Travelin' Light

Darius Cappille Exposes Himself, Punches Seatmate, Gets Naked on Airplane

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:16:00 +0000

People: They're the worst. That Seinfeld line runs through my brain every time I sit down in an airplane. And I've never had the "pleasure" of sitting next to Darius Cappille either.

Mr. Cappille -- although extending any sort of gentlemanly title to his name seems like at this point -- pulled off the remarkable "nightmare passenger on an airplane" trifecta recently, as he managed to expose himself, punch his female seatmate in the face and then strip naked while on a Southwest flight from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Now, I'm not entirely sure where to go with this -- after all, someone did get punched. So it seems a bit inappropriate to make a "Donkey Punch" joke (although, any reasonable amount of foresight would probably tell me that's highly inappropriate anyway). And it doesn't seem fair to do what Gadling did and point out that passengers are worse than terrorists these days (because, after all, that would mean that the terrorists have won, no?) Instead, I'll just assume that he really, really hates rapping flight attendants and doesn't know how to focus his anger.

Photo Via

'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Musical, 'The Nightman Cometh' Is on a Real Tour [Dayman!]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:41:00 +0000

Watch out, Broadway, because the boys (and lady) of Paddy's Pub -- the fictional bar from 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' -- are going on a for realsies tour of America with 'The Nightman Cometh,' Charlie Day's musical from Season 4's finale.

Yes, that's right, the masters of karate and friendship for everyone will be hitting a city near you. Hopefully, anyway -- there are currently six shows listed on the tour. You can purchase tickets for five of them right now (the Beacon Theater in New York is currently unlisted) by visiting Live Nation (cue booing).

And the best part of the whole shindig? It's the actual actors -- Rob McElhenney (Mac), Day, Glenn Howerton (Dennis), Kaitlin Olson (Sweet Dee) and Danny DeVito (Frank) -- who will be performing.

The folks at FX warn that tickets will go on sale quickly, so join me in a Live Nation stare starting at 9 am tomorrow morning as we all attempt to get tickets for what is sure to go down as the best musical ever. Oh, also join me in watching internet weirdos recreating 'Dayman' in one of the best YouTube clips ever.

Thorpe Park in Britain Imposes 'Say No to BO,' Bans Waving Arms in Air on Rollercoasters

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:56:00 +0000

When people ride rollercoasters, they put their arms in the air. They then wave them wildly about and scream at the top of their lungs. It's what happens. But not at Thorpe Park, a British amusement park which has now banned any patrons from waving their arms, in order to reduce the amount of human odor being emitted by customers.

That's right. In order to reduce body odor, they're bringing out the fun police.

Park director Mike Vallis said: "When it tops 25C, the unpleasant smells can become unaccept-able and we receive complaints. Our rides are really scary and people sweat more than normal due to the fear and anticipation while queuing."

"We felt a ban in temperatures of 25C-plus would be the best way to ensure guests have the most enjoyable experience and aren't exposed to any unsavoury armpits."

Now, I don't care for rollercoasters and I don't live in Britain so this isn't a huge deal at all. But that doesn't make it any less ridiculous and stupid -- theme parks are the home of stinky people. They are a respite from the daily grind for the common man, and while I can't speak to this in Europe, in the US they are most certainly the home of the mesh tank top.

Additionally, when you pay XX.XX just to enter the park and then have to wait in line for three hours just to ride a single ride and then you have to pay more for drinks and food (provided you aren't cheap enough to drink the mist from the cooling sections), well, you should have the right to do whatever the hell you want with your arms, provided it doesn't cause any physical harm to other patrons.

And no, nasal damage does not count; in fact, once I inherit a million dollars and buy my own theme park, I'm going to make a rule that any cheeky little punk who complains to park adminstrators about the smell of another patron will be immediately beaten up, thrown out of the park and banned for life. Because, well, intolerance will not be tolerated.

United Breaks Guitars Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Dave Carroll returned to YouTube and viral fame this past week with his second installment of "United Breaks Guitars." This follows on the heels of a disputed "apology" from United Airlines (they only acted sorry AFTER Carroll's video went huge on these here interwebz) and a donation to a charity where, if I understand correctly, one of the main UA execs is on the board. So, awkward. Hence, part two, which has a little more Lyle Lovett and his big band feel to it. And which I love.

