Galley Gossip: More stuff for the airline museum…

by Heather Poole on

“What are you doing with all that?” asked The Husband, holding a huge bag of seafood as he stared (very rudely) into my grocery cart.

“It’s for work,” I said, and then I pushed the cart down the aisle – away from him, away from his hands, hands that, if given the chance, would take what was in my cart out of my cart.

“Work?” I heard him say behind me.

“Yeah work. I’m going to write about it!” I exclaimed, thankful to have an excuse, a very good excuse – that was actually true! – as I continued pushing the cart to the check out stand.

Following quickly behind me, he asked, “Just how many bottles do you need?”

As many as I could get in the cart. But I didn’t tell him that. What I told him was we needed all the bottles of wine for our guests that were in town visiting. What I didn’t tell him was that there was no way the guests that were in town visiting were going to touch my wine. That’s right, I said it, my wine!

If you’re a flight attendant, or an aviation enthusiast, you probably own a lot of airline crap. Like me. Of course we don’t refer to it as crap. Oh no, these are our treasures. Precious treasures. That belong in a museum. Like the one I USED to have in my guest room closet. I say USED to have because The Husband recently boxed up my airline museum and drove the contents that are now inside a giant grey tub to a storage facility nearby. Of course he did this while I was away on a trip.

Hey, that’s fine with me. Now I’ve got more room for more crap. I mean treasures! Like AUS Boarding Pass 2006 Shiraz, a very cool bottle of wine I found at Costco.

There I was at Costco, leaning against the wine, impatiently waiting for The Husband to hurry up and pick out a few crab and shrimp from the crab and shrimp guy so we could FINALLY leave and start dinner, when I actually turned around and focused on what I happened to be leaning on. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like god had sent them to me. And oh my god they were so cute! I had to have one. Or two. Or three. In case I needed to…umm…you know…share…or something. As I filled the cart, I couldn’t help but think what a great flight attendant gift the bottles of wine would make, so I put a few more bottles into the cart. That’s when The Husband appeared and I took off.

The name of the wine, you ask? I’m not sure. On one side of the bottle, the side that looks like a boarding card, it says Boarding Pass. On the other side of the bottle, the side that looks like an information card (the one located in the seat back in front of you) it says Grateful Palate Airwines. And around the top of the bottle, the thing that looks like a baggage claim ticket, it says AUS Boarding Pass 2006 Shiraz. Like I said, it’s not exactly clear. What is clear is it’s the most adorable bottle of wine I’ve ever seen. And it tastes pretty good, too.

WAIT!

Before you jump into the car to go and look for your own cute bottle of wine to add to your own museum, because I know you will, which is good, because you really should…do you think you could pick me up another bottle. Ya know…in case I lose a bottle…or something.

Thanks.

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JetBlue to charge $7 for pillows and blankets

by Iva Skoch on

Thank goodness they are not attempting to charge for those hideous blankets and pillows most airlines offer!

JetBlue will begin charging customers for an eco-friendly comfort package on their flights. Travel blanket and pillow–featuring a fabric technology, developed by CleanBrands LLC, that apparently blocks dust mites, mold spores, pollen and pet dander–will be available for purchase for $7 on flights longer than two hours. The pair will come in a kit with a $5 coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond.

So far, we have JetBlue charging us for extra leg room, food and drinks, checked baggage and now pillows and blankets. What’s next?

How about extra humidity on board? I’d pay extra for that.

AirAsiaX mulls charging passengers by weight

by Grant Martin on

Based on heated previous discussions here at Gadling, we know that the idea of charging passengers by their weight is a very touchy subject. In addition to the questionable legality of the concept, many are uncomfortable with the fact that one passenger may have to spend significantly more than the next — only to occupy the same seat on an aircraft.

For a while it was almost a joke — people knew that no American company would dare try something so bold at the risk of alienating the majority of their passenger base. Even Philadelphia Media Holdings ran a full page ad for a fake airline called “Derrie-air” to tease people and collect some marketing data on what the reaction would be.

Our new perspective on oil and the economy, however, is turning some of those chuckles into awkward inquisitions. Could someone really get away with charging a passenger by his or her weight?

