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At LAX: New United terminal, Qantas hangar, American & Delta swap

January 31, 2017

A new home for Qantas’ lumbering jets at LAX (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

United is said to be looking for more space – perhaps a new terminal – at Los Angeles International; also at LAX, American and Delta shift some gates and Qantas finally opens a big new hangar out by the beach.

United Airlines President Scott Kirby told pilots recently that the airline plans to increase its presence at Los Angeles International in the years ahead, in an effort to catch up with market share gains made there by American and Delta says Bloomberg News. (United’s share at LAX is estimated at 15 percent, vs. 16 for Delta and 20 for American.) But to do that, he said United will need more terminal space – either in existing terminals or in a new terminal. He referred to a possible Terminal 9, Bloomberg said.

An old plan for LAX shows a Terminal 9 linked to Concourse 8 by a bridge, and a commuter terminal. (Image: GPA Architects)

That was apparently a reference to a long-dormant plan at LAX to build a terminal across Sepulveda Boulevard from the existing Concourse 8, with a passenger bridge over the roadway connecting the two terminals. If so, it would add even more construction hassles to the already huge agenda for expansion at the airport. United currently uses Terminal 7’s Concourses 7 and 8, and it has been carrying out a big renovation project there, including the recent opening of a new United Club.

Last week Qantas opened its new state-of-the-art hangar– the first to be built at LAX in the last 20 years. It is capable of fitting an A380 completely inside either nose- or tail-in. It is also capable of accommodating other aircraft types including the B747 and 787 Dreamliner (entering service later this year). It also includes the carrier’s corporate office space and ground support equipment facilities. It’s located WAY out on the western edge of airport grounds by the beach– you’ll get a good gander of it on the rare occasion flights land from the west. In the video above, watch how Qantas carefully parks a big A380 in its new digs. Qantas’ old hangar was recently demolished to make way for a big extension of the Tom Bradley International Terminal- more about that here.

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In other LAX news, the airport announced that effective January 31, American Airlines is shifting four boarding gates and its American Eagle shuttle bus gate from Terminal 6 to Terminal 5. The new AA T5 gates are 50A, 50B, 53A, 53B and 52 (the shuttle bus gate). As for the gates American is leaving in T6, Delta will take them over temporarily, the airport said. “This is the first step in the months-long process that will eventually relocate all of Delta’s operations from its current Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3, as soon as this May,” a spokesman said.

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Are seatback screens becoming obsolete?

January 25, 2017

Seatback screens are still staying on American wide-bodies like this 787 -- for now. (Image: American)

Seatback screens are still staying on American Airlines wide-bodies like this 787 — for now. (Image: American)

American Airlines has decided to do without seatback video screens in its newest single-aisle planes, and it is betting that passengers won’t care.

The carrier is due to take delivery of its first four next-generation 737 MAX aircraft this year – it has ordered a total of 100 – and they will come without the traditional seatback screens. American will still offer the screens on wide-bodies used for international routes, for its three-class A321Ts used on lucrative transcontinental routes, and on some other single-aisle aircraft, including 40 A321s and other 737 models due for delivery this year.

Instead of using seatback screens, passengers on the new 737 MAX planes will be able to see entertainment programming on their personal electronic devices, the airline said in a memo to employees.

The carrier said more than 90 percent of AA passengers now bring along their own tablet, laptop or smartphone, and that passengers prefer to use those devices. The airline will allow passengers to access its collection of movies, TV programs and live TV at no charge.

Satellite-based Wi-Fi links will be available for a fee, so that passengers can stream on-demand video entertainment from other providers. All of American’s new 737 MAX aircraft, and several hundred of its other domestic planes, will be getting new satellite-based Wi-Fi technology from ViaSat, the same vendor used by JetBlue.

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Direct streaming to tablets and laptops will likely preclude the need for seatback video screens in the future. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new technology will permit much faster Wi-Fi for easy video streaming from sources like Netflix and Amazon. The ViaSat Wi-Fi should be on about half of AA’s single-aisle fleet by mid-2018.

American hasn’t decided yet whether it will extend the “no screens” policy to other aircraft types in the future. But its memo to employees did say that the company expects seatback monitors to be “obsolete within a few years.”

Other carriers seem to be taking the same approach; United’s new 737-900s rely on entertainment streaming without video screens, and Alaska also uses streaming-only in-flight entertainment, although on longer flights it offers rental tablets that are preloaded with movie and TV programming.