Tetons and Hotsprings

noreply@blogger.com (Travel_D) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Earlier this week we posted some photos of the Grand Canyon of North Carolina... (i.e. the beautiful Linville Gorge Wilderness Area). Today our focus is slightly further West.

The Grand Teton Range is one of the world's youngest and most stunning formations. The Tetons rise so suddenly from the valley floor that they look more like a rising tidal wave than a millennia old mountain range. Driving the two-lane road north from Jackson Hole Airport to the Southern entrance of Yellowstone provides some majestic views... especially when they're contrasted with the serenity of a snowshoe hike to Huckleberry Hotsprings in Yellowstone. Enjoy.

1. Jackson Hole, Wyoming has the country's only airport contained completely inside of a National Park. Needless to say, taking off and landing is positively breathtaking.

2. This photo was taken just south of Jackson Hole on a drive to the Snake River. Any time of year, in any kind of weather, it's hard to take an ugly photo in Jackson Hole.

3. View of the Teton Range while driving North toward Yellowstone National park.

4. Beautiful pond you pass while snowshoeing to Huckleberry Hotsprings in Yellowstone.

5. Ducks, serenity and snow.

6. Snow melting on the edge of the hotsprings. It's amazing to see deciduous plant life thriving in the bitter cold environment.

7. The grotto, shot from above. The rock dam makes a nice knee-deep pool for relaxing.

8. Air temperature: 19 degrees. Water temperature 110 degrees. Getting in feels great, getting out is another story. We strongly recommend having a dry towel handy.

Hedonism II & LoveVoodoo Launch Partnership

noreply@blogger.com (Travel_D) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Hedonism II, a notorious Negril resort that encourages guests, "to be wicked for a week," recently announced a partnership with LoveVoodoo.com, a swingers' website.

The partnership is a fitting match and they will begin staging events next spring:

LoveVoodoo Loco, a Latin-themed happening from May 1 to 9; Big on The Beach, a plus-size event from June 12 to 19; Colorful Fantasies, an event for people from different backgrounds to meet, July 10 to 17; and LoveVoodooFest, a signature yearly happening from Nov. 14 to 21.

Its scandalous reputation aside, Hedonism II does offer one of the best all-inclusive values in the Caribbean.

Unlike many so-called "all-inclusives" that try to hide fees for entertainment or alcoholic beverages, everything at Hedonism is included in one flat rate: three meals a day, open bars, entertainment, activities, and the hollow ache that comes from the profound lack of true companionship.

Linville Gorge: The Grand Canyon of North Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Travel_D) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:56:00 +0000

Travelin' Light's lead blogger is out of town this week rafting the Grand Canyon, so in honor of his outdoor adventure we'll be posting some photos highlighting the various nature excursions from our backpacking past. Our tour begins close to home in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains.

Often referred to as the Grand Canyon of North Carolina, Linville Gorge is one of the most beautiful wilderness areas on the east coast. You may not realize it, but if you've seen Last of the Mohicans, you've already seen a good deal of Linville Gorge. Most of the movie was filmed there, as well as in North Carolina's DuPont State Forest and Chimney Rock State Park.

Enjoy the photos of Linville...

1. View from the Chimneys looking south toward Lake James
2. Even in springtime the Gorge can be a chilly place. Dress warm and be prepared for STRONG winds.
3. 7am. Facing east from the chimneys.
4. 10 minutes later...
5. Taken later the same day from the top of the Babel Tower formation, looking south towards Table Rock and the Chimneys (where all the earlier photos were taken from).
6. Pumping water near the intersection of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Trail and Babel Tower Trail.
7. Same creek from the photo above, just before it joins the Linville River.
Hope you enjoyed the photos, we'll be posting more later this week (next up: Huckleberry Hotsprings in Yellowstone NP). In the meantime, let us know your favorite 'lesser known' spots (at least, lesser known than the Grand Canyon).

Megabus Sells 50,000 Tickets at $1, Breaks Website

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:08:00 +0000

Megabus is growing in terms of popularity for transportation in America (and England too!). Why? Because it's a bus sans the stigma of Greyhound, and the price tag, with fares usually topping out at around $43.50 (and starting at just $1).

And it just got a lot more popular, because the company is now offering an additional 50,000 $1 tickets for customers traveling between September 14 and November 19. (Make sure and use the promotional code HOTDEAL).

