Hop on board!

Have you ever traveled with a pet? Trains, cars, maybe planes? I am planning on getting a dog for my bf’s mom and that includes a train ride and two flights. Well, so far I have not picked out the dog yet but that’s the plan. It’s my last month here in Milan and between school, graduation, my final project, jobs’ hunting and being constantly on edge because of all things mentioned above I don’t have time for much else. Let’s just pretend this is not an issue. So I have to find a dog, small enough so it fits in the carry-on box.

Since I will be flying with SAS it means max 6 to 8 kg including the pet carrier. In the next 2 weeks my friend and I gonna go to the shelter and try to see if it will be possible. I kind of want to get a puppy labrador however knowing myself I’m gonna love all of them, doggies.

But back to pets and traveling. I have 2 cats back at home and whenever we travel, it’s like a mad house on the wheels. My mom refuses to fly and cats make a good excuse 😉 Both of them are usually incredibly terrified. One is a bit of traveler already, she went on trips with us pretty much since  she was a little kitty. The other surprises us with pi-pi and poo-poo within the first hour of drive. Then it gets a bit better, but just a teeny-weeny bit…

Getting on a plane with a pet is a bit more of a hassle. If it’s too big for carry-on then it has to be put in transfer and even though I feel reassured checking out animal lounge at Frankfurt airport I would be worried sick if I had to do it. That’s why I absolutely love the idea of pet airways. So far it launched only in the US but I hope it spreads to Europe soon. They have a special Beechcraft 1900 where animals travel in the main cabin with a trained pet attendant. It takes longer than a normal flight but they get to have potty breaks on the way and you get to pick up your Pawsenger at the pet lounge at your destination. Paw Airways have also Special Care Flight Program for puppies and kittens who need more attention than older ones. Moreover, what is really sweet, when you adopt a pet from the shelter and it has to be shipped you will get a 50% discount. Kudos!

I am looking forward to more ideas like this. How great would it be to sent a puppy all the way to Östersund with Pet Airways! For now, I will just make sure I can take it on board with me. And try my best to make it as comfy and relaxed as possible.

And here it is Virgin Atlantic on pets travel: 

Airport strikes and what-a-not

It’s been a couple of weeks since I flew the last time. I am not taking being cooped up in Milan too well. Anxiety builds up and I get way too hyper. Actually, since half of the Europe is still under snow cape I planned a little snowboarding gate-away but it has not really worked out. But hey, one good thing about not going anywhere these days is that I won’t get stuck in Frankfurt because of the GdF strike!

I am quite surprised it has been going on for so long! It started with some stoppages on Thursday and Friday last week and now they plan a full-blown strike starting from 5am on Monday. And lets hope it will finish in 24 hours. I guess we should appreciate that the Union did not follow with the strike during the weekend so the “nomad” people got to spend the weekend at home.

The quarrel between GdF trade union and Fraport (FRA airport) started after opening of the 4th runway at the airport. They demand a 50% increase in salaries since they feel “swarmed with work”. I think I am with Fraport on this but with air traffic controllers you want to be on the safe side. You spread them too thin and the chance of a crash suddenly becomes much more real.

More on the argument here: FT

Good luck with all your travels and if you happen to travel via FRA then be careful since 200 flights are estimated to be cancelled and many will be delayed. Remember to consult flight board and try not to overanalyze like I do 😉

Kids-free flying?

Children-free flights: Yes, No, Maybe?

It comes up every now and then, mostly on the forums concerning business flights. Usually people with kids get really offended and say that it leads to racism. The ones more open to discussion suggest noise canceling headphones. All nice and sweet but why should we be subjected to this? Have you ever been on the flight with a kid that was repeatedly hitting your seat for over 2 hours? With another one, sitting on his moms lap screaming his lungs out? No? Try it once.. Amazing feeling, especially early in the morning.

Let’s say that I am not exactly a kid person. Particularly not when on the plane. It is such a confining space, specifically on the small planes such as Fokker or ATR used on the regional routes. More often than not, I end up with couple of babies on board and unfortunately most of them scream, bug everyone around all the time, push the seats, stick their fingers in your hair and ask you constantly what are you doing. Also, parents usually turn mute and treat it like it’s all perfectly fine, the kids will always be kids.

