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New Planes and New Seats Making Southwest Feel So Fresh, So Clean for 2012

We were just talking about Southwest Airlines and their plans to “evolve” their planes with new seats, and now it looks like the carrier is already prepared to go all-in. Southwest is starting to get those fresh birds, and they’re shifting around the schedule here and there to make room for the increased seats and different configurations.

They’re pretty excited about that this evolve-o-lution, but we kind of wonder how our knees will feel about all these changes.

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American Airlines Shows Off Upcoming New Seats Via Instagram

Last week we told you about the slurry of airlines using this year to refresh their aircraft cabins and service. Not a few days later, American Airlines dropped some major news as well, and they supplemented it with Instagram shots of the goods.

AA will take delivery of their first Boeing 777-300ER late this year and, from photos posted on Instagram last week, the big birds will look pretty flash on the inside. Since the airline is the first US carrier to take delivery of the shiny, new aircraft type, the introduction will surely be huge.

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Less Legroom and Recline Arriving with Southwest Airlines' New EVOLVE Interior

They’re moving full speed ahead with their acquisition of AirTran, but Southwest Airlines still has plenty of time to dedicate to other changes and improvements. Their latest announcement has everything to do with seats, as they’re planning to tear out some interiors in favor of new and shiny upgrades.

The bottom line is they’re adding more seats which weigh less, boosting revenue by packing passengers and spending less airplane gas to get them to their final destination. However, Southwest says that the new seats are an upgrade for passengers as well, even though there’s technically going to be a little less room for your legs, knees, and feet.

The pitch on the new seats is dropping by an inch or so and there’s also less recline. The new seats will lean back about one inch less than they do now, but Southwest insists that you won’t even notice because of the new seat layout—we’ll have to see this for ourselves.

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Brussels Airlines Upgrades to Lie-flat Sky Beds and More

Brussels Airlines recently announced some major network upgrades and in-flight products and took to social media to brag about their new toys to all their followers. With dramatic unveilings on Twitter and instagram and the final product look on Facebook, the carrier created quite a buzz for their newest seats.

In the front of the plane, the Belgian carrier is launching lie-flat sky beds for intercontinental service with all of the bells and whistles we expect in business class. Super roomy seats with loads of work space is what premium passengers can expect with the addition of a pneumatic setting that allows passengers to pick a 'hard' or 'soft' seat.

Don't worry, there is some fun for economy too! By reducing the profile of their seats, Brussels boasts just about 33 inches of leg room and further recline.

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Up Close with Singapore Airlines' New First Class Kiehl's Kit

Next week, the massive Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 will finally begin regularly scheduled flights from New York-JFK. It only makes sense, then, to have Singapore upgrade some smaller things to go along with this literally superjumbo change. Namely, they are also introducing a new amenity kit in First Class and the Suites, on SQ flights from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.

The products—five travel-sized formulas to work against dry airplane skin—are from NYC's Kiehl's Since 1851. And no, this isn't the entire First Class amenity kit; it's just the skin care portion, as there's plenty other goodies on your seat if you're traveling in the fancy classes.

Curious what other brands airlines will have you slather on your face mid-flight? United has Murad, Delta has Korres, LAN goes with Bulgari, British Airways gives D.R. Harris & Co. in First, Cathay has Dermalogica and American has recently switched theirs from Burt's Bees to Dermalogica as well.

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Football, Hockey and Baseball Arrive Aboard Virgin America This Fall

At this point you probably know that one of the best parts of flying Virgin America are their in-flight entertainment options. The airline’s Red in-flight entertainment has like 700 hours of content including with thousands of songs, over 30 movies, and flight tracking thanks to Google Maps. If you thought it couldn’t get any better you are incorrect, as they’re upgrading things this fall to make flying with them even more fun.

The live TV lineup is changing, and new updates include FOX and NBC affiliates—both based out of NYC—and that means access to some sports. Hockey fans can check out national televised games on NBC, and there will be plenty of baseball action this October available live on FOX—as well as in TBS, because they’ve got that channel too. These new networks will also allow you to catch some football fun on Sunday afternoons, and we can already see ourselves watching a little NFL after ordering a few snacks and a few beers right from the comfort of our seat.

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Pajama Party on American Airlines as First Class Gets New Turndown Service

American Airlines giveth and American Airlines taketh away. In case you missed it (and they probably hoped you did, AA announced on Friday that they'd begin charging "premium seat" fees. This means $4 and up on top of your airfare if you'd like to grab a window or aisle seat towards the front of the economy cabin. No, the seats themselves aren't nicer or the service better; they're just...closer to the front.

