A330 Archives - TravelSkills

Iberia adds San Francisco – Madrid nonstops

October 17, 2017

New nonstops between California and Madrid coming next spring on Iberia (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In May 2018, Spain’s Iberia will launch regular non-stop service between Madrid and San Francisco, the first ever nonstop flight between the two cities.

Oakland was the first Bay Area airport to snag nonstops to Spain last year when two airlines, Level and Norwegian kicked off nonstops to Barcelona. Both Level and Iberia are owned by IAG, the airline conglomerate that also owns British Airways.

The Iberia flights will operate only three days per week (Mon, Weds, Fri). It will use an Airbus A330-200 on the route, with business (19 seats) and economy class (269 seats) only, no premium economy or first class. Iberia says that initially, the service will only be seasonal, running May-September.

Fares for midweek trips in mid May seem high right now

While it’s now possible to buy tickets on these flights, Iberia is not offering any introductory deals as of today— fares for May trips are in the $1,400 round trip range. Typically, May is a slow month for US to Europe travel and I expect we’ll soon see sale fares dip below $1,000 for SFO-MAD roundtrips. Business class is running about $4,400 round trip.

By comparison, Oakland-Barcelona fares for next May are currently running about $531 roundtrip on Norwegian Air, plus baggage and other fees.

Check out the seat map of Iberia’s A330-200 on Seatguru.com

Iberia is part of the Oneworld Alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways. Tickets are onsale now at www.iberia.com.

Have you or would you fly Iberia to Spain? And which is your favorite Spanish city: Madrid or Barcelona? Why? Please leave your comments below.

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Routes: American, United, JetBlue, Southwest, OneJet, Frontier

October 10, 2017

American operates out of Philadelphia’s Terminal B. (Image: American)

In domestic route news, American grows its Philadelphia hub and expands transcon wide-body flights there; United adds spokes to its O’Hare and Denver hubs; JetBlue revives a California route for the holidays; Southwest drops a Washington D.C. route; and Frontier keeps rearranging its network.

American Airlines is expanding access to its Philadelphia hub by adding several new routes there. On February 15, American will add daily A319 flights between PHL and San Antonio, followed on May 4 by new daily E175 American Eagle service between PHL-Madison, Wis.; and twice-daily roundtrips between PHL-Des Moines, Iowa; and PHL-Omaha, Neb. The airline also said that beginning March 25, it will deploy a wide-body Airbus A330 on one of its daily flights between Philadelphia and Los Angeles International, “offering West Coast customers better access to PHL and American’s transatlantic service.” Meanwhile, the A330 that American just started flying on one of its daily PHL-San Francisco flights will now be extended until at least March 4 instead of ending on December 14 as previously scheduled.

Moab, Utah is the gateway to Aches National Park. (Image: Discover Moab)

Effective December 1, United is due to add a couple of spokes out of Chicago O’Hare, with six flights a week to Quincy. Ill., and to Cape Girardeau, Mo., using CRJ-200s. At its Denver hub, meanwhile, United is looking at a May 1, 2018 start for new service to the outdoor activities mecca of Moab, Utah, offering 12 flights a week via Skywest CRJ200s; followed on June 1 by new service from DEN to Vernal, Utah, also running 12 times a week with Skywest CRJ200s.

For the third year in a row, JetBlue plans to lay on special holiday-season service between its New York JFK hub and Palm Springs, California. The daily flight will operate from December 21 through January 3, and it will use an Airbus A321 that features JetBlue’s premium-class Mint service with lie-flat seats.

November 4 is the final day for Southwest Airlines’ three-year-old route between Indianapolis and Washington Reagan National. A Southwest official told a local business publication in Indiana that the route just wasn’t attracting enough business to make it profitable.

OneJet uses small Hawker 400XPs on short-haul routes. (Image: OneJet)

The former CEO of Milwaukee-based Midwest Express Airlines – which disappeared in 2011 – is behind an effort to bring new service to MKE from OneJet, a business jet operator that offers scheduled service on underserved business routes out of Pittsburgh (including daily Pittsburgh-Milwaukee service). On November 1, OneJet is due to start twice-daily roundtrips from Milwaukee to both Columbus, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska, using seven-passenger Hawker 400XP jets.

It’s difficult to keep up with all the route news from ultra-low-cost Frontier Airlines, but we’ll try. The carrier just kicked off new daily flights from San Jose to Denver, to be followed by four flights a week from SJC to Las Vegas November 1, and less-than-daily departures to five other cities next April. At Cleveland, meanwhile, Frontier has axed the four weekly CLE-San Diego service that it just launched last spring, as well as seasonal flights from Cleveland to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston And Charlotte. But the airline is expanding at Denver, starting less-than-daily frequencies to Omaha November 2; to Grand Rapids December 10; to Charleston, S.C. February 20; to Little Rock March 1; and to Tulsa March 15. The carrier plans to add daily Orlando-Phoenix service November 1 and three weekly Orlando-Memphis flights November 2. On December 16, Frontier will start three flights a week between San Francisco and Las Vegas. At Colorado Springs, Frontier plans new flights to San Antonio and Seattle starting April 8 and to San Jose and Minneapolis-St. Paul as of April 9. Seasonal service from Philadelphia to Charleston, S.C. three days a week starts February 20, followed by less-than-daily service from PHL to Jacksonville February 14, to Madison April 8, and to Memphis and Omaha April 9. Twice-weekly Frontier service from Chicago O’Hare to Charleston, S.C. starts May 11, and limited-frequency service from Omaha to Las Vegas starts April 8, followed by Omaha-San Francisco June 4.

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Trip Report: Hawaiian Airlines economy class to Honolulu

July 10, 2017

Hawaiian Airlines A330-200 waiting for Oahu-bound passengers at SFO’s International terminal (Image: Kim Grimes)

I’ve been to Honolulu several times and have always enjoyed flying Hawaiian Airlines. After a two-year break from visiting Oahu, I bought a roundtrip Economy ticket in mid-December for $588. I flew from SFO to HNL in June and got to check out some of the new features on their Airbus A330.

(This Trip Report is written by TravelSkills’ very own Kim Grimes.)

