It's not on too many products that you find "authentic small dents and scratches" listed as a selling point and a good thing, but the case of these Vintage Airline Food Carts is one of the few exceptions. Available in several fun exterior finishes, the interiors all feature a retractable serving tray and 14 racks to hold drawers and shelves (which you can buy separately). The doors close with standard latches and each has a magnetic catch to help it stay open while you're using the cart, plus of course all the carts come equipped with the handy pedal-locking wheel brakes flight attendants rely on so dearly. $1450
Use SeatGuru to search airplane layout charts before you select your flight seat so you'll never again be stuck with only partial reclining ability or in the back near the stale coffee. SeatGuru calls itself "the ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information" and it works -- I've used it. Even though the site is intuitive, there are directions right on the home page.
It's simple: Look up your airline. There's all kinds of info that you can navigate using the tabs that pop up, such as baggage rules, traveling with infants, policies regarding unaccompanied minors and travel with pets. Amenity info is listed, along with phone numbers that may be of use, all specific to your airline.
To get to the good part, the seating chart, break it down further by type of plane. A cool, color-coded chart assists you in picking the best seats for your needs (long legs, near the bathroom, not near the bathroom, etc.). First-class is included. Here's an example.
Thanks to my experienced travel buddy Laura for this tip.
Ugh, airline food. The growing popularity of private jets and jet charters is changing that stereotype, though, as those who can afford it are not only flying, but also eating, in style. Jet-Chef.com is a service for jet owners, pilots, brokers, flight attendants, etc., and offers access to some of the world's best chefs, caterers, and suppliers for the ultimate in in-flight dining. The service comes in the form of a website directory that makes searching by city, state, or airport and getting in touch with high-class gourmet chef and catering services easy and convenient.
Currently Jet Chef is only available in the U.S., but at the rate the private jet industry is growing they expect to be going international in the near future.
Well folks, she's at it again. 37 yr old supermodel Naomi Campbell was arrested at the airport last week in London and has been banned from ever again flying British Airways. Apparently she became aggressive and abusive with some of the airline staff and eventually ended up assaulting a police officer -- all before the plane had even taken off. What could have possibly been so wrong as to warrant all that anger? Was somebody sitting in her window seat?
British Airlines wouldn't comment on the specific incident, but they did say that they take all incidents of violence and disruptive behavior "very seriously" and that "it will not be tolerated."
As the production of the Eclipse 500 Jet has ramped up I had to wonder how they were going to train eager pilots to fly the planes. One answer seems to be the new Eclipse 500 flight simulator which is manufactured by Florida's Opinicus Corp. The Federal Aviation Administration has certified Eclipse Aviation Corp.'s first flight simulator with a Level D Full Motion Device certification which is the highest qualification the FAA grants for simulators. This means that Eclipse can type certify student pilots without having them train in the Eclipse 500 jet. Eclipse hopes to be able to start offering their first simulator training classes soon and plans to have three of these simulators in customer operation by April.
No matter how rich you are and no matter what kind of perks the airlines may offer you in first class to make your flight more comfortable, there's one thing that they've never offered no matter who you are: mid-flight wi-fi internet access.
JetBlue is changing that. They aren't offering enough bandwidth to surf the net necessarily, but just enough to make checking and sending emails through Blackberries and other devices, even laptops, possible. The new perk is now being offered on select flights only, on a trial basis. But JetBlue expects within about six months to be rolling out internet access company-wide.
Flying first class used to just mean more leg room and a better meal, but anymore some airlines are really going over the top. And the word is some airlines because not all of them even offer first class anymore, having done away with it to focus instead on business class. About 35 airlines offer first class right now, and the competition is getting steeper and steeper as they all compete to get that "wow factor" from customers. They're providing everything from fully flat beds, 3:1 passenger to crew ratios, exotic high end linens, pillows, toiletries, and even 7 course gourmet meals with caviar and Dom Perignon champagne. All that's missing is a jacuzzi!
Recently Skytrax came up with their annual list of the top 10 first class airline experiences, and here's who made their cut as the best of the best:
If you hate being stuck on a plane with nothing to read, fret no more, you will soon be able to enjoy BusinessWeek content on your seat-back tray tables. Starting next month, BusinessWeek columns will be stuck on seatback tray tables on domestic air carriers. The aisle, middle and center seats will each feature different BusinessWeek content that will be updated monthly. Ads equivalent to the size of a two-page spread, will be placed next to the BusinessWeek columns on the tray table surface.I wonder if there will be some sort of special treatment to keep the columns from looking ragged after weeks of flying.
The whole idea of having a private jet, besides the obvious privacy aspect, is that you get to have it decorated however you want, right? Maybe not, depending on exactly what features you're after. Any plane that wants to fly in U.S. airspace has the Federal Aviation Administration to comply with, and no matter how fancy you make it a plane just isn't any fun when it's stuck sitting on the ground.
