Sep 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: There's plenty to kvetch about when it comes to flying. Every time I book a flight, I continue to look at the arrival and departure times as merely suggestions--a rough idea. I plan to be late. I plan for problems. In generally, I am pleasantly surprised and achieve a warm glowing feeling when flights land on time. In all the times I've flown, I've never lost baggage. Baggage has never been my ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
airfrance posts
Air France knows how to treat customers right: Tips for other airlines
Sep 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: There's plenty to kvetch about when it comes to flying. Every time I book a flight, I continue to look at the arrival and departure times as merely suggestions--a rough idea. I plan to be late. I plan for problems. In generally, I am pleasantly surprised and achieve a warm glowing feeling when flights land on time. In all the times I've flown, I've never lost baggage. Baggage has never been my ...Mile High Dining Club: Air France
Aug 1st, 2009 at 9:30AM: Welcome to the first installment of the Mile High Dining Club where I'll be exploring and reviewing all things delicious (and perhaps not so) in the air, on the tracks, and on the ground. As airlines continue to cut more services, the bygone Pan American days of bottomless champagne, caviar and carving stations of roast beef have unfortunately fallen to the wayside as more travelers now find ...Plane Answers: Turbulence causing aircraft to break apart and London holding patterns.
Jun 9th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away! Tai asks: Hi Kent, I'm an avid reader of both your blog and Plane Answers and plan to pursue a career in aviation. I generally keep an eye out in my news feeds for airline/aircraft related ...Breaking: Air France Airbus A330 disappears outside of Brazil
Jun 1st, 2009 at 8:40AM: An Airbus A330-200 carrying over 200 passengers lost radar contact off the coast of Brazil late last night. The flight was apparently reporting electrical problems experienced during turbulence on its route between Rio de Janeiro and Charles de Gaulle Paris. Hope is still standing for some reemergence of the aircraft, although it has been several hours since contact was lost. In addition, the ...Galley Gossip: Airline uniforms (plus a chance to win free tickets on Olympic Airlines)
Jun 1st, 2009 at 8:30AM:
Just like Cliff Muskiet, the uniform freak, I have a thing for airline uniforms. I think most flight attendants do. In fact, inside my guestroom closet hangs three different uniform styles from two different airlines. I've saved it all - the pants, the skirts, the dresses, the jackets, the vests, the blouses, the wings, and even the blue tie I snapped around my neck and the epaulets I wore on ...Air France jet diverts after being told to stay clear of US airspace
Apr 26th, 2009 at 4:00PM: If you ever wondered just how serious the US takes its security policies, then read on, because even people on the terrorist watch list that are flying over the US are enough of a threat to force a plane to divert. An Air France flight from Paris to Mexico had to make an unscheduled stop in Martinique when US air traffic controllers notified the jet that it would not be receiving permission to fly ...Another hidden way to save on airfare: promo codes
Feb 3rd, 2009 at 2:30PM: Oh, to be resourceful enough to know every promo code out there. Whenever I buy an airline ticket I'm already wondering whether I've gotten the best deal, which is questionable, considering the range of airfares available on a single flight. But using promo codes in an online purchase seems to be the latest trend for cheap airfares over the past few months. Great. Way to give me more of a ...Spring fever hits early with discounted flights to Europe
Feb 1st, 2009 at 3:00PM: Forget the snow, forget the winter. Trade in your down coat for a cardigan, and hot tea for iced tea (in your mind, if nowhere else). It's time to start thinking about spring. The springtime sales on European flights have started. American Airlines has a slew of cheapies from the US -- including San Francisco-London for $569 (after taxes) and Chicago-Frankfurt for $527 (after taxes). Book your ...KLM and Air France launch Bluenity - their very own social network
Nov 10th, 2008 at 2:00PM: In what I can only describe as a "me too" move, Dutch Airline KLM and Air France have launched their own social networking site. Bluenity is aimed at bringing travelers on the 2 airlines together, and offers a simple way of tracking where and when your friends are flying. Bluenity also offers members the ability to share tips with fellow travelers. KLM and Air France call Bluenity "the first ...Hermès Heir Gets Crotchety on Flight
Oct 17th, 2008 at 9:30AM: According to the NY Times, an heir to the Hermès fashion fortune got a little too touchy feely on a recent Air France Flight. It's an odd episode that involves drinking, crotch grabbing and excessive restraints.