Readers: Do you care if your domestic flight has a seatback screen as long as you can stream entertainment directly to your laptop or tablet at a reasonable speed?

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Delta: Bad behavior gets you banned for life

November 28, 2016

You won’t see this guy on any more Delta flights. (Image: Emma Baum/Facebook)

>Delta bans disruptive passenger for life, refunds fares to all passengers on Atlanta-Allentown flight

Following a major embarrassment on the Internet over the past few days, Delta Air Lines is cracking down on passenger behavior aboard its aircraft.

The embarrassment involved a very vocal Donald Trump supporter on a Delta flight from Atlanta to Allentown last week; the passenger stood up in the aisle and chanted “Trump,” peppering his outburst with profanity and a reference to “Hillary bitches.” The problem for Delta: Another passenger made a video of the rant and posted it on Facebook, where its viewership quickly passed the 2 million mark.

The ranting passenger was not removed from the flight, to the dismay of others who found his behavior seriously offensive. As a result, Delta CEO Ed Bastian felt compelled to issue a public apology and is also refunding passengers on the flight for the cost of their tickets.

“This individual displayed behavior that was loud, rude and disrespectful to his fellow customers,” Bastian said. “After questioning the customer, our team members made the best decision they could, given the information they had, and allowed him to remain on the flight. However, if our colleagues had witnessed firsthand what was shown in the video, there is no question they would have removed him from the aircraft. He will never again be allowed on a Delta plane.”

He said the airline is committed to “acknowledging our mistakes so we can learn from them,” and noted that all passengers on that flight have been given a refund and an apology. “The heightened tension in our society means that now more than ever we must require civility on our planes and in our facilities.”

Still, you have to wonder – what would Delta have done in the absence of a viral video of the incident? What would you have done if you witnessed an outburst like this?

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A new Jennifer Aniston ad from Emirates

October 5, 2016

A new Emirates ad with Jennnifer Aniston debuts this week (Image: Emirates / YouTube)

Today Emirates rolled out a brand new Jennifer Anniston ad– this time, it does not include a shower. Instead, it focuses on a kid.

It’s a cute commercial, but there is a lot of fantasy in it. Like a kid (seated in economy, downstairs on an A380) allowed to crawl around first class cabins on the upper deck. And how Jennifer Anniston allows the kid’s mom to fly in her first class cabin while she sits in the middle of the middle in economy. Try doing that on your next flight!

But nonetheless, it’s a nice diversion and likely to drum up a lot of interest.

Take a spin through the 1.5 minute ad and let us know what you think!

What’s even more interesting about this is that Emirates also created a behind-the-scenes video about how the commercial was shot and produced in Los Angeles. Check that out here.

Please let us know what you think about the new Emirates advertisement in the comments below.

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6 highly annoying habits of infrequent fliers

June 20, 2016

Even some very frequent travelers can be irritating during peak summer travel season (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Last week on an interminable six-hour flight from New York back to San Francisco, I sat next to a very irritating passenger. While it is usually IN-frequent fliers that get under my skin, this guy was a United Global Services member– a status he let me know about as soon as he sat down.

He’d missed his previous flight, and was forced to sit in a middle seat in Economy Plus on my flight. He immediately flapped his arms out to take full control of the armrests and wedged his knees into my knee space. Then he proceeded to harass flight attendants for the duration of the flight by (I kid you not) pushing the call button at least four times to lodge complaints, make demands or ask inane questions: Why is the in-seat power not working? Please reset it. The seatback map is only in Spanish- can you tell me what time we are landing? I’m Global Services, and get a free meal, so don’t charge me. Another cup of water. Do you have any aspirin? It went on and on. And when we landed at SFO, he asked if I’d let him out first so he could exit before everyone else catch his connecting flight (even tho we’d landed ontime). Arrgh!

Over time, most frequent travelers adopt an unruffled, zen-like attitude when it comes to flying. But at times, especially during the peak summer travel season (which starts this week), infrequent flyers tend to exhibit certain behaviors that get under their skin.

Below are my top six irritants. What are yours?

Tap, tap, tap…hello? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

1) Seatback tappers- You know, the ones who repeatedly tap-tap-tap on the seatback entertainment screen to play games, change channels or who knows what. Since they don’t fly much, they don’t realize how irritating it is for the person in front of them to feel that constant knock that hits square on the back of the head. As soon as you think they’ve quit, it starts over again. After about 15 minutes, I’ll turn around and give ’em an arched eyebrow… what about you?

