The Pearl of Moorea Part One: Getting there

by Neil Woodburn on

Travel, when done right, is an active, engaging adventure during which every day reveals something new and exciting.

But every once in a while, travel is nothing more than a well deserved excuse to escape from the real world and do absolutely nothing. And this is exactly the way I usually feel at the end of the calendar year when I’m burnt out, overworked, and in desperate need of reinvigoration.

And so, my girlfriend and I headed to the South Pacific this last Christmas vacation for some well deserved R & R.

I wasn’t sure we would actually get there because I had waited too long to book anything and when my girlfriend started calling around in mid-December, a few travel agents actually laughed at her.

And then we found a gem. Laurel from True Tahiti Vacations took on the challenge and in less than a day, had done a phenomenal job of putting together the perfect package for our one-week escape to the Tahitian island of Moorea. She pulled off a minor miracle in the middle of high season and did everything imaginable for us-even offering the professional services of her husband, a local tattoo artist on Moorea who practices his art in the traditional Tahitian manner: with a wooden tapping stick and needles made of shark’s teeth. And don’t worry mom, this was one souvenir we both passed on.The Flight
The South Pacific is a surprisingly easy place to reach from the West Coast of America. A direct flight from Los Angeles to Tahiti is only eight hours and, if planned properly, can be arranged as a red eye. All you have to do is fall asleep on the tarmac and when you awake, you’re in paradise.

Our flight was a little less convenient, but not too bad. We left Los Angeles at 7 p.m. on Christmas night and arrived to balmy Papeete weather at 1:00 in the morning. It was my first time on Air Tahiti Nui and I was mostly impressed: we were treated to friendly service and were able to each enjoy our personal video screens-a huge plus in my book for any airline these days. The food, however, was a sad foreshadowing of what to expect once we arrived in Tahiti. The evening meal was sub par, but the snack they served before landing just might have been the worst food I’ve ever had on an airline, and I’ve flown Aeroflot. I’m not sure what whacked out cook thought he could prepare a quesadilla in a plane microwave, but the end product tasted like coagulated lard mushed between burnt sheets of wallpaper. Ugh!

Papeete
Since most international flights land in Papeete, on the main island of Tahiti, those traveling onwards to Moorea, Bora Bora, or any of the other paradisiacal islands of French Polynesia usually have a bit of a layover before their final destination.

Since we arrived at the unfortunate hour of 1:00 in the morning, our travel agent booked us a room at the Radisson so that we wouldn’t have to wait in the airport for the remainder of the night. This was a great call. Although it took 20 long minutes to reach the hotel, when we finally arrived, all the stress of travel and the toil of a busy life back home miraculously dissipated the moment we walked through the door of our room and into a South Pacific-themed, zen-like oasis. I really hadn’t expected much from the Radisson, and was therefore quite surprised at the quality of the room.

The only problem was having to wake up five hours later.


The Ferry
I had made sure to stay awake the entire flight so that I’d be on Tahitian time when I arrived and would then go promptly to bed. This was a great plan until I learned that we were booked for the 9 a.m. ferry the next day. This meant waking up at 7 a.m. to get breakfast, meet our driver, and head on over to the docks. This was horrible. DO NOT do this. Sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, and then catch the noon ferry or a later flight. Your body will thank you for it.

Although the flight to Moorea is only ten minutes, the hour-long ferry is actually a more enjoyable way, in my opinion, to get to the island. Just be sure to sit at the front of the boat and gaze out as the most luscious, green island you could ever imagine slowly grows larger and larger on the horizon until it completely dominates your view.

And that’s when you know you’ve finally made it.

Personally, I couldn’t help but think of the magical island in Lost and was filled with anticipation as I looked forward to being stranded here for the next seven days.

Tomorrow: The Resort

The Southwest Airlines Stripper Plane

by Neil Woodburn on

Every Friday evening, some time before most people have clocked out of work and begin heading home for the weekend, a plane takes off from LAX.

Like so many other flights at this time, this one is also heading to Las Vegas. It’s not full of gamblers, however, but rather a disproportionate amount of silicone that bounces and jiggles through the warm, desert-air turbulence all the way to Vegas where, for the remainder of Friday and Saturday night, it will continue quivering away at $20 a pop.

This, folks, is the Southwest Stripper Plane.

The passengers are LA’s greatest temporary export, heading off for a weekend of singles and 20s to help baby pay the rent. They are blessed with the sun-kissed glory of Southern California and enhanced by the world’s greatest plastic surgeons, and of course every single one is a struggling teacher, college student, or some other admirable profession that will keep suckers reaching into their wallet time after time to help out their worthy cause, whatever it might be.
No one really knows what time this legendary, perhaps even mythical flight leaves Los Angeles. Seats are reserved months in advance and few mere mortals are able to secure a reservation. A friend of mine claims he once found himself on this flight but can’t seem to remember the details, as though some powerful force scrubbed his brain clean, leaving only a trace of glitter on his sweaty forehead.

Others less fortunate can only dream that the planets align one day and that they find themselves sitting on a plane in Los Angeles watching their fellow passengers squeeze their gigantic moneymakers into Southwest’s cramped economy seats. If there was ever a time for long delays or a casualty-free crash on a desert island, this would certainly be it.

Remember Kyla Ebbert, the girl Southwest imposed a dress code on?

