Free Sample of Breathe Right Nasal Strips

Whether for you or the guy snoring next to you on the plane, here's a free sample of Breathe Right nasal strips. Breathe Right nasal strips help reduce snoring by opening up nasal passages ensuring a good nights rest. Here ya go.

Air Force One Under the Sun

"The press pool gathers under the wing of Air Force One, prior to President Barack Obama's departure from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston, Texas, Oct. 16, 2009."

Official White House photo by Pete Souza, accessed from the White House Flickr photo stream

Why I Hate Airplane Bathrooms :-)

Frequent travelers...to those dreaded airplane lavatories will enjoy this witty reflection piece written by Amanda McKinley which I originally ran in March. Inside she gives a play-by-play account of the forces driving her to use those repulsive airplane restrooms in the first place, then humorously describes what it's like "doing time" in those port-a-potties of the sky.

As many of you know, I’m no stranger to the plane. However, despite my affinity for travel and the number of hours I’ve logged standing in security lines, I almost never use the restrooms on planes. Why is this even notable, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

The art of “holding it” is rarely seen as just that—an art—and my husband’s pea-sized bladder and sweet heart can’t stand for me to stave off peeing any longer than necessary. “I know I’ve had a coffee, two waters, and an orange juice—but I think I can make it to Newark! Really!” This was my defense during our last flight. Then, citing my potential, and surely inevitable, kidney problems ruining his trip, I am successfully guilted into shifting my iPod, water bottle, granola bar, and pile-o-travel-junk onto his tray and beginning the walk of shame back to the lavatory.

You know, I’m not jealous of the first class passengers for their headrest T.V.’s or complimentary mimosas, but rather the Private Restroom that’s only a jaunt away from their large, cushy seats. As I step into the aisle, only a few feet away from the mesh curtain separating me from the people who have paid extra to excrete in peace, I am overwhelmed by a sense of self awareness. The aisle on a plane is like a cat-walk lined with groggy children and grumpy old men, whose sole form of entertainment for the next three hours is to watch passengers stammer stupidly down the aisle grabbing at seat backs and trying to keep their rumps out of people’s noses as the drink cart wheels past… I can feel their searing eyes judging me: “Do you think that girl really has to pee, or is she just showing off? Do you think she’s having stomach troubles? What IS she wearing?! I wanted to go to the bathroom next… The nerve of this girl—she probably really doesn’t have to pee anyway!” I can practically hear the annoyed murmurs fill the cabin as I waddle past, shoving my derriere extraordinaire in some kid’s face as he reaches to pick up the game he’s dropped in the aisle.

This is only part of the reason why I allow my bladder to fill to the point of combustion before I give in—the other is the restroom itself. “Restroom” is such an ill-devised term, because as anyone who has ever used the BR on a plane has learned, you will find absolutely no rest here, whatsoever. The small, closet-like space could make even the calmest individual claustrophobic, and sanitation seems to have been sucked out into the pale, chilly atmosphere with the last “whoosh” of the toilet’s blue water.

Inevitably, as it were on this particular trip, I manage to make it to the lavatory door just in time to intermingle with the creme de la creme of my flight’s crop—the individual wearing the theoretical “scarlet badge” of gastrointestinal issues. “Oh my! I guess that coffee really did a number on my tummy!” The white-haired woman airily states as she flips the lock to read “VACANT”. “Oh, yes?” I want to say to her. “Your rancid stench seems to have accompanied you out the door, but since you smiled and said ‘tummy’ it’s perfectly OK!” Instead I return her smile with a nod of faux understanding, lower my head and enter the freshly christened poo-pantry.

Inside it never gets any better! The juicy ghosts of asses past rear their ugly heads from the toilet seat, and my attempt at hovering is nearly thwarted as the plane lurches through what the pilot calls “a little turbulence” and my nose lands squarely on the back of the door. If there was room for me to whip around a vomit, I probably would, but as things stand with my pants around my ankles and my butt in the air, I decide to hold myself together and just go. Honestly, can anyone hold their balance well enough to make it entirely into le toilette? I’m doubting it, but whether or not I dribbled on the floor is completely irrelevant, because the necessity to flush is still looming ahead, and that’s all I can focus on. Oh, Lord, the flushing… the loud rush of my Business being swept into the atmosphere scares me every time! And what is that swift blast of cold air that fills the lavatory mid-flush? Absolutely, heart-stoppingly gross, that’s what it is! So, using the only ballet technique I ever mastered, I delicately tap my perfectly pointed foot onto the Flush button—bracing myself for the blast-o-nasty I’m about to endure. Afterwards, when I feel it’s safe to catch my breath, I try to calm my thumping heart and turn two degrees to the left to wash my hands.

