Save $20 on your next Jetblue flight

by Grant Martin on

Summer fares can be a killer, especially in this new world of cost-cutting airlines and ultra sensitive passengers. So I suppose its worth mentioning the recent Amex/Jetblue promotion that’s running where you can save 20$ per flight over this summer.

No, not a ridiculous fare sale or wonderful revelation. But a few extra bucks in your pocket for your summertime flight never hurts. Maybe you can use it for four extra shots of tequila at JFK airport before you get on your transcontinental flight and realize that you just spent a month’s rent on the ticket. It might help soften the blow (Tip: any tequila with red plastic hat on the bottle is a good call).

To book your ticket, use your American Express card on the Myvacation page to book your ticket. Itineraries must be booked before July 31 for travel up to August 28th.

Now where did my jumbo jet go? There it is!

by Grant Martin on

Anyone lose a Boeing 727 lately? I just checked my hangar and all of mine are in stock. Girlfriend check one out? Nope, she’s on the yacht.

Well someone is missing one. Vietnamese officials at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport can’t seem to figure out who left the aircraft at their airport late last year; it’s currently sitting collecting dust at on the tarmac with an outdated order for “essential maintenance”. Nobody has bothered to claim it.

Looking at the aircraft, there is a Cambodian flag on the skin with the name “Air Dream”, but the Vietnamese don’t seem to have any information on the airline — whether that’s a testament to a defunct, outdated airline and aircraft or the failures of the communist bureaucracy, I’m not sure.

Meantime, I have half a nerve to send one of my Vietnamese cousins up with a briefcase full of parking fees and say that the 727 belongs to my family. I’ve been meaning to bedazzle one of my aircraft and park it out on my front lawn in The Hamptons. Maybe Gridskipper will pick up the story.

What strange things have been found on planes?


Click the image to read the bizarre story…

[Thanks to moody75 for the tip]

Sudan Airways Airbus bursts into flames in Khartoum

by Grant Martin on

A Sudanese aircraft inbound from Damascus and Amman burst into flames on the tarmac yesterday in Khartoum as it was taxiing towards the terminal. News reporters are still sifting out the details, but it appears that the problem was not related to the poor weather near the airfield or any pilot error but rather a technical problem with one of the engines. At this point, it seems that one of the engines had a problem, ignited and the resulting fire spread throughout the rest of the aircraft.

The flight crew were fortunately able to evacuate about 170 passengers out of the Airbus 310 before the fire took hold. Initial reports of over 100 casualties have since been revised to 30 with only 5 pulled out of the wreckage so far.

As for the aircraft, the entire airframe has been consumed by the blazing hot jet fuel fire. Some reports indicate that the craft may have split in two on the tarmac as well, but those rumors have yet to be confirmed.

Sudan has a dicey history with air safety, and many feared that the problem was poor air traffic management or even terrorist related. At this point, however, the problem still appears to be technical. We’ll know more when accident investigators are able to get on site and track down the cause of the crash.

Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo is on the way

by Grant Martin on

On the far side of the air travel spectrum, where oil isn’t an issue, flight attendants aren’t cranky and passengers aren’t grumbling about extra baggage fees, Virgin Galactic is hanging out alone in the space travel sector.

Earlier this year, VG announced plans for its new aircraft, the White Knight Two that is being built by their partner, Scaled Composites, along with the release of a variety of media and fanfare.

Now, production has moved far enough so that they’ve been able to pin down rollout and first flight dates for their space vehicle. Virgin hopes that their prototype is ready for operation by the end of July while first flight is slated for some time in September.

The group has yet to construct and reveal Spaceship Two, however, the center part of the dual-aircraft that will actually reach sub-orbit; they plan to have that out the door sometime next year. So don’t get your hopes up on commercial space flight too quickly. Both aircraft, the White Knight Two and Spacehip Two have to be thoroughly tested before the business gets off the ground.

Not that its stopping anyone from reserving their seat. Over 250 people have pledged up to $20,000 for their seats so far, giving the group $36M in the bank for development and company hot-tub parties. Let’s hope that the flight tests go well.

[via Endgadget]

First regular A380 service to the US announced

by Grant Martin on

Emirates finally announced its delivery and route schedule for the new A380s that it’s supposed to receive from Airbus later this yea, and New York is on the list of destinations.

Starting on August 1st, the Dubai based airline will fly direct from JFK to Dubai three times a week, with routes to San Francisco and Los Angeles to unfurl later in the year.

While this isn’t the first time that the massive aircraft has been seen in the states, it will be the first time that regularly scheduled flights are locked into the US and the first time that commoners like you and I have the chance to fly on the aircraft.

Make sure you keep an eye on the schedule and the airline though. While Airbus has most of the tweaks out of its production line, it’s not impossible that they could delay delivery by a touch and throw the late summer schedule into disarray.

I for one am looking forward to flying on Emirates’ A380. The combination of one of the best airlines in the planet with one of the most advanced aircraft flying around it is enough to make any airplane nerd giggle. We’ll keep you updated on the schedule.