Sep 26th, 2011 at 9:00AM: A few weeks ago, I was sitting at the bar of the very lovely Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa, outside of San Pedro de Atacama in Northern Chile. I'd just returned from an afternoon at 12,600 feet, exploring the Andean Altiplano Lakes of Miscanti and Miñiques, and I was feeling parched.
Small wonder I was thirsty; Atacama is the driest desert on earth. Visually and geographically, ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
southwest posts
Cocktails, Chilean style
Sep 26th, 2011 at 9:00AM: A few weeks ago, I was sitting at the bar of the very lovely Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa, outside of San Pedro de Atacama in Northern Chile. I'd just returned from an afternoon at 12,600 feet, exploring the Andean Altiplano Lakes of Miscanti and Miñiques, and I was feeling parched.
Small wonder I was thirsty; Atacama is the driest desert on earth. Visually and geographically, ...Video: Southwest Airlines' departure from the Oskhosh AirVenture
Aug 2nd, 2011 at 9:00AM: Though aviation enthusiasts are the focus of each annual Oshkosh AirVenture, there's also a big commercial and and industrial component. This year, for example, Ford, GE and Honda each had a significant presence on the grounds, largely for what seems to be exposure.
As part of the festivities, Southwest also brought one of their Boeing 737s to display at the show, and they chocked the airplane ...
Photos from the Oshkosh Airventure
Aug 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Festivities from the 2011 Oshkosh AirVenture are just wrapping up as we type, and as our photos come back from the dark room we're sending them straight out to print.
As far as air shows go, one can do no better than the Oshkosh AirVenture in Wisconsin. Your typical small town air show this is not. Sure, they've got the warbirds and the experimental planes and the helicopters and the ...New Mexico Tourism launches Billy the Kid-themed scavenger hunt featuring $10,000 reward
Jul 29th, 2011 at 2:30PM: The Land of Enchantment just became the Land of Advancement. "Catch the Kid," a new summer travel promotion launched by New Mexico Tourism Department, has turned the entire state into a "real life video game," with the prize being $10,000 in cold, hard cash. "The Kid" in question is one William H. Bonney, aka "Billy the Kid." Participants (it's geared toward families) try to track down this most ...How to choose a great dude or guest ranch
Jul 19th, 2011 at 10:30AM: Hang on, I need to get something out of the way. "City Slickers." Okay, now that the inevitable has been mentioned, we can move on. Guest ranches--also known as dude ranches--are an excellent choice for a family vacation, regardless of season. Even if it's just two of you, many ranches cater to couples, ensuring you of an active and romantic holiday.
The guest ranch tradition was established in ...Airlines and Twitter: An infographic
Jul 8th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
Which airline wins the tweet wars for June 2011? Travel tech site Tnooz gives us a stellar infographic on the use of Twitter for major airlines in the month of June 2011. As you can see, Southwest drops to second place this month as industry giant Delta (21,000) mentions, leaps into first place. It's interesting to note that this data is based on tweets and opinions in a category of interest, ...Top five bars to get a (great) drink in Telluride, Colorado
Jul 8th, 2011 at 10:00AM: To borrow a phrase, Telluride (and I mean this in the best possible way) is a little drinking town with a big ski problem. I've lived there off and on since 2005, and recently returned for a visit for the first time in two years.
Telluride--a former mining town--has never had a shortage of places to imbibe, but getting a well-made cocktail for under ten bucks is another story. Fortunately, ...Airlines offer in-flight menu items at food trucks, pop-ups
May 7th, 2011 at 12:00PM: In a marketing move best described as "ironic," a handful of airlines are now offering land-bound folk a taste of the finest of what they serve in the air. The New York Times reports that Air France, Austrian Airlines, Southwest, and Delta are trying to lure potential passengers by tempting them with samples of in-flight meals "from" celebrity-chefs.
The modus operandi are primarily roving food ...BREAKING: Southwest Airlines jet lands with fuselage hole
Apr 1st, 2011 at 9:48PM:
Sacramento bound Southwest Airlines flight 812 made an emergency descent this evening after a large hole appeared in the fuselage. The photo above was shot by a passenger on the plane who described the event in great detail on her Twitter account.
According to Flightaware.com, the plane dropped 16,000 feet in one minute, and some passengers reportedly passed out due to lack of oxygen from ...Southwest Airlines pilot saves the day - turns screaming boy into honorary pilot
Mar 26th, 2011 at 11:30AM:
We all know that flying has its challenges - and most of us know that flying when trapped inside the metal tube with a screaming kid only helps make things worse. That was the prospect facing passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Houston to San Antonio earlier this week.