Sleek Premium Cabin seats (Image: Kim Grimes)

Chris contacted Hawaiian Airlines in advance and arranged for me to get on the plane before boarding to snap some photos. The crew seemed to be in a bit of a rush but they were very kind and welcoming. I checked out the sleek new lie-flat seats in the Premium Cabin first.

Fully reclined Premium Cabin seat with divider up. (Image: Kim Grimes)

The lie-flat seats are in sets of two (2-2-2) with nature-inspired dividers in the center that you can pull up out of the arm rest for privacy. The reclining wheel in the arm rest allows for passengers to lie flat or find the perfect spot for them anywhere between flat and upright. When the seat is completely flat, it connects to the footrest efficiently adding length for comfort.

The modern design includes plenty of in-seat power with two USB ports and an AC port in each seat. Passengers in the premium cabin are given tablets to enjoy in-flight entertainment which they can place on the adjustable retractable tablet stand in the arm rest.

Extra Comfort seat with its special black headrest (Image: Kim Grimes)

After taking a moment to enjoy the lie-flat seat, I moved on to check out the Extra Comfort seats. These seats are similar to the Economy seats in appearance, but they have extra leg room and come with a few additional amenities.

When I tried Extra Comfort, I had plenty of room to stretch out my legs with 36″ pitch – or more in the bulkhead (Image: Kim Grimes)

Extra Comfort seats have a pitch of 36 inches which was more than enough room for me, at 5’4’’, to fully extend my legs while seated. In addition to the spare room to stretch out Extra Comfort passengers receive benefits like priority boarding and access to a priority security line at select airports, including SFO.

An aisle seat in Economy class: 37C (Image: Kim Grimes)

After I took photos of the premium and Extra Comfort seats, it was just about time to board. I went back to the gate to meet my family and then made my way to the Economy seats noting the nice and relaxing Hawaiian music that played throughout the cabin. I always claim the window seat and got comfortable in 37A with my sister seated next to me in 37B.

Check out Hawaiian’s A330 layout on Seatguru– note that this is Version 2 with the new Premium Class seats.

Comfy in my Economy window seat 77A with 31″ pitch (Image: Kim Grimes)

Seatback entertainment screen with glowing USB and headphone jacks (Image: Kim Grimes)

I was feeling a little stressed after guiding my family through the airport, so I really appreciated watching Hawaiian musicians play calming and welcoming songs on the seatback entertainment screen before takeoff. Hawaiian Airlines offers an unlimited television and film package for $7.99, but I never pay for in-flight entertainment and opted to flip through the Hawaiian Airlines magazine. The magazine is called Hana Hou! meaning “Encore!” They always have interesting stories about local businesses, Hawaiian culture, and art. I particularly enjoyed its interview with the creator of Hawaiian Ola noni beverages that I love drinking for an energy boost.

View from the back of economy cabin on a Hawaiian Air A330 (Image: Kim Grimes)

Breakfast egg sandwich, fruit, and cookie with guava juice. (Image: Kim Grimes)

For the morning meal service, Economy class passengers received a hot breakfast sandwich, fruit, and a cookie from the Honolulu Cookie Company. I decided to have some guava juice with my meal as well.

I ate the fruit first which was nothing spectacular, but it was refreshing. The sandwich was really heavy and tasted mostly like buttery biscuit to me. I’m not usually keen on biscuits, but I ate the whole thing hoping that it would help me fall asleep; it definitely did.

Chocolate chip mac cookie from Honolulu Cookie Company (Image: Kim Grimes)

My favorite part of the meal was the chocolate chip macadamia cookie. I love these cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company but rarely buy them because I find them to be a bit pricey, so I was excited to enjoy one for free on the flight.

After the meal service, I tuned in to one of the free Hawaiian music radio stations and dozed off.

Hawaiian Sweet Maui Onion chips and a tasty Koloa rum punch. (Image: Kim Grimes)

Koloa rum punch was so good that I had to stop and get my own bottle later. (Image: Kim Grimes)

I woke up a little over an hour before we landed just in time to receive my complimentary snack and cocktail. The cocktail was Hawaiian rum punch made by the Koloa Rum Company. The premixed cocktail had Koloa white rum from Kauai, lilikoi (passionfruit), orange, guava puree, and locally sourced cane sugar. I was worried it would be too sweet for me, but it was actually really well-balanced and delicious with my Sweet Maui Onion Hawaiian Chips.

Landing around noon at HNL (Image: Kim Grimes)

Although we left SFO a little late, we landed in Honolulu on time at 11:45am. Overall, our flight was smooth and enjoyable as all of my flights with Hawaiian Airlines have been. I really appreciate the effort that they put in to making passengers feel comfortable and welcomed.

Now let’s take a look at my return flight:

Lunch service as presented by FA with coupon for free custom Shutterfly photo book (Image: Kim Grimes)

Chicken stir-fry with perfectly cooked rice and vegetables (Image: Kim Grimes)

Two weeks later, my family and I returned to SFO with Hawaiian Airlines. On this flight, I was really looking forward to the afternoon meal service since the airline usually serves a stir-fry and rice which is one of my favorite comfort meals in economy class.

On this flight, I had a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with white rice, coleslaw, and a cookie from Honolulu’s La Tour Bakehouse. Complimentary red or white wine was offered with this meal, but I opted for a POG (passion orange guava) juice instead.

Returning to the Bay Area at sunset (Image: Kim Grimes)

I fought the urge to fall asleep and stayed up for the majority of this flight reading and glancing out the window. I love when I can catch the sunrise or sunset during a flight and was happy to see the sun setting shortly before we landed at SFO. It was a beautiful way to end a long vacation.

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Planespotting: Boeing 767, 777 & Airbus A330 differences

July 6, 2017

Bladed tail. Three wheels. No winglets. Slanted cockpit windows. It’s a B777, right? (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Pilots, planespotters and aviation buffs can quickly recognize nearly every aircraft type from the ground or in the air.

But it’s not so easy for the rest of us. To help TravelSkills readers confidently recognize what they see overhead or out on the runway, we offer a series of posts dedicated to planespotting.

The Boeing 777, 767 and the Airbus A330, three of the most-used, two-engine widebody jets flying around out there look VERY similar to the untrained eye. But there are differences that help make them easy to distinguish.

First let’s look at the largest of the three, the Boeing 777. It’s most distinguishing feature is its size…it’s a big one— significantly larger than the 767 or A330. Its engines alone are enormous- some are as wide as the fuselage on a 737!

