On the road with Mauiva AirCruise: Part I

I’m a card-carrying frequent flyer, refer to airports by their three digit codes and know the exact ritual to go through before I can clear a TSA checkpoint and be allowed to put my shoes back on. The shine has worn off though, and the flying portion of travel is now a chore. But still enjoyable is the feeling I get when I am up in the air and looking down at the ground so rapidly passing beneath me.

Once upon a time my belief was that flying commercial was the only alternative should I decide against passage by train, bus, car or boat. Putting up with the pains of flying commercial? A necessary evil. Enter Mauiva AirCruise and a whole new world of plane travel.

The morning I depart for my All American East tour with Mauiva, it’s pre-dawn in New York City but I’m on a private charter bus and the still-sleeping Upper West Side soon gives way to Harlem and then the Bronx and before I know it we’re in Westchester. Already, this is so unlike my usual combination of trains and taxis and struggling with luggage through bustling city streets. At the private airport in Westchester, I don’t have to wait before I’m able to help myself to free coffee. Instead of hours, it is minutes before I’m driven through the gates, coffee still in hand, and onto a Tarmac right next to my waiting plane. I board and we’ve taken off before I even have a chance to soak in the fact that no one ever demanded I take off my shoes. Once up in the air, I’m served breakfast that’s fresh and recognizable, given a choice of any newspaper I could possibly want to read. The flight attendant calls me by name. I hardly have time to think about how long this journey might take before we’re down on the ground again, ushered into another private bus, again waiting for us on the tarmac while we watch our bags being transferred for us.

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By day two of my Mauiva AirCruise experience, I’m struggling to remember why flying had become such a chore. I think to myself, “Isn’t flying amazing?” and to my fellow passengers I quip, “I could get used to this.” Still, we walk a lot during the day in cities like Toronto, Lancaster, and Washington DC where I get the feeling we’re leaving no stone unturned. By the time I reach my hotel room each evening to find my bags are waiting for me, it’s rare that I have the energy to swim a few laps in the hotel pool or enjoy a cocktail in the bar. Though this trip includes upscale accommodations, I don’t have the energy to take advantage of them to the degree in which I’d like. The private charter buses and planes are certainly a highlight but the pace seems like a sprint, not a well-paced marathon. If that’s my only critique, I might forget it the next time Mickey — our personal flight attendant — hands me The New York Times and a coke before I even have to ask. Still, it’s in the back of my mind how tired I am as I look down to see another state passing rapidly beneath me.

[Editor’s note: Check back for more updates from Kirsten Alana on the Mauiva AirCruise later in the week. Mauiva provided passage on this trip but provided no editorial oversight]

Gadling TV’s Travel Talk 002: Google goes Trans-Siberian, BA Strike, Aircruises, S.F. in 24 hrs and more!


Gadling TV’s Travel Talk, episode 2 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Travel Talk is Gadling’s version of a travel show. In each episode, we’ll discuss hot travel news; share fun, useful tips for both traveling and bringing your travel experiences back home; spotlight exciting travel destinations; and much more.

In this week’s episode – we discuss Google’s new project on the Trans-Siberian Express, break down the latest looming British Airways strike, discuss Seymourpowell’s lofty Aircruise concept, and discuss the latest blunders from Ryanair and the TSA.

Bruce is back for another travel tip; we’ll also show you the best spots in San Francisco in a new segment called 24 hour turnaround and show you what it’s like to rock climb in the California Wilderness.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

Be sure to tune in next week, for Episode 3 of Gadling TV’s Travel Talk with special coverage of Virgin America’s Fly Girls Premiere!

Download the Show: Travel Talk – 002 (HD!!) // Travel Talk – 002 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted)

Subscribe via iTunes:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V).
[RSS M4V] Add the Travel Talk feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.

Links:
Moscow to Vladivostok on Google
Seymourpowell’s Aircruises (+video)

Hosts: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special guest: Bruce!
Travel Hero: Mark Beaumont

Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea

Music by:
Ben Rector
“Associated”
myspace.com/benrector

The Pacific
“Live In A Dream”
myspace.com/thebixbyknolls


Poll of the Week!

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Fly around the world in style on the 870 foot tall Aircruise luxury airship

Every couple of years, someone makes the news with their announcement of a concept airship design that will “revolutionize the way we travel”. This time, the design comes from London based design firm Seymourpowell.

Their concept for airship travel is huge – 870 feet tall. capable of lifting 396 tons and offering penthouse apartments, bars and huge glass floors.

The ship has been named “Aircruise”, and (on paper) it should be able to carry 100 people from London to New York in 37 hours. The idea is that “slow is the new fast”, which is just a cool marketing trick to make you ignore the fact that the trip will take 27 hours more than by plane.

Even though the design is still in its very early stages, Samsung has shown interest in the design, and is working with Seymourpowell on computer aided simulations. My only concern (besides the fear that this thing will never actually be built) is the choice of gas for the lifting bags on the Aircruise – Hydrogen (the same gas that kept the Hindenburg in the air).

Update: Dan Grossman from Airships.net has published a comprehensive article about how the entire “Aircruise” concept is nothing but nonsense. Thanks to Dan for his side of the story and insight into the reality of the airship world.

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