Well, hand-washing is a losing battle, too, and I nearly laugh out loud when I see the sign above the sink that suggests, “you may want to use your towel to dry off the sink after washing.” OR, I may not, as the last train wreck who visited this particular sink had either showered or washed a small, hyper dog—it would take a minimum of 20 hand-washing and counter wiping sessions to clean up the pool of hair and water flooding the basin. In all honesty, washing your hands in an airplane bathroom has to be the most unsanitary oxymoron ever devised in the history of mankind. Paper towels? Out. Mini trash can? Full (and overflowing). Soap dispenser? Covered in slime, which I’m assuming is from the people who can’t get the suds washed off because you have to hold down those stubborn little hot/cold buttons to make any water flow. Sink? So small that if you lather, your hands just rub the sides of the sink and splash around in the water leftover from Grandma Stinky Pants. Then, to finish off the charade, you have to hold down the drain button to send your water whooshing off to the same place as your pee-pee. No one (NO ONE ) ever does that last step, hence the standing water sloshing around the basin. Can I blame them? No, it’s disgusting. And after having to dry off using facial tissues, the thought of spreading the white, leprous flakes caked to your hands all over the fixtures seems less than appealing.

At this point I’m so irked that my brain is barely functioning, so I try to pry open those weird doors and escape… Are you supposed to push? Pull? I always get it wrong and end up shaking and jerking them in a state of panic—I’m certain the commotion has people thinking a giant hamster has crawled out of the loo and is morphing into a people-eating monster of the skies. Alas, it’s just little ol’ me, and I don’t want to eat anyone, I just want out of the airplane bathroom—Forever!

Finally, as I push (or pull?) my way into freedom I see the long line that has accumulated down the aisle. Passengers act perturbed as they make a theatrical production out of letting me pass. They grunt, they squirm, they bend… they give me the same smiles of faux understanding I gave to Grandma Stinky Pants, but this time, I don’t care. I just slide back into my seat, and begin digging fervently for hand sanitizer. I shoot a bitter glance towards the first class curtain that barred me from peeing in peace, and turned to Andy with rage in my eyes as he said, “Now, don’t you feel better?”

Read more of Amanda McKinley's Weblog here.

Hijacked AeroMexico Plane Lands in Mexico City

CNN is reporting an AeroMexico plane en route from the resort city of Cancun was hijacked Wednesday afternoon. The plane has since landed in Mexico City, without incident. Read more.

Video: Complete Remodel of a United Airlines Boeing 747

(Thanks Andy)
Fantastic video here showing how United Airlines remodels their first and business class cabins on its Boeing 747 fleet, including lie-flat beds, and 15-inch personal TV screens. This massive overhaul is sped up and shrunk into a video less than two minutes long. Enjoy.

Pilots Landing at Sea-Tac Airport Report Laser Incidents

This past weekend several pilots landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reported someone was shining a green laser light into the cockpits of the aircraft. This annoyance and safety issue is an ongoing issue that has plagued pilots throughout the country.

In the Seattle incidents, all the aircraft landed safely. But according to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been 148 laser-related incidents this year. Last week a laser incident was reported at San Jose airport.

Aviation officials fear that the laser pointers may one day contribute to a plane accident, as the lights are pointed directly into cockpit windows during take-off or landing phases, the most dangerous part of any flight.

"No Free Ride" parody brings out the fun in fees

(Thanks Bruce)
Fees are up, and services are down at airlines throughout the U.S. This parody from Parody & Son makes light of the troubling airline industry, and the impacts on passengers. Enjoy!

Mad TV Sketch: No Frills Airline

Originally posted this back in early April and had a few good comments since. Thought I'd go ahead and post again for others who have not seen this Mad TV clip.

Here's the "No Frills Airline" from Mad TV. Does this airline look familiar? =)

Airplane Trolleys, Now Available For Purchase

Fans of the infamous onboard trolley can now roll one into their own home. While on a recent Lufthansa flight, I browsed the WorldShop catalogue and discovered this great find.

Instead of the airlines dumping their bruised and dented trolleys into the garbage, they decided to paint them over and re-brand them as one-of-a-kind treasures. Bordbar has some fancy ideas of how trolleys can add decor and excitement to your home or party.

