The Flight Detective, Author at TravelUpdate

Aer Lingus buy on board food is back on European flights

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 2, 2020 | Airlines, News | 0

Many airlines decided to eliminate meal service during the pandemic. The reasons issued to the public usually revolved around safety, though some suspect it was largely cost cutting. The good news is that food is back at Aer Lingus on European flights. On board service was quietly reintroduced on 1 December 2020. Those expecting the same Bia menu as before will be disappointed as things are not quite the same as before. Food Is Back And Here It Is! The menu has a focus on snacks more than anything, with things like Graze lemon flapjacks, Primal Pantry lemon and...

How do you select seats on Aer Lingus flights booked via British Airways?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 1, 2020 | Airlines, Travel Tips | 0

Aer Lingus and British Airways have always had a pretty close commercial relationship. BA codeshare on many of the Irish carrier’s services, which you can see when making a booking. Try to select seats on those flights and you will run into a problem. The two airlines use different computer systems, which is not all that unusual. While they do talk to each other for a lot of things, seat selection is not one of them. First, Check Seating Availability So you’ve made a booking with cash on the British Airways web site and your flight is operated by...

Progressive cost creep due to flight cancellations is quite annoying

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 30, 2020 | Airlines, Commentary | 4

There should be a sign saying, “Book at your own risk!” when it comes to travel right now. Due to a rolling series of international flight restrictions into Adelaide, I have been going through a series of book, cancel, rebook, change, which is resulting in cost creep. For various items in my itinerary, a change means an additional fee. All of this is quite normal as I am now making changes fairly close to departure. I still don’t love it though! Here’s Some Cost Creep A good example of cost creep is an airport hotel we’ll call the Radisson....

Has the pandemic spelled the end for inflight magazines?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 29, 2020 | Airlines, Commentary | 0

There is news today that the Aer Lingus inflight magazine, Cara, is being closed for good. Inflight magazines had been suspended for months on the Irish airline due to fewer services being operated, so this news is perhaps the next logical step. It begs the question as to whether similar publications will follow suit. Virtually all airlines seem to have a publication of some kind, and thanks to the captive audience, they make good money on advertising. The Future of Inflight Magazines According to an article in The Sunday Times, Aer Lingus’ Cara magazine commanded the highest advertising rates...

Hey aviation people, can you tell a Camel from a Charger, or not?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 28, 2020 | Airlines | 2

To reduce confusion and assist with identification, NATO assigned unique and unusual names to aircraft on the other side of the iron curtain. This meant words like Camel and Charger were used, as they were unlikely to come up in conversation and would be memorable. Commercial aircraft received names beginning with C. Names with a single syllable meant a propeller plane, while those with two syllables indicated jets. Simple, right? Crusty, Charger and Camel Since these came about during the cold war, they mainly apply to Soviet and Eastern Block aircraft, as well as China. For example, the Tupolev...

Aer Lingus selling business class Dublin to USA for €1,150 return

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 27, 2020 | Airlines | 0

Ireland’s Aer Lingus is currently selling business class tickets from Dublin to the United States for €1,150 return. This is as cheap as it gets on the Irish airline’s long-haul flights. These kinds of prices haven’t been seen since the global financial crisis, where it was actually a little cheaper. By comparison, they are usually twice as expensive, with fares regularly well over €2,000 return. Selling Business Class… To Where? The lowest prices are to the US east coast, with New York and Boston pricing up at €1,151.97 return. Next up is Toronto in Canada, which is coming in...

Another tiresome flight change experience thanks to Australia

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 24, 2020 | Airlines | 4

A recent outbreak of COVID-19 in South Australia saw that state halt international flights into Adelaide. As all cities in Australia have caps on arrivals, there is no possibility to re-route to another city. This resulted in a fun flight change experience. I use the word “fun” in an ironic manner here. It is actually a headache because what it means is new dates are offered, which in itself is fine. Throw in connecting flights, hotels and work to organise, it is a palaver. The Flight Change Experience Adelaide closed for all international flights through to 30 November. In...

Qantas will need mandatory proof you’ve had Coronavirus vaccine before flying

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 23, 2020 | Airlines, News | 8

Alan Joyce, the CEO of Australia’s Qantas, made some comments on a current affairs show in Australia about flying in the future. Only passengers who have had the Coronavirus vaccine will be permitted on their international flights. It is an interesting development, and one that will likely be watched by other airlines around the world. Now what exactly did he say about this? Proof of Coronavirus Vaccine During the programme “A Current Affair” on Australia’s Channel 9 network, he said the following. “We are looking at changing our terms and conditions, to say for international travellers – we will...

Does anyone remember the “baby bus”, the Airbus A318?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 22, 2020 | Airlines | 2

The Airbus A318 is the smallest aircraft in the Airbus portfolio. First flying on 15 January 2002, it is designed to carry up to 132 passengers and is affectionately referred to in some circles as the baby bus. Entering service with Frontier Airlines in July 2003, it is powered by either two Pratt & Whitney PW6000 or CFM56-5B turbofan engines. It is over six metres shorter than the Airbus A320 it is based on, and features a larger vertical stabiliser. Airbus A318 Video Following on from the last video about the Douglas DC-2, this time we head to Europe...

Why did Airbus make Indian Airlines a special A320 with different landing gear?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Nov 21, 2020 | Airlines | 12

Indian Airlines was primarily a domestic airline, later absorbed into Air India. When Airbus sold the airline a number of Airbus A320s, the European plane maker created a special version with unique landing gear just for them. Aircraft manufacturers sometimes make special versions of their planes to meet the needs of specific operators. For example, Boeing made Qantas a shorter 707 than other airlines and many years later added a flight engineer position on Ansett’s Boeing 767s. Airbus A320 Gear The main landing gear on virtually all Airbus A320s features a two wheel bogie. With a maximum take-off weight...