My most famous foot photo, ever (Chris McGinnis)

2) Feet people- These travelers must think their pink toes are cute, but their seat mates think they are pretty gross. Pack your flip flops in your carry on and wear shoes and socks on the plane, please. On long, overnight flights, it’s fine to remove shoes, but please put them back on when going to the lavatory (that’s not just water on the floor in there…). And when you get back to your seat, never, ever prop those puppies up on the wall, tray table, armrest or elsewhere.

Knee room in economy on Cathay Pacific's B777-300ER (Chris McGinnis)

Not so fast with that recline, buster! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

3) Pushy recliners- These folks can do real damage to an open laptop, or knock a drink right out of your hand and into your lap. They apply full backward pressure on the seatback, and then POW! They discover that that funny little button is what makes the seat go back– and right into your personal space. I can’t say this with complete authority, but from what I observe, most frequent travelers no longer recline their seats unless they are on an overnight flight. Do you still recline?

4) Aisle hogs- During boarding, these are the folks who think they can yank their overstuffed wheelie-bag down the aisle, and act surprised when it doesn’t fit and they keep running into seats and knees. Pick the bag up already, and get down the aisle! There are 150 people behind you! And once you’ve stuffed that monster into the bin, don’t go back and block the aisle while you fetch your magazines or iPod. Sit down in your seat and get outta the way. You can go back to your bag after we take off.

Here’s an good video that cleverly describes much of what I’m talking about– especially funny are parts about the various odors emitted by irritating passengers:

5) Boarding line breakers- These are the novices who act like they are deaf or don’t speak English, or can’t read when gate agents are boarding by zone, and wander into the zone 1 group when they are actually in zone 5. What are even more irritating are gate agents who don’t pay attention and let these slouches board anyway. Back off, Jack!

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6) Typhoid Marys- Most frequent travelers know that when they are in tiny tubes darting through the stratosphere, they should keep their germs to themselves. (See feet above.) Most infrequent travelers haven’t learned that yet, and sneeze or cough without covering. And by covering I mean sneezing or coughing into a sleeved elbow, handkerchief or Kleenex. NOT a bare hand, which just re-directs the spray sideways. These are the same folks who grab their bags in overhead bins by the wheels (which have rolled through all kinds of muck), and then touch seatbacks, tray tables, armrests, light switches or air vents. If you are seated by the window, these are also the hands passing drinks and food to you. Yuck! Bring on the Purell and the face masks!

Good idea: A new device that helps divide arm rest space

Okay, now that I’ve let off some steam, it’s time for me to retreat back into my frequent traveler zen skin and to remember that now’s the time to offer tolerance (and maybe even help) to the infrequent flyers, especially during this peak travel season. All of us were novices at this game at one time…

But… what about you? What habits of infrequent flyers irritate you most? Please leave your comments below!

–Chris McGinnis

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers | First class phase out coming soon

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United unveils new business class, dumps first

June 2, 2016

A typical window seat in United's new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

A typical window seat in United’s new Polaris international business class. (Image: United)

December 1 is the launch date for what United Airlines is calling a ”reimagined international travel experience” – the carrier’s long-awaited new business class, which will come with some new airport lounges as well.

United is calling the new cabins “Polaris Business Class” and they’ll start to appear in December on the airline’s 777-300ERs, and later on its new 787-10s and A350-1000s. United said its 767-300s and 777-200s will be retrofitted with the new cabins and that the fleet-wide retrofit is a “multi-year process” that we expect to take up to three years. United’s current first class product will disappear with the retrofit. So will those controversial rear-facing, four-across BusinessFirst seats.

Also on December 1, United will cut the ribbon on a new Polaris business class airport lounge at Chicago O’Hare, the first of nine such installations. Others will be coming at Los Angeles International, San Francisco, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Newark, Washington Dulles, Tokyo Narita, London Heathrow and Hong Kong, United said.

New business class seats will recline up to 180 degrees. (Image: United)

The new Polaris business seats, custom-designed for United, come in “forward-facing, suite-like pods,” the airline said. They all offer aisle access and 180-degree lie-flat recline. The seat dimensions are 6 feet 6 inches long and 22 inches wide. A spokesperson told TravelSkills that “bed length, width, side furniture and storage are all in line with Global First today.”

Passengers will find 16-inch high-def video screens, mood lighting, and the perfect level of seat recline achieved via a wheel instead of a button (something we first saw on the Hawaiian Air biz class rollout last week), along with multiple storage areas and surfaces for simultaneous working and dining.(Always a difficult feat to do both so will be interesting to try this!)