Update: You can beat the system and the web traffic mentioned below by directing your browser to: megabus.com/us/index.html

All you have to do is book at Megabus.com/US for your Midwest -- Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Kansas City, Louisville, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indy to name a few -- or East Coast -- Baltimore, Boston, New York, Washington are a few of the majors -- trip. (See their bus stops page for more deets.)

There is a bit of a catch right now, though. Because of the 50,000 tickets they're offering, Megabus' site has been a touch, ahem, busy lately. In fact, I've only been able to actually get online with the company once in the past few hours and you can expect that these tickets are going quickly for those booking times; fares, by virtue of Megabus' transactional setup, rise incremently.

So if you want to book a really, really cheap trip, warm up your refresh finger, head over to their website and hope you can land one of these silly low fares.

250-Foot Water Slide in Michigan Makes Everyone Forget About the Economy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Everyone loves a good Slip-n-Slide during the summer. Nothing says excitement like "10-feet of thrilling movement down a barely wet piece of plastic." I know, I know. I'm a little too sarcastic sometimes; but it's people like Rich Haralson that restore my faith in humanity. See, Haralson created the 250-foot Slip-n-Slide "inspired ride" down the side of a hill in Grand Rapids, Michigan that actually is a legit summertime thrill ride.

New Southwest Commercial Makes a Subtle, Valid Point

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:16:00 +0000

I don't find the following commercial (via Nuts About Southwest) all that funny. At all. In fact, it's kind of lame. But, it does make a valid (and very awesome) point: Southwest Airlines doesn't charge consumers for checking baggage, one of my biggest beefs with any member of the airline industry. So, yeah, that alone makes it worth posting/discussing/applauding, regardless of the humor present.

California Earthquakes near Baja, Tijuana Register 6.9, 5.8 on Richter Scale

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:04:00 +0000

A pair of earthquakes near Baja, California Monday afternoon appear to have a been monsters, registering a 6.9 and a 5.8 on the Richter Scale, respectively, and sending shakes all the way to San Diego.

The quakes, which occurred in Mexico's Gulf of California, first were felt at 11:00 AM PST Monday -- that being the larger quake, which registered a 6.9 and which was centered 76 miles north-northeast of Baja and 331 miles southeast of Tijuana.

A mere five minutes later, another monster (this time a 5.8) was reported in the "same general area."

At this time, no damage has been reported out of California

Crocs on a Plane! (The Obvious Egyptian Sequel)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:13:00 +0000

An EgyptAir flight out of Abu Dhabi was nearly overrun by a baby crocodile en route to Cairo recently. Okay, "overrun" might be a stretch, but you saw what happened when they let those damn snakes on the plane, right?

Anyway, apparently someone had the foot-long baby croc in their hand luggage and the sucker wriggled free, started running up and down the isles and caused a panic among the passengers. Because, as you know, crocodiles and alligators -- even baby ones -- are freaking scary.

The EgyptAir flight crew eventually wrangled up the animal -- apparently it's much more kosher to tackle a grown man who's naked than it is to kick a baby crocodile -- and none of the passengers claimed the croc, probably because it's absolutely, 100% illegal to transport exotic animals in and out of Egypt (hence keeping a foot-long freaking gator in your hand-held luggage).

Anyway, when reached for comment, Samuel L. Jackson had this to say: "I. Smell. A Sequel. SON."

According to the TSA, Hand Grenades Are 'Not Carry Ons'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Surely there's no reason why the TSA Blog (yes, they have one) needs to explain that hand grenades are not valid "carry-ons" right? Wrong!

They do. And they did -- yesterday in fact, when "Blogger Bob" of the "TSA Blog Team" outlined why grenades are not acceptable items for carrying on an airplane. Of course, most of the article focuses on the fact that people routinely bring different "novelty hand grenade items" into airports and onto airplanes.

So why is it such a big deal if the grenades are inert or just a novelty item? Well, that’s why passengers usually don’t think twice about bringing these items. They know inert grenades or novelty grenade shaped items can’t cause any harm. However, we don’t know that. All we see on the x-ray is a realistic image of a grenade complete with pin and spoon and we have to go through the motions.

