Qantas A380 Jet Taking Off

We’re now at the Admirals Club Lounge at LAX. Our A380 departure was delayed nearly 1 hour due to late receipt of security clearance for loading.

Not much time was picked up on the flight. We travelled in exit row seats in coach class, but this was certainly not as ideal as premium economy in these aircraft.

The seats are narrow and not overly comfortable, with little room for accessing video controls, etc.

Another issue with these exit row seats is that the arm rests are fixed (and very narrow). With another passenger beside us, it was extremely difficult to avoid getting elbows, etc in the way of my neighbour.

We both noted upon arrival in LA that the process of customs and baggage services is still somewhat chaotic, and that they really don’t have a workable system for processing the large numbers of passengers that occur when an aircraft like an A380 arrives with a full load into LAX.

The number of officers who were tasked with speeding progress through customs and passport clearance were certainly sufficient to handle the passenger numbers, however there was a high level of confusion about how many people should be in each of the queues. We found ourselves being transferred into three different queues before we were able to present ourselves to a customs official.

Once there, the welcome was extremely efficient and friendly however.

Customs and baggage clearance took about 60 minutes after the arrival of the aircraft, but there was a significant further delay involved in re checking our luggage for the next sector.

One message to be gained from this is that you should allow a bare minimum of at least 2 hours transit time at LAX, since you need to check any luggage through customs and quarantine here prior to re-checking it for a domestic or other international service, and then take yourself back through security.

We had hoped to attempt to wait-list onto an earlier flight for our sector to Miami, but it turns out that a fire at MIA has severely impacted American Airline’s flight refuelling capacities, and as a result many flights in and out of Miami International airport.

A consequence of this is that all flights are full, and wait-listing isn’t a real option. Had we known this, we would probably have ticketed all the way to Miami from check-in at Melbourne airport, but of course hindsight is always a wonderful thing!

We have about a 5 hour transit at LAX, although with the time to go through formalities, this has reduced to a little over 3 hours in the Admirals Club Lounge.

Even here, things aren’t going completely to plan. The complimentary wireless internet service is currently down, and in this lounge food and drinks must all be paid for.

At last we now have seat allocation for the LAX-MIA flight. Row 41 seats E and G. We have to hope that we’re not boxed in.

Qantas A380 aircraft taking off

Well, our trip is at last underway, and we’re witing this entry from Kendall, Miami.

The first sector of the flight, from Melbourne Australia to Los Angeles USA took us on one of the Qantas A380 aircraft that have been introduced into the airline industry in order to move more people more efficiently, and from the airline’s perspective also more cheaply.

The A380 is an impressive piece of machinery from almost any perspective. It is not only very large, both inside and out, but is very much quieter that many of its predecessors in the long haul business.

It seems that the aircraft suffers a lot less from the regular flight turbulence effects that can make many long haul flights a little “interesting”, but maybe we were simply lucky enough to miss out on many of those areas of turbulence that are so common on trans Pacific flights.

We plan to then travel largely by train around a number of the Eastern European countries before arriving in London en route back to Melbourne via Singapore.

We will be posting stories and experiences about this trip and the places we visit on this website as we go.

It appears that many UK based passengers have reported problems in terms of claims for the additional costs incurred as a result of staying much longer on the continent than was originally planned.

EU air transport regulations do provide an obligation on airlines to provide a level of support for travelers as a result of delays in return travel. However, these obligations appear to be a little vague, and are based on “reasonable” expenses.

What is “reasonable” to an airline confronted with massive losses due to the recent volcanic ash events in Europe may not seem so reasonable to a stranded passenger.

Another issue that has become quite significant is that of relying upon limited forms of insurance. Many travelers make use of the travel insurance offered as part of the package for those with premium credit cards. Whilst this coverage certainly does offer a level of protection, you should still look at the fine print attached to this cover to ensure that it will meet your needs.

An example of this is that one well known credit card provider has a travel insurance policy that allows for “Travel Inconvenience Cover”, defined as cover for:  delayed flight departure, flight cancellation, denied flight boarding, missed flight connection. Unfortunately the limit for this coverage can be less than $US200.

Many travelers consider themselves to be covered if they purchase coverage that is offered at the time of purchase of a flight ticket.

