Tablets. Smartphones. eReaders. Laptops. The debate about using electronic devices on aircraft is back in the news. But there isn’t any new data. The reports circle the minefield without ever crossing the perimeter.
Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic carrier in the U.S. and the only consistently profitable airline, is in the news this week. Boeing and Southwest Airlines are launching the 737 MAX 7, the third sibling of the 737 MAX family.
I ought to spare us both 385 words and suggest you go straight to the YouTube video of Commander Chris Hadfield and his acoustic guitar on the International Space Station (ISS). The stars up there are going to look different.
If I could do it all over, I’d do it with a bad limp. During summer breaks in college I worked as a tour guide driving a Bombardier snowmobile at the Columbia Icefields in Banff National Park. Minimum wage and tips is what I got. And you know the difference between a Canadian and a canoe – a canoe tips.
“Use common sense when traveling,” said Laurie Simmons, a retired cop who spent 20 years with the Australian Federal Police and now volunteers with the ‘Tourist Police’ in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Suicides, bar brawls and road accidents are what he specializes in.
True to his word after losing a bet to AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group, yesterday worked as a ‘trolley dolly’ on AirAsia’s inaugural Perth to Kuala Lumpur flight.
It’s the little things in life. They are what make you believe in a Higher Power. Within hours of writing “I prefer traveling to places where the currency is counted in chickens,” the roosters come home to roost.
I’m resting in Bali today and it’s laundry day at The Tarmac. The weird aviation news is piling up, my favorite reads are unread and the usual FT commenters are circling in a holding pattern, like vultures.
It all starts with getting to the airport. Doesn’t it? Every FlyerTalk member has a story. A 6 a.m. flight means a 4:30 wake up. And that’s only the beginning.
When was the last time aviation was so much in the news? Last week, stories on airline safety were among the most-emailed stories at The New York Times. Some days, there were four different aviation stories in the top 10.
