With two levels of passenger seating, the new Airbus A380 super jet is bigger than anything we civilians have seen yet. Yesterday, Airbus officially delivered its first A380 to Singapore Airlines.

A typical A380 with three cabin classes accommodates a whopping 525 passengers. Take out the first and business classes and make the plane all economy, and that number of passengers soars to over 800 (imagine that boarding process!). By 2011, this plane will be able to take off and land in 70 airports around the world.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member alancf.

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Posted in Air Travel, Business Travel, Travel News
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When Virgin America began ticket sales late last month, the site was so flooded with traffic that potential customers – frustrated by long delays – simply gave up trying. Certainly, plenty of people were trying to book at once, but the real culprit was an orchestrated cyber attack that resulted in a slow start for sales. Though the offender remains unknown, it does get you wondering. Could a rival airline have been responsible? Very unlikely, though several of the legacy carriers lobbied vigorously to block Virgin America from entering the market.

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Posted in Air Travel, Business Travel, California, International Travel, New York City, Travel News
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I’m off on a quick trip to Chicago next month, and I’m trying to resolve the dilemma of bringing two laptops. There’s my work one, of course--I’ll want to stay in touch with colleagues and check e-mail--and then there’s my personal one, the shiny white iBook with all my music and bookmarks and photos. I’ve always carried one computer with me on my vacations--the idea of potentially being out of touch makes me hyperventilate just a tad--but am I over-egging the pudding a little with two?

It seems we can't stop, any of us. According to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released last week, one in five people took their laptop on their last vacation, and the same number admitted to doing some work when they were supposed to be relaxing. Twice as many checked their e-mail.

My biggest problem, really, isn’t which laptop to bring--or whether I should even bring a laptop; frankly, that’s not up for discussion--but how I’m going to get both on the plane with me. Most airlines only allow you to bring one laptop bag, in addition to another piece of carry-on luggage. What I need, I think, is the bag equivalent of the double stroller. Anyone know where I can get one of those?

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Posted in Air Travel, Business Travel, Packing & Baggage, Polls & Studies
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I admit it, I’ve always been an airplane seat recliner. As soon as that “fasten seatbelt” sign goes off, I push my seat back that extra inch. But on a recent flight, my seat wouldn’t budge. Trying to get some momentum, I tried rocking back and forth and using my strength. Still no give. Finally, when the person seated next to me asked if I was okay, I realized she probably thought I was having convulsions, so I stopped.

Chances are, the reason I wasn’t able to recline is because the person sitting directly behind me had installed a Knee Defender™. Designed with the express purpose of preventing airplane seats from reclining, this new invention is causing quite a stir among those who believe in the right to recline and those who believe in the right to spare their knees and laptops.

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It’s no secret that American’s favorability around the world is on the decline. I was reminded of this earlier in the year when I traveled to Quebec with a slightly obnoxious stars-and-stripes luggage identifier tied to my suitcase, which mysteriously wound up getting “lost.” After speaking to the airline agent in Canada, who chuckled when I told her of the tag, I began to wonder if my missing piece of luggage had more to do with the red, white and blue than I could have anticipated.

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