For those traveling with companions, the two seats in the center of the cabin will have electronic privacy dividers. And another nice touch: All seats have toggled do-not-disturb notifications.

Improved in-flight menus are designed by the Chicago-based Trotter Group. (Image: United)

Other enhancements to business class will include new custom-designed luxury bedding from Saks Fifth Avenue; free pajamas and “cooling gel filled pillows” on flights longer than 12 hours; new amenity kits; and upgraded in-flight menus and wine selections.

“In-flight service will also include made-to-order signature ice cream sundaes, a dessert cart with a variety of petit dessert options, chocolate truffles and wine flights. On daytime flights longer than eight hours and on all flights longer than 12 hours, hot mid-flight snacks such as lobster macaroni and cheese will be available,” United said.

Seats come with innovative storage spaces and new amenity kits. (Image: United)

The new Polaris airport lounges will feature new custom chairs, private daybeds, spa showers, and hot meals “served in a boutique restaurant setting” so travelers can dine before boarding if they want. Private seating stations in the lounges come with pull-out desks, induction chargers, AC/USB ports and table-mounted lamps.

Polaris lounges offer some private seating spaces for work and device recharging. (Image: United)

The airline has created a special website at www.United.com/Polaris to introduce all the features of the new cabins and lounges. It also offers a virtual tour of the cabin via YouTube video.

So dear readers…. what do you think? What do you like…or not like about this? Please leave your comments below.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s newest, longest flight + Tipping Uber drivers + Qantas 747 Trip Report + Confusion over PreCheck policies + No-fee earlier flights

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Most popular: Airline ticketing tricks + Alaska/Virgin + NZ deal + 787 + California corridor

April 10, 2016

Delta among major airlines pushing pricing shenanigans on multi-city trips (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1> Airlines hosing us again? Warning: Be careful pricing multi-leg trips (readers sound off in comments!)

2> More new Routes: Southwest, American, United, Alaska, JetBlue

3> Consolidation drama Alaska Airlines + Virgin America: What you need to know now / Reactions to Alaska Virgin merger vary widely

4> Stunner- Deal alert: US to New Zealand for $898 roundtrip! (book by April 14)

KLM’s new 787-9 Dreamliner (Photo: KLM)

5> Blue bird! KLM’s first 787 Dreamliner route to U.S. (photos)

6> Positive reader comments on this: New California corridor small-jet service: $109 each way

7> Some worse than others 8 European cities most affected by terrorism

8> America’s most unloved airport: United could face more competition at Newark

9> SPG not for everyone: Starwood surprise in latest JD Power survey

10> Sorry, folks. Seat size regulation killed in Congress

In this CBS 5 TV interview, Chris likens the the Alaska-Virgin merger to combining IBM & Apple. And don’t say anything about his ski-burned face! He was straight off the sunny Lake Tahoe slopes 🙂

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Relax. No combined Marriott-Starwood loyalty program until 2018

New: US Embassy in Turkey warns Americans in Istanbul, elsewhere

Why the heck is United flying a new 787 Dreamliner between LAX and Newark?

How to get the best flight deal to Europe

Delta shuts down, moves @DeltaAssist Twitter handle

Confessions of an airport thief

Inside the big bright new Queen’s Terminal (T2) at London Heathrow (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

World’s two busiest air routes? Surprising answer

United, Delta drop plan for JFK-Newark slot swap

How airlines are using post-booking emails to sell things to customers

Atlanta’s airport looks for ways to speed up security screening lines

Poll: Most hotel guests go online within seven minutes of checking in

These design innovations could improve the air travel experience

New study rates airports’ Wi-Fi performance

Survey finds road warriors are stressed out by international trips

Company develops 21-inch seatback touchscreens

Most popular Instagram photo this week is a photo of a photo on the wall at San Francisco International- an overhead shot of SFO’s international terminal in the 1960s.

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About that rash…

July 23, 2015

This parody of a recent Airbnb ad is going viral this week (Image: YouTube)

Airbnb’s new television ad campaign titled “Is Mankind” featuring a cute baby and soothing voice-over is well done, and evokes plenty of warm fuzzies about travel and booking on Airbnb.

An Airbnb blog post introducing the ad states, “As we grow older, we’re often nervous about new experiences. When we go to a new place, many of us are afraid that we won’t be accepted, that we’ll feel lost or alone. When you fear the unknown and avoid strangers, it’s easy to question Man’s kindness.”

