The Flight Detective, Author at TravelUpdate

jetBlue’s first Airbus A220 has been delivered

Posted by The Flight Detective | Jan 1, 2021 | Airlines, News | 4

The very first Airbus A220 has been delivered to New York based jetBlue. These aircraft will replace the Embraer 190s at the airline. The A220 is one of the most modern planes in the sky and jetBlue have orders for 70 examples. The Canadian designed plane is far more environmentally friendly – and cost effective – than the E190s it replaces. jetBlue A220 Delivered jetBlue are the second customer to take delivery of the A220 in the United States, after Delta. These ones go through final assembly in Mobile, Alabama rather than Montreal. With a range of 6,204 kilometres,...

Have you made any travel plans for 2021?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 31, 2020 | Airlines | 16

With the whirlwind year that was 2020 now behind us, it’s time to look towards the year ahead. I am curious if people are making travel plans for 2021. A vaccine for Coronavirus is being rolled out, but I think anyone celebrating that is very premature. It will be months before that makes a difference to travel. My Travel Plans For 2021 At this stage, I have flights booked to head back to Dublin during January. Once home again, I have nothing in the hopper for the rest of the year. After so many flight cancellations and changes in...

Flight Detective’s Top 13 Posts of 2020

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 30, 2020 | Airlines | 0

At the end of each year, I present the most read articles of mine in a neat little list for those interested – including me! This year I thought a Top 13 would be appropriate, as a little reflection upon the unusual 2020 we all endured. Each article garnered well over 10,000 views apiece. For those interested, you can flip back and see my Top 10 from 2017, the Top 10 from 2018 and even the one from last year. Anyway, without further ado, here’s the list for which I hereby dub, “The year of the long titles”! Clicking...

Which aircraft has the largest windows for passengers? It’s not the Boeing 787.

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 29, 2020 | Airlines | 16

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is generally accepted as the aircraft with the largest windows for passengers in the industry. While this may be currently true, other aircraft featured a more generous size for their viewing ports in the past. When it comes to windows, bigger is better as far as I’m concerned. Not a lot beats peering out the window of your jetliner on a clear day or night watching the world go by. Who Has The Largest Windows? Passengers in the 1950s were truly spoiled, especially when they rocked up to the gate and found a Vickers Viscount...

When are blocked seats available to everyone on a flight?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 28, 2020 | Airlines, Travel Tips | 0

When booking an airline ticket, you will usually select a seat at some point during the process. The seat map will show what is free for you to choose from. These do not necessarily show the seats that are occupied with people though, as there are blocked seats as well. Certain popular seats, such as those towards the front or exit rows, are blocked off to keep them available for frequent flyers. A little known trick is that often these are unblocked a certain amount of time before departure for everyone to avail of. Blocked Seats At Qantas Qantas...

Does anyone remember the successful de Havilland Comet 4?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 27, 2020 | Airlines | 4

The de Havilland Comet 4 was a medium range British jet airliner, powered by four Rolls-Royce Avon engines. Usually seating 74 to 81 passengers, a special charter package enabled it to seat up to 119 in later life. British Overseas Airways Corporation or BOAC put the aircraft into service on 4 October 1958, becoming the first airline to operate jets across the Atlantic. Compared to the previous version of the aircraft, this version was more successful, but certainly not in comparison to the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8, its main competitors. de Havilland Comet 4 Video Following on from...

What is the most unusual feature of East African Airways’ Vickers VC10?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 26, 2020 | Airlines | 0

Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda jointly created East African Airways, which commenced operating on 1 January 1946. Jet services started at the airline in 1960 with the de Havilland Comet 4. The backbone of the long-haul fleet for the airline was the Super VC10, built by Vickers in the United Kingdom. The first entered commercial service with EAA on 13 October 1966 and operated through to the airline ceasing operations on 28 January 1977. An Unusual Feature Of The EAA VC10 An option offered by Vickers was a forward cargo door on the aircraft. This meant that both passengers and...

Is Loganair’s new 68km flight from Glasgow to Edinburgh their shortest?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 25, 2020 | Airlines, News | 2

Scottish airline Loganair has added a new service between Glasgow and Edinburgh. The two airports are just a 68km flight (42 miles) apart, which is unusual. However, with traffic being so low, they are picking up people in these two cities before proceeding elsewhere in Scotland. These flights are operated by the Embraer 145, which seats 49 passengers, and is timed at 30 minutes, according to the airline web site. While this flight is quite short, it is not the shortest flight in Loganair’s repertoire. Loganair and The World’s Shortest Flight You read that correctly, world’s shortest flight. The...

What keeps you occupied during Australia’s mandatory hotel quarantine?

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 24, 2020 | Hotels, Travel Tips | 4

Two weeks imprisoned in a hotel room is a daunting prospect at best. After all, it’s not like there’s much to do, so how will you keep yourself occupied for the duration? Prior to flying to Australia, I deliberately kept aside two series I wanted to watch the new seasons of on Netflix. Also, I packed three books so I would have those to pass the time. I’m now half way through quarantine, so I thought I’d report on the reality. Occupied With Work and Food Thanks to the pivot to home working for the pandemic, the place I...

Want to arrive on time with Qantas? Well, they’ll try, but no guarantees!

Posted by The Flight Detective | Dec 23, 2020 | Airlines | 2

When booking an airline ticket, the times are quite important. You need to get to the airport before the flight and you want to arrive on time, as you might have people meeting you or plans post-flight. I recently did a flight search with Australia’s Qantas and came across the most intriguing note across the top of the screen. Written in bold, it surprised me quite a bit. Want To Arrive On Time? Well, Maybe! The message on the web site reads, “We will do our best to get you where you want to be on time, but we...