Gadling

Feast your eyes on this airline commercial for Korean Air. For the first 20 seconds of the clip, you'd be convinced you were watching an ad for a new kind of perfume, or an upscale escort agency.

I'm guessing that this is what happens when you tell your ad agency to make something "different". Thankfully this ad is not as insane as the United Airlines commercial I posted last month, but I still can't help feeling that the ad completely fails to get me interested in flying with Korean Air. Then again, I am writing about it, and PR people keep telling me that any press is good press...

Despite seeing a decrease in the number of arrivals, construction of a new terminal will go ahead as planned at McCarran Airport Las Vegas. Though the 2 billion dollar project will not be completed until 2012, some airlines are questioning the timing of the project. It's not secret that airlines are struggling. Arrivals are down almost 5% at McCarran since last year. A drop of as high as 15% is forecast for next year.

Southwest Airlines has been the biggest critic of the expansion. Over 30% of Las Vegas arrivals fly Southwest. But the airline has been trimming back its service to Sin City. The airport expansion will mostly be funded by an increase in the fees that airlines pay to use the airport and its gates. No one wants to hear talk of higher prices right now, especially at a bread-and-butter location like Las Vegas. After the rapid growth that the city has been experiencing, no one seems to want to look at the facts. But things are slowing down. I guess McCarran is gambling that things won't be so slow in a couple of years.

If it's Monday, it's a SkyMall product review. Gadling blogger Jeffrey White shared his thoughts about SkyMall this past summer. I must respectfully disagree with his opinion that SkyMall products are either useless crap or overpriced junk. SkyMall products address the needs of the populace and, during these harsh economic times, isn't that what we all need?

This week we're talking about The Slanket. Don't call it "A" Slanket. Or just Slanket. It's The Slanket. And it's a blanket...with sleeves! No longer will you be imprisoned underneath your blanket surrounded by snacks, beverages and gadgets that remain achingly outside your reach. Now you'll be able to grab a fistful of pork rinds and your universal remote without exposing yourself to the perils of in-home frostbite.

So often I find myself sitting on my couch covered in a blanket and tzatziki sauce. Why? Because my attempts to eat my delicious gyro while engulfed in the fleecy warmth of my blanket resulted in embarrassing yogurt-sauce stains. Sure, I'd love to eat over a plate but then my arms would be outside the blanket and I could catch a chill. Should I wisely purchase The Slanket, I'd finally be able to use my arms efficiently and warmly. I mean, just take a look at the SkyMall product description:

Here's the best blanket - hands down - for snuggling up with a book or laptop computer.

Who doesn't love snuggling? And with The Slanket, you can quit that pesky habit of having to share your blanket with a loved one. Because The Slanket is just for you and your computer. And your beer. And your internet girlfriend.

The Slanket. Thank you, SkyMall. And thank you to the genius who shot the photos for The Slanket's sadly hysterical website.

Well, what do you think of The Slanket? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Product placement has long been a part of the James Bond franchise. The trend will continue with the soon to be released Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig's second outing as 007. It is not only Smirnoff and BMW getting in on the shameless promotion this time. Bond will be flying on Virgin Atlantic between the US and UK - in the Upper Class Cabin, of course.

According to the Virgin Atlantic web site, filming took place on board one of their aircraft in January in England. The airline seems to be intent on milking its cameo for all it's worth. They are even serving a Bond-inspired cocktail in their US and UK clubhouses. No, you won't hear any orders for shaken-not-stirred martinis. The new drink is called a Vesper. It consists of Bombay Sapphire, Grey Goose and Lillet Blanc. (At least Bond finally realized that Smirnoff is rotgut).

I'm not sure if getting their brand on Bond will bring customers to the airline. I mean, is there really anyone out there who would fly Virgin simply because a fiction character, however dashing and cool, does? Quantum of Solace hits screens on November 14th.

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After reading all the responses to my post, Ivana Trump Harasses two little kids on a flight, I can not believe how many people think that kids do not belong on the airplane. Some people even suggested that airlines create a kid section, like a smoking section in a restaurant. While I, too, get annoyed when there's a little stinker sitting behind me screaming his head off and kicking the back of my seat WHILE the parents do nothing, not all children (just like not all adults) are trouble makers in flight . In fact, I'd say most children do just fine at 35,000 feet. I know my little one is a fantastic traveling partner. Can't say the same thing about other people I know.

The kid, my kid, and I just flew from Los Angeles to Honolulu. That kid, the one up there in the photo, the one that causes worried looks during the boarding process, only to be complimented for being such a good boy while deplaning, has traveled about once a month since he was three months old. The kid loves going to the airport with mommy. Mommy hasn't always loved going to the airport with him, not with all the stuff that has to be dragged along on the flight. Until now.

If you have kids you already how difficult it can be traveling, especially when everyone aboard the aircraft is giving you the evil eye, and your kid hasn't even done anything wrong! Taking along the little one can be very stressful, especially when you're lugging all that stuff that's going to entertain the kid. (stickers, crayons, books, the DVD player, all of it!) Trust me, I know it's a lot to carry, along with a kid and a thirty pound car seat, but you need it! Please tell me you didn't forget it?

