Blogs

One of the safest things you could be doing right now is flying. According to solid research, 3 miles on an Interstate highway puts you at the same risk of fatality as does a coast-to-coast flight. Every time you drive 3 miles on an Interstate highway (or about 1.5 miles urban) you have placed yourself at the same risk as taking a flight.

This statistical analysis was developed when traffic deaths rose sharply after 9/11, as people switched from flying to driving. Researchers Michael Sivak and Mi

by Tom Bunn

When fear of flying develops, it's sometimes because there has been a bad flight. But, in many cases, difficulty begins for no apparent reason. The average age of onset is 27. The truth is, many of us become more anxious as we get older and more mature. As teenagers, when parents told us to be careful, we thought they were from some other planet! We thought bad things happen to other people, or in places far away. 

As we grow older and (hopefully) wiser – or as something shocking h

If you've flown on any of American Airlines' 737s in the past year or two, you've seen bolted-in seat trays in rows 16 and 17 that prevent the middle seat from being occupied. The result: Seats A (window), C and D (aisle), and F offer extra elbow room and places for drinks and stashing small carry-ons. Me, I'm on a run, having recently taken four straight flights where I sat in the much-coveted Row 16.

Nice, but don't you find this somewhat strange?
After all, American Airlines' largesse would

Last month we examined some of the challenges facing the tourism industry in 2016.  This month we examine some of the other challenges with which tourism leaders may have to contend in 2016.  It should be noted that although the material in both the February and March editions is treated as separate challenges, there is often an interaction between them and these challenges are not stand alones but rather part of a total whole.

Be prepared for economic instability.  We are now seeing the stock

Wanted: Someone to push heavy carts along a narrow aisle dispensing drinks, cookies and conversation, with a smile.

Applicant must be able to evacuate a plane, determine, behind closed curtains, what passengers are most likely to help in an emergency and wonder about the little girl flying alone, sitting next to that suspicious man.

The big question, considering the multiple roles an attendant has to fulfill, is whether fluffing pillows and handing out pretzels compromise the authority flight at

Vacations can be exciting. And for parents who feel the need for a break away from work and all of the stress, it can be one of the most relieving times in your life. However, traveling with young children can almost put all of that that stress right back into the situation. I know that traveling with kids through airports can be seem little daunting, and with kids, it may seem a little impossible. However, there are some quick tips for you to make your vacation trip run as best as it can when t

Planning to come to the Costa Rica Caribbean Coast on vacation? While the drive from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is pretty, there is a much easier way to get to Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast. Fly!

It takes about four hours to drive the 217 kilometers to Puerto Viejo from San Jose. The stretch on Route 32 through the Braulio Carrillo National Park is certainly very beautiful, but can also be treacherous when raining, foggy, or after dark – a good portion of the time.

Save yourself the headache and stre

This month has not been easy for specialists in tourism security. We first witnessed the terrorist bombing of the Russian aircraft, causing not only death and destruction to innocent civilians but also a major blow to Egypt’s tourism industry. Then, on Friday the 13th, the first reports of the terrible attacks in Paris began to come through the newswires.

It is still too early to provide a full security picture of the events. The French police are correctly holding back information and being

Today we hit the tarmac to learn more about the important role played by the ladies and gents you see outside your aircraft window gesticulating up a storm. They’re called marshallers(known as señaleros in Spanish), and besides guiding planes whilst they’re on the ground, these individuals perform other less well known functions as well, such as cooperating with other airport authorities to monitor various vital technical procedures, and providing assistance in case of an unusual incident of an

by José Miguel Rodriguez

Not long ago, this video went viral on YouTube, racking up more than 10 million views. Apart from the fact that the 1,200-millimetre telephoto lens thoroughly flattens both the foreground and background, making the airplanes seem suspended in midair, what on earth are these pilots up to? Specifically, what’s up with the bizarre landing technique

Believe it or not this technique is standard, by-the-book practice when there are strong lateral winds present during landing

Dining Journeys  (part 2 of 3)

Denmark

Pølsers in Copenhagen at Tivoli Gardens, where everyone seemed happy

This was our first trip to Europe together, we stayed across from Tivoli Gardens, the whimsical entertainment park enjoyed by young and old alike. It was Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland.  We had pølsers (the national sausage) and beer and noted that everyone seemed happy. On the Strøget cobblestone shopping promenade, we ate smørrebrod, open-faced sandwiches. We both like Danish

There’s no doubt that landing a giant aircraft in fog is not among a pilot’s favourite things. Fortunately, many airports in the second decade of the 21st century are equipped with advanced instrument landing systems (ILS) sophisticated enough to avoid cancelling operations merely because of foggy conditions.

Pioneered as early as 1929, today’s ILS equipment allows an aircraft crew to perform a runway approach in low-visibility conditions – even in nearly zero-visibility if necessary – by keep

by José Miguel Rodríguez

You think your job is stressful? Imagine, for just a moment, being an air traffic controller. Have trouble imagining? We invite you to read this quick overview through to the end and then tell us: Could this be a job for you

Admittedly, air traffic control is not for the faint of heart. Though very much behind the scenes and (as it were) under the radar, this work has different aspects depending on the individual unit where it’s carried out. In a given tower there will be

Gone are the days when making a flight reservation was a time consuming and complex process. Today just about anyone can book a flight quickly and easily using an online air booking engine. Whether consumers use a flight booking engine found on an airline website or one of the many travel agency online booking engines, they are just a few clicks away from having their air travel arrangements confirmed.

An online booking engine can even help travel agencies reduce their overall administrative cost

The answer is, quite simply, yes. There’s a direct correlation between the type and number of coats of paint covering an aircraft and both its weight and aerodynamics — and therefore, of course, its fuel consumption. This, in turn, has an impact on the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Iberia is one of the first airlines in the world to utilise a new system of paint application which allows savings of some 30 percent in materials — not to mention time, as it requires only a s

by VadeAviones.com


At one point or another we’ve all experienced bumpy patches during a flight, and whether we’re nervous flyers or not, few of us enjoy it.

So what exactly is air turbulence, technically speaking? Wind, of course, is the movement of air particles in greater or lesser degree, and turbulence is produced when that movement is disrupted and disturbances appear in the form of vortices. This is caused by different meteorological situations, the most common being vertically develo

by José Balido

America’s famous “Windy City” might not be the first U.S. city to jump to mind when it comes to vacation travel, compared to, say, New York, Miami, or Los Angeles. But Chicago, the country’s third largest metropolis, offers a lot to the visitor – from Spain or anywhere else -  as I rediscovered on my most recent trip to the “city of the big shoulders,” as Chicago was dubbed by legendary 20th-century poet Carl Sandburg due to the industrial might that it built over the past cent

by VaDeAviones.com


If you fly with any frequency, a phrase heard over the public address system, “crew, slide arm and cross check” is likely to ring a bell.  That “slide arm” refers to activation for potential use of the inflatable evacuation slide required on all aircraft where the floor is at least 1.8 metres (6 feet) above ground level. These slides are manufactured of various approved forms of resistant plastic, similar in consistency to rubber, reinforced with various layers to minimise th

Note to Airlines: Skip the Passengers, Just Fly the Bags

Absurd as it may seem, it's very possible the airlines are making more money on the persistent and aggressive fees they're charging than on ticket sales.

A report from the Department of Transportation reveals that in 2010, the airlines raked in a whopping 5.7 billion dollars in checked bag and changed flight charges.

And we the flying public keep paying and the airlines keep gouging.

Hotelmarketing.com went so far as to suggest that airline ec