Stephen Hawking Defies Gravity

by Neil Woodburn on

Just look at that photograph!

Doesn’t it just spread a big smile across your face seeing wheelchair-confined Stephen Hawking floating wildly in zero gravity and grinning like a kid?

The 65-year-old scientist recently freed himself from the confines of gravity with the help of a Boeing 727 that performed eight parabolic maneuvers, each of which created a condition of zero-gravity for 25 seconds. The genius physicist, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, was apparently scheduled for just one parabolic stunt but enjoyed it so much that another seven were added on. Check out the video here.

The flight, which was operated by Zero Gravity Corp and normally costs $3,500, was in preparation for Hawking’s 2009 journey into outer space on Virgin Galactic. Everything must have gone well because upon returning to earth, he gleefully proclaimed in his electronic voice, “Space, here I come!”

Now that just warms my heart.

Jet Airways Offers (Relatively) Cheap Luxury Cabin

by Justin Glow on

India-based airline Jet Airways has introduced a 26-square-foot cabin on its London to Mumbai flight which costs £1200 less than a first-class British Airways ticket. So let’s see: £5000+ for first-class, or £4000 for my own private cabin? That’s an easy one.

As you can see from the photo above, the dual-seat configuration folds down to make a bed, and the 23″ flat TV screen offers over 200 hours of the latest movies. Well, you can see the TV (upper left-hand corner), but you’ll have to trust me on the 200 hours deal, as it’s tough to capture that feature in a photo. Other amenities include a “personal hanging wardrobe,” and “office facilities for working.” More pictures after the jump. [Via Luxist]

BING-DING: Ryanair’s Obvious Southwest Rip-off

by Justin Glow on

I’m sure most of you have heard of Southwest Airlines‘s cheap airfare notification system called DING! It’s a little program you download that sits in your taskbar and alerts you with Southwest’s famous in-flight *DING!* when a low fare pops up.

European carrier Ryanair recently developed their own program, and it’s quite obvious they did very little brainstorming when coming up with a name. Come on, BING? They changed one letter! I honestly can’t imagine why they’d call it BING, knowing that Southwest has one called DING. What’s going on?

[via Cranky Flier]

Elite Status in 5,000 Miles

by Dave Luna on

You know those VIP fliers who get all the perks like early check-ins, shorter security checkpoint lines, and preferred boardings? Well, you can be one, too, if you follow this tip from Peter Vogel of CNN’s Budget Travel Online.

Normally, American Airlines gives Gold Status after flying 25,000 miles in a year and Platinum Status after 50,000 miles. Well, through AA’s unadvertised “90-Day Challenge,” a flier can achieve Gold Status after accumulating 5,000 points and Platinum after reaching 10,000 points!* (Of course, those flights must be made during the 90 day period.)

To apply for the program, you will need to call AA’s Advantage line at (800)421-0600. You must choose either Gold Status or Platinum Status for the challenge. Note: If you choose to go for Gold and meet the Platinum requirements, you will only receive Gold Status. However, if you choose Platinum, but only fly enough for the Gold Status… you get nothing. So, choose wisely.

Check out Peter’s write-up. He took took a flight to San Diego and a flight to London — both from New York — under the program, and he racked up enough points to grab Platinum Status and almost enough miles to achieve Gold Status for the next year.

If you’d still like elite status, but don’t want to fly the miles, you can always pick up an airline credit card. For example, US Airways offers two credit cards that will buy you preferred check-in and early boarding.

Update: Reader Nick Hawkins notes that the 90-Day Challenge must be met using 5,000 or 10,000 Points, and one point may not always equal one mile. If you book online, you may only receive half a point per mile. Thanks, Nick!

BMW Designed 787 VIP Business Jet

by Justin Glow on

Last week at the Hamburg Aircraft Interior Expo, BMW group DesignworksUSA unleashed a few mock-ups of a concept 787 VIP business jet with all the bells and whistles — and then some.

The design was approached with a fictitious Russian client in his mid-thirties in mind who “spends a significant amount of time traveling across the globe and needs an aircraft that function as a second home.”

The end result is an ultra-luxurious interior that looks more like a nightclub than a 787. I was really wishing that strip of glass in the center of the floor looked out of the plane’s belly and into the sky, but it looks like it just offers a glimpse into the 3-series BMW garage. Oh well. More pictures after the jump.