Two weeks ago, this Jaunted writer flew from San Francisco to Phnom Penh, Cambodia on China Airlines. Under the impression that international carriers are generally superior to domestics, she felt duped when her stained, rigid seat and minuscule meal made her feel like she was flying to Cleveland via Delta circa 1997.
This is the path for American Airlines Flight 268 yesterday. Normally wouldn't be a big deal--except that flight is supposed to go to JFK. It made an unscheduled stop at ORD after an "electrical system issue." Because pilots couldn't rely on their gauges for the landing, the 757 ended up off the runway with a blown tire.
Blogger Pam Mandel was on the flight, and wrote up a pretty riveting account of what it's like to be on a plane greeted by a phalanx of emergency personnel at the airport:
The flight attendents were like angels, perfectly calm and in good humor. The passengers sat and joked, I snapped pictures of the fire crew out the window and as they boarded the plane. Finally the left engined whirled to a halt and a cheer went up in the cabin....
I managed not to fall down the stairs--I was a little jittery--and I stepped on the grass. A woman in full secrurity gear looked at me and smiled. "Welcome to Chicago O'Hare!" she said, and I laughed.
Not as crazy as a mid-air collision--but that's a good thing!
Related Stories:
· AA 268 [FlightAware]
· "Unscheduled Landing" [NEV]
· Plane Diverted to ORD Blows Tire [CT]
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by pbb
Just last week, a bunch of Midwest Airlines pilots were saying that all the changes at the company would hurt passengers' experiences with the carrier. But at least one person told the Washington Post today that flying Midwest is still a pretty good time:
I had something weird happen to me last weekend: A great airline experience. Nothing major, but I flew Midwest Airlines for the first time.
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Now that American Airlines has its in-flight WiFi working, we're expecting lots more mid-air liveblogging, like this report from "Big Brother" obsessive Ben at the B-Side Blog:
I've done a lot of flight blogs--or flogs--in my time, but never in all my time have I been able to actually LIVE blog my flights....
Not this time, my friends. American Airlines just introduced in-flight WiFi [six] days ago on selected routes, and yours truly has the luxury of flying one of those special planes.
Ben goes on to tell us about some pre-flight tire repairs, a sassy flight attendant and even some hellish fellow passengers, but our favorite bits are about how useful the wireless connection is:
Let me just reiterate that I absolutely love being able to sit here above the clouds and read Big Brother updates. Best flight EVER.
Related Stories:
· Live Flight Blog: Seriously, This Is Live [B-Side Blog]
· In-Flight WiFi: Our IM Interview with an AA Passenger [Jaunted]
· American Airlines Announces WiFi on Some Flights [Jaunted]
[Photo: B-Side Blog]
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Jaunted's Amanda Kendle just got back from Melbourne. This week: Read all about it.
I've always patriotically loved Qantas, so I was expecting more than I got when I decided to fly on their budget offshoot Jetstar. I should've known there was a reason my friends call it Jetstarve.
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by amandak
Jaunted's Amanda Kendle just got back from Melbourne. This week: Read all about it.
My virgin flight with Virgin Blue started well: For starters, the four-hour distance from Perth to Melbourne was really cheap at A$173 (US$165). They emailed me for online check-in so I didn't have to think about it myself, and they had plenty of amusing signs at the check-in counter and departure gate so I felt entertained. They even left on time.
In fact, my gripes are few. Leg room was definitely lacking on board, but I shouldn't complain because the price I paid didn't really allow for leg room. The entertainment system flashed in front of me the whole flight even though I didn't want it to, and after seeing the ads over and over they really started to get on my nerves. The advertising from Europcar that said we were flying on Vigin--too prudish to say Virgin?--was especially annoying, and the flight tracking map of Australia randomly got the spelling wrong on the body of water called the Great Australian Bight (half the time it said Bite).
Am I nit-picking? Yes--because there's very little to complain about. The head flight attendant made the required jokes during every announcement (many of which were actually funny), all the staff were cheerful and we arrived on time. Fix the typos and I'd fly with them again.
Related Stories:
· Virgin Blue [Official Site]
· Virgin Blue coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: scherre]
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US Helicopter offers eight-minute commutes from Manhattan to JFK, and if you're looking for a hard-to-find rush before your flight, this is totally the way to go. But if you're planning to spend your ride running the numbers on your "deal," you probably won't be pleased.
One thing is for sure, if you do end up flying US Helicopter you will be treated a real-life Google Earth experience. As you fly just above NYC, golf courses and JFK, you being to feel as if you have been transplanted into the popular mapping software. Doesn't Jamiroquai call that virtual insanity?
After the break we will begrudgingly crunch the numbers for you, but be forewarned, do it for the rush--not the savings or convenience.
What's it like to fly all business class across the Atlantic? A Jaunted tipster sent us this report about L'Avion.
Boarding:
Leaving Newark, there were only three people working at the counter. The line was a little long (and slow) which surprised me since this was supposed to be a business class flight. The gate area at Newark was on a very small concourse which meant security was quick but there weren't many services available after passing through.Boarding was also very fast since there were fewer people getting on compared to a normal flight. Because there were fewer passengers, most of the overhead space was empty, which made it easy to stow carry-on luggage.
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