are you’ll pay a higher fare for doing this. Flying domestic on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday usually gets you the lowest fare. Flying trans Atlantic, Monday thru Thursday is less expensive. Monday’s at 3:00 pm (eastern time) is when one airline might start a fare sale — others, as well as the online booking sites, come online with matching fares in the next 24 hours. And don’t expect many, if any, last minute deals during holiday times — captive audience and markets. Shop around — sometimes airline sites do offer the best price.
August 26, 2016: Most US airports sell advertising on their inside airport video systems — Carey is using this to promote a series of upcoming concerts in Vegas — but Burbank (BUR) turned down the ads saying they “showed a little too much skin.” Orange County’s more “upscale” John Wayne Airport (SNA) said the ads, as well as Carey’s cleavage, were ok — thank you!
August 25, 2016: The onboard coffee makers! Airline coffee makers are one of the most unreported items that cause flight delays. Onboard coffee makers are very fickle pieces of equipment — can cost between $7,000 and $20,000 a unit — are electrical and, if not operating properly, can cause fires and aircraft circuit issues. Planes like a 737 can have 4 separate coffee makers — and a 777 a dozen or more. Wonder where the water comes from that go into the coffee makers?
August 23, 2016: It was only 2010 when United and Continental became one — and in all that time only one contract couldn’t be worked out — well, the 25,000 plus flight attendant group has agreed on a new contract that will increase wages between 18% and 30%. The other major benefits include easier scheduling now working with one combined group and maybe improved inflight customers services? According to J.D.Power, United has the lowest customer satisfaction rating among US and Canadian rivals. No where to go but up!
August 22, 2016: Now that the British have overwhelmed themselves and EU countries with their BREXIT exit — travel interest from the US is up — helped by the British Pound now at a 30 year low (around $1.31 to the US dollar). Visit london.com, London’s official tourist information site says interest in their site is up nearly 40 % since the change. Best deals are packages that could include air and hotel — like those offered by Expedia or British Airways. Shop around — and don’t be bashful in contacting hotels directly — pack a brolley and some wellies and you’ll be fine!
