Airbus A380: More Passengers Means More Toilets

by Dave Luna on

The Airbus A380 is truly a marvel of modern engineering. Not only is it the largest airliner in the world, but it is also the most advanced. Engineers crafted each system with meticulous detail from the fly-by-wire systems to the… toilets?

Yes, I’ll admit that plumbing wasn’t my first consideration when ogling pictures of the enormous plane, but it certainly was a chief concern for the company. Frank Dohrmann, an Airbus lead engineer, told journalists that customers won’t care about a small temperature variance, but “if the toilets get jammed, every passenger will remember it for years.” I know I certainly would. In fact, it would be my first Gadling post once I landed.

3,280ft of water and waste pipes are housed within the 197ft frame of the A380. Sewage travels through the waste pipes at more than 60mph. This might seem like overkill, but the speed is required to support the 18 toilets for up to 800 passengers. Now, that’s a lot of poop. Not impressed yet? How about this — the plumbing is also capable of supporting showers. Fancy!

I hope, with all of these toilets, the Airbus A380 has an air freshener system that’s just as advanced.

Related: Howstuffworks – How does the toilet in a commercial airliner work?

10 Myths About Luggage and Carry-On Baggage

by Jonathon Morgan on

While I’m a relatively well-traveled person, I have to admit that when I fly from one place to another, I have more or less no idea how my luggage makes the journey. I’d cobbled together some misinformation and plenty of assumptions, to arrive at a series of beliefs, that, thanks to this list from About.com, I’ve now realized were almost unanimously false.

You can read the full explanations here, but for starters, here are the top 10 myths about luggage and carry-on baggage:

1. You will be reimbursed for all the items in a lost piece of luggage
2. If you are connecting to another airline your luggage will automatically be accepted by another
3. Baggage allowances are the same on airlines
4. If you travel on more than one airline your luggage can be booked through
5. People won’t steal your carry-on items
6. Your luggage will automatically get checked through if you are connecting
7. If you are willing to pay extra fees you can check in excess luggage
8. Only checked baggage will be heavily scrutinized at customs
9. If you change airports in the same city your luggage will be transferred for you
10. Lost luggage will always be delivered to you when found

Intrigued? About has also compiled lists of the World’s Favorite Airports, Top 10 Myths About Air Travel and Airports, and Top 10 Myths about Airfares and Airline Tickets.

“If You Look to Your Left, You Can See The Engine Breaking Apart”

by Dave Luna on


Here’s something you don’t want to see. This Malaysian Airlines 777 encountered difficulties with its left engine a few seconds after lift-off. Fragments of the plane fell from the sky and littered the runway. The pilots quickly discovered the malfunction, and safely returned the plane to the airport. No one was harmed.

I can only imagine the reaction of the passengers seated by the windows on the left side of the plane. I’m guessing they acted much like William Shatner in Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. (Check out that link for another classic picture.)

(via Geekologie)

Beware of “Free Wireless” at the airport — it may be a scam!

by Justin Glow on

When you’re at the airport with your laptop, and you’re scanning the available wireless networks, beware of the “Free Wi-Fi” access point — it may be a scam.

Many airports around the world charge for wireless Internet access, so the “Free Wi-Fi” access point can often be a welcoming sign to check your email and save some money. What you may not realize, however, is that this access point may have been setup to lure in unsuspecting users by someone else in the terminal with a laptop. Here’s what happens:

JoE hAcKeR sets up his laptop to act as an access point named “Free Wi-Fi,” that way anyone who connects is actually connecting through his laptop, and he’s configured it to log all data that passes through, including the usernames and passwords you’ve entered in while browsing through his connection. This is called a “computer-to-computer” network, or “ad hoc.” If you’re using Windows, there’s an easy way to tell whether or not the wireless network you’re about to connect through is legit or not: if it says “computer-to-computer network” (like this) stay away. Chances are this is a scam.

So how do you protect yourself? Simple. “Never connect to an ad hoc network unless someone you know has set one up and specifically asks you to connect,” says Computerworld’s guide to protecting yourself from airport wi-fi bandits.

Instead, either pay for the official wireless network, or double check that the airport you’re at even offers free wireless before connecting. Talk to someone at the information desk, or check this list of airports offering free wireless before you leave. Just make sure that the wireless network you want to connect to is an authorized network setup and maintained by the airport, and not some 15 year old punk with a laptop.

Please don’t let me sit next to that guy!

by Justin Glow on

On a flight from St. Louis to Las Vegas last year, a friend and I had the unfortunate opportunity of being seated next to a middle-aged man — we’ll call him Doug — who was so obviously intoxicated, it’s a wonder why he was ever let on the plane in the first place. He was the type of guy that had no idea how drunk and annoying he was, asking crude questions, and making idiotic (yet completely serious) statements like, “check out that a glacier,” while pointing at a cloud passing by outside.

The guy just couldn’t take a hint. We tried everything: wearing headphones, faking sleep, telling him — and I quote — “Doug, we’re going to listen to some music, so if you could please leave us alone.” Still, he continued on with his drunken story telling.

Even completely ignoring him did nothing — he was a machine, a big, red-faced, booze machine whose sole mission was to annoy every single person on the flight. Once he realized we were ignoring him, he moved on to harass other passengers: first across the isle, then the row in front, and then the row behind. Pretty soon he was shouting 3 and 4 rows ahead asking some poor young girl what college she went to. Wherever it was, he said before she had a chance to answer, they should change the official mascot to her. Oh boy.

I can only imagine how much he had to drink before he got on the plane, but even so, the flight attendants served him two more drinks despite my subtle finger-across-the-neck gesturing. After refusing the third (perhaps she saw me this time: “sorry, only two drinks per passenger!”), Doug took matters into his own hands and went to the restroom, stealing three or four more micro bottles of Jack Daniels from the drink cart on his way back to the seat. So he drank more.

Luckily we had a stopover in Salt Lake City, and Doug went on to Sacramento while we left for Vegas. I’ll never forget good ole’ Doug, and as I watched his plane taxi from the comfort of the Salt Lake airport, I thought of the poor souls he was seated near on the way to Sacramento.

Point being, I ran across this article from the Onion titled, “You Look Like You Could Use Someone To Talk To On This 5-Hour Bus Ride,” a first person account from the prospective of that one guy — the drunk passenger, the talker, the smelly one — who, after observing his mannerisms at the bus station or security line from afar, you pray won’t be seated next to you, but inevitably is. Doug was that guy for my friend and I, and I know each of you who have traveled more than a few times has a similar story, so let’s hear it. Please share in the comments!

[via WorldHum]