Talking about IFE and Wi-FI
There have been some interesting developments in In-Flight Entertainment and Wi-Fi this week, many reported by IFE beat reporter, Mary Kirby, aka RunwayGirl, often called the Queen of IFE.
Category Archives: News
Sheriff To Bogus Balloon Boy Parents – Your Balloon’s Burst- Little Balloon Boy Blue as Saga Ends
Earlier this week, we reported on the situation known as the Balloon Box Hoax. Six year old Falcon Heene was thought to be trapped in a homemade balloon, but after the authorities scrambled, closing Denver International Airport, the balloon was found empty.
TSA Releases Video to Clear Itself and Mother Responds
In response to accusations made by a blogging mother that the TSA had separated her and her young child, the TSA released edited CCTV video, showing that the child was not in fact, separated from his mother. She issued a response on her own blog.
TSA Separates Mother and Child in Name of Security
Nic, from My Bottles Up, recounted a story of her recent experience at the airport in Atlanta where she claims the TSA separated her from her young son. The story is very details and emotional, and you can read the full text.. We will try to summarize the important facts.
Balloon Boy Found – Saga Ends
The Denver Post and ABC News report that the Larimee County Sheriff says the balloon boy, Falcon Heene, was not a balloon boy at all. He was “hiding in a box…a cardboard box in an attic above the garage.”
Balloon Building Family were Well Known
Jaunted tipped us off to the fact that the balloon/zeppelin/UFO-like object-building family, the Heenes, were also featured on Wife Swap. Now, this family seems a bit off already, what with Dad and his theories on Martian civilization.
Father of Balloon Boy Video On Martian Civilization Coverup
Richard Heene, father of Falcon Heene, the 6 year old boy still missing after the flying saucer balloon he was presumed to be on board landed empty, apparently uploaded this video to CNN iReport. Mr. Heene speaks about his belief that evidence of Martian civilization was covered up by the European Space Agency.
Breaking: 6 year old in Runaway Homemade Flying Saucer Over Colorado
Richard Heene and his 6 year old son have apparently been working on a project to make a homemade hot air balloon that looks like a flying saucer. The son crawled in and unhooked the line. Air traffic has been halted and several National Guard and other helicopters are in pursuit. There is no clear consensus on how to rescue him at present.
Video Time: Air New Zealand wants Southwest to get Naked and Sing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfETlqvBAeE Air New Zealand had a message for Herb Kelleher and Southwest Airlines. They want Southwest Airlines to participate in a airline safety video musical…which may or may not be performed naked. Should Southwest accept the challenge? We’ll wait for the Airline Safety Video Music Awards.
Lufthansa to Bring Back In Flight WiFi
Image via Wikipedia Lufthansa is bringing back in-flight wi-fi. As reported by Upgrade Travel, Lufthansa will be the first transatlantic carrier to put out a comprehensive plan for wi-fi connectivity after Boeing discontinued its in-flight wi-fi offering. Lufthansa’s system, called Flynet, is Panasonic-based, and uses a satellite based network, like Row 44, which is working…
Green Means What?
Image by mag3737 via Flickr ANA(All Nippon Airways) has started asking passengers to go the bathroom before they fly, claiming lighter bowels and bladders mean light passengers and thus a lighter plane, which means less fuel. Now, we always go to the bathroom before boarding for other reasons than green concerns. For one, asking people…
United Unveils Premier Baggage Program
Image by Getty Images via Daylife The Premier Baggage program unveiled by United Air Lines yesterday is something of a mixed bag. For $249 a year, you (plus up to eight people traveling with you on the same reservation) get to check up to two bags per person, per flight for free all year. United…
Podcast Episode 1: Interview with the Cranky Concierge
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Earlier today, the Cranky Flier announced he was starting a new business, The Cranky Concierge, a personal travel assistance company. We saw it as a good opportunity to break out the podcasting equipment and interview Brett Snyder, the Cranky Flier. Our Editor, the Flight Wisdom Guru reports:
Manchester Tries to Get JetBlue
Image by Nick Chill via Flickr On August 28th, according to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport manager Mark Brewer, JetBlue hinted that a local demonstration of enthusiasm about the company’s arrival would be important. With airlines reducing seats and fewer passengers flying Manchester, airport officials recently offered incentives to attract new airlines and existing airlines to begin…
On the Subject of Alliances
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Airline Route Updates has a comprehensive list of the new JetBlue-Lufthansa codeshare, found here. The flight numbers will be between LH8500 and 8700 and cover both Boston and New York-JFK routes. Booking are already open for service on or after November 1st. Also effective today, South African Airlines will…
Speedbird One Arrives in New York
Image via Wikipedia British Airways Flight 001, service from London City to New York-JFK via Shannon(where passenger’s pre-clear US Immigration and Customs), which was operated using an all-business class A318, arrived 10 minutes ago into Kennedy Airport. The service features 32 sleeper beds, a 15-minute check-in, London City’s proximity to key parts of the city,…
New Flight Attendant TV Show Coming
[caption id="attachment_1711" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="In Flight Service - Virgin America"][/caption] Here is the news: The CW announced today that its new docu-series Fly Girls, which gives a glimpse into the lives of five “beautiful Virgin America flight attendants,” is set to debut midseason. The network describes the series as being “about real, down-to-earth young women…
U.S. Helicopter Halts Service
Image by widybrad via Flickr U.S. Helicopter terminated its service on Friday between Manhattan heliports and JFK Airport. While they hope to resume it after new financing is secured, it may not be the best time for such a luxury product. Prices averaged up to $159 for an 8 minute ride to the airport, but…
Passengers Being Bumped at Highest Rate in 14 Years
The Middle Seat Terminal blog reports that the rate at which passengers were bumped in the second quarter of this year increased forty percent compared with the same period a year ago. As carriers have slashed capacity to the bone, and with overbooking a common practice, there are too many people crammed onto flights.
TWA Gone, But Not Forgotten
Trans World Airlines was one of the great U.S. legacy airlines. In fact, until the 1970s, it and Pan Am(also now defunct), were the only U.S. airlines to serve Europe. For their flight attendants, however, the airline still lives, which prompted our reminiscence.
United’s Final 737 Flight Set for October 28th
United Airlines will retire the last Boeing 737 jet from its fleet on October 28th, after forty-one years of service.
St. Louis loses Hub Status
American Airlines has given up on St. Louis’s Lambert Airport. Back in the day, TWA had an extensive hub operation at the airport. American has gradually reduced service and now after these cuts, the airport will have only 36 flights a day to nine cities, LAX, Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Miami, New York-JFK, Boston, New York-LaGuardia,…
Southwest Considering International Service
Lee Lipton, Southwest’s Director of Network Strategic Planning sees a future in low cost long haul in addition to its existing shorthaul products, but emphasizes there is no timetable for the move. Their chairman, Gary Kelly, said that the carrier is seriously considering operating flights to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean as soon as 2011.
Senate Approves Fee to Visit United States
We reported on this last week. But the “Travel Promotion Act” was approved by the Senate yesterday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid(NV) praised the job-creation of increased tourism to the U.S., calling it a “win-win-win.”
Followup: Spotlight on AeroMexico Hijacking
As we said yesterday, the age of traditional hijacking in North America is gone. Aside from 9/11, which ushered in a new age of hijacking for the purpose of using a plane as a weapon, the traditional hijacking, which involved individuals taking over a plane and holding the passengers hostage for a political agenda, is almost dead