Again, such policies have very limited coverage for flight disruption, since they are limited to a specific pricepoint and are primarily aimed to protect the purchaser against losses relating to the specific air travel components of the trip.

Travelers wishing to cross the English Channel did have a number of transport options available, including Eurostar, other train services and ferries. Unfortunately the options were not as great for those passengers wishing to travel to or from the Americas, Asia, Australia and other locations outside Europe.

The basic message here is that travel insurance is a matter that travelers should carefully consider the terms and conditions that are offered, and not simply jump in unprepared.

John Kumm, Author,

Discover more informative information relating to travel at http://onlinetravelconsultant.com

The ash cloud that disrupted European air traffic - (Xinhua Reuters photo)

The recent worldwide travel chaos that resulted from the volcanic eruption in Iceland emphasizes just how fragile our technology hold over the forces of nature really are.

The amazing thing about this is that Iceland is fairly remote from most of the European airspace that was closed down for many long days.

It seems that the prevailing winds were at the time traveling in an unusual direction, and this resulted in the ash cloud’s spread over much of northern Europe, and in fact across well into Russia as well.

I seem to remember that this particular volcano’s last eruption was recorded from 1821 to 1823, with substantial explosive eruptions (similar to this year’s activities) happening between late June and Early August in 1823. Had such a string of eruptions occurred this month, then the skies may have been closed off to aircraft for 6 weeks or so.

It is perhaps a good thing that we didn’t have Jumbo Jets and other similar flying objects around in those days!

The result of an event resulting from “natural causes” cost many billions of dollars to the travel sector as well as resulting in massive disruption to the travel plans of many travelers.

Of course the other side issue of all of this that escapes attention in that of freight transport. Many businesses (particularly those with contracts to supply highly perishable goods like fresh seafood and cut flowers) suffered very heavy losses as a result of being unable to deliver their produce.

The flight disruption was also a timely reminder to all of us who travel to carefully read the wording on our travel insurance policy. Many of the people who were caught out this time found out (too late) that their policies had exclusions which prevented them from making a claim.

The other aspect of this event is that the “blame game” has now begun. Passengers are complaining that their airline held up flights for longer than some others. In turn, airlines are tending to say that the national air travel regulators in many countries closed off their airspace too early and were overly cautious in the time that the airspace was re-opened. In their defence, regulators have claimed that the advice that they received from vulcanologists and meteorological bureax were not sufficiently detailed and accurate.

We can be sure that this is now an issue that has managed to come to the front of the queue for issues that need some better organized process of measurements and decision making, so that dangerous situations are avoided, whilst nevertheless reducing the level of disruption to an absolute minimum.

There will definitely be more to come on this issue. Stay tuned!

John Kumm, Author

For other interesting and informative travel related discussions, visit us at: http://www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

The new measures to are planned for introduction in April 2010, and will replace the program of screening of all passengers from a number of Muslim countries that was introduced as a result of the “Christmas Day Bomber” event in Detroit.

These new security measures will apply to US citizens as well, and will apply a level of screening that will depend on how closely their personal characteristics of travelers matches intelligence information.

The Washington Post reported that these changes come after a three-month review of security protocols.

These changes should see a significant reduction in the number of passengers who are taken aside for additional screening, whilst concentrating on individuals that seem to match particular intelligence profiles.

Characteristics such as nationality, partial names, recently visited countries and the age of the traveler  will be taken into account.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano  is reported as saying: ”These new measures utilize real-time, threat-based intelligence along with multiple, random layers of security, both seen and unseen, to more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats” .

Today however I’m able to relate just such a tale to you, gentle readers!

Air New Zealand, not one of the world’s largest airline conglomerates, has managed to think a long way outside the square when the company realised that there were a number of different kinds of travelers using its services, and that simply dividing up the passenger cabin into economy (or coach) class, premium economy and business class didn’t necessarily take account of each of the differences.

In a flash of inspiration, Air New Zealand decided to analyze this factor, and have turned up 5 different categories of traveler, and decided to categorize them in terms of a TV show that some of us love (and dare I say equate to).

Now it’s time for you to consider each of these in turn, and decide just which type fits you best.