When Captain Joe Gautille was preparing for his flight, he heard the screams of three year old Alex coming down ...Gas stations: then and now
Mar 1st, 2011 at 3:00PM: Once upon a time, gas stations gave away all kinds of cool stuff, most of it targeted at kids. As a child of the 70's, I clearly recall of our Exxon "NFL Helmets" drinking glass collection, and my miniature Noah's Ark collectible series (What genius ad team decided that was the perfect gas station promo?). The point is, these giveaways worked. My parents would bribe me not to annoy my older ...Desert Solitaire: 3 Serene, Small-town Escapes into the American Southwest
Feb 3rd, 2011 at 10:30PM: If your image of the American Southwest is still dominated by visions of tumbleweed blowing through ghost towns, Old West saloons, and prickly cactus, it may come as a surprise to learn that this vast region has undergone dramatic growth in recent years, with many cities experiencing a decades-long housing boom and relentless suburban sprawl that only the Great Recession could put the brakes on. A ...Airlines have best quarter ever ... thanks baggage fees!
Dec 20th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Every time you pay to check an extra bag you're making someone's life better. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation reveals that the third quarter of 2010 was the most profitable for the U.S. airline industry since the department began keeping score in 2002. The industry's operating profit margin hit 10.5 percent in aggregate. Low-cost carriers, as a class, had an operating ...Which airline made the most money on baggage fees?
Dec 13th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Last year, baggage fees were used by airlines to make up for lost fare revenue, as the recession kept people on the ground. This year, it's just been a great source of extra revenue, as passenger traffic and fares are up – and the fees haven't gone away. Almost all airlines are getting in on the action, some more egregious than others.
Well, data for the third quarter of 2010 is in, and ...Airlines, airports and passengers: nothing but gains this year [INFOGRAPHICS]
![Airlines, airports and passengers: nothing but gains this year [INFOGRAPHICS]](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.gadling.com/media/2010/12/airportlounge_thumbnail.jpg)
Dec 10th, 2010 at 12:00PM: There are a whole lot more of us flying this year: 4.3 percent more, to be exact. That's the increase in domestic air traffic from September 2009 to September 2010, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In that month, U.S. airlines had 57.3 million passengers, leading to the largest year-over-year gain since September 2007. Meanwhile, international passenger ...The death of cheap tickets? Four factors to watch!
Dec 7th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Are the days of bargain pricing over? There's a lot of pessimism around this issue. After getting smacked around in 2008 and 2009, this year has been a good one for air carriers, and USA Today reports: "Airfares are on the rise again and unlikely to fall again anytime soon." Yet, a travel industry recovery comes with advantages, as more people want to fly, and they tend to be willing to stomach ...Bullets found on Southwest flight by CNN photographer going to cover Sarah Palin
Nov 24th, 2010 at 8:00AM: Let your kids kick the seats in front of them: it could save your life. If you're the passenger being inconvenienced, it may behoove you to find a way to cope.
A kid who would otherwise be branded a royal pain found a loaded gun magazine ... that should have been in the hands of a law enforcement official ... on a Southwest Airlines flight. To make matters worse, the media was actually on the ...Airline profits may mean more elbow room for a little while
Oct 24th, 2010 at 10:00AM: The airline industry wants to thank you. Last year, it was mired in despair. The post-financial crisis recession left the carriers beleaguered and desperate for a turn of fortune. Corporate and leisure travel had fallen precipitously, and doubling down on extra fees, though prudent for profits, alienated both those considering a flight and the passengers with little choice but to hit the road. The ...Fallen American Airlines could be next to merge ... with JetBlue?
Oct 12th, 2010 at 12:00PM: American Airlines used to be the largest airline in the industry – now it's third. Merger activity has narrowed the field, with Southwest-AirTran and United-Continental the latest deals that hit the sector. So, all eyes are on who will succumb to the urge to merge next, and American is being eyed as the next player.
According to a Forbes blog post, analysts from Morningstar believe that ...Airlines getting scammed online, fighting back
Oct 5th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Airlines lose a boatload of cash – tens of millions of dollars a year – because of online fraud. Think about it: you pay for your pillow and to check a bag because some degenerate can't bother to work for a living. The airlines are keeping their customers in mind (shockingly), though, and they're fighting back. Better protection systems, increased staff and a higher priority for ...
