Wild About Travel
Why Flights Get Delayed, Who is Better and How to Stay One Step Ahead
I had settled into my seat and the plane was fully boarded. A woman behind me told the crew she felt too unwell to fly. Medical staff boarded, and she left the aircraft with them 20 minutes after our scheduled departure. Retrieving her luggage took another 20 minutes, and with...
2PAXfly
MALAYSIAN AIRLINES: Court reveals details of events leading to the turn back to Sydney of flight MH122
Cast your mind back to news reports of a flight turnback of a Malaysian Airlines A330 on the afternoon of 14, 2023. Flight MH122 was one-and-a-half hours into its flight to Pakistan via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Muscat in Oman. The aircraft was carrying 199 passengers, with a passenger...
2PAXfly
AUSTRALIA: Increased international travel in 2024 leads industry to specuate on Air travel trends for 2025
International travel activity at airports is an often forgotten indicator of the health or otherwise of the airline industry. With most of Australia’s major capital city airports in private hands, we have to rely on their peak bodies’ observations rather than what they tell the Australian Stock Exchange. Simon Weserway,...
2PAXfly
ETIHAD: Aborts takeoff at Melbourne Airport. Tyres explode.
On Sunday 5 January 2025, Etihad Airways flight EY461 was taking off from Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. It was heading for Abu Dhabi as its destination when the takeoff was aborted. The incident occurred at around 7 p.m. Pilots slammed on the brakes of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner late in the...
2PAXfly
JEJU AIR: Update on the crash of the Boeing 737-800 at Muan International Airport, South Korea
The December 29, 2024, mysterious crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 at Muan International Airport in South Korea resulted in 179 fatalities out of 181 occupants. Sequence of events for Jeju Air Flight 2216 The flight originated from Bangkok, Thailand, with Muan International Airport in Korea as its destination. During...
2PAXfly
FIJI: Virgin Australia crew robbed and assaulted. Suspect questioned.
The staff of Virgin Australia doing an ‘overnight’ in Nadi, Fiji, was reportedly robbed and assaulted in two incidents in the early hours of 1 January 2025. Details are sketchy, but a person known to the Fijian police has now been questioned as part of ongoing investigations. Airline support staff...
Wild About Travel
Planning, Packing, and Exploring: My 7 Tips for Better Travel
1. Prioritise New and Meaningful Experiences Seek both iconic landmarks and hidden treasures. Sure, visiting iconic places like the Acropolis or Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing is a must, but it is so for 1,000,000 other people. Be prepared for that and track down opportunities that might not be featured in the...
Wild About Travel
My 2024 Around the World – now 90 Countries
Happy New Year! Where did you explore/enjoy/experience in 2024? I had a phenomenal 2024, visiting 28 countries throughout the year, including five new ones. This brings the total number of countries I have ever visited to 90. I also explored 15 new cities, and flew my 100th Boeing 747! From...
2PAXfly
AUSTRALIAN AVIATION: What’s on the horizon for Air Travel in 2025?
With 2024 about to end, it is time to look at what might await the Australian airline industry in 2025. We have some things to look forward to. Greener skies ahead in 2025 Good news for those who care about the planet—airlines are stepping up their game regarding sustainability. In...
2PAXfly
AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES: Crash Claims 38 Lives. Russian air-defence missile suspected
On Christmas Day, December 25, 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan. The Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190AR aircraft, registered as 4K-AZ65, was on a routine flight that was diverted due to a reported ‘bird strike’. The accident resulted in 38 fatalities and 29 survivors from a total of...
Wild About Travel
My One world experiences in 2024
One hundred flights down in 2024 across the world, of which [ 28 were with eight of the 14 OneWorld alliance members. OneWorld was established in 1999 and carries over 500 million passengers annually between 1,000 cities in 170 countries. Skytrax rates the alliance as one of the best, known...
2PAXfly
AIRLINES: Compensation not part of Airline Passenger Charter of rights
Since we are currently in peak air travel season, the dropping of this draft Airline Passenger Charter is timely. It’s also peak season for delays and cancellations, which disastrously impacts travel plans. In a move that surprises absolutely no one, the Australian Government has decided not to follow the European...
2PAXfly
VANUATU: commercial flights getween Australia and Port Vila reopen
The Airport at Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital, has reopened to commercial flights from Sunday, 22 December. The airport has only been able to handle emergency flights since last Tuesday’s magnitude 7.3 earthquake. The quake resulted in 16 deaths and injured over 200 people. It also caused extensive damage to the...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: WiFi on international flights delayed
Technical issues with supplier Viasat are believed to be at the core of the delayed roll out of WiFi on Qantas international flights. WiFi on board Qantas international flights was promised for late 2024. With days to go, this is not going to happen. 2025 is the earliest Qantas will...
2PAXfly
OMAN AIR: applies to return to Muscat—Singapore route
Aeroroutes is reporting that Oman Air has applied to return flying to Singapore. The application for the Muscat—Singapore service is to commence in September of 2025. Oman Air has been working on its destination and codesharing agreements recently. It has also applied to fly to Athens, increased its Moscow service,...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Working with Apple to ‘Find My’ luggage through shared location
The new version of the Apple iOS, v 18.2 allows users to share a secure link with the location of an AirTag with others, including airlines — well, in the near future. Find My, your luggage The changes to the ‘Find My’ app mean you can easily share the location...