Man reconstructs entire Pan Am first class cabin in LA condo

by Grant Martin on

Airline nostalgia is a hobby of many hobbyists out in the travel world. I know that I’ve got an unwrapped deck of NWA playing cards from a 747 flight before the airline merged with Delta, and others I’ve met have collected things ranging from silverware to barf bags to life vests.

Never, however, have I seen someone collect an entire first class cabin.

As it turns out, it can be done. Anthony Toth, a sales director at United Airlines has been working on his mock-up of a Pan-Am first class cabin for twenty years. Reconstructed in his Los Angeles garage with original vintage and reconstructed materials, the model is a near replica of the Pan-Am cabins from yore, down to the flatware, seat covers and almonds.

Right now he uses the $50,000 investment to host friends and colleagues from United, but some day Mr Toth hopes to turn the mock-up into a museum. With the broad legacy that Pan-Am has left upon the current airline world, it would be a shame for it to be used otherwise.

Check out the Wall St. Journal link below for actual pictures.

Passengers take fun out of Southwest’s supermodel airplane

by Grant Martin on

Try to have a little bit of fun and those pesky passengers get all bent out of shape. Last month, Southwest Airlines joined up with Sports Illustrated to paint the side of one of their Boeing 737s with the image of Bar Rafaeli, an Israeli supermodel, in a white, two-piece swimsuit. It’s a brief promotion aimed at promoting the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition and tickle a few passengers who happen to randomly be riding on (or near) the aircraft. Wouldn’t your day get instantly better if you were waiting to take off at 7AM and saw a giant supermodel taxi past you?

But not everyone is as tickled as we are. A slew of passengers, many on Southwest’s corporate blog are complaining about the paint job, equating the image to “soft porn.” They want it taken down.

Think they’re being ridiculous? Check out the gallery below. Think they’re right? Read on:

%Gallery-44713%Have you ever seen soft porn? It doesn’t look like this. Women less adorned are all around us, from billboards in New York City to The Sears Catalogue to, oh, I don’t know, THE BEACH.

Southwest is just having a little bit of fun turning heads in the direction of their aircraft, but if you can’t stand the sight of a pretty Israeli woman, cover your eyes or stop flying for the next couple of months until they repaint her. The promotion only lasts a few more weeks.

Beer babe’s favorite European bars

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Katarina Van Derham, the 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel, doesn’t like to spend all her time in one place. The Slovakia native now lives in Los Angeles and still loves to get out on the road as much as possible. When she’s home, her favorite place to grab a pint is Barney’s Beanery in Santa Monica. She can have a relaxing drink on the patio, which is a prime people-watching spot. Of course, she has favorites on the other side of the Atlantic, as well.

The 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel‘s European Favorites are:

Morrison Pub (Cannes, France): there’s always live music and a welcoming crowd; Cannes’ “beautiful beaches and relaxed vibe” help

Phanas Pub (Rijeka, Croatia): Phanas is a great party place with rock music piped in; Katarina came here while shooting a music video for a Slovakian band

Mermaid Bar (Ibiza, Spain): this bar caters to an international crowd, has clear water and a great club scene

U Medvédku (Prague, Czech Republic): a house beer and authentic Czech food are served, and you’re only footsteps from the city’s stunning architecture

CK Browar (Krakow, Poland): grab a beer at this bright brewery before shopping at the outdoor street fairs on Saturdays

Salm Bräu (Vienna, Austria): located in a charming old building, this bar is a great stop en route to Slovakia (since Vienna has the nearest international airport)

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How does air traffic flow across the world?

by Grant Martin on

Many passengers’ air logistics worries go no further than the few flights that they’re on that day. Occasionally, this broadens when a canceled flight or disruptions occur and you have to look at other flights going on in the day.

But what about all of the flights that depart on one airline in one day? Or what about all flights from all airlines in one day? Where and how do these flights operate? For the answer, check out this video that models every single flight over an entire day.

If you think about it, many international flights head out in the evening, so near night time you’ll see a swath of yellow dots head right over the Atlantic. Conversely, during the day the yellow dots will head west. Watch the video a few times over and you’ll see some interesting trends.