On the bright side, many features can be modified or changed to where they're still enjoyable but don't break any laws -- like chandeliers are okay if they're retractable, and you can have all the heavy mahogany and big screen TVs you want as long as you're willing to trade off in terms of increased fuel and lower over-all capacity for things like passengers and cargo.
So what isn't okay, ever, on a plane? An open flame, which automatically rules out features like fireplaces and gas stoves.
If you've always wanted to try skydiving but aren't really the risk-taking type, you can get an approximate sensation with Flyaway indoor skydiving. The experience takes place inside a vertical wind tunnel that simulates the freefall experience of skydiving. You fly in a column of air 12 feet across and up to 22 feet high, with vertical airspeeds up to 120 mph. There is a 20 minute training class and 15 minutes of equipment preparation to get outfitted in a suit, helmet and safety gear, followed by a three minute flight. The experience costs $70 for one person (group rates are available) and is available in Las Vegas, Nevada and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It won't replace the real thing but it's a good way to test if you are ready to jump out of a plane.
Flying from London to India just got a lot more comfortable. Jet Airways has created a service that is basically like having a small cabin to yourself for the flight The 26 square foot room has two seats that convert into an 83-inch bed, dining for two and a 23-inch flat screen TV. The cabin has a pair of sliding doors for privacy. Meals are served on porcelain dinnerware. To fly from London to Mumbai in your own cabin costs £4,421.10 and the first luxury flight on one on Jet Airways' Boeing 777-300ER aircraft takes off from Heathrow on May 5. You can see more pictures in the article on This Is London.
There are several options available to the person interested in learning to fly. The first, and perhaps most obvious option, is to take flying lessons. A more grounded alternative is to simply use a flight simulator, which can give you the feeling of flying without actually doing so. Instead of renting time in a simulator somewhere, Australian hobbyist Matthew Sheil built his very own Boeing 747 flight simulator. It has real-time weather, air traffic control, Qantas Airways food, a complete hydraulic motion system and is controlled by 13 computers. His reason for building it is that "crashing is less fatal" with a simulator. Interested in trying to build your own? All it will take is $230,000 and about 10 years.
Here's a bit of a risque idea for a Valentine's Day adventure, how about a mile-high club flight? The Observer has a story onEngland's first mile-high club service, which takes off from an airfield in Gloucestershire on a twin-engined Piper Aztec, outfitted for two. Couples can arrange for a "quickie" flight which is 30 minutes up to a "VIP" flight which lasts 90 minutes. After your flight you get a certificate ( would you really want to hang that on your wall?). Prices start from £250 for a 'Quickie' (30 minutes), and go up to £750 for a 'VIP' (an impressive 90 minutes). Discretion is promised and at the end you get a certificate. The service is due to start later this year.
Here in the States you can find a variety of similar services. A website devoted to the mile-high club lists companies that offer these types of flights and there are whole businesses such as Mile High Atlanta dedicated to helping couples reach their goal.
Buy a plane, get a car, that's the new offer from Comp Air Inc. From now until the end of the year they are offering new Chevy Aveos to buyers of selected models of its airplanes. The offer applies to seven of Comp Air's kit models. The offer means that those who trek down to Merritt Island, Florida to build their own aircraft will have their own way to get around and two new rides to take home. The Aveo has an MSRP of $9,350-$13,050. Probably not the car of your dreams but it's still a free car.
Those who build their aircraft at home are eligible for the new car too as long as they are willing to fly down and drive it home. Comp Air makes composite, kit-built airplanes from two to 11 seats which are powered by piston, turboprop and turbo.Their latest model is the carbon fiber Comp 12 shown here. The high-tech turbine aircraft sells for $249,000 less engine, avionics and interior.
If you're traveling long distance, you might prefer to check your luggage than to use a carry-on bag, but the Susannah Hunter Daisy Garden Travel Bag is still a lovely piece to have for short trips. The vintage-looking leather bag has double top handles as well as a detachable shoulder strap, making it versatile when on the go, and a suede lining. At 15"x 22.5"x 9.5", the bag should fit into an overhead bin or underneath the seat in front of you on a flight - provided you leave your liquids at home, of course. The best part is that the floral design carries onto both the front and the back of the bag - a nice touch that so many designers seem to forget about. Price: $2,275.
It's not on too many products that you find "authentic small dents and scratches" listed as a selling point and a good thing, but the case of these Vintage Airline Food Carts is one of the few exceptions. Available in several fun exterior finishes, the interiors all feature a retractable serving tray and 14 racks to hold drawers and shelves (which you can buy separately). The doors close with standard latches and each has a magnetic catch to help it stay open while you're using the cart, plus of course all the carts come equipped with the handy pedal-locking wheel brakes flight attendants rely on so dearly. $1450