Mathias Guerrand-Hermès sidled up to a young mademoiselle in first class. She was a bit put off by this and woke her husband, who was - not so shockingly - similarly unamused ...Holy water may be blessed, but don't carry it on the pope's plane: The pope says so
Sep 4th, 2008 at 10:00AM: A friend of mine told me this summer about how his small jar of apple butter was confiscated at the TSA security check. He was hoping to bring it from Minnesota back to Montana..
Another person recently told me that the snow globe she was bringing back as a souvenir from her vacation to California this summer was also confiscated by TSA. Unfortunately, she read the post about snow globes not ...Cheap air travel options if the tropics suit you
Jul 31st, 2008 at 11:45PM: What I really want is a cheap airfare to New York City from Columbus, Ohio. Since that's not on my horizon, I'm taking an Amtrak train from Cleveland and a Greyhound bus back. For adults traveling with children, both offer a discount that can't be beat.
If I were to head to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, or Bermuda, I might find different options that would put a cheaper airplane ticket in my hand. ...A new era for zeppelin travel?
Jul 7th, 2008 at 11:00AM: Do you remember reading about the Hindenburg disaster in history class? You know, that giant blimp that burst into flames in New Jersey in 1936 1937, killing all most of the passengers onboard? For the fledgling blimp tourism industry of the 1930's, that was pretty much the end of the line. However, according to recent news, the blimp is experiencing a resurgence as a trendy new vehicle for the ...Galley Gossip: Airline for sale!
Jun 18th, 2008 at 9:20AM: This is it, people, your chance to buy an airline, because Volare Airlines, an Italian low-cost carrier, is now up for sale - again!
What's that? Not enough money you say? Why don't we all pool our money together and buy...oh I don't know...maybe just one of the airplanes. We can each buy a seat. And since we'd only own one airplane, we can call our small little airline MY PLANE. That means ...Alitalia deal dumped by Air France-KLM
Apr 4th, 2008 at 1:00PM: For a while there, it almost looked like Air France-KLM was actually going to buy Alitalia and dig them out of their ongoing financial problems. Alitalia has been losing $1.6 million a day for more than a year. Grant wrote about the KLM-Alitalia deal just a few weeks ago.
Unfortunately, Air France-KLM ended their negotiations with Aitalia after Alitalia's unions balked, The Wall Street Journal ...Air France and KLM conglomerate to usurp Alitalia
Mar 19th, 2008 at 8:20AM: It appears as if the days of Alitalia are almost over. Long steeped with financial trouble, Italy's national airline has slowly been edging down the slippery slope towards bankruptcy. One could blame the quality of their aircraft or the repeated tardiness of their flights or condition of their hub airport, Rome's Fiumicino for their slow spiral downward, but the fact of the matter is, they were ...Continental faces manslaughter charges for Concorde crash
Mar 13th, 2008 at 10:30AM: It is hard to believe it has been 8 years since the Air France Concorde crashed. I still remember vividly the image of it on fire. Now, a French prosecutor has asked judges to bring manslaughter charges against Continental over the crash outside of Paris in 2000 and recommended similar charges against two Continental employees and two French officials, BBC reports.
A French inquiry said the ...Amazing Race Season 12, Recap 5
Dec 3rd, 2007 at 11:00AM: Last week, Martha's recap left our Amazing Race traveling pals in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. That's where this episode started off since the teams stayed here for a night of R&R at the Hotel d'Ville.
Although the people of Burkina Faso were described as "warm and kind" by one of the teams, that's not the general feeling the teams are now having towards each other. Their ...Air France strikes. Again.
Oct 25th, 2007 at 3:00PM: What the heck is it with the European transportation network? Last weekend when I was in Germany the rail network was on strike, making my 15 minute journey to The Longest Bar in the World three times longer than it needed to be. That's beer drinking time, people! Earlier today, Reuters reports that Air France went on strike, disrupting a fair number of medium-haul flights, although at this rate ...Celebrity Chefs Make Airline Food Palatable
Oct 4th, 2007 at 10:20AM: Blogger Grant just posted about American Airlines' introduction of Hawaiian cuisine on the airline's mainland-Hawaii flights. Serving gourmet food on flights is becoming a real trend as airlines try to make flying more enjoyable while also hoping to part passengers from their dollars. I think it's a bit sneaky to take away in-flight meals only to reintroduce them as items to be purchased, but I ...