But a lot of folks think it’s kinda creepy, and the campaign’s rollout on TV and in social media is getting a mixed response.

This week, one company went so far as to create a parody of the ad, featuring an aging, overweight man (in the same role as the baby) and a similarly soothing voice over, which is hilarious.

Take a look at the original ad, and the parody ad, and let us know what you think.

Watch this warm ‘n fuzzy ad from Airbnb:

And then watch this parody ad– and let us know if you still feel warm and fuzzy.

The parody ad appears on the AdHoc channel on YouTube, which “presents parodies, from people who love to hate (on) ads. Brought to you by Portal A [http://portal-a.com].”

Based on all the attention the ad is getting, we are wondering if Airbnb might have produced it knowing that it might elicit such a response, and expand its reach beyond just TV.

Thoughts, please!

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: Avoiding long customs & immigration lines + UberX, Lyft at LAX + Binge drinking on business? + More!

Flying next to Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two [VIDEO + PHOTOS]

November 1, 2014

We took a ride in a Virgin America jet for one of the first looks at Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 over Marin County in 2011. Click to see video (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

We took a ride in a Virgin America jet for one of the first looks at Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 over Marin County in 2011. It’s the center portion– the “space ship” that crashed. Scroll down to see video (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Last week Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Two crashed in the Mojave desert. One pilot died in the crash, another survived. Virgin Galactic is now absorbed with finding out exactly what happened and is posting regular updates about the crash on its Facebook page.

While the crash is a tragedy and setback for the ambitious program, it reminded me of one of the most spectacular flights I’ve ever taken.

On a bright spring day in 2011, Virgin America was celebrating the opening of its brand new Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport. In typical Virgin style, it was a big to-do. Richard Branson was there. So was Buzz Aldrin and his wife. California Lt Governor Gavin Newsom, too. There were also plenty of airport dignitaries and a handful of lucky media, like TravelSkills!

We all boarded a Virgin America jet for a joy ride over the Bay Area– We had been told that Virgin Galactic’s spaceship might show up, too, so there was plenty of anticipation about how this was going to work…and what we might see up there.

Recent: How often do planes get washed? Surprising answer

We took a spectacular spin over the city and bay, then buzzed the Farrallon Islands west of the city out in the Pacific Ocean. Then, all of a sudden, we were asked to peer out the left side of the plane to see the spaceship appear off the left wing. Over the PA system, a flight attendant told everyone to disregard the fasten seat belt sign, and get over to the left side of the plane to see “the future of space travel.”

Luckily, I was already seated behind the wing on the left side, so I had a bird’s eye view of the fantastic sight and captured as much as I could in photos and video. What a sight it was! We circled around over the Pacific, then flew in over the Golden Gate Bridge, over Alameda and approached SFO from the south to land in tandem. Wow! Enjoy the photos below.

Scroll down for photos & video of the spaceship’s visit to the Bay Area in 2011.

Look closely at the photos and you’ll see that there are 3 “fuselages” on the aircraft. The center one is the “space ship” and it detaches from the vehicle (known as “White Knight”). White Knight landed safely; the space ship crashed.

Getting a new credit card could pay for your trip home for the holidays! Here are some smart options

Flying over San Francisco on a Virgin America joy ride (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over the Golden Gate Bridge on a Virgin America joy ride (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over Sausalito, CA. Look closely and you’ll see the “space ship” part of this aircraft in the middle– it detaches from the larger aircraft to shoot into space. That’s the part that crashed. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay– where Pan Am Clippers used to take off for Asia! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over Alameda on approach to SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Here’s a shot of the aircraft alongside the Virgin America jet from which we saw it out the window. This was at an event to celebrate the opening of SFO’s Terminal 2 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Latest news: Crash investigation could take up to a year.

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Holiday travel advice fit for a Queen

November 7, 2013

Holiday travel season usually mimics the peak summer travel season, which this year was VERY busy and VERY expensive, so I expect the same for the upcoming holiday season. Here’s some of the advice I offered viewers in a segment on The Queen Latifah Show (seriously!) this week. See below for details about the appearance…

· Best time to buy tickets- Due to high demand, there simply are not any “deals” on the peak days around Christmas and New Years this year. This year, travelers who want the most convenient flights on their preferred airlines need to book by Nov 10 to get seats on those flights…otherwise they will likely be stuck paying the same high price for “dog flights” that depart super early or late, middle seats, or multiple stops on non-preferred airlines. My favorite sites for booking air: Kayak.com and Routehappy.com

· Alternative travel options that people don’t think about- If you have the flexibility to travel during the slowest times of year, the so called “dead weeks” of early December and early January, you can save 50-70% on airfare. Best sites for deadweek deals: Hotwire.com, TravelZoo. Another alternative is to consider staying over in a hotel when visiting families during the holidays– rates at new hotels in or near suburban office parks are at annual lows during holidays, and facilities are nice. Having your own space at a hotel is a big relief for both the traveler and the host during the stressy holidays.

