Virgin’s billionaire Sir Richard Branson is getting closer to space tourism every day and that means we’re all getting a bit closer.
Branson has just revealed his plans to begin test flights with his rocket spaceship starting in 2011. Virgin Galactic’s start-up date has yet to be unveiled, we’re getting butterflies just thinking about it.
Commercial space tourism is well on its way, for the wealthy and luxurious that is!
Time Warner is receiving much heat after slashing hundered jobs across the Time Inc. publishing division, but still keeping hold of their three Gulfstream jets.
Looks like TW is sending a strong message, planes over people.
We wouldn’t mind unloading one of their millions of dollars jets.
Now that Donald Trump is upgrading his personal plane to a larger aircraft, it’s your time to shine.
You can buy Trump’s personal Boeing 727-100 that has recently shown up on the Controller website.
Featuring 24 passenger seats where you would normally house 134 seats, you will be riding on the coattails of luxury in this air baby.[
I know darling — if it isn’t bad enough that we have been having to shop recently and taking our purchases out of shops in plain bags (or having them couriered to our pied a tere later) so that we are sporting the names like Chanel, Fendi, and Neiman Marcus, now we have to make concessions on our air travel. The bean counters tell us to fly with the masses instead of that sweet Cessna we have time on (wasn’t it tragic enough we were told to sell the Lear?!). Alas, a little planning and a little charm can make your air travel experience a bit less painful.
–Plan to get to the airport at least an hour early, or two during holidays and other busy times; this will pay off with a major reduction of stress. If all goes well, you will have time to relax, shop for last-minute items, or have a leisurely meal before the flight. If all doesn’t go well, you will have a buffer against unexpected delays due to traffic, long lines, or last-minute emergencies, and you’ll still be able to catch your flight in plenty of time.
–Don’t hesitate to use the curbside baggage check service if it’s still available. The usual tip of $1 per bag will save you a great deal of aggravation; you can avoid the long lines at the front desk and go straight to your gate to check in. This is especially valuable when the airport is unusually crowded, when your bags are heavy, or if you are in a hurry to catch your flight.
–If you fly often, join an airline airport club. This will provide you with a more comfortable place to wait than the lobby. They also often provide complimentary beverages and snacks.
–Be nice to ticketing and gate agents; they have great authority over enforcing rules and making exceptions. You are more likely to get what you need if you calmly ask for their help.
Flight Delays
–Find out why your flight is delayed. Call the toll-free number. Find out if other airlines are experiencing similar delays.
–If you believe the delay is due to something other than weather or air traffic problems, then mention your suspicion and ask the airline agent to book you on the next available flight, either on the same airline or a competing one. This is called “Rule 240″, and all airlines are required to conform to it. Use the lingo; ask, “Can you 240 me?” when speaking with an agent. They will know what you mean.
Flight Cancellations
–If your flight is canceled, then make a reservation on the next flight to your destination. Usually, airline personnel will try to book everyone on their next flight out. Often they will put you on a competitor’s next flight only if you request it.
–If on-time arrival is important to you, when you check flights through our reservation system you can rate your options based on their on-time arrival records. Be sure to also check the weather conditions, as they often affect flight schedules.
Getting Bumped
–To avoid getting bumped, you must be at the loading gate at least 10 minutes prior to scheduled departure for a U.S. flight, 20 minutes to/from Bahamas, Canada, and Mexico and 30 to/from all other international points. You must be at the loading gate, not the airport entrance.
–If you get bumped, be sure to ask for a free confirmed round-trip ticket and check that you are booked on the next flight out. If you are a frequent flyer member, then get a travel voucher instead of a free ticket. You will receive frequent flyer points for tickets bought with a travel voucher, but not for a free bump coupon.
–If you ever get involuntarily bumped (after checking in promptly), you can ask to be rebooked or 240ed on another airline. If this flight gets you between one and two hours later than the originally scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to an amount equal to the price of your one-way fare, up to $200. If you are more than two hours late, you are entitled to twice the value of your one-way ticket, up to $400. Often you can also keep your original ticket for a refund or future use.
Lost Bags
–Airlines may reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses associated with baggage delays. These things include toiletries, some articles of clothing, or some petty cash to buy them. However, you must ask.
–If your bags are lost or damaged and you are asked to estimate the value of your luggage, err on the high side. U.S. regulations require airlines to reimburse you a maximum of $1,250 for the value of the declared content on domestic flights. Airlines will typically depreciate your claim by 30%. International travelers are reimbursed a maximum of approximately $635 per piece of checked baggage, not to exceed two pieces.
