Onboard Central America’s thriftiest carrier: Sosa

by Grant Martin on

Honduras has two carriers that fly among San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, and the Bay Islands. Those are Islena Regional (a division of TACA) and Aerolineas Sosa, “Su linea Aerea Amiga” (Your Airline Friend!)

Among other aircraft, TACA operates a few ATR-42s on these routes, a 42 seat propeller plane manufactured in France. Islena Regional, on the other hand, uses a fleet of sad, dumpier versions of that aircraft known as the Czech made Let-L410 Turbolet.

Gadling had the pleasure of flying on both airlines last month, but the most exciting, scary, beautiful and terrible experience was on Sosa. Follow along as we take you on a virtual voyage on Aerolineas Sosa, Central America’s thriftiest carrier.

Planning and booking tickets is one of the key components to arranging any holiday travel. Most airlines use a website to help convey timetables and book tickets, but Sosa doesn’t believe in that, nor do they believe in any contact phone number to help garner information. Instead, travelers are suggested to purchase tickets at the airport, although the ticket counter at La Cieba isn’t open all of the time – just a couple of hours before the flights. That aren’t published.

Fortunately, timetables are posted at some hotels and hostels across the Bay Islands, and using this information, we were able to snag a couple of seats on an early morning flight between Roatan and La Cieba.

Checking in at the counter, we were given two laminated boarding passes with numbers on them that could have been made by drunk grade schoolers, then ushered towards a security checkpoint into a small waiting room that seated only 100 people or so. Luckily, it was only a few minutes before an airline agent in a yellow vest wandered up to the sliding glass doors at the end of the room, opened them up and waved everyone out towards the plane, taking our boarding passes in the process.

Walking out onto the hot, Central American tarmac, the gaggle of 40 passengers wound out to the Turbolet, where the captain was standing outside, reading a newspaper on the wheel well. He waved. Everyone boarded through the rear door behind the passenger cabin, and those of us with bags tossed them into a pile on the back two seats.

Picking through the narrow aisle, I found a seat at the front of the aircraft, right behind the captain, in fact. Someone had used a label maker to stick 1A to the ceiling above my head, so I guess I was in the bulkhead. The best part, however, was that I could stretch my legs out — right into the cockpit. I could have kicked the pilot in the stomach if I wanted to.

Shortly after boarding, the pilot folded up his newspaper and ambled up to the front left seat. Cracking the window open for air, he fired up both engines, we taxied over to the only runway and lifted off into the humid, Honduran airspace, gently banking over the hills of Roatan and making our way over the Caribbean Sea towards La Cieba. Departure accomplished, he opened his newspaper back up and let the co-pilot take control.

Looking closer at the cockpit, one could put together the history of the aircraft. Half of the controls were labeled in Russian and some weren’t labeled at all. Many of the gauges didn’t work. The same was true for most of the overhead vents, many of which were broken off and not streaming air, and the rest of which were just permanently off.

In the twenty minute flight between Roatan and La Cieba, however, this didn’t make a big difference. Without a pressurized cabin, the aircraft flew close to the sea level, letting passengers gaze out of the window into the crystal clear Caribbean waters. Were this a flight between Toledo and Detroit in the middle of winter, the passengers would have been less happy. But with a cool sea breeze blowing in our faces, blue sea below and a laid back attitude all around, the flight was bliss.

Galley Gossip: Attention Sharon Stone, GIVE ME THAT BAG!

by Heather Poole on

Perhaps you’ve been on an airplane and heard the following PA, “Ladies and gentleman, all the overhead bins are full, so if you’ve brought on board a bag that does not completely fit underneath the seat in front of you, please bring it to the front of the aircraft to be checked.”

Here’s the thing about that little PA, there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, the bag will be checked – even if you’re a celebrity. That includes you, Sharon Stone.

Perez Hilton recently reported that Sharon Stone made a “scene” when she refused to check two bags on a Delta flight from Kalispell, MT to Salt Lake City. There are very few details to the story, but Stone’s rep, Paul Bloch, said that Sharon was allowed to take two bags onto the airplane, but a “stewardess” on board “screamed” at her not once, but twice, that she couldn’t have the luggage before the actress surrendered the bags. I’m not exactly sure how or when Stone made the “scene,” because again, the details are lacking, but Stone was met by security at the end of the flight. Her rep states that they were “private security” hired by Stone.