· Best days/times for traveling- Good news about this year’s holiday season is that it is LONGER than usual with Christmas and New Years falling on Wednesdays– the full season will be over two weeks long, which means more wiggle room for travelers. (Compared to a season when Xmas and New Years both fall on say, Sunday, which makes for a much more compact season)

· Luggage issues– Do not check bags during the holidays. If you have too much for a carry on, ship ahead of time, but do so at the “ground” rate at UPS or FEDEX. Shipping overnight or two-day is too expensive.

· Rewards. It’s nearly impossible to use airline frequent flyer awards during blacked out peak holiday season, so this is the time of year to focus on using credit card rewards such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards which do not have blackout dates. Also, hotel programs like Best Western Rewards offer non travel awards such as gift cards to big stores like Sears or Target that are perfect gifts

· How to make holiday travel less stressful— see above– stay at a hotel instead of on the lumpy sofa bed of your relatives. Rates are dirt cheap during holiday season. Also, always try to book nonstop flights because you double your chances of a delay or cancellation with a one stop flight, even though you might save a few bucks.

+++

Okay, so here’s how the whole Queen Latifah thing happened:

Last week, Queen Latifah called for holiday travel advice last week and Chris delivered!

Show producers flew TICKET editor Chris McGinnis to LAX, met him at the airport with Mercedes SUV transfers, and put him up at the Hotel Palomar in Westwood for one night.

Chris McGinnis and Queen Latifah on the Queen Latifah Show set in Los Angeles

On show day, more limo transfers to the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City for the taping of the seven-minute segment. The Queen provided my own private green room, with a small sofa, desk, snacks, bathroom. Other guests that day included Cloris Leachman and the Irish band Kodaline.

We taped the segment in front of a live audience from two first class airline seats in the middle of the set! the Queen was warm, personable and a LOT of fun (I expected no less!). Did you know that Queen Latifah’s real name is Dana Owens? That’s what everyone behind stage was calling her. (I just called her “your Majesty!)

Then a rush to LAX (thankfully the day before the incident at Terminal 3) and back home.

What a fun day!

—Chris McGinnis

*****

Airline safety (video) dance

October 29, 2013

Today Virgin America releases its new, long awaited, much anticipated pre-flight safety video. It’s the first time Virgin has updated its safety video since the droll animated cult classic that debuted with the airline in 2007. As a matter of fact, the flashy new video is a complete departure from the previous version. So fasten your seat belts!

To me, it looks like an episode from Glee, and I keep expecting Mr Schue to come in and quiet everyone down and get to the serious business of safety. It’s fun to watch and definitely gets my attention. (High point for me is at 3:32- the bit about not smoking, “don’t you do it!”) But since TravelSkills reader are frequent travelers… and will undoubtedly see this over and over again… I wonder how many times they’ll smile at it before they start to grimace… but who knows? Take a look, channel your inner Simon Cowell, and leave your comments below!

Screenshot of Virgin's clever animated safety video from 2007

Virgin America’s original safety video has been viewed 750,000 times on YouTube. Click here to see it.

This is the first time an airline has set an entire safety video to music and performed in dance. Virgin says that its in-flight operations and safety teams worked closely together, with Federal Aviation Administration oversight, to ensure all safety regulations and requirements were met throughout the process.

Bay Area native and movie director Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Step Up 2) shot the video in Los Angeles, using a cast of choreographers and characters including alums you may recognize from American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. (Hello, Todrick Hall!)

To celebrate the new video, the Virgin is launching a one-day “Buckle Up, To Get Down” special offer of up to 20%*off Virgin America flights for travel November 4, 2013- December 17, 2013 (restrictions apply). To get the deal, use the promo code GETDOWN on Virgin America’s website at www.virginamerica.com by midnight tonight. Photos, trailer and more info here: www.virginamerica.com/safetydance

So what do you think? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Do you like the old video or the new one better? Please leave your comments below.

—Chris McGinnis

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