At a shopping centre in Bangkok, I asked for directions to the lavatory
“second floor sir”
For a moment, I paused, as my brain processed the information: “when she said ‘second floor’ what does she mean?”

The world is divided into different types of conventions regarding how to count the levels of buildings:
1. The Ground floor is numbered 1 and all subsequent floors follow. In this case my lavatory would be a short escalator ride up one floor.
2. The ground floor is labelled G, the floor above is 1 so my lavatory would be two levels up
3. The ground floor is labelled 0, the floor below is -1 and the floor above is 1
4. The countries with no standard system!!

It can cause mild confusion but is not usually an issue -unless one is in a hurry!

Facing the prospect of an international bailout, the Slovenian government will sell 100 per cent of Adria Airways d.d. and airport operator Aerodrom Ljubljana plus 12 other state owned companies.The carrier has been flagged for ale before -with little real interest.

Be interesting if they will find a buyer for the airline this time around. Air Berlin has been rumoured to be interested-although one would think they would be focused on their own financial survival.

I would have loved to be on board but I missed out on seeing Branson in drag action on Air Asia in response to a long time bet with Air Asias’s owner: Tony Fernandes.

On the flight, Branson dressed in the Air Asia uniform complete with his trademark beard, fumbled the safety briefing and tipped orange juice into Tony Fernandes’ lap.

For revenge Fernandes sprayed champagne over Branson in Kula Lumpur.

I wasn’t quite sure what the Malaysian public will make of the images of Fernandes kissing Branson -all in a good day’s work to publicize the airline – and they raised over a total of 100 grand for charity.

When travelling, I like to collect as many discount coupons or deals as I can. I like getting my two for one deals and 20 per cent off. As long as they are genuine discounts, I am happy! I don’t think I am alone?!

The For Less Guides gather discounts for restaurants , tours and attractions onto one free Iphone or Ipad app for Amsterdam, London, New York and San Francisco (and soon Paris). There are claims that American users save on average 50 Euros per day in Amsterdam. As  usual with any discount scheme, some of the discounts are more useful than others.

The For Less Guides started in 1994 as a hard copy book. The migration to an app works really well. The user simply has to show the app when they are paying. There is no need to pre purchase anything.

In addition the For Less guides bundle the discounts with a very handy city map with public transit directions and street navigation.

Best of all, the app works off-line. The app is free.

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Last year in my controversial post on my ten worst airlines, I nominated Spirit as the third worst airline in the world (and worst in the USA). Now a satirical post highlights how bad they are!

In an Onion report, the FAA is quoted as saying that passengers should boycott the carrier: “Nobody with any shred of dignity should ever fly Spirit Airlines, the report states”

The article while intended to be humorous has major elements of truth: The airline touts its low fares, but it costs $45 to check your bag at the airport, and if you don’t check the bag when you get your ticket, it costs a mandatory $100 at the gate.

Worth a read but be warned if sensitive, the language is very colourful!

Are you a “victim” of Spirit? Or are you a fan?

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In 2010, Virgin Atlantic  Sir Richard Branson made a bet with Air Asia owner Tony Fernandes over who’s Formula 1 Racing team would finish higher in the 2010 season. Whoever’s team won would have to serve as a flight attendant on one of the other airline’s flights. Fernandes won.

Branson will fly dressed as a flight attendant on Air Asia’s Perth to Kuala Lumpur flight next Sunday May 12th. He will carry out all of the responsibilities of a flight attendant  on the six-hour flight.

Fernandes who worked for Branson at Virgin in the 1980s said: “who would have thought my mentor will be serving as a flight attendant on AirAsia…. And it’s hilarious to think now, that it’s Richard who will be working for me as a sassy flight attendant.”

The catch is that “As an AirAsia X’s flight attendant, [Branson] has to comply with our grooming standards and that includes shaving his legs, donning high heels, putting on some makeup and slipping into the AirAsia’s famous red uniform“. Branson will keep his beard.

AirAsia will donate A$100 from each seat sold on the flight to Australian charity Starlight Children’s Foundation. The bookings for this flight open from April 8 to May 12 (until sold out) for travel on May 12, 2013. The charity flight will also be filled with activities for the guests. Fares are $A399.