Huge engine. Slanted cockpit window. No winglet. It’s a Boeing 777! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Depending on configuration, the 777 carries around 375 passengers. Smaller 767s and A330s fall in the 250 passenger range.

But relative size is not always easy to determine when the plane is alone on a runway or in the air, so you must look for other features.

The distinguishing flat or bladed tail of the Boeing 777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Another most distinguishing feature of a B777 is its flattened or bladed tail– which is quite different from the conical shapes found on the back end of a 767 or A330.

Winglets? Yes. Square-bottomed cockpit window? Check! Conical tail. Yep! Two wheeled landing gear? Yes! That’s an Airbus A330 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Plus, B777s don’t have winglets, while all A330s and some 767s do.

You can also look at the outer edge of the cockpit windows. On Boeing jets, the windows have a sharp diagonal corner while Airbus windows are more square along the bottom edge.

Two wheels. Check! Conical tail. Check! Slanted cockpit window. Check! It’s a 767! (Photo: Boeing)

And finally, look at the wheels– each of the main landing gears on a big Boeing 777 have three sets of wheels, while A330’s and B767s only have two.

Boeing cockpit windows slant up at outer, lower edge (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Lower, outer edge of Airbus windows are square, not slanted up like Boeing windows. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I must admit that spotting these three widebodies is tough…even for me, and even after writing this post.

Please share your planespotting tips or advice in the comments below! How do YOU tell the difference between a 777, 767 or A330? Please leave your tips or comments below.

Here are our other popular planespotting posts!

Planespotting: MD-80/90 & Boeing 717

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Planespotting: Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320 differences

Planespotting: Boeing 757, 767

And don’t miss the TravelSkills Planespotting quiz— 10,000+ readers have taken it! Why not you?

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Routes: Southwest, AA, Delta, Alaska, + a new 787 route

June 5, 2017

Southwest just added several new California routes. (Image: Jim Glab)

In domestic route developments, Southwest adds Cincinnati to its route map and adds service in several new California markets; American adds some regional routes and will put a wide-body on a SFO transcon; Delta adds more Comfort+ seats to regional aircraft; Alaska starts up its latest East Coast route; Spirit grows at Oakland; Frontier comes to Providence; and Air Canada pits a Dreamliner on a key SFO route.

Southwest Airlines this week added Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to its route map with an initial schedule of eight flights a day – five to Chicago Midway and three to Baltimore/Washington. At the same time, the airline’s route map eliminated Dayton, where Southwest had been running a few flights a day to Midway.

As the airline’s summer schedule kicks in this week, Southwest also inaugurated new non-stop service in several California markets, including San Francisco-Portland, San Jose-Reno, San Diego-Boise and San Diego-Salt Lake City. New seasonal summer routes active as of this week include Oakland-Newark, San Diego-Newark, San Diego-Spokane and San Diego-Indianapolis. Elsewhere, Southwest started daily service between Denver and Charleston, S.C.; weekend flights between Denver-Pensacola; and seasonal flights between Denver and Norfolk. At Nashville, Southwest kicked off new daily flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul and seasonal service to Seattle.

After all the hubbub about airlines putting flat-bed seating into the front cabins on more domestic routes – notably Boston-San Francisco – readers of Flyertalk discovered another entry into the fully-reclining transcon competition: An American Airlines listing for A330-200 service between San Francisco and its Philadelphia hub starting in early October. Could this be just a seasonal redeployment of excess transatlantic aircraft, or a permanent thing?

American has new Eagle service at Billings and Medford. (Image: American Airlines)

Meanwhile, American just added some new regional service, including daily flights between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Billings, Montana using a 76-seat American Eagle E175; and new Eagle service from Medford, Oregon to both Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Delta continues to roll out its Comfort+ extra-legroom economy seating to more regional aircraft. Earlier this year, it finished installing the seats on its CRJ-200s, and now it has started selling Comfort+ on its E-175s and CRJ-900s. The extra-legroom seats are also now on sale for travel starting June 15 on Delta’s E-170 and CRJ-700 aircraft. “Delta remains engaged with distribution partners to allow Delta Comfort+ to be purchased through travel agents and in consumer direct shopping displays,” the airline said.

Alaska Airlines has started flying its newest transcontinental route. The carrier is offering daily seasonal non-stop service from Portland to Philadelphia, using a 737. The Portland-PHL flights will continue through August 26. It’s Alaska’s 58^th destination from Portland.

Air Canada has deployed a new 787 Dreamliner between SFO and Toronto (Image: Air Canada)

There’s something new in the skies between San Francisco and Toronto : Air Canada has just put a 787-9 Dreamliner into service on one of its six daily flights in the market. It’s scheduled on the airline’s 11:55 a.m. departure from SFO and its 8:15 a.m. westbound flight from Toronto. See more about this beautiful bird here.

Spirit Airlines introduced a number of new domestic markets. (Image: Spirit Airlines)

Spirit Airlines has kicked off new seasonal service from Oakland International to Baltimore/Washington and to Detroit, along with seasonal flights between Detroit and Seattle. New year-round markets just introduced by the low-cost carrier include San Diego-Baltimore/Washington, Seattle-BWI, New Orleans-BWI, New Orleans-Cleveland and New Orleans-Orlando. Spirit has also added Pittsburgh to its route map, launching new daily flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Orlando, Las Vegas, Houston Bush Intercontinental and Los Angeles, along with three flights a week to Ft. Lauderdale and daily seasonal service to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Low-cost Frontier Airlines has announced some new routes starting in mid-August. The carrier will start flying out of Providence’s T.F. Green Airport on August 14 with daily flights to Denver and Orlando, and out of Islip, Long Island’s MacArthur Airport August 16 with daily service to Orlando.

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WOW Air adds “premium” seats for West Coast flights

February 1, 2017

WOW flies A330s from the West Coast. (Image: WOW Air)

Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air will be adding a new business-travel-friendly option for West Coast travelers this summer: premium seating.

The new section (called “Big Seats”) is going into WOW’s A330s on its routes to Reykjavik from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami, probably starting on some aircraft by June 1, according to Conde Nast.