	The Marge Simpsons of the flying world see everything in a positive light, and are always fidgety and excited. The “Marges” of travel see the flying experience as fun and really enjoy engaging with all of the various aspects of the trip itself. You’ll recognize a Marge by the fun that he or she is having from the moment of getting on board right through to the end of the flight. The airline believes that about 10% of us are “Marges”.
	Are you perhaps a “Lisa”? The Lisa Simpsons of flying are considered to be the “cocooners”. These travellers  tend to view flying as a necessary part of most trips and are generally specialists in simply zoning out. Cocooners are not highly involved in the flight, and tend to look after their own needs, preferably in a quiet part of the cabin, away from family groups and other distractions. According to the airline, Lisa’s account for about 17% of the traveling public.
	Bart Simpson represents the traveling socialite. Almost 1 in 3 of travelers (about 30%) fit into the Bart mould. Socialites need interaction with others – they can’t entertain themselves, and must talk to crew and other passengers to ensure that they are recognized. “Barts” will also expect the airline to offer them the amusement and experience that they need to make the flight endurable.
	Maybe you are more like Homer’s boss, Mr Burns. This style of traveler is typical of many business travelers: he wants to be left alone, and is known to aggressively claim his territory within the cabin space, including the arm rest. The “Mr Burns” travelers will become angry with issues they see as failing to meet their own requirements and needs – things such as delay in clearing their meal tray or the traveler in front laying back their seat too far (in Mr Burns’ opinion). More than 25% of the travelers on your next flight are likely to represent Mr Burns. Are you one of them?
	Those passengers who don’t fit into the categories above are probably in the “Mo the Bartender” space. “Mo’s” tend to see the travel experience as simply an unpleasant way of getting from A to B. They don’t like flying, and are very hard to please. This group is not generally very receptive towards any attempt by the airline and its staff to make their experience special in any way.

This cable car service travels from the upper end of Bad Harzburg’s promenade up to the Bergstation on the Castle Mountain. The tramway was built in 1929, and has a length of some 500m. The elevation of the Bergstation is about 480m, and from the nearby Cafe, you can enjoy magnificent vistas of Lower Saxony.

The service operates for most of the year, but closes for maintenance from about the end of November until mid-December each year.

Amongst the offerings of the tramway is a wedding package! The ability to take your marriage vows suspended in mid air may well appeal to many couples (but unfortunately not to this writer!). The descriptive material tells the lucky pair that they undertake the ceremony in their “festively decorated car”, accompanied by the marriage registrar and witnesses (a limit of 6 people in this special car).

Eighteen of the wedding guests can “near-float” in an 18 person second car! Unfortunately, the other guests will need to wait at the Bergstation for the arrival of the bridal car.

I think that I’ll stick to more mundane locations for any wedding ceremonies that I elect to attend, but it is good to know that all tastes are catered for in Bad Harzburg!

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

However, for those traveling on a budget, access to low-cost carriers at this airport is very limited.

RyanAir, however operates a very large range of flights out of Frankfurt Hahn airport (HHN) into almost every country in Europe, and even as far as northern Africa.

Should you wish to avail yourself of this option, you will need to allow time to travel between FRA and HHN airports.

The travel time is about 90 minutes by bus, and a regular, comfortable and reliable service is offered by Bohr Omnibus (www.bohr-omnibusse.de). This service runs 7 days a week, with 22 services daily, at a adult fare of €12.

The departure point at FRA airport is the Bus-Station, Terminal 1, arrival area in front of hall B – bus-stop number 22

Enjoy this part of the vacation, as the scenery between the two airports is quite typical of the German countryside.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com

This facility can help to pass the time, particularly on longer flights.

I would like to issue a word of warning however!

A common experience amongst passengers using these units is that they fail to reach the end of the movie before the cabin crew pass through the cabin explaining that  it is time to re-configure the cabin for landing.

This can often happen up to 20 minutes before touchdown.

You should therefore do the following:

• get hold of your video unit as soon as possible after takeoff
• find out what movies are going to finish before the unit is likely to be taken away
• if you pause the playback, keep in mind the impact on the finishing time of the movie.

If you follow these steps, you will be a lot less likely to suffer the frustration of not finding out “whodunit” by the end of the flight.

Submitted by John Kumm www.onlinetravelconsultant.com