Branson said “I will dress up and make a splash in the name of Starlight, a fantastic charity. I’ve just got to practise walking in high heels first.” The publicity will no doubt help Air Asia – not sure how it will help Virgin Atlantic who do not fly to either Perth or Kuala Lumpur.

Something to strike fear into the hearts of passengers who check bags in.

Italian authorities 18 months ago, installed hidden cameras at several airports across Italy. Police then viewed over 2,000 hours of footage taken by these cameras. The footage showed Alitalia baggage handlers deliberately picking luggage locks, cutting open suitcases and stealing money, electronics, jewellery and other items.  One employee was taped while attempting to break into a suitcase by stabbing it multiple times.

Take a look:

The Italian National Police arrested 86 Alitalia employees as a result of the footage. The thefts occurred on board Alitalia planes and in areas designated for loading and unloading passenger luggage.

Alitalia stated:  “Our security services have collaborated closely with the police…The passengers who lost their luggage have been reimbursed. We are the victims here” I have flown Alitalia off and on for 42 years. Last year, I declared Alitalia was one of the worst ten airlines. I stick to that assertion -and this is one example why this is the case.

My question is: How many other airlines will have the situation of their baggage handlers (very low paid staff) handling valuable goods and stealing them?

What can you do to protect yourself?

1. Buy travel insurance
2. Don’t check bags in. Reduce the stuff you carry
3. If you do check bags in, know what is in them
4. Put things in your check in bag that you can buy or replace easily. Clothes, toothbrush, toiletries etc
5. Never ever put jewellery, electronics, medicines, credit cards or money in your bag. Never. Carry those on board
6. Read 5 again
7. Choose a lock for your luggage that meets security standards so your lock is not cut open by security personnel
8. I am not convinced about sealing baggage in plastic
9. keep your carry-on luggage within the limits so you don’t have a bag taken from you at boarding
10. In case your carry-on may be checked in, have a bag inside a bag which you can take on board with your valuables in it
11. Bury your wallet, keys and other valuables in your carry-on so someone has to tip your bag upside down to find your stuff
12. Do not put your carry-on above you but opposite you across the aisle so you can see them
13. Putting your valuables at your feet may not be as safe as you think
14. Don’t put your valuables in your seat pocket. Ask your airline how many cell phones are left on planes?!
15. Before rushing off the plane, take a mental check that you have your wallet, phone, keys, passport with you

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After a three-month break from mid January until late April,  an elaborate battery fix and two US test flights, the 787 is back in the air.

I have previously described the changes that are being installed by 300 Boeing technicians to the planes across the world. Interestingly, the Japanese authorities have insisted on additional alterations in addition to the changes mandated by the FAA. They have insisted ANA and JAL  install battery monitoring systems to monitor the battery performance and to carry out an inspection program to battery changes are working effectively. These additional precautions do not apply to any other airlines flying 787
Three questions:

1. Why has the US FAA not forced US carriers to do the same fix as the Japanese?
2. Why will the other six airlines in the world not have the same safety?</li
3. How will consumers feel about this?

 The timetable for the return of the 787 in date order:

Ethiopian Airlines - April 27th: Addis-Abba - Ethiopia

Ethiopian Airlines were the first to fly 787 Dreamliner since grounding with a two-hour incident free commercial flight (pictured below, at take-off). The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde Gebremariam was on board. Their other three 787s are being retrofitted.

Associated Press

Qatar Airlines -  May 1st: Doha-Dubai

After operating its first Dreamliner flight Qatar Airways  announced the resumption of daily Boeing 787 services from London to Doha from May 15. The airline said it would expect compensation from Boeing for taking planes that “could not be used“. The airline was already expecting recompense for the three year delay in delivery. CEO Al Baker said:  “I still feel the aircraft should not have been grounded…I think there was reaction due to the unnecessary evacuation of a Japanese aircraft. People are too sensitive to what the social media says”. All five the airline’s Dreamliners will all be in service by May 31.

Al Baker also said: “We are short of airplanes. So we will look at … either purchase or lease of interim airplanes from Airbus or Boeing. We have not yet decided.”

