Tagged With "supersonic flight"
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Re: The Biggest Plane You've Never Seen
Looks rather like a stuffed goose trying to take flight. The kind of aircraft that belongs in an aviation museum, not in the sky.
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Re: Qantas eyes more UK-Oz nonstops
After sitting on an airplane seat for 12 hours it's an absolute pleasure to ride an exercise bike in Kuala Lumpur Airport - before my onward journey to Oz. Just for 20 mins so the lower part of my body regains the will to live. I thought a few minutes jogging would help me - until I realised I had presented myself as a moving target to the Airport Police. The thought of a 17 hour direct flight in cattle class is awful. Maybe travelling in business class - with room for my arteries to...
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Re: 12 Countries ask vouchers instead of refunds
In a conversation with Travel Rob last week, I set out my minimum conditions before a bailout or other relief can be discussed: 1) All boarding to be by efficiency, no priority for anyone except physical need 2) minimum one free checked bag for all flights over 250 miles (under 250, you should drive or take a train, anyway) 3) elimination of most nuisance fees 4) minimum 32" pitch with no more than 2" recline 5) 20-year cap on exec salaries...CEO to earn max 20x full-time flight attendant...
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Re: Canada gets its first non-stop to India
So you’ll probably get the super-new plane…noticed after posting that some of the flights for now are being flown by a 787-8, but starting in February, it will be the -9… Green with envy about everything…except the length of the flight!
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Re: Canada gets its first non-stop to India
Thanks for the bit of advice, Garry. I usually use the USB port to keep my phone charged. Air Canada has a good flight movie menu and I tend to use that time to catch up on new releases.
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Re: Slim airline seats unpopular
That's an interesting article...especially the part about United finding that passengers like the new seats better as time goes on. I have very limited experience with this (one flight on TAP with them installed) and frankly, they didn't feel more or less cushiony than any others. I just don't think thickness has anything to do with comfort; it's the density of the material used. And frankly, two extra inches for legs...that's a win. At least until the airlines start moving the slim-line...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day: Jan. 16, 2014: Liverpool Victoria Gallery
My favourite time to visit attractions is May-June-July. Before the little monsters are released on school vacation. Liverpool has hundreds of things to do - no exaggeration ! Here's 128 to go on with http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/A...seyside_England.html Liverpool makes a good hub for visiting nearby Chester with its 2,000 year old Roman Walls and Tudor Buildings. The River Dee and North Wales. All using local public transport - mostly trains. You can get a flight, Liverpool - Dublin from...
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Re: Thousands of flights cancelled
What I don't know is where they will find seats for all those displaced passengers. Most aircraft flying around this time of year probably have 95% of their seats filled. Some people might have to wait a week or more to get their flight home, I'd think.
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Re: Has the Revolution Started? Ryanair allows 2nd bag and reduces fee
Are you saying that the primary goal is not to sell a mere flight ticket but to sell the whole tamale ? $$$
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
The Air France flight 447 that went down with all souls lost, out of Rio, Brazil in 2009 would have benefitted from a greater system override of the pilots misinterpretation of their flight 'status'. Anything that can reduce pilot error OR system error has to be desirable.
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Re: Classic American Cars #5
Well, today's news includes the first commercial flight in 50 years from Key West to Havana. 9 tourists and the mayor of Key West...
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
If this standard were adopted, it might be the single greatest improvement in quality of travel in economy class. 17 inches is alright if no one is beside you, a rarity today. On an Transocean flight, it make sleeping very difficult indeed. I'm glad to see Airbus take this proconsumer stand.
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
The "Rubber Sole" Pub where the Beatles drank between Gigs at the Cavern And the Beatles LP No T&N - no other UK airports without another flight within Europe
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Re: Spring Honeymoon Help
Congratulations SueZee! We're delighted in your marriage, and you've picked a great country in which to honeymoon. May is not too early to go to Italy, although pack a light jacket just in case. The crowds won't be there yet and you'll save some money when compared to the peak summer season. Where to go is very much a matter of taste. Most definitely you need to go to Venice and I'd say spend at least 5 days here, maybe with a day trip or two (such as to the glass making island of Murano or...