People: stop being so stupid. Seriously. You (yes, you, guy with a belt buckle shaped like a hand grenade and the haircut that makes Joe Dirt look like Don Draper) seriously caused our government to pay Blogger Bob and the Team TSA $19.50 -- standard blog pay + government inflation -- because you won't stop walking into the airport with items shaped like hand grenades.

Typically, I am loathe to credit the TSA for anything (although I do have a long overdue story about a TSA agent in Boston who saved my computer's life that is forthcoming), but gracious. This is on the collective genius of the American people.

(Ed. Note: For those so persnickety about the spelling of grenades, please note we were using the Southern phonetic spelling. Thanks much.)

Mexico City Is Handing Out Free Health Insurance to Tourists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:30:00 +0000

Mexico City is having an awfully tough time pulling in tourists. Why? Well, there's this little "Swine Flu" thing that people are all hung up on (you may also have heard of H1N1?) and it's keeping tourists away from the border.

But fear not, dear traveller, for the kind Mexico City Tourism Board has a solution for you: free health insurance.

That's right: as an incentive to increase tourism to Mexico, the city's tourism office teamed up with (well, "teamed" may be too nice a word) MAPFRE, a private insurance company.

Anyone staying at a Mexico City hotel is eligible for coverage, officials said, and can get help by dialing a call center, which will have attendants fluent in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. A deductible will apply for some services, but officials did not provide details.

Obviously, in an ideal world, this isn't even an issue and everyone goes to Mexico City, doesn't contract H1N1 and gets to come home without having to pay any deductible or visit any Mexico City hospitals.

Well, actually, in an ideal world, my bosses call me into their offices and say, "Hey, you! You're great. Here's a two-week vacation to Cancun. Enjoy!" And then I go there and don't get H1N1 and actually get offered a job blogging about paradise from a cabana and never have to come back to America. But things don't always work out like we want.

So, um, yeah. The point I was trying to make is that it seems pretty clear -- based on the potential financial loss here -- that Mexico is safe now. Right? Or maybe not. Regardless, it's just the flu.

There Will Be No More Fing in the Village of Fing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:30:00 +0000

The village of Fucking in Austria (Quick disclaimer: I didn't name the village, okay? It's real. And it's travel news. So don't go calling me "vulgar" or "lacking class" or anything. At least I blurred the picture.) is fed up with the amount of sex that occurs within their awkwardly named confines.

After all, when you name a village the vulgar word for engaging in sexual activity, you have to assume that tourists will travel to said village to partake in intercourse in front of the sign for your village. Which is, naturally, exactly what tourists have been doing. So the village-folk are combating their actions by installing video cameras.

That's right -- a group of villagers in a obscenely (albeit only American, really) named area of the world are sick and tired of a bunch of voyeuristic tourists making that sweet, sweet love in front of their fence. And their answer is, again, installing video cameras.

Now, in case you missed the entire premise of this article, the people that the villagers are sick of WANT TO RECORD THEIR INTERCOURSE. They want to. So, unless you have a police officer ready to arrest these folks, these video cameras are going to be utterly and totally useless. Unless the village is trying to assemble the greatest collection of porn every known to man. Then, this is a good idea.

Gadling Via Digg

American Airlines Raises Checked Baggage Fees ... Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:35:00 +0000

American Airlines has been squeezing consumers out of money recently (although to be fair, what airline hasn't been trying to get more money for pedantic services?) vis a vis checked baggage charges.

I actually checked a bag for the first time in freaking forever when I went to Chicago two weeks ago and, well, good Lord: It's absolutely insane that you have to pay $15 to stow your bag in the belly of an airplane for which you have already paid $300 to fly on. Good news is, you won't have to pay $15 any more. Now it's $20!

Yup, that's right: an additional $5 per bag when you check your luggage. How wonderful. In case anyone's curious, yes, this is precisely what leads to that jerk behind you stuffing your bag further bag into the compartment with his "carry-on" which weighs roughly 600 pounds.

Blue Footed Boobies Are So Not NSFW

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:17:00 +0000

God bless you, Galapagos Islands and Blue Footed Boobies for allowing me to sit at my work computer and stare at boobies. Because, really, it's not very often you can look at boobies while you're sitting at work, right? On the serious tip, their mating dance is awesome.