AirAsiaX is starting to think so. Darren Wright, operating manager of the airline, recently told Travel Today that such extreme measures might be a possibility given the current state of the market. Stating that weighing each passenger could help balance cargo and overall aircraft balance, Mr Wright suggested that the measure “could help Aussies lose weight.”

No word on whether the airline is seriously considering the changes or whether Wright was just speaking candidly, but if something like this were to go into effect, it would surely rock the industry in which we now fly.

10 tips for smarter flying


Product review – V-Moda Vibe Duo iPhone headphones

by Scott Carmichael on

In today’s product review, I’ll give you a closer look at the V-Moda Vibe Duo headphones.

These stylish headphones are made primarily for the iPhone and iPod, and feature “V-MASQUE high-definition clarity and 3D soundstage with noise isolating BLISS technology”. Marketing speak aside, these premium headphones are quite attractive and feel very well made.

The earbuds are very light, and are made of metal with a grooved ring around them, making it quite easy to insert and remove the headphones. The version I tested is called “gunmetal rouge”, and as the name implies, the color is a combination of gunmetal and red.

Included in the package, you’ll find the headphones themselves, a leather carrying pouch and 2 packs of replacement silicone ear fittings, one black and one clear. Each pack of fittings comes in 3 different sizes so you’ll always be able to find the perfect fit.

The V-Moda Vibe Duo headphones are one of the first I’ve ever seen in this price range with a fabric covered cable. This fabric lined cabled means you won’t have as much risk of breaking the cable as with regular rubber cables.

Down one of the earpieces is the V-Moda call control button/microphone. The call control button functions just like the button on the original iPhone headphones, so you’ll be able to answer and hang up a call and pause your music. The microphone is quite good, and callers never complained about not being able to hear me.

It’s hard to judge the audio quality of these headphones, especially since sound is such a personal thing, but I can say that I was very impressed with them. They produce some of the richest bass I’ve ever heard in a pair of headphones, and even on a loud volume setting, I did not head any distortion. The plug on the V-Moda headphones fits the recessed jack of the iPhone, and they also work on the iPod and most other phones with a regular 3.5mm stereo jack (like on some Blackberry smartphones).

Because the headphones are “in-ear” and use a silicone sealing fitting, you’ll get a fairly decent noise isolation. It’s by no means as efficient as a pair of active noise canceling headphones, but it’s certainly enough to block out the background noise of fellow passengers chatting on their phones.

The V-Moda Vibe Duo headphones cost $99.95 (or as low as $86.49 on Amazon.com), so they are clearly not cheap. After testing them for several weeks, I can say that they really do feel they are worth the price. They are several times better than the headphones Apple includes with the iPhone, and if you listen to a lot of music on the device, you’ll learn to appreciate the increase in sound quality and bass.

My only minor complaint is the ease at which the silicone rubber fittings come off, in the first few days I had already lost one set of them. Even though V-Moda include replacement fittings, they are in 3 different sizes. Once you have used all the replacement fittings in your size, you’ll have to order a new pack from V-Moda for $7.99.

In conclusion, the V-Moda Vibe Duo headphones are a great replacement for the boring white headphones included with the iPhone. They are also the perfect size and quality for travelers or frequent fliers, as the basic noise isolation can help reduce background noise on your plane (just remember to put the iPhone in flight mode). The price may not be for everyone, but they are similarly priced to most other premium noise isolating headphones.

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Another case of parents forgetting their child at airport. Damn.

by Abha Malpani on

Here’s another inexcusable case of parent negligence: an Israeli couple forgot one of their 5 children at Ben-Gurion Airport as they boarded a flight to Paris.

They were shopping at the duty free and then ran to catch their flight, and didn’t realize that they left their 4-year old daughter behind when they boarded. What’s worse, they didn’t even realize she was missing until they were informed by the airport police mid-air.

So sad. How hard is it to do a head count while traveling in such large numbers?

The child was found crying in the terminal and luckily she could identify herself. She was put on another flight to Paris, accompanied by an airline staff member. It is possible that the parents may face charges of neglect on their return to Israel. I sure hope they do.