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Re: Safe to fly on New Years?
This raises an interesting question. Since the calendar is based on the rotation of the Earth relative to the sun and the plane is in flight, is it still the year before on the plane as long as you do not touch down ?
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Re: Safe to fly on New Years?
So Waterloo what you're saying is that the space-time continuum would be disrupted by this flight?
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Re: Safe to fly on New Years?
The space-time continuum will only be interrupted if this flight does not land at its scheduled time at New Year's midnight p;us a few. What are the chances of that ?
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
I'm becoming more intrigued by the day. On the practical side of things, specifically how to get there, what's your usual route, DrF, or is there a best way. From the US west coast. I'm thinking about using miles and I haven't found a cheap way yet for an onward flight from, say, BKK or HKG to Colombo. India is the obvious closest but costs more miles to get to than BKK. Any ideas? AA miles if have any experience with that alliance.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other. (Part 5) The Elephants of Pinnawala
Thanks, PortMoresby! And we've not even been to the sacred tooth relic in Kandy, the medieval ruins of Polonnaruwa, the beautiful hill country filled with tea plantations and "The World's End", a wildlife safari at Yala National Park, nor any of the nice beaches (but keep reading -- reports on these are coming). Sri Lanka is a great destination, especially now that the civil war is over. I was doubly lucky to not only be able to visit a dear friend there but to have time to leisurely explore...
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Re: Greenland from six miles high!
Thank you for your comment, voyager. I shut the shade if it's clouded over, but I still peak form time to time. I shut the shade when we're over the ocean or if it's dark outside. But if the flight is over a scenic place, I like to study the geography and try to figure out where I am. It's interesting, often beautiful, and I enjoy it.
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Re: East Coast TGiving Travelers May Need a 'Plan B'
That is all part of Thanksgiving. Bad weather and lots of delays for Thanksgiving Eve are a long standing holiday tradition. Somehow, the flight delays always seem to happen on the way to grandma's house on Wednesday, not on the return trip on Sunday to go back to work.
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Re: FCC: Cell Phone Use In Flight Coming Soon
I love the extended use of electronics, but don't like the idea of using a cell phone (as a phone -- go ahead and play games with but shut up!). Imagine a cross continent flight beside an aggressive salesman? Not quite as bad as dying and going to hell, but not far from it. Will need to be sure to buy some top quality ear plugs if that's the case. Like to sleep on a plane? Hope you can fall asleep to 30 people speaking loudly (the airplane is noisy, after all).
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Re: Flight Attendants Say NO to Phone Calls
On an airplane, you are captive. You can't walk away from the salesman on the phone, the teenager fawning over a new friend, etc. They might not be badmannered, but I don't want my flight to be filled with 4 hours of an insurance guy pitching his stuff beside me. I have as much right to silence as they do to talk.
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
Plane from the UK had to abort landing at Cologne Airport yesterday when the Pilot spotted another plane already on the runway. Just 400 metres from touchdown - that's only a few seconds ! I wouldn't leave that decision to a Flight Simulator !
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 4, 2013: Patterns from the Air
These photographs are just phenomenal. Thank you for sharing these. The how to link is very helpful. I always try to take pictures when I fly. A few times, when I have had my camera out mid-flight, flight attendants have asked me to put it away. When I have questioned this, they have insisted that this is covered in their training. I do not remember clearly, but I think that this has happened on British Airways flights. Has anyone else run into this ? Love the inflight pictures.
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
Last time I went from Mexico to Philadelphia they had no Coffee. So we received free WiFi for the flight. Was great fun saying Hello to friends. They would all ask where are you ? "I'll look out the window - somewhere above the clouds in the Gulf of Mexico!" Beat that !! And Facetime on the IPad was a hoot!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 4, 2013: Patterns from the Air
Originally Posted by DrFumblefinger: With the softening of TSA inflight electronic requirements, this should be even less of an issue in the future. Hello, good Dr. F That is a good point. Sure, the flight attendants ought to be less fussy now.
