United States

Tag Archives for United States.

To the Authorities: Five Steps to Better Travel, Please

I shared last week about my 2023 travel experiences. As we look forward to 2024, there are five things that “those in charge” need to do to make travel markedly better. Treat Your Customers with Respect Too often, passengers are herded bewildered into long lines and then alternately shouted at or ignored. I believe this stress and the points above are helping to contribute to a lack of civility from passengers who push back at staff and each other. Can we send all staff globally to Tokyo Haneda or Singapore Changi Airport (pictured) to watch…

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One Amazing Travel Year: Countless Stories across 23 Countries, 60 Cities

Two main themes explain my 2023 travel adventures. The first was a massively serious checking-off bucket list of places and activities including a first visit to the Isle of Man and Malta, the White Cliffs of Dover, Canterbury Cathedral, Michalenegos’ Last Supper, and multiple museums. riding several heritage railways, seeing my Irish ancestors’ hometowns, watching several amazing shows across the world and visiting Concordes on display in three countries! I have now visited 87 countries (out of an ultimate goal of 99 )and reached 578 cities! The second theme was revisiting favourite haunts including Abu…

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Unpacking the safest airlines in the world

I really enjoyed this recent RankingRoyals visualisation of the top 20 safest airlines in the world according to AirlineRatings.com. This is reproduced with their permission. In coming up with its list, the reviewers at airlineratings.com consider a range of factors, including audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies; government audits; aircraft crashes and serious incident records; profitability, industry-leading safety initiatives, and fleet age. It’s also important to keep in mind that airline safety ratings are not absolute measures of an airline’s safety record, and different agencies may have different opinions based on their criteria and…

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I have now travelled to 84 countries!

In 2020 and 2021, I added no new countries to my “collection”. In 2022, I did a little catching up, visiting Timor Leste, Morocco, Qatar and Gibraltar! I had previously been to Doha Airport, but never gp off the plane. Check this link for a comprehensive look at the places I have visited. My overall goal is 99 countries, and I had hoped to add two new places each year until I get there. This means that goal is about nine years away! Between my flights and boat trips I have looped the earth around…

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And Russia makes 77

I am filling in my globe with all of the countries, territories and regions I have visited.  With the addition of Russia this week, I have made it to 77 countries. I only count a country if I have left the airport. So while, I have transited through Doha and Johannesburg airports, I do not include Qatar and  South South Africa in my tally. I have been to about two thirds of the countries in both Asia and Europe and exactly half of all the nations in the Oceania region of the planet. African exploration…

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Upgrading my Qantas experience-How I get Top Elite status in three round trips (almost)

I was sitting down to lunch a few years, with the family when my airline called to tell me my flight to Auckland was cancelled and I would miss my connection to Samoa. As a  result, I would get to my holiday  24 hours later than planned. The good news was if I could get to the airport within the hour they could get me into the earlier flight.  My brother in law drove me very quickly through Sydney streets to ensure I made this flight. Not only did Air New Zealand book me onto…

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Like a Mirror: Airline survey gives telling data about US Air Travellers.

Last Tuesday, some great stats came out about the state air travel in the USA. For example, the number of Americans flying last year hit a new record with forty-nine percent of the population taking at least one air trip.  That does mean 51 percent of the US population did not fly in 2016. Eleven percent of Americans have never flown, down from the year before. I find it astounding that one in ten Americans have never been inside a plane for an air journey. Eighty-nine percent of people took less than five air trips last…

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Aeroflot tops Most Powerful Airline Brands

I have never flown Aeroflot (or its Russian rival S7 for that matter). Concerns about safety and service have always put me off and I have never flown to Russia. This week, Brand Finance announced that Aeroflot is the most powerful airline brand in the world with a AAA Brand rating. Brand Finance believe that dominance in the Russian domestic market (the collapse of competitor Transaero in 2015  would have been a fillip for Aeroflot. Combined with a new marketing investment, a renewed fleet and Russia’s growing status as a global hub have all contributed to…

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“Flyadeal” to Fly – Saudia’s new Airline marks shakeup in Kingdom’s air carriers

What do you think of the name “Flyadeal”? Flyadeal is the name of a new budget airline that will launch in Saudi Arabia in mid 2017. Owned by the country’s flag carrier Saudia, the new airline will fly both domestic and international routes from a hub in Jeddah using Airbus A320s. Saudia are saying they want to take advantage of rising tourist numbers in the Kingdom. The carrier certainly puts its pricing intention up front!  Saleh Al-Jasser, Saudia’s director general was reported to say:  “The new airline aims to deliver value for money to cost-conscious customers.…

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Tesla vs 737 race- amazing video

Have you seen this amazing video of a Tesla racing a Qantas 737? Tesla Motors Australia arranged the race with Qantas at Melbourne’s Avalon airport. The Tesla Model S P90D with “Ludicrous Mode” has a maximum speed of 250km (150mph) and can accelerate to 100km/h (60 mph) in three seconds! gave the 737 a” bit of a run for its money!” The Tesla gave the 737 a” bit of a run for its money” but in the end it was the aeroplane that prevailed as it lifted off the runway.   Related Posts After 299…

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