Now for a little advice. If a flight attendant tells you that you’re going to have to check your bag, just check the bag. Don’t make a scene. Don’t tell the flight attendant how many miles you’ve flown or try to explain who you are. It doesn’t matter. No, I will not take someone else’s bag off the airplane so you can keep yours! And no, you can not stack your bag on top of the bags in the closet! FAA doesn’t allow it. FAA rules are FAA rules and nothing is going to change that. Flight attendants don’t make them up. Nor are we “abusing our power” when we enforce them. We’re just doing our job. Did you know that by not enforcing those rules flight attendants can lose their job or get a hefty personal fine by the FAA? So unless you’re willing to pay that fine or hire a flight attendant, release the death grip on the bag, please.

Back to Stone. Who knows what really went down on that Delta flight. What I do know is last year I had Sharon Stone on board a flight. While she sat in first class and kept to herself, she was always courteous when interacting with crew. What stood out the most about her was not her striking beauty or stylish outfit, but her well mannered traveling companion who always made a point to say please and thank you. The adorable young man, Stone’s son, looked to be about three of four years-old at the time. He had to have learned those wonderful manners from someone, right? And while that doesn’t prove anything, really, it does say a lot about Stone, because a polite child is a direct reflection of the parent.

As for the flight attendant who apparently “screamed” at Sharon Stone, I don’t believe that for a second. I’ve been a flight attendant for fourteen years and I have yet to hear a flight attendant scream. Take that back, there was the time it was announced prior to boarding that Hugh Jackman would be on our flight and my coworker Sean had a mini freak out, as did I, but that’s it! The one and only time I’ve screamed heard a flight attendant scream. We might bark, snap, or get firm when we’re trying to make a point, a point we’ve more than likely been trying to make multiple times without success, but screaming? I don’t think so. I just can’t see it.

The problem with the Sharon Stone incident boiled down to two different people, both of whom work for the same airline, giving Sharon Stone conflicting information about her bags. Who wouldn’t be annoyed by that? But some things can’t be helped. Because I’m guessing it was the gate agent who told Stone it was okay to take both bags down to the airplane. In defense of the agent, agents usually don’t know what the overhead bin situation is like until it’s too late. There’s no way for them to know what’s going on unless a flight attendant calls the gate and informs the agent that all the bins are full. But by the time a flight attendant is able to report that all the bins are full, there are usually a handful of people already in the process of walking down the aisle with rolling bags in tow. That’s when the PA is made, you know the one.

“Ladies and gentleman, all the overhead bins are full, so if you’ve brought on board a bag that does not fit completely underneath the seat in front of you, please bring it to the front of the airplane to be checked.”

Just do it. Don’t fight it. And whatever you do, don’t hide the bag because we will see it under your legs. And next time you fly and you’re seated in first or business class, arrive to the gate on time and board when your row is called. If you’re in coach, try booking a seat closer to the rear of the aircraft and that way you can be one of the first ones on and avoid the situation altogether.

Photo courtesy of (Sharon Stone) siebbi, (passengers) Telstar Logistics

Man hit by falling ice from plane

by Sean McLachlan on

There have got to be better ways to get in the news.

David Gammon was relaxing in his garden near Bristol International Airport in England earlier this week when a plane flew overhead. The 76 year-old pensioner heard a whistling sound and got smacked in the thigh by a piece of ice the size of a grapefruit. He suffered a serious bruise that you can see on this video.

Authorities are investigating but the airport was quick to point out that there was no proof the ice fell off a plane using Bristol International. Afraid of getting sued, are we? They claim that ice falling from high-flying planes can land up to five miles away from the aircraft, meaning a plane going to Heathrow or a flight passing by to another destination could have been the culprit.

Assuming this little factoid is true, paranoids now having something new to worry about. With so many flight paths crisscrossing the sky, almost nobody is safe.

Tough luck, Mr. Gammon. Good thing it didn’t hit your head.

Galley Gossip: Flight attendant pet peeve #6 – The run around

by Heather Poole on

My job as a flight attendant is to be there in case of an emergency. Until then, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure your flight runs as smoothly as possible. That’s why I’m there. That’s my job. And while I enjoy my job tremendously, there are a few things that annoy me.

Scott Carmichael touched on one of those things in his recent post, 10 passengers we love to hate: Day 8 – passengers who misuse the flight attendant call button. Whenever someone abuses the call light, I often times wonder if I’m unknowingly on an episode of Punk’d. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind when passengers use their call lights, it’s there for a reason, but there is a limit as to how many times you should use it. Fifteen times on a three hour flight is a bit much, don’t ya think?

