Gadling

How did this one get by me? An all-smoking airline!

Alexander Schoppmann is on the prowl for startup capital for an all-smoking airline. Once he gets the cash, he's going to lease two Boeing 747s and run a route from Dusseldorf to Tokyo. This doesn't do much for the few Americans who still prefer to light up, but if the Schoppmann can squeeze a profit out of this (which conventional airlines aren't even doing), maybe he'll export the idea.

If all goes according to plan, Smintair (for "Smoker's International Airways) will go wheels up for the first time next year. Each plane will accommodate 138 passengers, with no economy seating. You'll have to pay to play on Smintair, but if you have a serious tobacco jones, it could be worth the trouble – especially if you're stuck on a plane from Germany to Japan.

Schoppmann is looking to use the upper deck as a passengers' lounge, rather than cramming it with more seats. Smintair will be an upscale affair, so the poor and the nic-free should book their travel arrangements elsewhere. Flight attendants and pilots who aren't interested in a smoke-filled workplace, the company says, need not apply.

The price tag is hefty: approximately $56 million. Part of this will pay for an older approach to pushing fresh air through the cabin – instead of the cheaper systems being used now. Even with the barriers, Schoppmann is optimistic. I guess the former stockbroker has some solid connections.

Cigar smokers: if you're worried about discrimination, the hopeful founder remembers fondly the days when Lufthansa would serve a selection of Montecristos in flight.

[Via Blackbook]

This picture of Half Dome in Yosemite, California is really quite stunning. Notice the waterfall on the large version here. Bernard-SD captured this shot with his Canon 5D at the perfect time of day, it seems. I think the same shot taken on a perfectly cloudless day wouldn't have been as interesting.

Nice capture, Bernard!

Are you a Flickr user who'd like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit it to Gadling's Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!

Amidst all of the increased fees and reduced services plaguing the airlines these days, it's refreshing to actually see a change that goes the customers' way. Albeit temporarily, United just reduced the number of frequent flyer miles necessary to book a free ticket on the airline. Reductions range from 20% to almost 30%. Domestic travel, for example, has been reduced from 25K miles to 20K miles, while a ticket from the US to Australia ihas been reduced from 80K to 64K. Europe, on the other hand, which normally costs 50-60K on other airlines costs 44K on United. Not a bad deal.

You can see the price reductions and book directly at United.com for travel between August 18th and November 18th.

Why the sudden generosity? Well, demand is way down this year, and with the end of tourist season bringing further reductions, airlines are going to have a ton of extra space on their airplanes. It's better to have a seat booked with a fee-paying passenger than an empty seat altogether, right?

Train travel can be a real snooze-fest. I know I can only watch so many mountains/fields/trees/plains go by before the novelty starts to wear off and I'm headed to the bar car. Sure, the scenery is beautiful, but when you have no idea what you are looking at, it gets old quickly. Unless you are traveling on one of Amtrak's Trails &Rails routes.

The program isn't new - actually it's been around for nearly a decade - but we've never heard of it. And it sounds pretty darn cool. On certain routes (of which there are currently 12), volunteers and rangers from the National Park Service board the train and provide a running commentary on the view. They'll give you the scoop on important historical happenings, interesting anecdotes on the region, and let you know just what you are seeing flash by your window. They also give you advance notice on any upcoming photo ops along the way.

There's no extra cost for routes that participate in the program. Just book your tickets as usual and check the route details to find out where and when the tour guides begin their presentations. Routes that offer the service run through states like New York, Mississippi, Illinois, California, Texas, Montana, and Washington, so no matter what corner of the country your train travels take you to, you can ride along with your own informative and entertaining tour guide.

Gallery: The Slowest Train in the World

It's hard to think about the slopes right now. The sun is beating down, and sweat is a part of daily life. But, there are a few people out there whose minds still drift to mountain tops and a chill in the air. Well, we just got a step closer to ski season: Telluride Ski Resort has announced its season pass rates for the coming winter. And, they'll look pretty familiar. The resort has decided not to raise rates this year. In fact, you could spend less this year, depending on how you buy.

Four adults can purchase their season passes together during the annual Pass Sale and get an extra year's reprieve. An individual will spend $1,198 for the full season, but if four get together, they can pay the 2007 rate of $988 a person. The only catch is that you need to do it between August 3, 2009 and October 30, 2009.

The savings is stretched even further when you realize that you get more for your money this year. Gold Hill Chutes 2-5 are opening this year, terrain that skiers have been dying to access, with chutes dropping 1,600 vertical feet. To "control the terrain," as they say, the resort has enlisted the help of two WWII howitzers.

