Yesterday I lost my companion of 10 years, almost exactly to the day. My trusted friend, jam packed with extra pages, was set to expire today, the 12th of February 2013 … the same day I am boarding flights to Italy and Russia.  When I picked up my dear friend a decade ago it was…
Yesterday, on the 11th of December, Delta Air Lines officially announced that it was purchasing a 49% stake in British flag carrier Virgin Atlantic, from Singapore Airlines, for US$360,000,000 and forming a trans-Atlantic joint venture. Under the terms of the deal Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, will retain his 51% majority stake in…
Having grown up watching planes fly over my house, all day and night, and having spent the last 27 years (of my 37 years on this Earth) generally found with a camera in my hand, it is only natural that I can at times be found shooting photos of airplanes. Over the years I’ve shot…
It is April Fools Day once again, and airlines around the world have launched their annual gags. This year was a tough choice to make my decision, so I’ll start with the two that were nearly chosen as the best Airline April Fools Gag, both airlines with a Union Jack on their aircraft. First…
It was a rough year for airlines in 2008, fuel prices were climbing at impossible rates, passenger numbers were dropping, the introduction of ancillary fees were being introduced and airlines of all sizes were feeling the impact around the world. As April 2008 began the writing was on the wall for some airlines that managed…
Today various news organizations have reported that Delta Air Lines is considering merging with Virgin Atlantic … however these news stories, ranging from Bloomberg News to Fox News, are leaving out a vital piece of information … the two airlines cannot legally merger. The global airline industry is heavily regulated; among these strict regulations are…
Today is the 4th of July, as every American knows today is the day we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and our freedom from Great Britain. On this, the 234th Anniversary of the United States declaring its freedom from the British Crown, I take a bit of amusement in finding the most…
Over the past few years I have had the pleasure of flying first class on long haul flights with a number of world-class airlines, including Lufthansa, Asiana, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Swiss International Air Lines, Korean Air, United Airlines and Gulf Air … but this afternoon at London’s Heathrow Airport as I walked towards security…
Jet lag … no one likes it. The human body clock is easy to throw out of whack when traveling across multiple time zones and waking up around the same time you should be going to sleep. For many travelers, experienced and inexperienced, jet lag can be brutal, and it catches up with even the…
Alitalia, Italy’s National Flag Carrier, has been called many things over the years, but ‘On Time‘ has never been one of those things. Alitala is well known for labour disputes, strikes, customer dissatisfaction and an on-time performance record that generally rivals my attempts to wake my kids up most mornings … so imagine my surprise…