Good news, people, traveling with children doesn't have to be so bad. Move over Sit-N-Stroll (the worlds best invention ever for kids under two years of age) there's a new product in town - CARES. CARES stands for child aviation restraint system. According to the Kidsflysafe website...

it's designed specially for airplanes and is FAA certified as having an equivalent level of safety to a car seat for all phases of flight. CARES is manufactured by AmSafe, the foremost manufacturer of airplane seatbelts and other safety restraints. Best of all, CARES weighs only 1 lb, fits in a 6" carrying case, fits all airplane seats and takes a mere 1 minute to install.

Gas prices are rising. The economy is tanking (no pun intended). You want to share a ride somewhere to split costs. You could try Craigslist but that seems like a crap-shoot. I mean, you want to find someone to share gas and toll expenses, not a casual encounter. Well, now there's a more reliable resource for drivers looking for hop-ons or travelers in need of a ride: Zimride.

Zimride combines the technology of Google Maps, the growing power of social networking sites like Facebook and their own matchmaking algorithm to match drivers. The site offers rideshares for one-way trips, roundtrips and even daily commutes. And the social networking aspect of the service encourages people to learn about their potential travel companions before they buckle up and hurl themselves down the asphalt together.

In fact, upon registering, Zimride immediately asks you if you have a Facebook account. If you do, it will ask you for permission to access your Facebook profile. It populates your Zimride profile with information from your Facebook account. You then have the option to edit that information and add details about your vehicle, your preferred driving speed and even your favorite travel music.

Not sure I'd go cross-country using Zimride (though the founder, John Zimmer, did just that when traveling from New York to Palo Alto, CA to prove the site's usefulness), but it might be a better alternative to taking the bus or train for short trips. And who knows? You may also find a casual encounter out of it.

Have you shared rides? Used Zimride? Have better ideas for finding travel companions? Share your thoughts in the comments.

As airline fares go up, or your favorite route gets canceled, don't push aside the possibility of taking Greyhound. I'm serious. This summer, due to high airfare costs, I traveled with my six year-old son to New York from Cleveland, Ohio on the train. (see post) We bused it back to Columbus because that was more convenient.

Although the train had a bit of panache, and felt like a grand excursion, (it doesn't take much to please me), the bus was good enough for getting home. Fun even.

For my son, Greyhound was an adventure that was almost as wondrous as the train. Our one-way tickets from New Paltz, New York to Columbus cost $180 total. (Children's tickets are 40% of adult fares.)

If one can justify talking about an upside to the financial crisis, it's that the dollar has strengthened considerably against both the euro and the British pound recently. That translates to this: Europe has become cheaper for Americans than it was even a month ago.

In August, Grant reported on the dollar's rally. Since then, it's rallied more.

As I write this, 1 euro is equal to $1.35. As recently as this summer the euro had topped out at around $1.62.

The pound had also risen to nearly a 1:2 ration to the dollar this summer, and was right around $1.90 to the pound when I was last in London in August. Now, one pound is equal to $1.70.

Both are significant drops, though in real life it's not like the difference means you can tack on an extra night or two to your European stay.

Still, after a while you notice it. I use the euro every day, and it's nice hitting the ATM and getting a little extra (or to be more precise, not having as much come out of my American checking account).

The dollar stands to even grow stronger against these currencies, and here's why: Europe is getting its ass kicked by the financial crisis.

The US housing boom was nothing compared to the value real estate appreciated in places like Ireland, Spain and the UK. Europe is going to follow us into a recession, and will be forced to cut interest rates to stimulate economic growth, which drives down the value of their currency.

But here's the catch: Europe has to cut much more than the US.

The US' interest rates are pretty much as low as they can get (1.50%), while the European Central Bank's key rate is still up there -- 3.75%. Since Europe is lagging behind the US, it'll probably have to continue reducing its interest rates at the same time that the US stops cutting. That means the dollar is going to continue appreciating against the euro, pound and other currencies.

I'm careful to call that good news, given all the panic in the financial markets these days. But for American travelers heading to Europe this fall on long-planned trips, it's hard to argue that it isn't.

My fellow bloggers have a been on a Photo of the Day nature kick this past week, so I figured I would keep up the theme. This Sunday's nature shot comes to us from Flickr user ben.rulesalot, who noticed these two serene specimens on his trip to the Georgia Aquarium.

As much as any photographer might be tempted to crowd the frame of their shot with as much detail as possible, I happen to like Ben's approach here. Sometimes, "simple is better." And even though there are no humans in this photo, there's definitely an interesting "interaction" occurring between these two jellyfish that creates a story for the viewer to decipher. Jellyfish in love? Jellyfish protecting their turf? I'll leave it to you to decide...

Have any jellyfish photos you want to share with our readers? Or maybe some tasty seafood jambalaya? Why not add them to our Gadling pool on Flickr? We might just pick it as our Photo of the Day.