Guest Editor Joel Chusid

Guest Editor Joel Chusid

Water, Water Everywhere…Except on the Plane!

Flying from Honolulu to Melbourne is a mostly over-water trip taking close to twelve hours. But one day earlier this month, three hours short of its destination, Jetstar flight 2, an Airbus 330-200, ran out of water. No water to flush toilets or wash hands and no drinking water for hundreds of passengers…except if you wanted to “buy” a bottle of water.  According to passenger reports to the media, the plane smelled “nauseating”.  After landing in Melbourne, passengers had to endure an additional thirty minute “quarantine inspection” because a number of passengers claimed to have been sickened. Indeed, this kind of situation is rare. But as Jetstar is a budget airline that is a subsidiary of QANTAS, online bloggers speculated the airline did not fully provision the aircraft with enough water to reduce weight and save on fuel costs.  At press time, the airline acknowledged the incident and was investigating.

Taking Tea to a New Altitude

Leave it to the British to perfect the taste of its tea aloft. British Airways, which serves 35 million cups of tea onboard annually, partnered with Twinings to develop a special blend of tea that is designed to be the “best cuppa” in the air. Did you know that water boils on an airplane at 89 degrees (centigrade) whereas on the ground it does so at 100 degrees? Taste is reduced by 30% according to researchers due to the lower humidity and air pressure at altitude. The specially designed blend, from Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas, was tested both in the air and on the ground to achieve the optimal tea.  The new altitude teas are available to passengers in all cabins. Nice touch.

No More Bottles

Speaking of beverages, will those little mini liquor bottles soon go the way of the buggy whip? German company Skymax’s “Skytender Trolley” is being marketed to airlines and can serve 235 hot and cold drinks from an assortment of 100 flavors. It was tested on a commercial flight from Cologne to Palma de Majorca and reportedly met expectations.  Is the future already here?

A Lot of Miles

Road warrior and automotive sales consultant Tom Stuker hit a milestone when he flew United flight 949 between London and Chicago on December 6, 2012. He became the first customer on United Airlines and United Express to reach one million miles within a calendar year. In July 2011 he hit ten million miles with United, a first for the airline. In 2012, he flew more than 400 flights, an average of more than one per day. What’s a million miles in a year? Here’s an illustration. A single flight cruising at 570 miles per hour would land 73 days after takeoff.  What’s his method for dealing with jetlag?

Flying without Bags

Many airlines charge for checked bags these days, and some even charge for carry-ons.  Spirit’s $100 charge for a carry-on, not prepaid in advance, can add plenty to your airfare.  Starting this February, Air France is testing “MiNi” fares where, as long as you plan ahead, you just pay for yourself and whatever you can carry on board – no checked bags. The fares start at about $64 and are on 58 medium haul routes in Europe.  You don’t get frequent flyer miles, but this didn’t seem to dissuade bargain-hunting travelers. When the fares went on sale, it knocked down the Air France website for a while!

Hobbit in the Skies

As if Air New Zealand’s Richard Simmons’ safety briefing video wasn’t wild enough, they’ve gone a step further with “The Hobbit”.  In addition to a Hobbit-themed livery on one Boeing 777, the self-proclaimed “Airline of Middle Earth” provides an entertaining and quirky safety video featuring characters from the popular movie. And if that weren’t enough, a friend of mine who just flew them reported that premium class passengers are offered “furry” slippers! See the safety video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCbPFHu3OOc

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