Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Walt Disney World’s Main Street U.S.A.

by Leigh Caldwell on

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flew up Main Street U.S.A. Tuesday afternoon in a six-plane “Delta” formation. The Walt Disney World flyover was part of the festivities surrounding Air Force Week in Central Florida.

Air Force Weeks are held in different U.S. cities each year. They are a public relations effort “for our Air Force to showcase some of its capabilities to the general public,” said Col. Lee Rosen, commander of the 45th Launch Group.

The Walt Disney World Thunderbirds flyover was months in the making, according to Maj. David Lemery, a Thunderbirds maintenance officer.

Besides planning the timing and coordinates of the flight, the Air Force had to ensure that the air space was clear. And while that might seem easy to do, there are some flying objects in the air that can’t be reached by radio:

“Birds. There were lots of giant birds,” said Lt. Col. Derek Routt, Thunderbirds operations officer. “They look pretty in the sky, but they can do a lot of damage to a jet aircraft.”

In addition to the flyover, airmen and their families visited Walt Disney World Tuesday to enjoy the park and interact with the public. On Wednesday, airmen are visiting SeaWorld, and on Thursday, they will be at Kennedy Space Center.

Air Force Week moves to Cocoa Beach, Florida for the weekend, with performances at the Cocoa Beach air show on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at the Cocoa Beach Pier.

Colonnade Hotel offers Halloween discounts

by Melanie Nayer on

Halloween night can get a little, well, creepy. Before you set out on the streets of Boston looking for something ghoulish and gaudy to participate in, make sure you have a place to call home at the end of the night. Boston’s Colonnade Hotel is offering all guests who arrive in costume on the weekend of Oct. 31, 2010 a 10 discount on room rates.

But for those who like a little trick with their treat, The Colonnade is upping its ante.

For the more competitive enthusiasts, The Colonnade Hotel will offer guests the chance to compete for 31 percent off of the room rate. If your costume is deemed the funniest, the scariest or the most original, your nightly room rate just got 31 percent cheaper. Since The Colonnade is a pet-friendly hotel, pets can dress up and also join in on the fun for a chance to win.

Need a few suggestions? No problem! If you’re coming to Boston for Halloween weekend, consider dressing up as one of these hometown favorites:

  • Ted Williams (with or without ice)
  • Any one of the New Kids on the Block (a good family costume idea)
  • Samuel Adams (with or without the beer)
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Paul Revere
  • Donna Summer (sequins required)

Happy Halloween!


Passenger put on No Fly List for using iPad

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Think only suspected terrorists and hardened criminals end up on the government’s infamous No Fly List? Well you best mind your manners on your next flight – in these days of heightened airline security, all it takes to end up in hot water is some seriously obnoxious passenger behavior and an iPad. According to a recent story on Jalopnik, an air traveler en route from Chicago to New York’s LaGuardia landed himself in trouble for refusing to turn off his beloved Apple device (and repeatedly pissing off the flight crew).

The trouble started when the flight pulled back from the gate, a period during which passengers are required to turn off any electronic devices. The offending passenger ignored multiple requests from the flight staff to turn off his shiny iPad, instead choosing to remark, “Wait, so you mean that if my iPad is on, the entire plane can’t take off? I had no idea I had so much power!”

The trouble did not end there. Once the flight had taken off, said passenger asked to be served alcohol and was rebuffed by an understandably annoyed crew. This led to a further heated arguments and eventually, a lecture from the captain himself. Upon landing in New York, the passenger was met by police, who were waiting at the gate to arrest the man. A flight attendant from the plane confirmed the angry flyer’s name was also being added to the No-Fly list for his coarse behavior.

Air travel often sucks these days. Passengers understandably lose patience. But if you think unfavorable conditions give you the right to preferential treatment, think again. Being a jerk on a plane is no different than being a jerk on the ground. You just lose the privilege of flying along with it.

[Photo courtesy Flickr user Rego Korosi]

Five signs people are traveling to the U.S. from overseas, recovery in progress

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Travel to the United States from overseas is up drastically from last year. For the first seven months of 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, foreign visitation is up 12 percent relative to the same period in 2009. In July alone, 6.3 million people came to the country, a whopping 15 percent gain from July 2009, making it the tenth month in a row in which arrivals increased.

And, finally, these folks are spending more.

From January through July, foreign visitors dropped $76.7 billion into the U.S. economy, a 10 percent jump from last year. They spent $11.6 billion in July 2010, a surge of 18 percent and an indication of a pleasant financial trajectory. Spending by overseas visitors to the United States has grown year-over-year every month in 2010.

So, what do the details look like? There’s a lot of good news, the U.S. Department of Commerce reveals. Here are five stats that are sure to delight the U.S. tourism and travel industry:
1. Seventeen of the top 20 countries for U.S. visitation registered increases in people traveling here for the first seven months of the year – the only declines were from the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Ireland.

2. Twelve of these countries experienced double-digit increases, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China and Australia.

3. In July this year, 19 of the top 20 countries posted year-over-year gains, with Venezuela the lone holdout (down a modest 1 percent).

4. Double-digit gains came in July for 15 of the top 20 countries.

5. Arrivals from overseas locations (i.e., not Canada or Mexico) increased 15 percent from July to July and 12 percent from the first seven months of 2009 to the first seven months of 2010.

And, Canada has been busy. Air arrivals from our northern neighbor shot up 20 percent in July 2010, with land arrivals up 16 percent. For the year, air is up 15 percent, and land is up 12 percent. Mexico posted double-digit growth for both forms of arrival for both the month of July and the first seven months of 2010.

Of course, you don’t learn much by comparing 2009 to 2010, because 2009 was such a disaster. The effects of the financial crisis lingered, squeezing wallets shut and keeping people at home. So, you have to look back to 2008 to see if we’ve made any real progress.

Well, the news is positive. Visits from overseas increased 1 percent from the first seven months of 2009 to the first seven months of 2010. From July 2009 to July 2010, we experienced a 7 percent increase.

People are getting on planes again, and they’re visiting us. The travel market is coming back, but we’re still early in the process.

[photo by pheezy via Flickr]

Photo of the Day (10.26.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
I loved visiting airports at a very early age. There was (and will always be) something fascinating about the constant commotion, the bright colors, and overwhelmingly complex machines barreling down the tarmac. The hundreds of people walking through the airport doors; in transition, heading to exciting new destinations or returning home with stories to share.

This photograph of the ever-friendly PSA livery takes me right back to that early love for airports & travel. Appropriately titled ‘A Wink and a Smile’, Flickr user Samer Farha captured this USAirways plane taking off from National Airport on its way to La Guardia. Samer was able to snap the shot from a safe distance by using a 500mm lens and an additional doubler on a Canon 7D.

Do you love airports as much as we do? Do you have a favorite airplane livery? Share your favorite travel moments with us by submitting your photos to our Flickr Pool and it could be our next Photo of the Day.