Should first class passengers get a shorter line at security?

by Grant Martin on

In Boston’s Logan international airport, I recently witnessed a meltdown in the security line. A first class passenger was livid — furious because ordinary passengers were being directed into the shorter, elite x-ray lane by the TSA. For their part, the TSA were indifferent. All passengers are the same, they kept saying, as people shuffled past the ID checkpoint while the first class passenger stewed as he watched his x-ray line double in size.

That’s what first class passengers pay for though, right? Some airports have specific elite lanes, where depending on your paid fare or your elite status you can enjoy a enjoy a shorter wait at the checkpoint. Given the the absurd amounts of money and time that they devote to the airline, shouldn’t they be rewarded with faster passage?

Or, should first class privileges not apply to the security line? In a way, a shorter line at the ID check effectively lets these passengers cut in front of those that aren’t “elite.” That seems to be what these particular TSA agents were thinking — if they had their way, everyone would be in the same line and file through en masse.

What’s your take?

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Paris Air Show – Video of the flying demonstrations

by Kent Wien on

The Paris Air Show restricts access to press and industry professionals from Monday through Thursday, which would seem to make it the ideal time to visit the show, assuming you could get your hands on a pass.

Gadling editor Grant Martin and I managed to attend, hoping to see some of the latest innovations for future travelers. We caught the new Boeing 787 electronic window shade on video and watched the debut flight display of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner.

Exhausted from the traveling that day, we decided to enjoy the perfect weather to catch the flying display on Wednesday. I even came back on Sunday to compare the differences in the show between the industry days and the general public weekend show.

Even though there are huge crowds on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the overall mood is much more friendly, with a greater sense of excitement present. Just take a look at these two pictures of the show to see if you can sense the difference:

Shoot me if I ever attend an airshow in a suit:

There were just a few smiles during the week, but the crowd really seemed to be enjoying themselves over the weekend. No doubt the economy has been in the back of everyone’s mind in the industry, while the general public attended the show simply to be entertained.

And entertained they were. Video after the jump.

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The one thing that the Paris Air Show and Farnborough in England have over the typical stateside airshow are the civil aircraft flying displays; something I was eager to see for my first time visiting the Paris Air Show.

The flying display began with an impressive BD-5 reincarnation called the LH-10 Ellipse that manages to fly at 200 knots (230 m.p.h.) while sipping just 5 gallons an hour. That’s about 40 miles per gallon.

The Eurocopter Tiger helicopter proved once again that it’s capable of an impressive array of aerobatic maneuvers, including a loop, a roll, split-S and this stunt that I’ve never seen before:

After Airbus flew the A300, A320, A340 and the A380, it was time for the aerobatic solo performances. An F-16, Mirage III, Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon flew, and on the weekend we saw the graceful French aerobatic team La Patrouille de France take over the show.

The Sunday show ended with a few fly-bys of a Lockheed Constellation from Breitling, a B-17, a PBY and the first Dassault aircraft, an MD 315 Flamant.

Disappointingly, Boeing had a very limited presence at the show, with just a ‘chalet’ available by appointment only. Grant and I managed to walk through the building that was located right on the flight line next to other industry heavy weights, and take in the view from upstairs, but it was set up for meetings and as a perk for important customers.

Maybe the 787 will make its public debut at Farnborough next year. If so, Gadling will hopefully be there.

Check out the rest of Gadling’s Paris Air Show coverage.

Air New Zealand brings back body paint for cheeky safety video

by Mike Barish on


Last month we told you about Air New Zealand’s clever and quirky ad campaign that featured their crew in body-painted uniforms. Well, those creative Kiwis are at it again, and this time they’re mixing the risque with the safety (that’s close enough to a rhyme for me). They’ve gone ahead and filmed their entire flight safety video in body paint.

Seatbelt instructions? In body paint. Life jacket demonstration? In body paint. Water landing safety? Well, you get the picture. Actually, you don’t get the whole picture. Some strategically placed luggage and seat backs ensure that.

Flying as much as I do, I tend to tune out most safety lectures on the plane. Lately, though, many airlines have replaced the flight attendant demos with clever videos, and Air New Zealand may have just raised the bar for the rest of the industry. And so long as that bar is covering the complimentary bag of nuts, I think it’s a great (and cheeky) idea!

The new video premieres on domestic Air New Zealand flights on Monday, so if you find yourself in that corner of the world, hop on board to see it in its natural environment. And check out the bloopers from the filming of the video here. Thankfully, it’s all safe for work!

Qantas puts yet another dent in the future of the Boeing Dreamliner

by Scott Carmichael on

Wow Boeing – it really does suck to be you this week. After a dismal Paris Air Show and the announcement of the sixth delay in taking the first 787 Dreamliner for a test flight, Qantas just canceled their order of 15 Dreamliners.

In Boeing’s defense, Qantas recently pulled the same stunt with Airbus with some of their orders for the A380.

The change in their order cancels 15 planes and puts another 15 on a delayed delivery schedule, moved back to 2015, which will be 10 years after they placed the order.

I’m obviously not completely up to date on how aircraft orders work, but I’m quite surprised an airline can just pick up the phone and tell their vendor that they won’t be needing that $3 Billion delivery after all.

The change is of course blamed on “turbulent market conditions”, but I’m willing to bet Boeing now really regrets the delays in getting the Dreamliner ready for the market. By the time the plane is finally finished, we’ll have either reached a total financial apocalypse, or everything will be back to normal.

Of course, losing 15 planes still means Boeing has 851 firm orders for the 787, so while I’m sure they were not too thrilled with the phone call from Qantas, the plane itself is still a huge success.
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Richard Branson explains Virgin Mobile FreeFest to Jimmy Fallon

by Jamie Rhein on

We’ve written about Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic before. Recently, as Jeremy wrote, Gadling was on hand to join in a Virgin Atlantic’s 25th anniversary party in New York City. While in the city, Sir Richard took the time to hang out with Jimmy Fallon on Late Night.

It’s not that I was born on another planet, but I didn’t catch who he was a first. Fallon was in a twitter though. The first thing I noticed before I caught Branson’s name was how pleased he is with himself–and life. Very pleased, glowing in fact. Then I connected the dots and thought, well, that explains it.

The celebration Branson and Virgin Mobile is throwing is to help make the hard economic times a little easier for the everyday person. The Virgin Mobile Freefest, being held on August 30th at the Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, Maryland is free. That’s right, free–if you can snag tickets. You need a ticket to get in. Start trying tomorrow, Saturday, June 27 at 10 a.m., you can try for tickets through Ticketmaster or call 1-800-551-SEAT.

There’s more.

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In the vein of it’s great to give back, Branson wants people to donate at least $5 to Youth Homelessness. Also there’s a Karma T-shirt package. For $30 you can get a T-shirt, give your $5 donation and $5 towards delivery. The idea is that you buy a T-shirt and stock up on good karma for yourself. There’s a $5 discount if you order two packages.

Branson mentioned the musical line up and perks to people who have lost their jobs. I haven’t found the details about the perks on the event Web site, but according to what I heard Branson say, there’s some sort of VIP area.

Here’s what I appreciate about the event besides it being free. Kids are welcome. Bringing children is mentioned on the checklist page. So is remembering sunscreen and bringing in two factory sealed bottles of water.

It’s also terrific to have a fundraiser for a change that most everyone can afford. I bet FunFest pulls in a tidy sum for Youth Homelessness. Oprah, have any ideas?