A WOW Air spokesperson told TravelSkills: “The Big seat (pitch is 37″+) is an entirely different seat, bigger with a foot rest and will at first only be in our A330 planes.” WOW Air also said that the seat would be Avianor model 5810, which we cannot find online. However, Zodiac Aerospace makes a seat with a model number 5810, which it says is a premium economy seat (pictured below). Perhaps it will mimic the larger premium economy seats now flying on Norwegian Air’s B787s? We’ll just have to wait until we get more details from Wow Air.

Image of Zodiac Aerospace seat model 5810 (Image: Zodiac)

The section will offer 37-inch pitch (vs. 31 in regular economy), and fares for the premium seats will include carry-on bags, checked bags, in-flight food service and priority boarding – as opposed to its regular economy pricing, which includes nothing but the ride and a single under-the-seat personal item. Other amenities and services all incur extra fees. The airline has not yet indicated what level of premium passengers will pay for the premium seating, which will be sold as “WOW Biz.”

However, the carrier is also said to be planning a new fare category called WOW Plus, which will buy a regular economy seat, a carry-on for the overhead bin, a single checked bag, and cancellation protection.

As the airline continues its U.S. expansion, offering very-low-cost base fares from the U.S. to Iceland and to points in Europe via a Reykjavik connection, it appears to be broadening its marketing to appeal to business travelers as well as backpackers.

Have you flown WOW Air yet? Would you? Please leave your comments below.

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No Dreamliners for Delta

December 28, 2016

Delta’s canceled 787 order was originally placed by Northwest. (Image: Boeing)

Delta Air Lines has finally given up on a longstanding order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Delta has plenty of Boeing wide-bodies in its fleet, including a handful of remaining 747s as well as dozens of 767s and 777s. But this week it canceled an order it had on the Boeing books for 18 787 Dreamliners.

That order dated back to 2005 – a couple of years before the first 787 was even produced — when it was placed by Northwest Airlines. Delta inherited the order when it merged with Northwest in 2008.

Delta had been hedging on the Dreamliner order for quite a while. Six years ago, it deferred deliveries on the order to at least 2020. And now it has decided it doesn’t want the 787s at all.

The airline said it still has a good relationship with Boeing, noting that it is continuing to take delivery of 120 737-900ERs from the manufacturer through 2019.

Besides A350s, Delta also has ordered A330neos from Airbus. (Image: Airbus)

But Delta’s long-term plans for long-haul aircraft have shifted to Airbus. It has orders in place for a total of 50 new wide-bodies from the European manufacturer, including 25 A350-900s and 25 A330-900neos. Delta will use some of the A350s to replace its aging 747s on transpacific routes.

When Delta puts the first A350s onto international routes sometime next year, it will introduce a new premium economy class of service, with seats offering 19 inches of width and up to 38 inches of pitch. It will be marketed as Delta Premium. The A350s will also feature a new Delta One business cabin.

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Airberlin’s new SFO & LAX nonstops to Berlin

October 18, 2016

Airberlin will add Berlin service from San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Image: Airberlin)

Airberlin will add Berlin nonstops using A330-200 from San Francisco and Los Angeles next summer- at decent prices. (Image: Airberlin)

Germany’s second largest airline, Airberlin, will launch new nonstops between San Francisco and Los Angeles and Berlin-Tegel airport four days a week starting next May. This marks the first time for a nonstop to Berlin from the Bay Area. Flight time between SFO and TXL is about 11 hours.

A quick glance at airfares on Google Flights for June and July 2017 show round trips in the $1,300 range in economy– a good price for peak season transatlantic flights. Business class flights are about $3,400 round trip. Airberlin also offers upgrades to XL economy seats with 20% more legroom for about $100 each way. (LAX fares are similar)

AirBerlin also flies nonstop between San Francisco, LAX and Dusseldorf during summer months. Air Berlin is a member of the Oneworld Alliance and is 30% owned by Etihad Airways. Last month Airberlin announced a radical restructuring that will ultimately lead to more of a focus on business travelers- you can read all about that here: “The new airberlin; analyst presentation”

Airberlin will fly nonstop from eight US cities in summer 2017 to Dusseldorf and Berlin: San Francisco, New York (JFK), Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando (new), Fort Myers, and Los Angeles. The airberlin hubs in Berlin and Dusseldorf are conveniently connected with many airberlin destinations in Germany, Europe and beyond.

All Airbus A330-200 operating these flights are equipped with airberlin’s premium long-haul product: 19 seats in the exclusive full flat business class section (1-2-1 configuration) and 271 Economy Class seats, including 46 XL Seats, which offer around 20 per cent more legroom.

Air Berlin’s new lie-flat business class seat (Photo: Air Berlin)

Have you flown Airberlin? Would you? Please leave your comments below.

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Trip Report: Aer Lingus, Economy class SFO-Dublin-Edinburgh

June 14, 2016

Taking off from SFO on Aer Lingus’ big green plane to Dublin (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Earlier this year, I decided to take a trip in April to visit a friend in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was working with a minimal budget and was excited to discover that one of the cheapest economy fares ($1,199 RT) from San Francisco to Edinburgh was offered by Aer Lingus. I had never flown with Aer Lingus before and jumped on the opportunity since I’d heard so many positive things about their service. When I told Chris about my upcoming trip, he mentioned that several readers enjoyed the Trip Report he wrote on Aer Lingus’ new business class, but we didn’t have a trip report on the economy experience. So, I decided to document my first trip on that big green plane!

(Note: For this Trip Report, we asked our amazing TravelSkills office manager Kimberly Grimes to write about her Aer Lingus flight to/from Scotland. Enjoy! –Chris)

Aer Lingus is even green(ish) on the inside (Photo: Kim Grimes)

As I boarded the Aer Lingus A330-200 at SFO, I was politely greeted by all of the crew members and directed to my seat above the wing. When I got there, a pillow, warm fleece blanket, and complimentary earbuds were waiting to help me enjoy the in-flight entertainment.

Economy class seats on Aer Lingus A330 are arranged 2-4-2 (Chris McGinnis)

There was also a small envelope for donations to UNICEF, Aer Lingus’ charity partner for nearly 20 years, which came in handy for getting rid of spare coins on my flight back.