Drinks and meals (snackboxes in the U.S) sold separately
Cost: $1800 (apx) shipped to the United States

Remembering 'Soul Plane'

In lite of all the dim airline news lately, thought I would post some laughs.
Soul Plane (2004) was and continues to be laugh out loud funny. For those who haven't seen it, I've included a trailer. Rated NC-17 for content. Enjoy.

Emirates Airlines: Shower facilities onboard flights by October

Environmental Impact Yields to Luxury Travel

One of the most luxurious airlines in the world, Emirates, is taking luxury and service to an even higher level. Beginning this October, Emirates will offer onboard shower facilities to first class passengers. The showers will be available on their Airbus A380 aircraft, operating a New York to Dubai route.

But talk about working against eco-friendly travel solutions. The London Times estimates aircraft will need to haul around an extra ton of water per flight, and the extra fuel to move it.

This results in a “carbon cost” of 48,455 pounds for every round trip flight.

It's fantastic technology has evolved to a point which permits people to bath themselves at 40,000 feet...and I suppose passengers paying $15,000+ for a first class flight have a right to it. And of course it would be great to try it and say, "wow!" But hopefully this doesn't become a standard for the que of other Airbus 380 aircraft on wait lists and assembly lines. There are other methods of "wowing" first class passengers that result in less harm on the environment.

Video of Lufthansa Plane Narrowly Avoids Disaster

Kudos to the cockpit crew for working against strong head winds, and landing everyone safely.Video is of an Airbus-320 trying to land in Hamburg Germany last Saturday. The actual touchdown shows one of the winds nearly making contact with the runway.

United flight from SF to NY makes emergency landing

A United Airlines Boeing 757 plane made an emergency landing earlier today in Omaha, Nebraska. Cockpit instruments from the San Francisco to New York-bound plane indicated a fire in the cargo hold. No one was hurt, and no fire was found. The 63 passengers on board were rerouted on other planes.

Engine fire forces American Airlines plane into emergency landing

All passengers & cabin crew walked away uninjured.
Reuters is reporting an American Airlines flight from St Louis bound for Chicago was forced to turn around and return this afternoon after 1 of the 2 engines on the MD-80 aircraft caught fire. None of the 137 passengers or 5 crew were injured.

Separately, a Delta Airlines flight on Thursday aborted take-off when it was discovered that an engine on an Atlanta bound MD-88 plane was on fire. Everyone was evacuated without injury.

Delta Airlines Enlists Top Chefs to Bolster Its Menus
New York Times Sunday August 26, 2007

Delta seems to be getting more serious about the food it is serving to passengers - at least to those sitting in the high-priced seats and others willing to pay for it.

Starting Sept 13, the airline will feature entrees created by the Miami chef Michelle Bernstein for first class passengers on flights from Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Choices include short ribs in a red wine sauce. Also, chocolates from Godiva's new line, Chocoiste, will be available.

Then in November, the celebrity chef Todd English will introduce creations on a for-sale menu for coach passengers on the same routes, as well as flights to destinations like Atlanta; Portland Ore; and Las Vegas. Items under consideration include a spinach salad with beets, walnuts and manchego; and hummus. Prices are expected to range from $3 to $10.

Airlines to replace "No Smoking" with "No Mobile"

With the introduction of mobile phones services onboard some European-based airlines next year, the outdated "no smoking" signs above each seat will soon be replaced with "no mobile."

The illuminated "no smoking" signs have now become outdated since almost universal bans on lighting up on scheduled passenger planes were introduced in the late 1990s.

The "no mobile" sign will show a mobile phone crossed out and will be illuminated during takeoff until the plane has reached a certain altitude in order to ensure there is no interference with mobile networks on the ground.

Which plane picture hasn't been altered?

OK, a break in the news to test your airplane and photoshop skills out. Which of these 4 plane pix has NOT been altered and is in fact a true flying machine? Answer below.























Source: IndianSpencer

(keep going....answer below)


Answer: all of them have been photoshoped. See IndianSpencer's blog for more pics

First Airbus 380 Flight to be sold to charity
Singapore Airlines, the first commercial airliner to fly the long awaited double-decker Jumbo Airbus 380 airplane is auctioning off seats for their first flight scheduled for October 2007. Money raised will be donated to charity organizations.

Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Chew Choon Seng says "the first commercial A380 flight will be a moment in aviation history. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, on an aircraft that will mark a new chapter in air travel"
Click here for more information or to place a bid