Air India – May 16th: Domestic Flights

The Boeing team arrived in Delhi last Tuesday to fit the new system. The first two craft should be ready to fly by May 10 with the remaining four by the end of the month. The 787s would be required to go through test flights before they are certified by India’s civil aviation regulator and pilots will need to undergo retraining. The carrier will utilise the plane on domestic routes in India from Delhi to Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai.  On June 1st, it will start flying from Delhi to both London and Paris. Boeing have agreed to compensate Air India for losses incurred by the state-run carrier according to India’s civil aviation minister, Ajit Singh. Boeing will deliver more of the planes to the carrier over the next few months.

United Airlines – May 31st: Houston - Denver

As previously noted, United has already included the 787 in its schedule from May 31. The airline has indicated, however, they may start 787 flights before May 31st. On June 10th, the twice delayed Denver to Tokyo service will finally start along with Houston to London. On August 1st, the Los Angeles to Tokyo and the long awaited Houston-Lagos will start. This will be followed by Los Angeles to Shanghai on August 2nd.

All Nippon Airways -  June 1st: Tokyo – Frankfurt

During the grounding, ANA cancelled a 3601 flights at a cost of $US92 million. Boeing began installing the battery fix on five grounded 787 jets owned by launch customer All Nippon Airways on April 22. The airline is planning between 100 and 200 round trip test flights through May, before it starts carrying passengers again on scheduled flights. The test flights are intended to re-train 200 of ANA’s Dreamliner pilots after the three-month break. ANA is currently planning to restart 787 service on June 1 on  domestic routes and Tokyo to Frankfurt. On September 1st, it will fly between Tokyo and San Jose and Tokyo to Seattle.

Japan Air Lines – June 1st: Tokyo – Beijing, Singapore, San Diego and Boston

Like ANA, JAL’s 787 JAL will return after completing test flights and pilot re-training. JAL cancelled or reduced 766 flights during the grounding at a cost of 4.8 billion yen. Boeing had full-page advertisements in five national Japanese newspapers on Tuesday: “We express our deep gratitude towards passengers, airlines, suppliers and the investigating authorities in each country . . . for their support on the occasion of resuming operations of the completely modified 787,”

LAN – June 1st: Santiago - Lima and Los Angeles

This will be followed by Service between Santiago and Madrid and Frankfurt later in 2013.

LOT Polish Airlines – June 5th: Warsaw - Chicago

LOT’s January launch of this service turned into a nightmare when its plane was grounded at Washington DC after its first ever flight! The return trip complete with champagne and balloons had to be cancelled! On June 7th, the plane will be used between Warsaw and Toronto, followed by Warsaw to New York on June 30th. Speculation is rife that LOT may be in the sights of  Norwegian Air after their CEO Bjorn Kjos met with Polish government officials. Norwegian themselves will soon be a 787 user (see below).

The Timetable for New Users:

Thomson Airways -July 8th: Manchester - Florida & Glasgow – Cancun

Thomson Airways was initially due to receive the first of its 13 Dreamliners at the end of February. They are tipping a start date ready for the European summer.

Norwegian Air: Oslo - NYC and Bangkok

The airline has ordered three of the 787s. It has recently suggested that one of its forthcoming Boeing 787 Dreamliners may fly under an Irish flag for cost reasons. Norwegian  have also been rumoured to be considering a takeover of LOT.

 Hainan: September: Beijing – Chicago

China’s aviation regulator  is poised to grant approval this month for the 787  to begin commercial service with Chinese airlines.  Hainan has ordered ten but had suggested they may swap future 787 Dreamliners for the larger 747-8s because of the delivery delays. In the meantime,  they should get their first 787 within the next two months as it has already competed Boeing test flights.

China Southern: September: Domestic China

China Southern have also ordered ten of the 787 and three are sitting at the Boeing plants waiting for delivery. China Southern will become the first airline in the world to fly both the 787 and A380 concurrently. After launching on Chinese domestic services, the 787 will probably fly between China and European routes and also to Sydney and Melbourne and possibly Auckland.

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What happens when societal attitudes impact on an airline’s on board offerings?

When I flew with Turkish airlines last year, their on board catering blew me away. Catering that included an impressive wine list. Whilst researching the airline, I was interested in the number of conservative Turks who lambasted the airline’s “lax attitude to alcohol” which is viewed as incompatible with religious practice. For an airline that has the slogan “Globally Yours”, this gives room to potential conflict.

