Dan Webb on Aviation
Well, I’m now moved back in at good ol’ Bryant University. I had a great summer, but now it’s time to get back to work! 
I’m hoping that I should be able to keep up with daily posts along with my workload. Last year, I felt a few of my courses really helped out with my blog, and I’m hoping it’ll be the same this semester.
On another note…can you tell that this is my dorm room?
The Virgin booth at the NBTA conference was one of my favorites (more on that later), but I noticed something interesting on the back of a Virgin Blue business card that I received – the Boeing logo and “if it ain’t a Boeing, I ain’t going.”
I found this pretty interesting, considering that the airline operates both the E-170 and E-190. I’ve been told by Virgin Blue, however, that these are the old business cards.
I know – I notice completely random things. 
I was going through US Airways’ second quarter release and found this:
Relative to other U.S. legacy or big six hub and spoke carriers, our larger domestic presence means our revenues are less adversely affected by the global economic downturn.
This got me thinking to see how exposed some carriers are to international service, so I decided to divide international mainline ASMs by total mainline ASMs.
Unfortunately, the regionals screw up this comparison a bit because I can’t include them. US Airways only reports traffic for PSA and Piedmont, the two carriers it owns, and only Delta reports how much international service is provided by regional carriers. So, I could add in Continental’s regional ASMs into domestic, but that would include all of ExpressJet’s flying to Mexico.
Anyway, here’s what I found. This is data for the second quarter of this year. I found it pretty interesting that more than half of Continental’s ASMs are for international service!
Click to enlarge.
The carriers also report international traffic by region (Atlantic, Latin, and Pacifc), so I divided those numbers by total international mainline ASMs:
Three carriers – Delta, US Airways, and Continental have most of their international capacity in transatlantic markets, American has the most in Latin America, while United has most of its international ASMs in the Pacific.
It was my birthday this past weekend, and I got an awesome gift from my parents – Biscoffs! Now I can always pretend to be in an airline lounge!
I’ve been reading up on Air France’s new Premium Voyageur product, and I have to say I am very excited about it, as it offers a nice balance between amenities and price for those who don’t want to pay for a business class ticket. To learn more about it, you can take a look at this post from Cranky, and I think his analysis is spot-on.
Interestingly, this is actually Air France’s second premium economy offering. The first is called Alizé, which is found on Caribbean and Indian Ocean routes, and from what I’ve read it looks like it’s here to stay. You can see a picture of the cabin here and a description here. I would say that Premium Voyageur is nicer.
But I digress. Take a look at this graphic from Air France – the airline will have four classes of service on some aircraft, just like British Airways does on some international aircraft.
My question is – will we see premium economy Ameircan carriers? United has Economy Plus, but I really don’t count that as a premium economy offering since it’s just extra legroom (I still think it can be worth it though). Right now, Continental, Delta, and US Airways (and sometimes American) operate two-class configurations on their international aircraft.
Personally, I think premium economy is a great idea – I just wonder why we haven’t seen any American carriers get behind it yet.
When I read Heather Poole’s piece on Gadling about laviating, I decided to try it. What is laviating, you ask? As Heather explains in her post:
Recently I wrote a post, the hottest trend on the airplane since the mile high club, about something disturbing, yet quite intriguing, that was taking place not just on the airplane, but behind the locked lavatory door at 35,000 feet. Passengers, and I’m talking all kinds of passengers, have been photographing themselves in the bathroom.
So, I decided to join this exclusive club on my flight to Philadelphia (in an Air Wisconsin CRJ-200) a couple of weeks ago, and I finally sent the photo over to Heather, and she posted it on her blog.
Heather had some very kind words for me:
This shot of Dan is definitely one of my top five favorites. I mean just look at the guy, he’s so darn happy. And he’s on an airplane! This is the kind of passenger flight attendants dream about, the kind who smiles and gives you a thumbs up, regardless of whether or not it’s a thumbs up kind of day.
Unfortunately, the words of commenter “zenpilgrim” brought me right back down to Earth.
Dan appears like one of those people who scare me when they sit next to me on a flight…a little too happy.
Regardless, I would highly recommend laviating. It is a great experience for sure! 
As a Mets fan, I am disappointed that Delta is also the official airline of that “other team.” (Especially after that horrid subway series!)
I love Microsoft PowerToys, as they add nice little features for free, and I just stumbled upon one that I think is very useful for airplane and travel geeks. I’ve encountered loads of pictures of aircraft, airports, and beautiful destinations that make for excellent desktop backgrounds. To be honest, it’s kind of hard to pick one!
Luckily, I found the Wallpaper Changer PowerToy yesterday, and it’s very easy to use. Fill up a folder with pictures you want to use as backgrounds, set how often you want it to change, and you’re all set. Right now I have 11 backgrounds set up, and the wallpaper will change every 15 minutes.
You can find it here.
Found this one via my friend Chris. This offer comes from the Renaissance Concourse in Atlanta:
Discover how thrilling the hobby of airplane watching really is at the nation’s busiest airport with the “Just ‘Plane’ Fun” aviator weekend getaway. The Renaissance Concourse Hotel, located at Hartsfield Jackson Airport is now offering an amazing package for those who enjoy airplane watching.
This offer includes:
• Deluxe guest room with balcony overlooking the runways
• Signature appetizer and soft drinks for two in the Concorde Lounge
• Aviator Academy “Flight Kit” which includes a runway map and airplane specification guide
Well, it’s a unique offer, but I love the idea! More details here.
What a great trip. Really relaxing! I’ll have more details up later this week, but here are some random thoughts:
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