Take THAT, terrain!

Gallery: Top 10 Ski Resorts

The Dutch tourist bureau is reaching out to American gays by trying to convince them that "everyone is gay in Amsterdam".

The bureau says that gays are one of the few remaining tourist groups with any disposable income left, and they are trying to paint Amsterdam as a very gay friendly city in the hope that they'll make the trip and spend their cash in the Dutch capital.

To deliver their message, they'll be inviting the gay community in the US to visit Amsterdam using TV commercials and magazine ads.

Gay TV channel "Here TV" is even planning to show a documentary about gay friendly Amsterdam.

Of course, the whole promotion could also have something to do with the fact that Amsterdam really isn't as gay friendly as it used to be, and that many other European cities have bypassed them.

Gallery: Dutch castles

It's already been said that one doesn't go to Dakar for the proper tourist attractions. Pick up a Lonely Planet guide to the entire country of Senegal and you'll find a book about the size of the Kalamazoos. The draw to Senegal is not in its proper monuments or attractions, but rather in its people, history and culture.

That said, there are a few interesting sites to see if you're looking for a day of relaxation, photo opportunities and maybe a little hassling from local trinket vendors. Break them up into a few days if you would like, but all three of these can be done in a good solid day.

Ile de Gorée (top photo)

Historically known as a slave trading hub (although the volume of slaves exported from here is questionable,) the island of Gorée 2km off the coast has been restored over the last few decades to pay respect to the ancient industry. Numerous buildings have been rebuilt to historical accuracy, with yellow and red painted walls brightly bordering the perimeter of the island. It's a stark contrast to the buildings on the mainland, and a fairly obvious pull to tourists.

On the 45 acre island, one can visit the slave museum, history museum and any number of small shops and historical alcoves to piece together bits of Gorée's past. Walking up to the crest of the island affords a beautiful view of Dakar as well the company of a towering concrete monument of mysterious origin.

Gallery: Ile de Goree

"Lenin" is the name of this ship, which was launched in 1957. It was the first nuclear powered surface ship and the first nuclear powered civilian vessel in the world.

So what kind of ship is it? An icebreaker. Icebreakers can literally cut through permanent and seasonal ice in the water -- they are specially shaped for this and are actually rather clumsy in open water.

This 134-meter long, 19 ton ship was decommissioned in 1989, and on May 5th, it sailed into Murmansk, where it is now being converted into a luxury hotel and museum.

It makes sense -- the ship was quite like a hotel, complete with cabins, a library, a cinema, a club, and several dining rooms.

Vyacheslav Ruksha, head of nuclear icebreaker operator Atomflot, told Ekho Moscow that there is no radiation risk. All aboard!

[via The Rich Times]

Here are the hottest gadget deals for today, Thursday July 16th 2009. Remember, these deals are often only valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for yet another GPS unit (seriously, is there anyone out there without a GPS?). The Garmin Nuvi 5000 is a large wide screen unit, and the deal gets you a refurbished version of this device, plus a bonus kit with a carrying case and a cleaning set. It is on sale for just $187, with free shipping. Click here for this deal.

Buy.com is selling a portable wireless mouse with "nano receiver" for $26.49 - the mouse ships for free, and comes with a $10 rebate, bringing the final price down to just $14.69, not bad at all for a good cordless mouse. Click here for this deal.

Looking for a good laptop travel backpack, or just a reliable "back to school" backpack? The Swissgear Jonas backpack is highly rated, and holds laptops up to 15.4". At $33, it is also one of the cheapest brand name backpacks on the market. Click here for this deal.

Over at 1saleaday, you'll find a pair of Sakar noise isolating headphones for FREE. You'll have to pay shipping, and I can't comment on the quality, but you can't really complain about the price. Click here for this deal.

Last week, I mentioned that i was in New York City on a holiday. Part of the reason we chose New York is because my cousin got married their last weekend. Whenever I'm invited to a wedding, my standard wedding gift is an album of photographs that I take of the event, so as is often the case when I'm a wedding guest, I found myself walking around with my camera and huge 70-200mm lens, snapping photos randomly. Also, as is so often the case when I'm a wedding guest (and, I assumed, because of the scene the large lens makes), many people came up to me asking (a) if I was the official photographer, (b) if I was a photographer in real life, and (c) why they could never get their photographs to look decent. And so this week, I thought I'd share some of the more common questions I received during the weekend, and my answers.

And so, on with the show: