10 passengers we love to hate: Day 2 — bringing a warm meal on the plane

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s annoying passenger is a tough one – I’d love to hate them more, but their annoying behavior is not entirely their fault.

Still, passengers who think it is cool to bring a huge bag of warm food on the plane are high on my list of airplane pet peeves.

Sure, they are probably hungry, and they need to bring their own food, as the airline won’t be feeding anyone. But many of these passengers bring really smelly food.

I’ve sat next to someone on a 6am flight who thought it would be fine to bring a massive breakfast platter on board. He had the works – eggs, bacon, sausages, hashbrowns and breads. The whole plane smelled of his breakfast, and many of the passengers were clearly annoyed.

Is it that hard to find a less smelly snack that early in the morning? International flights are worse, especially when the airport sells a large variety of really smelly foods. Next time you are waiting in line to order a meal for your flight, first check your watch to see if you have enough time to eat before you board, if not, then order something that is least likely to annoy your fellow passengers. If that is not an option, then you’d better have enough cash to order food for the entire plane.

Read about ALL the passengers we love to hate.

Ten of the world’s worst luggage incidents

by Scott Carmichael on

Has an airline ever lost your bags? Did you arrive abroad, only to discover that your bags were sent in the opposite direction?

Quit your whining, things could be worse. Much, much worse.

In this lineup of major luggage mishaps, we’ll cover everything from luggage left out in the rain to bags burned to a crisp. We’ll even throw in an incident involving the tossed ashes of a passengers mother.

So, next time your bags get delayed by a couple of hours, just be grateful that the airline did not totally destroy your bag, or deliver a casket instead of your clothes.

Click here for our lineup of the world’s 10 worst luggage incidents

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Ken Jennings spotted at BWI

by Grant Martin on

Every time I fly through BWI I seem to run into someone interesting. Last time it was Michael Phelps, and last week, well, it was another record breaking athlete. Trivia athlete, that is. Ken Jennings spent over six months on the TV quiz show Jeopardy in 2004, racking up over two million dollars in prizes, antagonizing competitors and making a general beating out of 74 episodes.

Today, Ken was sitting at the end of the Northwest terminal at Baltimore’s BWI waiting for a connecting flight to Detroit when I happened to notice him sitting next to me. Sending a message to the Gadling Twitter feed I asked “Should I say hi and get a picture with Ken Jennings?”

Obviously the answer was “What is yes.”

As it turns out, Mr Jennings was a pleasant and friendly stalkee, and when asked if he could pose for a picture for Gadling he happily obliged. He even went so far as to suggest linking to his own site, ken-jennings.com to dig some “cross-promotional traffic.” We dig that Ken, we dig that. Safe travels.

10 Passengers we love to hate: Day 1 — The Escalator Obstacle

by Grant Martin on

You know the signs all over the airport, posted on the wall, painted on the floor and hung on the ceiling saying “Stand Right Walk Left?” That’s called escalator etiquette. People not in a hurry stand on the right side of the escalator so that those who need to get past can walk up or down the left side.

It’s a pretty simple concept. The Japanese do it fastidiously, silently merging to the right side of moving walkways as they patiently commute through Shinjuku station. It’s almost amazing to watch the accuracy and precision with which it’s executed.

In New York City it’s almost the same, with most people riding up and down escalators pressed to the wall. But there’s always one guy, usually on his Bluetooth, that’s standing on the wrong side like a wart on the surface of perfectly smooth skin. Most of the time this guy will be in front of you when your gate is about to close at the airport, you’re at the top of the escalator and you need to get past. Or perhaps he’ll be there as you’re running full bore trying to catch that last shuttle into the city. That’s the guy.

Worse, however is when the guy is actually trying to do the right thing and stand on the right side – but has his rollaboard sitting on the left side of the escalator. That doesn’t count! Unless people are pro steeple chasers they’re still not going to get by.

Escalator Obstacle Guy: we’ve all been in a haze and been there before. But next time you get on an escalator, look around. If you’re the only person standing along on the left side, it’s for a reason. Scoot over.

Read about ALL the passengers we love to hate.

Hydrogen fueling station coming to San Francisco Airport

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If you drive a fuel cell vehicle, you’ll be able to recharge at San Francisco International Airport. The hydrogen station that is planned will also be used for a fleet of airport shuttle buses and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority hybrid buses. This project has been funded in part by a $1.7 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (ARB).

Linde North America, an engineering firm, has been engaged to design and install the system. “At the heart of the station is the Linde MaxFueler 90, a dispensing system whose fast-fill technology makes hydrogen fueling quick and easy, creating a similar experience to what motorists now get at their local service station,” says Mike McGowan, head of hydrogen solutions for Linde North America.

John L. Martin, San Francisco International Airport director, said, “The development and installation of a hydrogen fueling station at SFO is just a further extension of the Airport’s commitment to being a good steward of the environment. Whether it be the expansion of solar or wind energy systems, the continued use of CNG and biodiesel fueled vehicles, or being part of cutting-edge systems such as hydrogen fueling facilities, SFO is fully committed to reducing its carbon footprint in our community.”

The project is set for completion in early 2010.