Photo Of The Day: Runway Traffic

by Meg Nesterov on


We here at Gadling are airplane nerds. We take pictures of the view from the gate, our inflight meals, and even take portraits in the bathroom. Even my daughter has become an airplane nerd before the age of 2, stopping in her tracks and pointing to the sky at the sight of a plane flying over. Naturally, this Instagram shot caught my eye, for the view from the wing of runway traffic at Jakarta airport and variety of planes in the queue. An airplane nerd might look at this and start daydreaming about where the other planes are going, how spacious their seats are, and what they might be having for lunch.

Share your best travel photos in the Gadling Flickr pool or with us on Instagram mentioning @gadlingtravel and adding hashtag #gadling to be featured as a Photo of the Day.

[Photo credit: LaurenIrons]

Man Found Dead In London Suburbs Was Plane Stowaway

by Libby Zay on

Coroners have confirmed the body of a man found dead in the suburbs of London was almost certainly a stowaway hiding inside the landing gear of a British Airways flight from Angola.

The Guardian is reporting José Matada was either dead or nearly dead due to hypothermia and lack of oxygen when he fell out of a plane as it opened its undercarriage for descent into London Heathrow Airport last September. Matada, who is believed to have been seeking a better life in Europe, had a single pound coin in his pocket, as well as currency from Botswana. Also in his pocket was a sim card, which investigators used to identify him.

In case you are weighing your options, sneaking into the undercarriage of planes comes with a low survival rate. In fact, a recent BBC article noted that from 1947 until September 2012, there were 96 known stowaway attempts that resulted in 73 deaths.

[Photo credit: Flickr user David Reese]

Thousands Of Airport Delays In Wake Of Sequestration

by Libby Zay on

Earlier this week we warned travelers to expect delays as sequestration cuts hit airports, and now the numbers are in: according to a news release from FlightStats.com, nearly 1,000 flights have been canceled and there have been more than 18,200 flight delays since the Federal Aviation Administration began facing the spending cuts on Sunday.

Airports with the highest percentages of delays yesterday were LaGuardia Airport in New York, Denver International Airport in Colorado, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Newark Liberty International Airport, also in New York.

Data from the flight tracking website shows there were 207 flights canceled and 4,842 delays on Sunday, when the furloughs began. Those cancellations cascaded into Monday, when there were 404 canceled flights and 7,027 delays. Yesterday, the numbers were slightly lower, at 385 canceled flights and 6,396 delays. Hopefully this last set of data means airports are getting things under control, but for now the only advice we can give is to check each flight status and ensure you leave plenty of time to get through airport security.

[Photo credit: Flickr user _ambrown]

TSA Postpones Allowing Knives On Planes

by Libby Zay on

It looks like travelers will have to wait a little longer before bringing their pocketknives and golf clubs on board planes. According to Forbes, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has postponed their earlier decision to allow small knives and sporting good equipment in carry-on luggage, a rule that was supposed to go into effect on April 25.

Many people, including flight attendants and other airline employees, criticized the new rules after they were announced in March. A CNN contributor backed these oppositions in a highly circulated op-ed. It seems the TSA is listening, and will now look to the Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) for further input on what should and shouldn’t be on the Prohibited Items List.

Although these items aren’t allowed in the cabin, travelers can still pack them in checked luggage. So for now, it looks like our sports outings and camping trips will continue to include a baggage fee.

[Image credit: The Transportation Security Administration]

How To Spend Your Airport Delay: In-Airport Online Dating

by McLean Robbins on

In today’s digital age, online dating is almost commonplace. Match.com even purports that one in five relationships now begin online.

But what about meeting someone in the airport? Sure, we’ve seen “Up In The Air” and know that some trashy women and men avid travel enthusiasts will even give travel dating websites like MissTravel a try, but would we actually plan to meet a date at the airport?

Dating website MeetAtTheAirport.com seems to think that they have a market and, judging by the 80,000 people signed up for the site, apparently many people agree.

Rachel Greenwald, dating strategist and author of the book “Have Him at Hello,” agrees. She told CNN that niche dating sites have “become increasingly specialized in the last five years or so” and “airport dating could be very efficient.”

With airport furloughs kicking in this week, we suspect that many travelers will be quite delayed and might have some time for a little layover loving.

Members on the website are from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Germany, so you can even take your conquests international.

What do you think? Would you test this for yourself? Let us know if you would – or already have – in the comments below.

[Image Credit: khym54]