Jaunted

Ballparks / Baseball / Sports / Sports Travel / Columbus / → All Tags

Ten-Cent Hot Dogs and Major League Amenities at Columbus' New Stadium

If time and tickets are too tight to make it around all of Ohio’s major league ballparks, then we recommend zeroing in on a trip to the new home of the Columbus Clippers. After teaming up with 360 Architecture and shelling out about $55 million, the new Huntington Park recently opened for all to enjoy in the Arena District of downtown Columbus.

The stadium is huge with three different levels to explore, plenty space for the 10,000 fans in attendance to spread out and order hot dogs without hitting someone in the face. Of course the most rowdy fans will likely be getting down to business in one of the park’s three bars. Our pick is the Roof Top Bar on the left field building; unfortunately for you may have to slightly sacrifice your view of the high-def scoreboard for some beers here.

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Airplane Hell / AirTran / Columbus / → All Tags

AirTran Flight 373's 12-Hour Columbus Ordeal

As hard hit as Kentucky was by yesterday's storms, we think we found a few people who had it worse: The 84 passengers on AirTran Flight 373 who were stuck on a Columbus runway for 12 hours yesterday.

The Boeing 717-600 was bound for Orlando, but ice overnight had frozen it to the runway, and gallons of de-icer were defeated when continuing rain refroze the bird. (Those aboard were reportedly none too pleased when informed of how much the de-icer was costing the airline.)

The passengers, who boarded at 7:20AM, were allowed to deplane in order to get lunch, but were stuck without water or air until 4:30, when AirTran gave up on that plane and the passengers reboarded one that came in from warmer Atlanta. (A spokesperson said the fact that the passengers weren't offered food at any time was "clearly a mistake.")

The airline has offered free round-trip tickets to 373 survivors. Since we do keep score, this is AirTran's second gaffe of 2009; on New Year's Day, they pulled a family off the plane whose safety chatter was making other passengers uncomfortable, and then refused to rebook them. As if De-Icegate wasn't bad enough, AirTran reported a $273 million loss for 2008 in a press conference yesterday, a margin largely due to fuel hedges which came back to bite them when oil prices dropped. Again -- too dumb to be evil?

Related Stories:
· Orlando-bound passengers trapped in frozen plane [WESH via Tripso]
· AirTran passengers' flight to Orlando delayed for 9 hours [Orlando Sentinel]
· TK [Jaunted]
· AirTran posts $273M loss for 2008 [Triangle Business Journal]
· AirTran: Too Dumb To Be Evil? [Jaunted]

[Photo: WESH]

Skybus / Liveblogging / Airlines / Columbus / → All Tags

Liveblogging Skybus: Can In-Flight Shopping Work?

Ok, the Skybus flight review is live via tape delay today.

Skybus raised $160 million dollars before they went wheels up on May 22nd--more than any other start up--ever. While we all know ten dollar flights are the hook, it is the in-flight sales that both employees and investors are counting on to help buoy the bottom line.

Will it work?

SKYBUS MENU PHOTO AND SHOPPING DETAILS

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Skybus / Liveblogging / Airlines / Columbus / → All Tags

Liveblogging Skybus: Flight Attendants Must Have Nice Calves

Ok, the Skybus flight review is live via tape delay today.

The biggest question readers were asking us before launch centered around the Skybus flight attendants.

How do I become a Skybus Flight Attendant? What will they wear? Will they be hot? How much will they get paid? Are they going to have to sell, sell, sell?

You have questions, we have answers.

SKYBUS FLIGHT ATTENDANT DETAILS AND PHOTO GALLERY HERE

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