However, I usually don’t act on it. The truth is there are kids that are perfectly quiet and nice on the plane, even the toddlers. Couple of years ago, I flew on a plane from Innsbruck to Amsterdam with a couple with a baby that was not even 1-year-old. The moment they sat next to me, the mother said that they are very sorry if they will inconvenience me in any way. Also, during the whole journey the toddler was very peaceful. Maybe it was an exception but I think it all depends a lot on the parents. Of course, not everything and there are kids that cry because that’s how it is. But just because of that it would be great if there were couple of children-free flights. Maybe just one or two per day, the ones departing around 6 – 8 am, typically full of people flying for work.

What do you think?

*http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1352779/BA-Virgin-Atlantic-Emirates-urged-ban-children-adult-flights.html

From Lufthansa with Love

Times flies so fast! For everyone who is caught up in their own world like I am now, a little reminder – it’s only 7 days until Valentines Day! I never really liked that day, since usually what everyone sees is the commercial side of it. “Special” gifts, hearts everywhere and this peer pressure to do something and be with somebody. But let’s not focus on the annoying part, let’s use this day to think about our loved ones – not only “this special one”, but our friends and family. It’s all too easy to forget about them in a hectic, everyday life.

And if you want to win a little something for a person you love the most, Lufthansa is organizing a competition – 500 roses for your Valentine. All you have to do is “like” their lufthansa cargo page on Facebook, post a picture about love and write why do you want to win 🙂

 

 

Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/lufthansacargoag?sk=app_301933163192593

How much of a jet setter are you?

I have been browsing through one of the Economists blogs – Gulliver on traveling and flying, and stumbled upon this Road Warrior quiz. My score was:

Frequent flyer status: Silver

It might seem like you’re on the road a lot, but compared to others, it’s really not that bad. You’re one of the lucky ones – an employee who gets a change of scenery on an occasional basis, but not so much that it disrupts your routine.

A bit disappointing since I expected something better than that. But then I travel mostly for pleasure not business and rarely there is one frequent route or one particular airline.

And here is another one..

First Spanair and now Malev…..

European crisis is eating up new companies every other day now. Although, the airlines’ industry wasn’t fairing too well for quite some time already. Rising fuel prices, price conscious customers, money lost during the icelandic volcano eruption back in 2010 and fierce competition from low cost carriers all put together are making it really tough for traditional airlines. And when the state stops backing up its flagging national carrier the situation can turn disastrous and leave thousands of people stranded at the airports mirroring Spanair collapse just a week ago!

Malev stopped operating after couple of its planes were kept by the debtors to insure that they will get back their money. Hungarian national carrier had been forced last month to pay back 130mln euro of state aid that was deemed illegal.

However, there is a window of opportunity for low-cost airlines. Norwegian and Wizzair offered special offers for stranded passengers of both Spanair and Malev. Also, Ryanair is opening 31 routes in and out of Hungary trying to cut a piece a cake for itself.

*source: http://www.euronews.net/2012/02/03/passengers-stuck-after-hungary-s-malev-collapses/

More information on deals from Wizzair and Norwegian here: http://wizzair.com/malev/ and http://www.norwegian.no/viktig

Norwegian offers special bookings – for Spanair only until tomorrow (the 5th of February) and for Malev until 12th of February. All bookings must be made via their  Contact Centre by phone: +47 21490015.

In Wizzair case “rescue fares can be accessed online or by calling the Wizz Air call centre at +36 1 358 6565. To reach assistance in English please call: +48 22 351 94 92”

I want to be a pilot too!

Since Lufthansa is my favorite airline and I happen to like FC Bayern too, here is a little video for you to enjoy 🙂 It’s also for all of us who always dreamed about becoming a pilot and for those lucky ones who managed to make this dream come true.

Myself, I have started a pilot course in 2010 in Lausanne but never finished 😦 Combining intensive studies with flying classes and the theory turned out to be impossible. One problem was the fact that only two schools over there provide theory in the classroom and in both cases it is done in French. Even though I am quite comfortable when it comes to French, I prefer studying in English. The other issue was that the classes at Lausanne airport started already and they were already full. The school I went to, Air-Espace, offered only the option of e-learning and one could consult teachers whenever something turned to be confusing but first of all it was super expensive and second of all I did not find it very motivating. In the end I signed up for external theory course back at home, for 1/10th of the swiss price, received the book and hopefully one day I will do the exam and could fly for real. But for sure the experience when you are actually “flying” the plane is exhilarating.

Flying schools in Switzerland that I would recommend: Aéroclub de Genève at Geneva private airport and Groupement de Vol à Moteur in Lausanne. And here is the list of all of the schools in the country: http://www.nelly.ch/14motorschools.html