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It’s official: the Dreamliner is delayed again

by Grant Martin on

Boeing issued a press release early this morning pushing back the release of the 787 one more time, citing issues with their global supply chain as well as stitching the final aircraft together.

First flight is now scheduled for some time late in the second quarter.

Though several in the airline sector had predicted the delay — after all, this is the first time that an aircraft company has attempted to globalize a supply chain of this magnitude — today’s news still comes as a disappointment to investors and enthusiasts alike, both of whom were looking forward to riding on the aircraft sometime this year.

Hopefully this doesn’t turn into the fiasco that the A380 became and that turned into a major disappointment for EADS. Continue reading for the full press release:
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VERETT, Jan. 16, 2008 — Boeing [NYSE:BA] today announced that first flight of the 787 has been moved from the end of the first quarter of this year to around the end of the second quarter to provide additional time to complete assembly of the first airplane. Deliveries are now expected to begin in early 2009, rather than late 2008.

“The fundamental design and technologies of the 787 remain sound,” said Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “However, we continue to be challenged by start-up issues in our factory and in our extended global supply-chain.”

Carson said that while solid progress has been made on the assembly of Airplane #1, the rate at which jobs are being completed has not improved sufficiently to maintain the current schedule.

“Our revised schedule is based upon updated assessments from the 787 management team of the progress we have made and the lessons we have learned to date. This includes our experience on the factory floor completing production work on the airplane that was originally intended to be done by our suppliers,” Carson said.

Over the next several weeks, Boeing will be working with its customers and suppliers to assess the specific impacts of the schedule change on the 787’s flight test program and entry into service. This effort will include an assessment of supplier progress in meeting their commitments to deliver more complete assemblies on subsequent airplanes.

“We are deeply disappointed by what this delay means for our customers, and we are committed to working closely with them as we assess the impact on our delivery schedules,” Carson said.

Under 787 Vice President and General Manager Pat Shanahan, who assumed leadership of the 787 program last October, Boeing has provided additional resources to more effectively manage the 787 global supply chain. The company has assembled a team of experienced executives, business managers and planning specialists that will be based at the supplier partners, as well as in its own final assembly facility.

“We have brought together the right skills and leadership from around the company to ensure a successful start-up of our global production system,” said Shanahan. “We have put the people, structure and processes in place to execute our plan and we will take additional steps to strengthen our team if needed. We have made significant progress in reducing parts shortages, improving fastener availability and achieving static and systems test milestones. We are focused on getting the 787 flying, certified and delivered to our customers.”

Boeing’s 2008 financial guidance will be updated with the impact of these changes when the company holds its fourth-quarter 2007 earnings conference call on January 30. There will be no impact from the schedule change on 2007 financial results and the company does not expect the impact on 2008 earnings guidance to be significant. Financial guidance for 2009 now will be provided when the company issues its first quarter 2008 earnings report in late April, which will follow the assessment of the impact of 787 schedule changes. The company continues to expect strong earnings per share growth in 2009. The outlook for the company’s defense business and in-production commercial airplane programs remains very strong.

Boeing will hold a conference call with Scott Carson and Pat Shanahan to discuss the 787 schedule changes today at 11:00 a.m. EST, 8:00 a.m. PST. The call will be accessible by clicking here.

Will Boeing’s 787 release turn into the fiasco that the A380 was?

by Grant Martin on

We all remember the much hyped — and recurring letdowns — that led up to the release of the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jumbo jet now flying over the Southeast Asian skies. It was a roller coaster of a journey, with EADS’s stock wildly galloping across European stock exchanges, investors crying murder and numerous management changes within the embattled airline company.

We all hoped that this wouldn’t happen to Boeing, our domestic and local favorite airplane manufacturer. But as their 787 reaches the critical stage of release vs. delay, more attention has turned to the possibility of further delays and a repeat of the A380 runaround. Indeed as the Wall Street Journal reported earlier, Boeing is close to making another delay announcement, and their 787 may not fly until the middle of this year.

But Boeing has more at stake than EADS. With the fastest selling jet in commercial airline history, the Chicago based company has not only 817 airplanes to deliver but a reputation and integrity to maintain. Investors have faithfully banked on their success and if Boeing balks on their promises there are going to be serious financial ramifications.

Good luck, my friends.

Minor relief for those flying out of New York

by Jerry Guo on

Did I mention the relief will be minor? After months–hell, years–of resistance to a bill of rights for airline passengers, there’s been one small step in the right direction. Now if you’re flying out of JFK or LaGuardia, you have the right to “fresh air, lights, functioning restrooms and adequate food and drinking water” on the tarmac if your flight is delayed more than three hours.

The whole movement got a kick in the pants last Valentine’s Day, when a ice storm caused some passengers to be literally trapped on planes for up to 10 hours, with none of the above mentioned “amenities.”

Unfortunately for customers, the bill of rights trend isn’t sweeping the nation. Though airline employees can be dullards, airlines have made sure their lobbyists in Washington are the best and brightest. And the penalties can barely be called steep. $1,000 a pop–if the violation can be confirmed (read: lots of paperwork).

I’m waiting to see what kind of impact this will have on the two New York airports, which are infamously headaches to go through. Next summer is also gearing up to be one of the busiest seasons on record. So good luck everybody We’ll need it.