32 inches of pitch in economy class is plenty of space. (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Once settled into my window seat I found the 32” pitch to be more than enough for my 5’4” self and I was comfortable even with a larger person seated next to me. Before takeoff, I flipped through Aer Lingus’ magazine Cara (“Friend” in Irish Gaelic). I usually get through half of the in-flight magazine before putting it away to watch takeoff, but on my flight to Dublin I only had the chance to flip through some photos as we happily departed almost 10 minutes early. I’m impressed that Aer Lingus operated with such timeliness during my entire journey with them. On my flight home, we landed at SFO 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Perfect pasta and a really nice salad on the dinner flight over the pond. (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Dinner was served about two hours into the flight with a choice of beef stew or creamy spinach pasta. I don’t eat beef so I went with the pasta, but my seatmate got the stew and enjoyed it. I don’t usually expect much from pasta on airplanes, but the sauce in the dish was delicious and the pasta was cooked perfectly.

The salad is a nice low-carb option (Photo: Kim Grimes)

My meal also came with a light salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and a bit of feta which I enjoyed after my pasta. It was fresh, tasty, and delivered an extra bit of hydration that I really needed. The pasta had enough carbs for me so I didn’t eat the dinner roll, but I did save room for the dessert of berries and light whipped cream.

Plenty of good films, TV shows and music to keep me occupied (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I tried to doze off after dinner, but I spent most of the flight exploring the entertainment system. I was thoroughly distracted with the selection of over 50 films, a variety of TV shows, and an extensive list of music albums, podcasts, and radio stations to indulge in. Wi-fi was also available on the flight at the price of $9.95 for an hour or $18.95 for a full flight pass but the entertainment system was enough to keep me from boredom. When my eyes got too tired to watch any more movies, I browsed the music selection and made a playlist perfect for sleeping. I don’t think I actually slept much, but meditating to the RnB and soft rock sounds for a few hours was nice relaxation.

Good morning! Breakfast is served– with tea (Photo: Kim Grimes)

The cabin crew served morning snack boxes and warm beverages about an hour before we landed in Dublin. Inside was a ham and cheese croissant and a cup of strawberry yogurt. I wasn’t in the mood for yogurt, but I enjoyed the croissant. It was simple, yet comforting and I really appreciated the warm food and tea in the morning.

I’ve never been a fan of propellor planes, but this one changed my mind (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I was not at all excited about taking a propeller plane to connect from Dublin to Edinburgh. I’ve had an aversion to propeller planes since I rode on one as a kid flying over Alabama. It was like a loud, tumultuous rollercoaster that my parents couldn’t wait to get off of. My journey with Aer Lingus was nothing like that. The flight was operated by Irish regional airline Stobart Air (formerly Aer Arann) and had two Aer Lingus crew members on board. These crew members were exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, reassuring some other nervous passengers and myself that we’d have a safe ride on the ATR 72-600.

I was particularly impressed with how one crew member successfully comforted a terrified, screaming child during the flight by assuring her that the noise and extra turbulence was just part of what makes propeller plane flight special. The entire experience was so stress-free that on the way back I felt no anxiety hopping on the propeller plane, even with someone obnoxiously joking that our plane was probably going down.

(Photo: Aer Lingus)

On my return flight from Dublin to SFO, I got a special treat for my in-flight meal. Before my trip, Chris told me about some upgraded meals that Aer Lingus offers to economy passengers and asked me to try out the service (which he generously paid for 🙂 ). These meals are part of Aer Lingus’ Bia Pre-Order service and have been created by their executive chef and Irish chef Clodagh McKenna.

Passengers who would like to enjoy these meals must pre-order them online at least 24 hours before the flight. Meal options include Roast Chicken with a Twist ($25), Melt-in-the-mouth Salmon ($25), and Succulent Steak ($28). The chicken and steak options are similar to entrees served in business class, but I was really curious about the salmon and decided to try that.

Ordering my meal was as simple as choosing my seat through the “Manage Booking” section of Aer Lingus’ website. My credit card was charged immediately after ordering and a salmon meal voucher was promptly e-mailed to me. The e-mail provided instructions to print the voucher in full and bring it on board with me to submit to the cabin crew. It didn’t specify when I should submit the voucher, so I asked a crew member at the door as I boarded and she took it right away.

My special meal as presented by FA– mouthwatering salmon and wine (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I got settled in my seat and was really absorbed in watching a television show on my laptop when a crew member came by with some food on trays and asked if I ordered a special meal. I was really caught off-guard since the meal service hadn’t been announced yet, but he handed me a nice tray with my salmon meal on it and offered me some wine.

There was nobody sitting next to me on this flight, but I wonder how people would have reacted to my special meal service if the plane was more crowded. I was prepared for a few envious glares and questions about why I got such a fancy meal when others did not. As the distinct scent of salmon floated around my section, I looked around to see if anyone was really noticing. The cabin was nearly empty and the few passengers near me were too caught up in their own experience to show much interest in what I was eating so I was able to enjoy my meal without judgement.

The mouthwatering salmon was perfectly prepared- but I wondered what other passengers were thinking! (Photo: Kim Grimes)

I love salmon, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from salmon on an airplane. As I took my first bite, any negative preconceived notions I had about “airplane salmon” went away. It was delicious and the texture was perfect – not too dry or rubbery. It wasn’t extravagant with flavors, but it was well done and exceeded my expectations. The potatoes that accompanied the salmon were less impressive. They were very bland, but also too oily for my taste. I ate all of them, but they were definitely my least favorite part of the entire meal.

My favorite part of the meal (Photo: Kim Grimes)

Surprisingly, the real highlight of the meal for me was the salad of aubergine, roasted pepper, and sunblushed tomato with a harissa and lemon dressing. The dressing had the perfect kick and reminded me of homemade cocktail sauce.

Yogurt with fruity chunks! (Photo: Kim Grimes)

For dessert, I had a sweet mango and passionfruit yogurt (instead of the listed raspberry pannacotta) with real chunks of fruit in it. Delicious! Plus, a lovely chocolate truffle by Irish chocolatier Lily O’Brien. I couldn’t help but eat them both!

I was so full from my meal that I could barely even look at the farewell chocolate bar given to me by the crew right before landing at SFO. My Bia pre-ordered meal was a great way to have a bit of extra fun on my flight home and add a little luxury to my first trip with Aer Lingus.

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San Francisco snags new UK nonstop

March 30, 2016

A Virgin Atlantic A330 in Manchester (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Virgin Atlantic is introducing new stops to Manchester airport (MAN) in northwest England from San Francisco starting next spring.

