Gadling

Whenever I’m in a plane and we hit turbulence, I usually look to the flight attendants to see if they look worried.  It always amazes me, and reassures me, how they calmly go about their tasks while the Gods try to shake the plane from the sky.

This wasn’t the case on a recent Virgin Atlantic flight, however.  When the Boeing 747 from Gatwick to Las Vegas hit a serious patch of turbulence, one of the first persons to freak out was none other than a flight attendant who began screaming, “We’re going to crash!  We’re going to crash!” She continued screaming with every shake of the plane until the turbulence eventually subsided.

I might be wrong here, but I see a performance review in her very near future.

Where do old planes go when they die?

Those that haven’t plummeted to the earth in an explosive fireball are literally put out to pasture-in the desert. 

Joe Sharkey of the New York Times reports on a somberly impressive Airline Graveyard just outside of Tucson, Arizona where more than 300 decommissioned planes lie mothballed and baking in the sun.   Many have been truly retired, never to fly again, while others are simply the victims of the post 9-11 travel slump-temporarily grounded and awaiting their return to the skies. 

The disheartening array of civilian aircraft, parked in neat rows across the desert landscape, encompasses the history of commercial air travel for the last 50 years-DC-8’s, DC-10’s, Boeing 737’s, 747’s, 757’s 767’s, as well as Airbus A300’s and A310’s.

Unfortunately, the Evergreen Air Center at Pinal Air Park, where the planes are kept, is not open to the public.  But, if the area is anything like the enormous airline graveyard in the Mojave Desert, one can easily drive by-as I’ve done many times on the way to Mammoth Mountain-and check it out from a distance.  It is still truly an impressive, and indeed, somber sight. 

How does free sound?  Is free good for you?

Budget airline Ryanair has just announced they are giving away three million free tickets-well, free “exclusive of taxes fees & charges which do not exceed £15.20.”

Some bad publicity for Ryanair from an English television program accusing them of security and safety lapses, is great news for travelers concerned more about a getting a great deal than, perhaps, their own personal safety. 

Although Ryanair is challenging the report, we all know how fast a bitter taste can develop amongst the public.  To ward off any bad feelings before they could arise, Ryanair responded almost immediately with the sale of “zero fare” tickets to at lest 90 locations throughout Europe. 

But act quickly if you want to take advantage of them.  Zero Fare tickets will only be sold until midnight, February 16.