Are you one of the tragically hip that must be the first on the biggest and best the world has to offer? If so, set your sights on being the first to fly on Air France’s cool new Airbus A380, which is the world’s biggest passenger plane. But here’s
Air France auctions off seats on innaugaural A380 flights.
the catch: You have to bid for a seat.
As of right now, Air France is auctioning off seats on the jet’s two inaugural flights from Paris to New York on Nov. 20 and from New York to Paris on Nov. 21.
The auction is being held on eBay through Oct. 21.
Air France said the opening bid “in most cases” will be $380 for Voyageur (economy) class and $1,380 in Affaires (business) class, but that it may change during the auction. (The auction includes a return ticket on a regular Air France flight.) Proceeds go to charities in France, India and South Africa.
For full details and links to the auction, which will involve 380 seats on each flight, visit the airline’s A380 mini-site. Also, if your French is up to par you can track the auction on Twitter, @AFEncheresA380.
Air France A380s will begin regular commercial operation on the Paris-New York route on Nov. 23. Routes to open later include Paris-Dubai and Paris-Tokyo. The airline has ordered 12 of the giant jets, each able to carry up to 538 passengers (449 economy, 80 business, 9 first class) over a maximum distance of 8,078 miles.
You could get the VIP treatment with two tickets to the premier of Up In The Air, arriving in theaters this December, along with a year’s worth of First Class air travel on American Airlines to anywhere in the continental U.S. and Canada.
American Airlines offers Up In The Air contest.
Plus, 20First Prize winners will receive an Up In The Air movie poster and soundtrack.
Simply register and purchase a flight on AA.com by October 31, 2009, and you’ll be entered for your chance to win. And receive an additional entry when you invite a friend to participate in the sweepstakes.
Get signed up at this link.
Aeroflot wasn’t that long ago. And Siberian is well known for being the frozen hinterland of Russia.
Sukhoi Superjet 100.
So are aviation enthusiasts ready for Siberian superjet that is coming in with a price tag of $28 million? The Russian aerospace firm, Sukhoi, thinks so and will begin delivering the Sukhoi Superjet 100 this December. The price tag undercuts the likes Bombardier due to lower labor costs in Siberia.
The jet has 5-seat rows setup, combining style and ergonomics, will be among the largest ever installed on regional transport aircraft thanks to a fuselage almost 18 inches larger than those of competitors.
Bombardier Skyjet has made their corporate jet share program even better by launching the “Ultimate Escape“.
Bombardier Skyjet launches Ultimate Escapes.
Skyjet has partnered with global destinations to place cardholders in luxury bliss for five nights from a selection of private luxury residences. There are more than 150 destinations around the world to choose from which makes the choices hard to narrow down — within this collection are more than 100 multi-million dollar homes.
Condé Nast Traveler has released its list of reader-selected best places to stay in the world in their 15th Annual “Gold List“.
Conde Nast announces 15th annual Gold List.
This list is considered “must read” by many affluent types worldwide and is billed as the “ultimate annotated guide to the world’s finest properties and cruise lines, as elected by more than 32,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers.”
You can browse by destination, type of award (e.g., service, food, location, cruise lines) or alphabetically, where you can see all on the list. Wondering how they were picked? Well, here is a break down of the criteria utilized:
Entries include the edited comments of readers and are intended to reveal a property’s character rather than to catalog its facilities. Each score represents the percentage of respondents who rated a property excellent or very good on specific criteria (see “Key to Symbols,” below). For example, the first entry, the Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa, in Carefree, Arizona, has an overall score of 87.5, the highest component of which is 90.2 percent for Activities. Criteria for hotels, resorts, and cruise lines vary. Rates ($, $$, $$$, and $$$$) reflect the average price for a double room in 2009. The Gold List is based on data collected from the annual Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Survey; to qualify for inclusion in these rankings, a property had to receive a required minimum number of responses.
~~Raine Devries
Hollywood veteran, Lorenzo Lamas, is known to be a serious motorcycle enthusiast and built his first chopper in 1979. He’s now taken
Lorenzo Lamas Teams Up With Eddie Trotta.
things a step further and has launched his own motorcycle company, Lorenzo Cycles.
Now don’t expect to find Lorenzo out back wrenching his own builds. He has teemed up with esteemed custom bike builder, Eddie Trotta, to ensure these steel steeds are some of the best around. Trotta is well known to viewing audiences of Discovery’s Biker Build-Off series and has also been featured in the luxury coffee table book, “Art of the Motorcycle“.
Trotta will bring a lot of street creed to this new line of choppers and we look forward to what Lamas & Trotta have in store for us!