To counter this, today American came out with their "Fly Better. Feel Better." advances for First Class flyers. They will now be the first US airline to offer turndown service on flights, complete with a quilted bed topper for lie-flat seats, a light duvet, large pillow, revamped amenity kit, AA logo-embroidered slippers and a pajama set. There's even a new "day blanket" for cuddling up with your book or iPad, but not so cuddled up you'd drift to sleep.

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Smell the BA, Not BO; British Airways to Introduce Signature Scent on Flights

Are you ready for this? British Airways has just announced that they will soon introduce a "signature brand scent" onto their airplanes, to make flyers think of luxury stores or anywhere other than a metal tube full of passengers with questionable hygiene. How do you prefer your airline—powder fresh or mountain spring? Finally we can say this: "We like our airlines like we like our deodorants: unscented."

The scent details haven't yet been released, although we're guessing a top note of bacon roll is off the table. Likely Eau de BA will follow in the fresh trend of the scent already found throughout British Airways' Heathrow lounges, that of cut grass and ocean.

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The Ten Types of Annoying Passengers, According to a Flight Attendant

Do you have things in your job that annoy you? Do you notice it's the same things that annoy your co-workers? Yeah me too. As a flight attendant I get asked over and over again what is the most annoying things passengers do? I always tread lightly, because flight attendants get accused of, well, complaining too much. And, believe me we can probably complain better than most.

In fact there's an old joke:
Q. How many flight attendants does it take to change a light bulb?
A. Zero, because we'd rather sit around in the galley and bitch about it.

So, what behaviors annoy flight attendants the most? Well, besides urinating in the aisle, and other super gross activites, here are Ten Types of Annoying Passengers:

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Oh, Goody: Tarmac Delay Laws Expand to Include International Flights

We've explained at length—see here and here, and probably here, and definitely this one—how the Department of Transportation's tarmac regulations are a recipe for travel hell. The assumption behind imposing huge fines for delays is that the airline industry simply wasn't trying hard enough to get its planes off the ground, and that market-based incentives like money and public relations disasters weren't enough to make them want to fly people around.

Put that way—and at the risk of belaboring the obvious—that's a pretty stupid assumption.

But regulations were imposed anyway and, as was easily and explicitly predictable, we ended up with more delays and more flight cancellations. So naturally the government has now expanded tarmac delay laws to include international airlines.

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The Top Ten Gross Things Flight Attendants Have Seen Passengers Do on Airplanes

A flight attendant career is glamorous! Or so I thought! I admit, I signed up for the glamour eighteen years ago, but I quickly learned that most of the glamor was gone from this industry. I was on my second trip as a new hire flight attendant, my uniform was crisp, my hair was pulled back in a perfect french twist to match my beautiful french manicure, and I had all the right accessories.

This particular day I was the aisle flight attendant when a passenger asked me if I would heat up a baby bottle. I knew just what to do! Now all I needed was a sick bag so I could fill it with hot water. I reached into a seat back pocket, grabbed a sick bag and pushed my hand inside to open it up. Feeling the still warm, oatmeal consistency on my hand is where the glamor ended for me. Yes folks, I had just stuck my manicured hands into fresh vomit!

You've heard about the gross things people do on airplanes. There's classics like cutting toenails, walking barefoot around the plane, changing a baby diaper on the tray table...I could go on. I hate to admit it, but these are all behaviors I see or experience as a flight attendant every time I go to work.

I recently asked some co-workers to share the grossest things they have seen throughout the years as well. Warning, the answers even shocked me! Fasten your seat belts for...

The Top Ten Gross Things Flight Attendants Have Seen Passengers Do on Airplanes:

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bmi Knows What You Want This Summer: Free Cake!

Even though you might not have British Midland International—or bmi to its friends—flying you anywhere soon, it’s still pretty exciting to hear about an airline adding food and beverage options instead of taking them away.

The airline—they are British after all—plans to introduce free cake to all economy passengers traveling within the UK and Ireland for both elevenses and afternoon tea. The choices will include some pretty decent offerings including victoria sponge, carrot cake, and lemon drizzle—we already are interested if we can request seconds. These treats will be for those flying in Flexible Economy and will be offered between 10am and 12pm and then again between 1:30pm and 5pm.

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