In February this year, the airline stopped serving alcohol on most domestic routes “due to logistical considerations.“. The airline only serves alcohol to business class on flights to six of its 36 domestic destinations (Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya, Ankara, Bodrum and Dalaman). Commentary in the Turkish press that Turkish Airlines is responding into the conservative elements in the government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

At the same time, Turkish airlines increased from two to eight the number of countries where alcohol is not served on their flights. Turkish gave the reason for expanding the list as a result of “requests by concerned countries.” The criteria is “where the flag carriers of those nations do not serve liquor.” The countries include Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Somalia, Senegal and Niger. While, some passengers on these flights would be open to having an alcoholic drink, others would be disappointed to have alcohol served to someone next to them.

Recently the airline has been warning passengers to keep their drinking under control as a result of the “drunken antics” of some Russian passengers. These “antics” resulted in police intervention in 2012 for 28 “unruly” Russians. In March this year, one drunk man had a heated on-board argument with his wife and then the Russian soccer team. Surely not a wise choice of target?

Is the airline responding to the market? Is it caving into political pressure?

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Would you fly this airline?

Spring Airlines, a Chinese low cost carrier is introducing a series of themed flights for passengers: We’re mixing up our flights with some fun onboard themes – like these maid and butler costumes.  What’s your favourite theme that you’d like to see onboard a Spring Airlines flight?  Let us know .. and we’ll try our best to make your dream come true.

Online reaction has been mixed:

 You’ve gotta be kidding me. Objectifying [sic] flight attendants is the last marketing/promotion strategy you wanna use. I wonder what your passenger demographics look like. I do hope this marketing move is supported by solid market research…

น้องน่ารักมากครับ (Very cute idea!)

Founded in 2005 by Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, the Shanghai based private airline is actually called “Spring and Autumn Airlines” in Mandarin.  Skytrax rate them a 3 star airline. Customers give them a  five out of ten rating. This video gives a bit of an insight into the CEO and his desire to model Spring after US based Southwest Airlines:

The carrier flies to 34 destinations across China and Japan as well as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia using 174 seat 32 Airbus A320s. Fares include a 15kg luggage allowance. Food is available for purchase on  board. One of the more unusual aspects of the carrier are their inflight exercise classes.

There is a Spring Plus business class which allows more luggage - and presumably a maid.

I am not sure why an airline with a close to 95% flight occupancy needs to market itself in this way? Are they looking for the last few seats to be filled?

So, would you fly them for the maids or another reason?

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Ten Worst Airlines- 2012

This was no ordinary flight for me. According to my flightmemory, it was my 950th flight ever. In addition, it was my 275th flight with Qantas and my 24th on an Airbus A330.

Booking: 9 out of 10

Qantas’ booking engine is very streamlined. Six steps take you from enquiry to payment. If you are logged in as a Qantas Frequent Flyer, then the amount of information required to be typed in is minimal. Thanks to Skyscanner, I found the same fare on another website for $249 less. This saved me almost a third of the fare. It has annoyed me in the past that unlike Department stores, airlines don’t like to match fares. Since 2012, Qantas has offered a price guarantee: if, after purchasing a Qantas flight, on the same day, you find the Same Qantas Fare (including fare conditions) for a lower, publicly available price on an Australian website, we’ll match it. Frequent Flyers can also earn 1,000 extra points.  The site I bought from was not Australian so no bonus for me! – just a nice fare saving.

After booking and paying for me seats on the external site, I chose my seats back at qantas.com. Exit row seats were available for 90 dollars which I could not be bothered paying.  I opted for a seat as close as possible to the front of economy. I initially got  25 two rows behind the front Economy Row. 23, I looked every couple of days to see if the front row had become free. It did not.

Check in: 7 out of 10

I found Qantas online check in a little frustrating. It is supposed to be a five easy step process! For a  start,  why do I have to enter the same personal information for migration authorities every time I check in? Why cannot Qantas use my already entered name, and store my date of birth and passport information. I get tired of typing in passport number multiple times.  I also found that I could not complete the check in on my Ipad as a check box refused to respond to my response. After multiple times, I switched to a lap top and started all over again.    Still no seats available in row 23, sadly.

