May 10
I was watching planes one day near SFO and a guy rode up on his bike and took a seat on one of the benches next to me. After a few pleasantries, he began to recite the schedule of each international arrival and departure that afternoon. I thought:
“Wow, this guy is as cool as I am”
In discussing our aviation addictions, I was surprised to learn that he had never heard of Flightaware, a site I knew he would enjoy. I just thought all aviation geeks visited all the same web sites. Not the case and that is why I am sharing this list.
Thanks, dude I met watching planes at SFO!
FlyerTalk
While I have poked fun at Flyertalk in the past, it remains a tremendous resource for even the occasional frequent flyer. From the most basic questions: how to book an award ticket… to the most trivial of topics: how many stalls are in the Kenya Airways Business Class Lounge bathroom.
Flightaware
Although the site has been very slow as of late, it is entertaining to look at what paths flight take, what equipment is being used and who flies where at what time of day. You can sort results by aircraft, airport or airlines. When I can’t fall back asleep in the middle of the night, I like to pull up Flightaware and look at West Coast departures bound for Asia. More practically (debatable), Flightaware tells me when I need to leave to pick up Mrs. Planereality at the airport.
Airliners.net
This one is particularly enjoyable as so many users are from so many parts of the globe. They share their opinion and experiences on an endless number of airlines. Up to the minute aviation news can be found in the Civil Aviation Forum. The Trip Report section will give you a good idea of what each airline is like. And oh so many incredible photographs.
Boarding Area
Call it shameless self promotion, but truth be told, some of the best airline deals, news, interviews and insights can be found under one roof at Boarding Area.com. BoardingArea is a collection of travel bloggers who all write about slightly different topics pertaining to travel. Most of the contributors are pretty witty and you may even get a laugh out of their prose.
Orbitz
While I am confident they do not need any more advertising, especially from me, this is where I continually find myself researching good airfares, both domestic and international. Yes, the choices are overwhelming when it comes to booking engines, but I prefer the way Orbitz displays flight search results and thoroughness of those results.