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
I've been told that wi-fi over the ocean is a real technological challenge, because it requires constant re-positioning of 2 moving targets (the plane and satellite). In contrast, Wi-Fi over a continent only involves connecting one moving target with a stationary one, a simpler thing to do. Glad to hear this problem seems to be mostly solved. It would be nice to catch up on some wi-fi chores while on a long flight (although I usually manage to fill such flights watching movies or working on...
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Re: WiFi on the way for international flights
Not sure I understand that. The plane is moving, but the data aren't, they are launched into geo-synchronous or its so they are always over the same patch of earth. So why should it matter whether the flight is ny to la or ny to London? Anyone know?
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Re: United's Award Chart: Premium Award Cost Goes UP
Not sure I agree with the "burn 'em" philosophy. At the premium class end, there's certainly been a lot of creep, but not so much in coach, which is more price-sensitive, even for awards. True, summer awards to Europe have generally gone from 50K to 60K, but on the other hand, off-season at American went DOWN to 40K--and with the flexibility of taking one-way awards and combining them in interesting ways...it's actually a better situation. Also, there are some card-linked sales on flight...
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Re: How to not miss a connecting flight
There are a lot of good tips in the article about streamlining your connections. While I mostly enjoy flying, travel days are busy and tiring enough that I hate to be rushed. I try to get to the airport early (often I've been grateful that I gave myself that extra time), and I don't take flights that have connections I consider too tight. I like at least 1.5-2 hours between my connections. I've been delayed on arrival often enough that having less time than that is no fun. As planes travel...
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Re: Ryanair Unveils Sophisticated Uniforms
With my self-limited exposure to Ryanair cabin crews, what comes to mind is a recollection of not the most sophisticated of flight attendants. I'm not sure a new uniform is going to help.
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Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
We flew Norwegian in May, Orlando-Oslo and were really impressed. The 787 made such a difference and we arrived feeling fresh. The moister air, bigger windows and lighting made a world of difference in how we felt post trip. We brought a decent sized carry-on and personal bag each for free too. As far other extra fees, we didn't pay any. They charge for food or drinks, but we just bought those at the airport. And I think they also charge for blankets, but we brought jackets to cover with and...
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Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
Amazing the way these calculations work out. We're going to England next spring, using American Airlines points. The flight selection offered us flights on British Airways and American. The AA flights cost the points plus government fees. The BA flights cost the points plus the government fees, plus enough surcharges to make a $1000+ difference. If I only had the BA flights, I'd certainly rather find a low-cost carrier! It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming year as Aer...
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Re: Banksy Opens up a Bemusement Park in England
I thought the same thing when I saw the photo Rob include with the post, that of Cinderella's castle with Tinkerbell--type flight over it. Disney is very protective of its intellectual property rights. I expect that suit is already being drafted.
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Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
The AA-BA mashup is tricky, yes, but not as devious as it may seem. Between New York and Paris, for instance, AA has only two non-stops a day; BA has a half-dozen (or more, including Open Skies). And, BA has many seats LON-PAR, so availability is greater. A similar situation exists on this side of the ocean, where BA feeds many AA domestic flights. It's sometimes possible to get around better if you don't mind one stop...we've used AA to Madrid paired with Iberia to Paris (Iberia's charges...
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA
On my frequent visits to Philadelphia from England I always fly with US Airways. Not an exciting experience - just a reliable journey with convenient times. But my last round trip was an amazing transformation. AMERICAN AIRLINES and US Airways have merged and the staff were amazing. The plane was a new Airbus 330 both times. The legroom was more than enough. I usually purchase extra legroom and this time I'm glad I didn't. The food was good and served hot. Free cans of Cola and orange etc.
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Re: Alitalia: No money, but new uniforms
I'd suggest that, designer duds aside, Alitalia has arrived at this point in the company history because someone, or someones, has their head you know where. I was on an Alitalia flight this past Thursday and for those hours I was unable to put my knees together, so stingy was the leg room (aka "pitch") for my steerage-class seat. I had to place my feet on either side of the seat-back pocket and there they stayed. I'm a mere 5'6" in height and I felt for the tall guy next to me who was...
