Back in 2011 I had written a blog post on aircraft wingtips comparing those of Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Well, a lot has happened in the aircraft industry since then, resulting in many new wingtip types. The two new ones have been the ones for the two very new aircraft in the air – Boeing’s 787…
18+ hours – the new normal for extra long-haul flights
There seems to be a war amongst airlines to show whose is longer than the others – whether it is the longest flight by ‘great circle’ distance (Qatar’s DOH-AKL) or by actual miles flown (Air India’s SFO-DEL). United is in the mix too but not for the longest flight in the world, but for the…
Hotel Review: JW Marriott, Macau
Of all the hotels and resorts I have had the pleasure of staying at, many make it to the top of my favorites list for various reasons: Service – JW Marriott Marquis, Dubai; Location – Renaissance, La Defense, Paris; Ambience – ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru; Design – Marina Bay Sands, Singapore; View from room – Cosmopolitan,…
Hotel Review: AC by Marriott, Barcelona Sants
Last night I stayed at my first AC (Autograph Collection) hotel. AC is a Marriott brand which I have seen primarily in Europe, although they may exist elsewhere too. Most AC hotels I have seen on Marriotts website before appear to be smaller hotels, and quite frankly look like local hotels that Marriott has included…
Arrival Lounges – Red Eye relief
I fly to Europe a lot. Usually those trips are red-eyes, leaving in the evening from the East Coast and arriving early morning in Europe. When I do this, I typically go straight to work. This requires changing and shaving in tiny (European) airport restrooms. I tried doing this in-flight but airplane restrooms are not…
United, Delta cut Gulf routes
Only two US based airlines fly to destinations in the Persian Gulf – United and Delta. That already short list now has been reduced to just one with Delta announcing it is ending it’s Atlanta-Dubai (ATL-DXB) route. United also announced it is ending it’s Washington Dulles – Kuwait – Bahrain (IAD-KWI-BAH) route. United now remains the…
How do you say ‘Starwood’ in Chinese?
There are rumors that three Chinese companies are fighting to buy Starwood Hotels. Bloomberg reports that Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels (Group) Co., HNA Group Co. and China Investment Corp. have presented separate proposals to the Chinese government for its approval to make a bid for the hotel chain. Starwood’s stock jumped up almost 10% on…
Mine is longer than yours?
The airlines have started a battle to be the one with the longest flight in the world. There are the regular players in play – the ones who have had the longest flight in the past, and Air India. Yes, Air India who during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Silicon Valley announced the Bangalore-San Fransisco…
And the Longest Flight in the world is operated by… Air India!?
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, Air India is ready to grab the title of the longest flight in the world by getting all set to operate a non-stop Bangalore-San Fransisco (BLR-SFO) flight!! At 8,701 mile, this would exceed the current longest flight: Sydney – Dallas (SYD-DFW), operated by Qantas, by 123 miles. That flight is 8,578…
United’s 787 International Flights
I recently got a chance to fly on the Airbus 380. It was on a Lufthansa operated flight from Johannesburg to Frankfurt (JNB-FRA). Flying the Boeing 787 is next on my list, and has been there for a long time. I missed a chance last year to fly one from London to Newark (LHR-EWR), as…