British Airways Pretends to Battle Swine Flu

noreply@blogger.com (Travel_D) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Sure it sounds like a good idea. The motivation behind it could even be applauded. Some might say, "They're just trying to keep passengers healthy."

Except that they're not, and they can't, and it may be the travel industry's worst idea of 2009 (aside from the galactically stupid Pet Airways).

British Airways recently announced that passengers displaying the symptoms of swine flu will be turned away at check-in and asked to provide a doctor's note saying they are fit to fly.

There are a whole list of reasons this is a terrible idea, so let's just take it from the top:

(1) The people at the check-in counter are qualified to diagnose H1N1? Are you serious? The airline claims check-in workers have been trained to identify the disease by looking for the following symptoms: headaches, runny noses and sore throats. F*cking Brilliant.

(2) What's to keep someone from contracting the virus AFTER they visit a doctor? Is there some magic germ-barrier that surrounds people holding "fit-to-fly notes"?

(3) Apparently all the MDs in Britain were just sitting around waiting for something to do. So naturally, they need a few thousand extra patients seeking signatures and smiley faces over a head cold. I'm sure they'll appreciate the fact that the referrals came from the medical experts at the AIRPORT CHECK-IN DESK.

(4) Finally, they really want to do this for the swine flu? Come on. Every single year the world loses between 200,000 and 500,000 people to the flu. Just the regular old flu, for which, we already have a vaccine. It's not that H1N1 doesn't matter, but people need to have a little perspective...

And apparently British Airways will not be providing that perspective. Instead they've opted to exploit people's irrational fears with an ignorant and backwards policy that will do nothing to halt the spread of a relatively unalarming disease. Cheers.

Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris Named 'Worst Airport to Sleep In'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:10:00 +0000

Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris was named the "Worst Airport to Sleep In" by SleepingInAirports.net, a site which seems pretty determined to cover one very niche subject. (Seriously though, that's an awesome name; how did someone already have the dot-com there?)

There are a TON of reasons why de Gaulle is listed by the site's readers as the worst airport, but this is probably my favorite (if only because, well, being propositioned multiple times while traveling seems like the worst possible thing that could happen to anyone who wasn't seeking a sexual encounter.)

"I was propositioned not once but twice by the same man asking me for casual sex, which was understandably a little frightening for a lone 20 year old woman wandering the airport at night"

Yeah, so that's beyond creepy -- you can almost guarantee that it's some older dude with a weird accent too. Crazy foreigners!

Seriously though, de Gaulle is listed on the site as a "must-read" because it's so bad, which kind of amazes me, given the other airports listed, especially Los Angeles Airport and O'Hare, two places I've visited recently, and two places that are gross.

O'Hare is significantly better than LAX, I guess, but still, not great. And LAX just made me want to vomit the entire time I was there; for such a posh (theoretically anyway) city to rock out such a shoddy place for its visitors to see on the way in/out is almost inexcusable.

I'd also like to take a moment and point out that, although it would never be mentioned because it's not really a "major" airport despite being international, PTI in Greensboro, NC, which is where I generally fly out of, is just awful. 90% of the filth/smell of PTI is because up until about five years ago, you could smoke in there, but still, just not a fun place to sleep.

Sears Tower Name Change Official: Welcome to Willis Tower

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:56:00 +0000

On the somewhat terrifying -- and certainly earpopping -- ride back down from the Sears Tower Ledge, myself and several others in the crammed elevator noticed that the term "Willis Tower" was being thrown around. This was no surprise as a Sears Tower name change had been previously tossed around.

However, it seemed safe to say that Chicago natives wouldn't warm up to that idea, no more than renaming Wrigley Field "The Tribune Stadium at Wrigleyville" or something silly like that. But, it appears as if the new owners of America's tallest building are going ahead with the renaming process and as of this Thursday, the Sears Tower will be no more.

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the WILLIS TOWER. Cue the angry mob of Chicago natives demanding that they get to keep their piece of history in addition to the "What you talking about Willis?" jokes. Sigh.

Man Overcomes Fear of Heights in Worst Way Possible: the Sears Tower Ledge

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:00:00 +0000

And yes, that "man" = "me." So you know you're in for some excitement. Or, instead of "excitement", how about "watching a grown man terrified of heights to the point that he is somehow impressed he didn't lose a bowel/start crying while standing out on a 4.5 foot glass ledge 103 stories above the ground"? Does that work? Excellent. Because I was in Chicago last week and managed -- thanks to the kind folks at the Sears Tower Skydeck -- to summon the courage to walk onto THE LEDGE, the new addition to one of the world's biggest buildings.