Operating three times weekly between March and October, Virgin Atlantic will be the first carrier to provide nonstop flights between San Francisco and Manchester, where a thriving music scene, gritty industrial architecture, and emerging tech community will have a variety to offer visitors. Manchester is located near the scenic Lake District, the historic walled city of York, or Liverpool, home of the Beatles.

Both flights will use Virgin’s newest A330 aircraft with Upper Class (lie-flat business), Premium Economy and Economy cabins.

What’s somewhat strange about this announcement is that it’s come so early. Nonstops between SFO and Manchester won’t start for another year (currently slated for March 28, 2017)– and a lot can happen in a year!

In any case, a nonstop to Manchester will be a relief for those weary of flying to London’s busy airports:

Currently, British Airways, United and Virgin offer nonstop flights to London Heathrow.
In June, Norwegian Air will offer nonstops from Oakland to London Gatwick for as little as $299 each way.
British Airways adds new nonstops from San Jose to London Heathrow this June.

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More $99 airfares to Europe this summer, but…

January 12, 2016

Skúli Mogensen, the founder and CEO of WOW Air (Photo: WOW Air)

Skúli Mogensen, the founder and CEO of WOW Air was in California this week promoting new flights (Photo: WOW Air)

$99 one-way fares from California to Europe? Fares are highly restricted, but yep, they are there… and available for a handful of June flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles.

One of the newest low-fare transatlantic carriers to fly to the U.S. is Iceland’s Wow Air. Over the last year it has introduced nonstops between Reykjavik and Boston and Baltimore/Washington at similar bargain basement fares.

WOW Air is an ultra-low-cost carrier that makes its money from ancillary passenger fees– for example, you are only allowed a carry-on bag of up to 11 pounds. If it weighs more than that, you’ll pay a fee of $48 each way. If you want to check a bag you’ll pay a stiff $67 fee each way. To choose a seat ahead of time, you’ll pay between $10 and $48, depending on legroom. See this for the full list of extra fees.

Nonetheless, those $99 one-way fares are hard to resist. But you won’t find a $99 fare on the return leg. To get back, the cheapest one-way fare is $199, making round trips $398.

Flight time between San Francisco or LAX and Reykjavik is nine hours and the carrier will use a wide-body Airbus A330-300 on the route that has 340 seats onboard. Seat pitch ranges from 30 to 34 inches.

The $99 fares will get you to Iceland (one of the world’s hottest destinations right now), but you can stop over in Reykjavik and continue on to other European cities (such as London, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm) for as little as $199 one way.

More about Wow Air here.

With a required change of planes in Iceland, this is not your average business traveler’s airline.

Still, if you are headed to Iceland, have some extra time to get to Europe, or just want to be the first on your block to fly Wow Air, it does have an interesting twist on seating: Although all its aircraft are one-class, you can decide how much legroom you want — paying extra for more, of course.

WOW Air A330 (Image: WOW Air)

The website jaunted.com recently tried out Wow Air’s service, and found that its regular seating on the A321s it flies from the East Coast have a knee crunching 30-inch pitch. But travelers can opt up to “L seats” with 33 inches for an extra $24, or even more to “XL” seats with 35-inch pitch for a $33 premium. The reporter noted that since most of the passengers were apparently budget-focused, her XL seat choice gave her a row all to herself.

Inaugural flights from San Francisco start on on June 9th and in Los Angeles starting on June 15th.

SFO to Iceland nonstops will be available five days a week; from LAX, four days a week with connecting flights on to other European destinations. The $99 deal from SFO is only good on June 10, 17 and 24 and on Saturdays between September 24 and November 19.

From LAX, the $99 deal is only good on June 21 or 28, or on Tuesdays between September 27 and November. The $199 fares for continuing flights to Europe are similarly restricted.

Launched in November 2011, WOW air now connects twenty-seven destinations across the U.S. and Europe with the Icelandic capital.

For more information on flights to Iceland and North America see Wow Air’s website

Would you fly WOW Air to Europe? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.

WOW Air route map

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Hawaiian Airlines goes flat

October 22, 2015

Hawaiian Air's new first class seat goes flat (Image: Hawaiian Airlines)

Hawaiian Air’s new first class seat goes fully flat (Image: Hawaiian Airlines)

At TravelSkills we live by the motto “once you go flat, you never go back,” and it sounds like Hawaiian Air agrees.

This week the carrier announced that it will add a stylish new lie-flat business class seat to its A330 widebody fleet. It’s also adding more premium economy seats.

Why? Because Hawaiian’s route structure is changing.

In the past, it was primarily a West Coast – Hawaii operation. But recently Hawaiian has added new nonstops to New York (10 hours) and is building up at a transpacific powerhouse with flights between its Honolulu hub and biz travel destinations in Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. To compete in these long-haul markets, it needs a lie-flat seat up front.

Here’s how Hawaiian describes its new seat, designed by Optimares:

“The 180-degree seats will use an innovative seat platform to fold into 76-inch beds, maximizing living space for travelers while providing options for both privacy and a shared flight experience. They will also feature an advanced in-flight entertainment experience powered by the next generation of large-format tablets and equipped with a telescoping tablet arm that adjusts to optimize viewing angle and comfort….The cabin design will incorporate flowing curves evocative of the winds and ocean, while marrying organic textures, pops of bright saturated color, and luxury materials like leather from Poltrona Frau.”

The A330s will get 18 of the new seats configured 2-2-2 (a slightly larger footprint as the current first class configuration). To make room for the larger footprint, there will be fewer premium economy seats in the forward cabin- two rows instead of the current three. (see SeatGuru).

Hawaiian Airlines unusual front-of-the-plane setup has first and premium economy in the same cabin (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Hawaiian Airlines front-of-the-plane setup has first and premium economy in the same cabin. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In addition to the new seat, Hawaiian is expanding the number of its Extra Comfort (premium economy) seats on the A330 from the current 40 seats to 68 seats. Extra Comfort seats get a roomy 36 inches of pitch (compared to 31 inches in standard economy), plus passengers get early boarding, free inflight entertainment and electrical outlets at each seat.

