Ears There is a moment of silence just before an announcement. It is that quick pause when the airline ground staff takes a breath—the gap between the crackling of the PA system and the sweet voice with calculated intonation, calling on a passenger: “Paging (insert name). You are needed at gate (insert number).” I am standing inside a store, surrounded by aisles and aisles of eco-friendly school products when I heard a page. I look up … [Read more...]
Back to Europe!
After a smooth flight from California on SAS airline we arrived in Copenhagen. My friend Emil decided to use the restroom and I followed him blindly. Unfortunately he walked straight into the women's restroom. I caught myself and saw the sign at the last minute; we were both very tired from jet lag and in this hazy state both the men's and women's restroom signs looked the same! I then waited - and waited some more. I looked around to see if … [Read more...]
Greenland – The World’s Coolest Place
Leaving the comfort of blue skies at 37,000 feet, above a thick cloud layer, we started our slow descent down into Greenland. It was hard to believe that we were actually stopping in Greenland, a place that I had only flown over so many times between the USA and Europe. It isn't a place I ever thought I would actually stop in. I always thought it was a place where no one ever went, somewhere inhospitable to life. It was hard to believe we … [Read more...]
Patrick Smith: Airline Pilot and Author
For those who travel often for business or pleasure - airports and planes are an integral part of our lives. Entire online communities have been formed around the airplane - FlyerTalk is the perfect example of this. When I was offered a chance to review a new book about air travel, "Cockpit Confidential" I jumped at the opportunity. For the better part of the past few weeks this book has been a constant companion in a number of airports during my … [Read more...]
Cockpit Confidential by Patrick Smith
This book should be required reading for anyone who fly's regularly, those who occasionally take to the skies and for those even thinking about flying. In short - everyone! Captain Smith tackles common misconceptions both about flying and highlights the behind the scenes of those who work in the industry. At times humorous, at times serious - this is an exceptional and rare look into the inner workings of this global industry. Good places to … [Read more...]
Onward And Upward To Machu Pichu – Part 1
My heart kept beating like a tom-tom drum feverishly signaling an imminent enemy attack. It kept racing, and thudding, and pounding – not allowing me to get a wink of sleep. I recognized the symptoms. I knew what was happening. I had tried to prepare myself for it. It was oxygen deprivation, and it could lead to altitude sickness. Although I wasn’t in any immediate danger of becoming stricken with the illness, I knew that I was … [Read more...]
Onward & Upward To Machu Pichu – Part 2
The morning sun had ascended to its throne in the brilliant sky. The mist had excused itself for the day. Before us lay the grandeur of Machu Pichu swathed in golden sunlight. Everyone whipped out their cameras and started taking photos of the venerable gift that history had unwrapped for us. One by one, we captured the sight that we’d seen only in books. Angle by angle, frame by frame, we sought to imprint the majestic vista into the … [Read more...]
Delta Air Lines to overhaul Terminal 5 at LAX – 229 Million
(Los Angeles, California -- April 4, 2013) Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has partnered with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to significantly overhaul Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The $229-million construction project has already begun and is scheduled to take place in several phases with full completion in 2015. Highlights of the project include doubling the size of the ticketing lobby and … [Read more...]
O’Hare Turns 50: Celebrating One of America’s Busiest Airports
Calling O'Hare an airport is like calling the Queen Elizabeth II a boat. - Andrew H. Malcolm On March 23, 1963, President John F. Kennedy landed at the new airport on Chicago’s northwest side and declared the new facility could be classified as a wonder of the world. While travellers who have passed through O’Hare International Airport may have called the facility many things, few have likely gone as far as to call it a “wonder” — … [Read more...]
Jerusalem: the Lion of this Kingdom
In May of 2009, my mother and I traversed France over 10 days. On our final day, at a Paris hotel, I perused cheap flights on the Internet, chancing upon a low-cost Belgian airline, JetAirFly, with one-way flights from Liege, Belgium, to Tel Aviv, for 99 euros. In Jerusalem, my nephew, Guy, and his mother, Miri, agreed to shelter me from the incoming cultural storm. My nerves tingled as I considered the implications: Judea, Israel, Jerusalem, … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- …
- 18
- Next Page »