Basking Shark Washes Ashore on Long Island [Video]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:15:00 +0000

A giant basking shark, 20 feet in length, washed ashore Long Island today. The shark appears to be dying due to some kind of illness, according to Tracy Marcus of Cornell Cooperative Extension, because there are no wounds on the shark's body. And please remember people: basking sharks are not great white sharks and they are not considered dangerous, so no shark jokes, please. They have feelings too.

Man Plunges to Death at Grand Canyon Near Thunderbird Lodge and El Tovar Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:25:00 +0000

The Thunderbird Lodge and the El Tovar Hotel near the Grand Canyon in Arizona are usually wonderful places to stay, but they handled a pretty morbid scene early Monday morning as a motorist plunged 600 feet to his death after driving his car over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

According to an AP report, the body and car were found below the South Rim and there is currently an investigation underway by the National Parks Service.

Obviously our condolences go out to the family and friends of the as-yet-unnamed gentleman who passed in this accident. However -- and I, in all honesty, mean absolutely zero disrespect here -- it might at least be worth pointing out that, provided he wasn't drunk and/or passed out at the time of his crossing over the edge of the South Rim, that is one hell of a way to leave this world.

Southwest Airlines Hole in Airplane Forces Emergency Landing [Photo]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:28:00 +0000

A hole in a Southwest Airlines' Flight 2294 -- apparently the size of a football -- caused the passenger jet, headed for Baltimore, Maryland, to make an emergency landing in West Virginia just under an hour after it left Nashville, Tennessee.

Just to clarify: this was a freaking FOOTBALL SIZED HOLE (you can see in the picture above, via Airline Biz at the DMN, who scored it from a passenger on the plane) in the freaking fuselage of the freaking airplane where the freaking passengers sit. Or, less dramatically:

"Nothing like this has ever happened before," airline spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said.

Okay, maybe that wasn't so much less dramatic, but still: you get what's going on here, right? In the middle of a flight, a big chunk of the airplane (I consider "big chunk" to equal "anything that causes the cabin to lose pressure immediately and require an emergency landing") ripped off.

Now, I won't go all Joe Biden on you and tell you not to think about traveling -- Southwest is always diligent with their customer service and remains one of my favorite airlines -- but I would caution against willy-nilly hopping aboard any of their 300 series 737's, which is what Flight 2294 was. At least until they go back through and inspect them all (which, apparently, they are going to do).

Some Airlines to Begin Adding First-Class Airbags in the Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Here's a crazy idea: come October 27, some airlines will begin adding airbags. On the surface, this seems pretty logical; after all, airbags have proven themselves as a beneficial safety feature in cars and, hey, who wouldn't like to feel a little bit safer when traveling 30,000 feet above the ground?

Of course, as always with airlines, there's a catch. Or two.

Starting this fall, all new airplanes will be required to have seats that will stay in place when subjected to stresses up to 16 times the force of gravity. The old seats had to meet stresses of only nine times the force of gravity. And, in a safety measure borrowed from automobiles, some seats will be equipped with air bags.

[...] The new rules have taken effect gradually. Airplane models introduced after 1988 were required to have the new seats, known as “16g” seats. So planes like the Boeing 777 and the swarm of new regional jets all have them. But older models that were still in production were not required to have the seats.

Of course, that's not the best catch of all, though! What's not mentioned in my selection of blockquotes from the Times article is that these airbags are going to be -- if I understand everything correctly -- implemented in first-class seats only.

Which is awesome, obviously. Why? Because people with more money deserve to be safer than anyone else. Or, alternately, not at all -- the really impressive thing would be for the airlines to just pony up and start making all the seats in all the airlines more safe ... since, you know, everyone's supposed to be equal and what-not.

And don't get me wrong -- I understand the inherent problem here: airbags in airplanes aren't going to keep people from dying 90% of the time. When you crash from six miles in the air, you die most of the time, regardless of an inflatable bag opening up in your face. But in terms of skids off the runway and "smaller" crashes, this is a fantastic idea. It's just too bad it won't help anyone but the rich people.