Hawaiian Air Extra Comfort seats get 36″ of pitch (Photo: Rae Huo for Hawaiian Air)

Today, Hawaiian’s A330’s seat 294 passengers, with 18 in Business/First Class, 40 in Extra Comfort and 236 in economy. See our Trip Report of Hawaiian’s A330 flight between SFO and HNL.

The new configuration will have fewer (278) seats overall: 18 in Business/First Class, 68 in Extra Comfort and 192 in the economy.

Nice seats, but it’s going to be a while until we see them… installation does not begin until mid 2016, and Hawaiian has not said on which routes the new seats will first appear. All its A330’s should have the new seats by the end of 2017.

It’s increasingly unlikely that we’ll see Hawaiian’s lie-flat seats on the West Coast because the carrier will soon begin to deploy its newest 190-seat Airbus A321 on these shorter routes where a lie-flat seat is likely superfluous.

Hawaiian is not part of any of the big three global airline alliances, but it maintains partnership agreements with eight airlines (including American, JetBlue and Virgin America), which allow members of frequent flyer programs to earn and burn miles on Hawaiian flights.

Would you choose Hawaiian for a transpacific flight? Which carrier do you fly most often to Hawaii? Why? Please leave your comments below.

This might be the best thing I've ever eaten at 35,000 feet (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Hawaiian Airlines pineapple upsidedown cake might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten at 35,000 feet (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Hawaiian Airlines new Airbus A330s are its long haul workhorses (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Economy class on Hawaiian’s A330 is configured 2-4-2 (Chris McGinnis)

Hawaiian Asia-Oceania route network (Courtesy Hawaiian Airlines)

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Aer Lingus sees green in U.S. [PHOTOS]

February 5, 2015

Two Aer Lingus crew members checking out the new furniture (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Aer Lingus says that the return of non-stop flights between San Francisco and Dublin last year (after a five year hiatus) counts as the most successful launch in the Irish airline’s history.

It’s so pleased with the success of the route that it’s bumping up Airbus A330-200 frequencies to daily (from 4x per week) starting May 4.

The new business class seat in partial recline (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Plus, the San Francisco-Dublin route (the longest flight in its network) is the first to get Aer Lingus’ new lie-flat business class seat. At 6.5 feet long and nearly two feet wide, the Irish-made seats are some of the most spacious in the sky. In addition to all that sleeping space, Aer Lingus offers business class passengers free wi-fi, and a whole new menu.

The first planes with the newly outfitted cabin arrived at SFO this week.

Aer Lingus new business class seat in fully flat position (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week the airline threw a shindig at the Four Season’s hotel in Palo Alto to celebrate its success in the Bay Area and to show off the new business class seats. Why Palo Alto and not San Francisco? Because most of Aer Lingus’ business class passengers work and live in Silicon Valley.

Current fares for Spring roundtrips between SFO and Dublin are in the $1000 range for economy, and around $4500 in business. Aer Lingus does not offer first class.

Plenty of storage space for laptops and like (Photo Chris McGinnis)

Plenty of in seat storage space for laptops and like for techie travelers (Photo Chris McGinnis)

Here are some more photos from that fete!

Samples of preflight beverages (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Samples of preflight beverages and Irish-American camaraderie (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Irish butter. Mmmm. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

It’s not just passengers on Aer Lingus flights- freight like dairy, pharma and electronics, too. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>Aer Lingus is not a member of the Star Alliance, Oneworld or SkyTeam. However, it is a United code share partner. But the SFO-DUB route is not a route where the carriers share a code. Nonetheless, due to the partnership, United Mileage Plus members can earn miles on Aer Lingus flights… but there are limits based on fare paid. Business class fares earn 150% of base miles flown, but economy fares earn just 50%-75% of base miles. Many of the lowest fares do not earn miles at all. You can redeem 60,000 MileagePlus miles for economy round trips on Aer Lingus, or 140,000 for business class. Details here.

>One of the best things about flying Aer Lingus is that passengers pre-clear US customs and immigration in Dublin before boarding the plane. That means when you land at SFO, it’s just like a domestic flight… you can hit the ground running as soon as you touch down. Aer Lingus currently flies into the international terminal (Boarding Area G).

–Chris McGinnis

New SFO flights + United fee hike + SFO Terminal video + 787

April 29, 2013

Catching up on Bay Area Travel news: New flights to France & China; United hikes fees; video inside new SFO Terminal; flirt on Virgin America flights from San Jose; 787 Dreamliner update, new Routehappy booking site; FlightCar is back.

China Eastern’s A330-200 at SFO (Photo Peter Biaggi)

HUANYING AND BON VOYAGE. Last Friday (April 26) was a busy day at San Francisco International.

At 9:30 am, the first China Eastern A330-200 arrived from Shanghai to a water cannon salute and a welcome celebration at the airport. For now, here’s what we know: The Airbus A330 departs SFO at 11:30 am and arrives at Shanghai Pudong airport (PVG) the following day at 4 pm. On the return, the flight departs Shanghai at 1 pm and arrives at SFO at 9:30 am. Three days a week, the flight offers continuing service to Wuhan (pop 10 million), a central Chinese city many refer to as “the Chicago of China.” At the festive inaugural dinner at the Westin St Francis, I learned that China Eastern offers two types of business class seats on its Airbus A330-200—one type is the angled lie flight, the other is a true lie flat (180 degrees flat). China Eastern’s San Francisco manager Charlie Gu assured me that the San Francisco flight will always get the newer plane with the true lie-flat seats. It has to, if it plans on competing for business travelers with United since the deployment of its excellent new business class product on SFO-PVG nonstops. Every seat on China Eastern’s A330 (coach and business) has personal seatback entertainment systems and access to AC plugs. China Eastern is the second largest carrier in China (after Air China), and flies a relatively young fleet—with an average age of just seven years. SFO joins New York, Los Angeles and Honolulu as the fourth US city served by China Eastern—although, oddly, the airline does not have a US website. China Eastern is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, which offers Delta flyers a new way to earn and burn points on flights to burgeoning China. We’ll provide an in depth look at the new China Eastern flight to Shanghai in a future post.