Another thing I find a bit much is when passengers can’t seem to get it together, passengers who have a tendency to run me ragged, passengers who treat me like their own personal slave assistant. Here’s an example of what not to do on a flight…

We’ve just finished the service and that’s when I hear it – DING! Immediately I look up at the flight attendant panel and see that a passenger on the right hand side of the aircraft is calling. I step into the aisle, scan the cabin, and when I locate the light, I begin walking toward the single orange glow.

I reach up, push the button, and the light turns off. “Is there something I can get for you?”

“Diet Coke,” you say, and because you’re asking so soon after the service is over, I assume you were asleep when we came through the aisle with our carts.

“Sure, I’ll be right back.” To the rear of the aircraft and into the galley I go. I grab a plastic cup, a can of soda, and a napkin. Then I head back to your seat, placing it all on the tray table in front of you.

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Two seconds later I hear it again – DING! It’s you. I walk to your seat and ask if you need something else. You nod. “Is there anything to eat on board?”

“Of course!” I rattle off a list of snacks and the price per each snack.

“I’ll take the sandwich.”

“Good choice.” I make my way to the galley and grab a turkey sandwich, a couple more napkins, and then head to your seat again. “That’s going to be-“

“Do you have any complimentary pretzels or nuts?”

“I’m sorry, but we only have snacks for sale. We do offer a bag of mixed nuts for $3.”

“Can I take a look?” you ask as you unwrap the plastic around your sandwich, drop the bread onto a napkin, wad it up, and hand it over to me.

Okay. With the discarded bread in my hand, I make my way to the back of the aircraft, toss it into the trash, grab a bag of nuts, and two seconds later I’m standing at your row. “Here ya go.”

Slowly but surely the bag is inspected. You shake your head and hand it back. “I’ll just take the sandwich.” You point to the overhead bin. “Can you hand me my bag? My wallet’s inside.”

I pop open the bin and pull down the bag down, but because you’re not ready to take it, I continue to hold it as you rearrange the items on your table. As I’m waiting, waiting, waiting, you ask, “Can I get another blanket?”

“I’ll see if I can find you another one,” I say, emphasizing the word another since you’ve got two already, one of which I gave to you earlier in flight. I’m still holding onto the bag with one hand as I begin to open and close overhead bins with the other. There are no extra blankets to be found and that’s exactly what I tell you. “Sorry,” I add, because I am sorry, sorry I’m always saying sorry.

“Great,” you mumble, rolling your eyes, taking the bag, and dismissing me by placing your headphones back in your ears.

Ten minutes later I’m walking down the aisle. When I get to yourseat, I collect your trash without saying a word. I’m just two rows away when I hear it again – DING! I lean back and ask, “Yes?”

Silently you hand me a single napkin, store your tray table, and without taking your eyes off the movie screen, ask for a glass of water.

“Certainly.” I look at my watch. Just three hours and twenty two minutes to go.

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Paris Air Show 2009: A walk around the world’s largest air show

by Grant Martin on

Stepping off the shuttle bus from RER Bourget into the air show grounds, you begin to digest the magnitude of this event. From a plan of the show, one can see that aircraft displays and flights take place at one corner of the airport. The other two thirds of the show can be seen inside of several massive exhibit halls, where a curious visitor can spend an entire week walking up, down and through the displays. Set your bag down, gaze down an aisle and marvel as booths extend beyond your field of vision.

These aren’t low budget, Lincoln Log booths either. As the show is in France, many companies have cafés integrated into their exhibits, where passers by can grab an espresso, look over the wares and discuss business in a comfortable, European setting.

A million smaller displays feature tiny facets from suppliers, facilitators and buyers around the planet, with a few eager representatives waiting to give you their pitch. On the other end of the spectrum, displays from GE, United Technologies and Pratt and Whitney have full engines on site, where you can step into the cowling, poke the fan blades and get your photo taken inside of the massive, circular maze.

Out on the tarmac you can wander around the myriad displays, from the massive A380 to the drone helicopters to the missile defense systems, jostling around military brass, men in power suits and women in high heels and sun glasses.

And as with all air shows, there is a flight component. A tightly regimented flight schedule is published each day, detailing a few hours of quick, varied demonstrations. New aircraft are obviously highlighted (this year Sukhoi‘s Superjet 100 was a treat,) but with the centennial this year, several older aircraft were mixed in with the show. We’ll tell you more about that later.

We’ll be posting pictures and videos from the air show for the next week or so (including a sweet demonstration of the 787 window technology.) Come back and visit often.