Cell phone abusers on plane now being arrested

by Grant Martin on

One of my biggest pet peeves is the jokers on the airplane who talk non stop on their phones before departure and practically need to have them wrestled away when the cabin door closes. In addition to the potentially dangerous effect of mobile phone signals on aircraft navigation, its rude to be jabbering away with a ton of cramped unhappy people all around you.

The problem is particularly egregious in business class, where I frequently see passengers hiding their Blackberries when the flight attendant passes by, only to pull them back out and start sending emails right after.

Well apparently the industry is starting to take things more seriously. This past week, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that three Italians departing out of Milan were kicked off an airplane and arrested for refusing to get off their phones prior to departure. Even last week on my girlfriend’s flight between New York and Detroit a guy was booted for talking after the door was closed (as if LGA didn’t have enough delays).

So try to give the crew and your fellow passengers a break if you have to use your cell before departure. Be courteous, keep your voice down and when they close the cabin door, for the love of all that is holy, please turn off your phone.

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Should overweight people pay extra? Canada says no.

by Grant Martin on

Many airlines in the US state that passengers “needing an extra seat to maintain comfort” must pay for an adjacent seat. Their thought is that since they can’t sell that seat to another person, the passenger occupying part of that seat needs to foot the bill. And this mode of thought has prevailed through to the current age of air travel.

Some overweight members of the community disagree with that policy, however, suggesting that obesity is a disease and citing discrimination against the disabled. This makes carriers’ policy a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and technically illegal. So far, the US government has not interceded in this debate.

The Canadian government, on the other hand, has. Earlier this month the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) mandated that national carriers cannot charge an overweight passenger extra if he or she requires extra seats. The airlines now have a year to accommodate and integrate these changes into their systems.

What do you think? Should we do the same thing in the states?

An airport’s worst waiting area: The Penalty Box

by Grant Martin on

Ever been looking out the window of your taxiing airplane as you pull up to the runway? The captain announces that you’re X in the queue for landing, asks the flight attendants to prepare for departure and you slowly creep your way up to the runway. But just as you’re about to make it to the top, the plane takes a hard turn away, makes a few quick maneuvers and comes to a dead stop perpendicular to the runway where you, the lonely passenger, get to watch all of the planes depart out of your side window.

That, my friends, is what we frequent flyers call the Penalty Box. In about ten seconds the captain is going to come over the intercom and say something to the effect of “Well, we just got a call from New York air traffic control and they’ve put us on a ground stop because of congestion in the area. We’re monitoring the situation and we’ll give you an update in ninety minutes.”

It’s like when you’re in line for Space Mountain at Disneyworld, you’ve been waiting for 7 hours, are almost up to the front of the queue, come around the last bend and see another room full of people looking disgustedly back at you.

My only solution for this problem? Go to sleep before you push back from the gate. If ever you wake up during the wait in the box you have no idea how long you’ve been there and just assume that it hasn’t been too long. There’s nothing worse than being awake, bored and idle in an airplane with a whole flight to look forward to.

The captain has turned off the seatbelt sign — but you might want to stay buckled in

by Catherine Bodry on

You know how when the captain turns off the seat belt sign, he or she always gets on the intercom and suggests that everyone stays buckled in unless they’re walking around? Well, the captain means it. Points in case:

Last week, Martha reported on an Air Canada flight that had to make an emergency landing due to injuries from turbulence. And yesterday, a Chicago-bound flight experienced extreme turbulence after take-off from L.A. The flight was diverted to Denver in order to take 10 passengers, including two flight attendants, to the hospital. The plane was then cleaned and inspected and went on its merry way to Chicago.

That’s all I need to hear to keep my seatbelt fastened mid-flight. What about you?

If flying freaks you out, don’t read Aaron’s post about two planes that collided mid-air on Sunday. But if you can’t resist, here’s the link.

Going to Europe? New Non-Stop Trans-Atlantic Flights for 2008

by Anna Brones on

Jerry Guo recently wrote about Europe being the comeback kid, and even though that pesky Euro-to-Dollar ratio is not in our favor, 2008 is definitely the year to make your way across the Atlantic. It’s most likely thanks to Open Skies Agreement or maybe even Europeans looking for a bountiful shopping weekend, but even us American travelers can take advantage of all the new direct trans-Atlantic flights.

A little sampling of what airlines are offering the newest non-stop routes to those anxious to make their way to the continent of lower work hours, good wine and charming culture in 2008:

Northwest Airlines/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: For travelers living in the Pacific Northwest the partner airlines will be opening a new non-stop route between Seattle and London Heathrow starting June 1, 2008. If you are a World Perks member, traveling between June 1 and July 31, 2008 will score you an additional 15,000 bonus miles.

Air France: LAX to London Heathrow starting March 30, 2008. Travel between March 30th and May 24th and you could find yourself with a one-way fare as low as $243 (before airport taxes). They’re even throwing in a complimentary glass of champagne.

US Airways: Summer route from Philadelphia to Stockholm. The thrills of Scandinavia are a non-stop flight away between May 18 and September 26, 2008.

Delta: Salt Lake City to Paris starting June 2, 2008 providing a non-stop between the American capital of skiing and hiking and the European capital of bistros and the Eiffel Tower.

Singapore Airlines: Houston to Moscow and onto Singapore starting March 20, 2008. If Russian Roulette isn’t your forte, continue on for some quality gambling in the Southeast Asian metropolis.

For more options, check out the following article at Executive Travel.