Passengers on United's inaugural Paris flight greet by a 12-ft Eiffel Tower & free French inspired food & drink. (Photo: United)

Passengers on United’s inaugural Paris flight greeted by a 12-ft Eiffel Tower & free French inspired food & drink. (Photo: United)

On Friday afternoon, United recommenced nonstop service between SFO and Paris-CDG. (United discontinued SFO-CDG nonstops in Oct 2005.) Flight 990 departs San Francisco daily at 2:45 p.m. and arrives at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10:45 a.m. the next day. For the return, flight 991 departs Paris at 10:05 a.m. and arrives in San Francisco at 1 p.m. the same day. United operates this new service with Boeing 767-300 aircraft, which offer 30 flat-bed business class seats, 49 seats in Economy Plus and 135 seats in standard economy. The BusinessFirst cabin (configured 2-1-2) includes 15.4-inch touchscreen monitors for personal on-demand entertainment, electrical and USB outlets, iPod jacks and five-course meals. Each seat in Economy features a 9-inch touchscreen with personal on-demand entertainment, and all rows (configured 2-3-2) include access to electrical outlets. Book and fly United to Paris by May 31, and you’ll earn some tidy Mileage Plus bonuses. Air France is currently the only other carrier offering nonstops between SFO and Paris. Paris-based XL Airways offers summer season SFO-CDG flights.

UNITED HIKES CHANGE FEE TO $200. In what appears to be a poorly timed slap in the face to customers just coming off a year a dismal performance by United, the carrier has increased its fee to make changes to nonrefundable tickets by a whopping $50. That means if you want to change a domestic ticket, you’ll now pay $200 (plus any change in fare) for the honor. Want to change an international ticket? That will now be $300, thank you. Shortly after United hiked its fees, US Airways matched, which likely means its future merger partner American will follow suit. That leaves Delta as the hold out, but it’s probably waiting a bit to hike fees after taking so much heat for changing its same-day change fee last week. As we all know, Southwest does not charge change fees at all, but passengers do have to pay any difference in fare if it has increased from the time of purchase. Alaska Airlines and Virgin America still charge a much more reasonable $100 change fee. Is the $200 fee enough to make you switch away from United? Please leave your comments below.

A LOOK AT TERMINAL 3 PROGRESS. SFO has produced a video providing a virtual hardhat tour of the new Boarding Area E at United’s Terminal 3, which is due to open earlier next year. Some interesting facts picked up in the video: The glassy new terminal should be as nice or nicer than SFO’s award winning Terminal 2 (home to Virgin America and American). Expect very wide corridors, high ceilings, giant picture windows with dramatic ramp views, a new “information terrace” at the entryway, environmentally sustainable design and local food vendors.

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MEGA-MILE BONUS SITES GET FUNDING. Remember when we wrote about mega-miles bonus sites Pointshound and RocketMiles last month? Seems like venture capitalists think the sites are on to something. This morning, TravelSkills received a note from RocketMiles announcing that the six-month old company raised $2 million in its first round of external financing.

GET FLIRTY ON VIRGIN AMERICA. You see that hottie in the boarding area and try to establish eye contact. Bingo! You got “the look” back! You get onboard and see the object of your desire a few rows ahead of you. Instead of posting a “missed connection” on Craigslist (and hoping for the best), a new service from Virgin America allows you to send a drink to someone via its seatback entertainment and food ordering system. Locate that hottie on the seatmap, choose a cocktail, and then send it over to them, then follow up with a text message via the system’s seat-to-seat communications platform. (Have a few minutes? Then check out this hilarious Asian animation of the new Virgin service.)

SPEAKING OF VIRGIN AMERICA. South Bay and Peninsula dwellers should be happy to note that Virgin America’s new four-times-daily nonstops between San Jose International and LAX crank up on May 1. Why suffer on another carrier’s cramped RJ when you can jump on Virgin’s mod A320 and send the hottie across the aisle a cocktail? Virgin will be entering the very crowded San Jose-LAX run, which is already served by five carriers: Low fare leader Southwest , United (which dominates the Bay Area) as well as American, Delta and Alaska Airlines. Southwest flies a one-class 737 on the hour-or-so long route, Delta, United and American fly regional jets, and Alaska uses a turbo-prop. Virgin is offering a two-for-one sale on SJC-LAX flights through May 31.

STATUS OF SFO’s LONG TERM PARKING LOT? From TravelSkills reader Damian: Chris, I love TravelSkills! Have you written about the SFO Long Term Parking garage? It has had floor closures for a couple years and is now empty. One parks outside or even gets a pass to go to short term parking at the same rate. Does the garage have structural problems? Seems like it should be a scandal. Perhaps this is old news but in poking around on the Web I didn’t happen to find anything.” Having noticed the same thing…and wondered, we contacted SFO, and spokesperson Doug Yakel helped clear things up. He said, “The level closures in the Long-Term Garage are part of an ongoing, pre-planned schedule to accomplish routine maintenance. This includes pressure washing, restriping of ground markings and light bulb replacements. Only one floor is closed at a time for this work, and the work is scheduled to ensure all levels are open during peak demand periods such as the holiday travel season. We also monitor occupancy rates to ensure the appropriate match of supply and demand, and modify closure schedules if needed.”

ANA’s expansive true lie-flat business class seat on its Boeing 787 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

787 UPDATE. As you may recall, ANA’s important new nonstops from San Jose to Tokyo-NRT were waylaid by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner grounding, forcing all passengers to fly via SFO. While the FAA and Japanese authorities have given a conditional green light to new flights, ANA says it will begin by “replacing existing batteries with new batteries, changing to new battery chargers and installing new battery containment boxes and venting system. The improvements will require approximately one week per aircraft, with work on all seventeen aircraft scheduled to be completed by the end of May.” After that will be new crew training and a series of heavily monitored “proving flights.” This week, an ANA spokesperson told TravelSkills that it should have a firm date for the resumption of SJC-NRT by May 9. How would you feel about flying on a Dreamliner across the Pacific? Please leave your comments below.

GET AROUND SFO CEASE & DESIST. The smart guys at FlightCar have found a way around the airport’s recent cease and desist order pushing it and other new-fangled airport transport options such as Lyft off airport property. Now, instead of dropping your car off with a FlightCar attendant at the airport, you drop your car at its off-airport lot, and then a licensed black car brings you to your terminal. When you land, you call FlightCar and the black car is sent to pick you up and brings you back to your car. Have you tried FlightCar? Should unlicensed transportation serviced be allowed at SFO? Leave your comments below.

—Chris McGinnis

***

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