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Re: Airline fees hit new $7 billion record
I can get 2 weeks in an all inclusive Hotel in the Caribbean including flights for less than my Trans Atlantic flight UK - NY. Of course the US Traveler is getting ripped-off. The rest of the world is enjoying the benefits of cheap-fuel flights. The sooner Ryanair make inroads into the US the better. Maybe Mr O'Leary is guilty of copying the ideas mentioned above for adding on fees !
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Re: ANA Japan flight becomes flight to nowhere
That was close to my guess...scanner doesn't beep, agent looks at boarding pass, sees LA to Tokyo and date, and United (which had codeshare on the flight) and waved him on. Might even have glanced at list and seen brother's similar name.
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Re: June 25, 2017: Cambodia - Angkor Temples from Above
No, it was a flight over the temples, an amazing experience !
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Re: Bumped up to Business on Turkish Airlines
On my last London - San Francisco flight I was in my Sunday best clothes and managed to score 2 First Class seats. I asked the Flight Attendant why are we having smoked salmon sandwiches with afternoon tea. We've already had salmon for lunch. He replied : "Someone has made an awful mistake putting salmon on the Menu twice on one flight. Ask for a complaints form - then ask for half your money back" " On what I paid " - I told him - " half my money back wouldn't cover the cost of the sandwiches"
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Re: TAP surprise winner in European airline numbers
BA have just withdrawn the lunchtime flight from Mumbai to London which we booked several months ago. They put us on one at 2:15 a.m. instead, which would have completely messed up our travel plans (both in India and back here). So, you can subtract 2 from their passenger numbers - we cancelled and re-booked with Jet Airways (who still have a lunchtime flight).
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Re: Do traveling Brits hate kids?
Getting a 25 hour flight can be a painless experience with the correct preparation. Music, books and magazines. But taking a young child who screams with inner ear pressure problems is a nightmare and no one gets to sleep. So you arrive with no sleep for maybe 36 hours. Of course we love kids as much as anyone. I've been on an American flight to Hawaii where all the other passengers were kids on spring break. That flight should have carried a health warning. They behaved like animals. Yes...
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Re: Do traveling Brits hate kids?
Having traveled with children myself, I'm quite sympathetic to folks on the road with their tots. It's hard to do and difficult to keep them entertained and sitting still for such long periods of time. I feel sorry for parents who are trying to comfort their children -- some in obvious distress from ear pain -- without success. A lot of poorly behaved kids (eg. kicking seats) are poorly parented. I'm far more upset with the parent than with the child. the kid needs to be instructed not to do...
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Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!
This debate seems to accept that the profit margins of Trans-Atlantic Flights are squeezed by costs outside the carriers control. The only solution they have is squeeze more seats in to control income. Last month I paid £759 ($1245) for 1 seat UK to Philadelphia - Return - with an American Airline. 7 hours in the sky. Each way. My £759 will also get me a flight to the Caribbean from the UK. 10 hours in the sky. 14 nights in a hotel. Food and drink included. And flight back. The Caribbean...
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Re: Ryanair Ticketing through agents; codeshares next?
"Will the future take you on an American Airlines flight ...crossing the ocean and Ryanair taking you from there?" I rarely say "never" but, in this case, never. I've tried it and will say unequivocally, never again. I have a personal rule which states, "if the only way to get there is on Ryanair, I won't go there." The airline is a reflection of it's founder, which is to say, trashy.
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Re: Fares to Europe for as Low as $301 Round Trip Total!
Prices for Oslo in June were not that much more than winter ones.I'll have to check if the Oakland -Stockholm is similar. If I were to travel to Stockholm in winter though,i 'd just get a return budget flight to somewhere warmer in Europe.
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Re: What do travelers like least about airlines?
I was thinking about what I like least about airlines and it's really the lack of info some airlines supply you with. I recently had two good flights on American Airlines. One from Atlanta to Phoenix and then a connector plane to Tucson. So you'd think that would be a positive experience. During my short layover in Phoenix though , American Airlines changed gates of my plane at least 4 times, having passengers move to gates and await various countdowns.The flight was only delayed about an...
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Re: What do travelers like least about airlines?
The thing I like least is when something goes wrong. Of course you can expect things to go wrong sometimes. But I really hate the B.S. reasons you get told. And if your flight gets cancelled then you really become an unwelcome guest.