The use of the online check in meant I bypassed all of the queues at Sydney airport. The Economy line was crazy long. Even business class check in lines were long. Thanks to an express card obtained from a roving check in agent I got from airport entrance to Qantas lounge in just nine minutes.

Lounge: 7 out of 10

I was interested that I was recognised by three of the lounge staff. This was probably the result of some of those 275 flights! The Qantas business lounge was full. I commented on this to one of the staff and he told me this was the direct  result of the change of Qantas hub from Singapore to Dubai. He noted that the Asian flights now depart earlier in the morning, along with the Dubai flights. As a result there is now a mad morning rush in the lounges, followed by a lull until the US bound flights depart and then the afternoons are quiet. When I was in the lounge, seats were scarce, it was noisy and there were lines for the food. It was not exactly a restful expereince.

One of the the lounge staff changed me into a seat in row 23  and assured me that there would be no one next to me – he was right.

Boarding: 10 out of 10

I walked down to gate from the Lounge as late as I could so I missed out on most of the scrum. We were welcomed very warmly as we stepped onto the craft. I strolled to my seat in row 23 and settled in. Moments later,  I was greeted with a fresh orange juice, as was my neighbour across the aisle.  This is something I would get from time to time as Platinum customer. I was not sure how I won the honour on this occasion.

Takeoff

We departed a mere three minutes after the scheduled time. Take off was very smooth and we turned into the north-west bearing for Bangkok.

On board: 7 out of 10

I am not a fan of the A330, at the best of times. To me, it  feels  one of the more cramped of the Airbus family.   The 267 Economy  seats are arranged 2-4-2. They have a pitch (distance between seats) of 31″ and a width of 17″ . The 30 Business class seats arranged 2-2-2 have a pitch of 60″ and a width of 21.5.  Qantas has not had rave reviews over their economy seats. They are adequate. There are six lavatories  in economy and three in business class.

There was a tiny (and I mean tiny) amenity kit on each seat. The kit  includes a foul tasting tooth paste, cheap tooth brush and eye mask.  The kit reflects the continuing diminishing of  Qantas customer service. Once upon a time, there was more in the kit.

I asked a member of the Cabin crew if she could ask the pilot to sign my boarding pass for my 950th flight. I was very touched that Captain Pattison came down to see me and present me with a signed boarding pass.

Entertainment System: 7 out of 10

Both Economy and Business  have a seatback Audio and Video on Demand System. Qantas  has 20 Radio Channels, 120 CDS, 30 Movies, 120 TV programs including destination guides and 10 games. In Business, there are an additional 30 movies available. Found the selection, a little more disappointing than I have on previous occasions and found that I had seen all of the TV shows that I have any interest in. The system was a little slow in its responses when buttons were pressed.

While there is a power outlet in every business seat, there are no power outlets in economy which is a grave oversight in today’s world.   This distressed a fellow passenger who (almost tearfully) said that they had a full nine-hour work schedule to complete on the laptop and needed it charged. When the laptop’s battery flattened, the crew took the laptop and charged it in business class and returned it to the passenger who watched movies on it for the Rest of the flight! (not sure what happened to the work?)

Qantas has no on-board wi-fi. They cancelled the wi-fi program after a six month trial which saw five per cent of passengers using the wi-fi. Interestingly, Qantas’ new partner Emirates is continuing to roll out their wi-fi.

Meals: 8 out of 10

The crew provided a very attractive menu card, soon after take off. I chose a beef dish which was very nice. Fresh fruit available with drinks from the galley throughout the flight.
A small pizza sub was offered just before landing. Good selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, although the whites were not very exciting.

Landing

We had a very gentle landing into Bangkok, almost 30 minutes early.  I was met at the airport by a greeter service -part of the Fast Track service. They got me from gate through customs and immigration to the railway station entrance in seven minutes! (I had no checked luggage) I will use that service again!

The Verdict

My Flight Rating: Overall 80% (4 out of 5).

My Overall rating of Qantas: 4.7 out of 5 (based on my 275 Qantas flights)

Skytrax Rating of Qantas : 4 star

Positives: Staff, punctuality   Negatives: Entertainment system, wi-fi
Would I fly them again? Yes!

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