Airline Logo Scares Superstitious Customers

by Jonathon Morgan on

People get a little freaked out by the number 13. Thus, Belgian carrier Brussels Airlines is scrambling to change the logo design on the tail and sides of its Airbus jets — a design that, up until recently, was comprised of 13 balls that formed the letter “b.”

The change came in response to superstitious American and Italian customers who had complained about the logo. According to Brussels Airlines spokesman Geert Sciot, “They said they were not pleased with an aircraft with a logo with 13 balls because they think it brings them bad luck.”

It may seem surprising, but it shouldn’t be. You may have noticed that many buildings don’t have a 13th floor, and that you can’t find row 13 on some airplanes. Says Bruce Hood of Bristol University: “There are many examples in business where people make decisions based on intuitive reasoning which are in fact woefully incorrect, in fact very irrational.”

But for Brussels Airlines, the irrational choice turned out to be best for their business.

Should You Pay For Airport Electricity?

by Jonathon Morgan on

While connecting through Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, blogger Cory Doctorow noticed these $2 per use electrical outlets, presumably targeted at those looking to charge their laptops during layovers. He was able to find non-paying outlets elsewhere in the airport, but “wasn’t sure if security would try to shut [him] down” for trying to use them.

Doctorow suggests that, while Dallas/Ft. Worth is a hub for those flying cross-country, tech-savvy travelers might want to chose the free electricity and laptop-friendly atmosphere of Chicago’s O’Hare airport instead. Makes sense to me — why route yourself through an airport where you’ll be charged to work while you wait for your connecting flight?

Have you traveled through Dallas recently? Do you really have to pay to plug in?

JetBlue CEO Apologizes on YouTube

by Jonathon Morgan on

After last week’s incredible delays and the resultant uproar, JetBlue’s CEO has posted this video YouTube as an apology. In it, he promises to institue significant changes to the carrier’s service, and offers the following discounts to delayed passengers, retroactive to February 15th:

• All non-airport crew members of JetBlue will be badged and ready to go if needed to be called upon
• Increasing number phone lines open for changing reservations
• Tripling the size of the group that schedules pilots and stewardesses
• Delays 1-2 hours: $25 off a future flight
• Delays 2-4 hours: $50 off a future flight
• Delays 6+ hours: Free round-trip ticket

Would you fly on JetBlue? Were you caught in the delays last week? Does this video change your opinion of the airline?

[via Boing Boing]

HBO in the Air

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a dose of good news for the folks who are tired of the mostly family-oriented fare that you see during in-flight movies when you travel. Starting in May, if you fly Delta Airlines, you will be able to watch ‘Deadwood,’ ‘The Sopranos,’ The Wire’ and a whole assortment of other more adult-oriented entertainment. An agreement between Delta Air Lines and HBO will put the channel’s programming in the rather revolutionary video-on-demand seat backs and will make some 40 to 50 hours of unedited programming available to fliers. Of course, it ain’t gonna be free…unless, of course, you are flying Business Class. No, domestic economy-class customers will be charged $5 for a feature film and $2 an episode for TV shows. I suppose that’s not too bad to catch up on what is happening in the old West and just haven’t had your daily fill of Al Swearengen saying the f-word.

The Amazing Race All-Stars: 1798 Miles and Lots of Bad Accents

by Willy Volk on

I love watching The Amazing Race. While I don’t care much for the teammate squabbling, I love seeing so many remote parts of the world, many of which are non-traditional staples of American TV viewing.

This season, the series’ 11th, boasts the so-called All-Stars. Featuring some teams you may have rooted for in the past — and some teams you may not have rooted for — this season will, no doubt, be filled with deceit, treachery, lying and sleaziness — especially since Rob and Amber are back.

Beginning with an impossibly long ride to the airport in Miami, the teams head for Quito, Ecuador…

… where they rush to Pim’s Restaurant. After receiving staggered departure times for the next day’s trip to Hacienda Yanahurco, an ecological reserve in Cotopaxi National Park, the teams have to choose between Wrangle It (give a beauty treatment to a horse) or Recover It (find a needle in a haystack). Ultimately, sneaky, snake-y Rob and Amber score a first place finish while formerly dating couple John Vito and Jill get the boot.

Of course, it’s easy for me, as an armchair racer, to critique the racers’ performance from the comfort of my sofa. However, I did come up with some things that the racers probably should have avoided — and that you might want to avoid on upcoming trips:

  1. Do not speak to locals with English infused with accents that you believe the locals speak with. They will not understand you better. Charla and Mirna are notorious violators of this travel no-no. Just speak slowly and clearly.
  2. In the airport, many of the racers accost the ticket agents, demanding the earliest-arriving flights. Generally speaking, I don’t think this is the best method for getting the seats you want. Be polite. Ask nicely. Be calm. Freaking out never made an airline seat appear.
  3. While I understand that time is critical, asking foreign cabbies to speed and/or break the local laws is probably a bad idea — and doesn’t make the rest of us travelers more appreciated.

In summary, the racers experienced 2 countries, 1 nearly dislocated shoulder, and 1798 miles of stale airline air.