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AIR & BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS

A WEEKLY NEWS REVIEW PUBLISHED EVERY MONDAY
PO Box 1315, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 1PU, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1707 665454
All enquiries: info (AT) abtn (DOT) co.uk

BREAKING NEWS is that British Airways says it has complied with a BAA
directive to cancel 20% of its flights today (Monday 14 August) at
Heathrow. The instruction, which applies to all airlines operating at
the airport, is a result of continuing congestion following last
week?s security problems. BA anticipates that it will operate a full
European and long haul schedule from Gatwick. However all 26 domestic
flights departing today, excluding those to Jersey, are cancelled. On
Sunday CEO Willie Walsh issued a statement in which he strongly
criticised the BAA Heathrow performance. Ryanair was also in the
blaming mood the Irish airline complaining that the UK government has
been heavy handed. easyJet (on Sunday evening) said that they planned
to operate a full schedule today. British Airways web site states the
flight situation but the two budget carriers seem to be less
forthcoming with news. The BAA site sets out very clearly the
restrictions regarding what you can or cannot carry on board.
http://www.baa.com

AEROSPACE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR ? the winners
BANGKOK AIRPORT ? the date gets nearer
BOEING ? narrow bodies get bigger
BRITISH AIRWAYS ? refunds available
CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS ? celebrations
DUBLIN ? Irish airline boost
GUILD OF TRAVEL MANAGEMENT COMPANIES ? more business
HEATHROW EXPRESS ? rejuvenate
ISLE OF MAN ? new route
JET2.COM ? expansion
MAXJET AIRWAYS ? more aircraft
MIDLAND MAINLINE ? on line facility
MONARCH SCHEDULED ? the future
NO MOBILE ? or rather, yes mobile
ORION PACIFIC? grounded
QATAR AIRWAYS ? live TV
RAK AIRWAYS ? 2007
SKYEUROPE ? seats
TORONTO CITY AIRPORT ? update
VIRGIN ATLANTIC ? what is the question?

ON TOUR: Seattle
INCIDENTALLY: In-Flight Service Australian Style

COMMENT: Not a Good Week for the Air Travel Industry

If you were a manufacturer of roller luggage last week is one that you
would like to forget. Don?t judge the events of what happened in the
UK as a British problem. The anarchists, and the rogue states that
support them, know no national barriers. They might try and attack
London one day, Paris another and then perhaps some remote city in
China. From a commercial point of view the knock on effect appears to
be bad news for Heathrow as the hub of the world?s international
airlines, but in fact it is a global crisis.

The comments that follow relate to business travel but the draconian
measures that the British government quite rightly introduced last
Thursday affect all who use scheduled airline services. The old saying
about the rich getting richer and the poor poorer is true here too.
The booming executive jet market will now grow even faster whilst
those at the back of a long haul aircraft will find life even more
tiresome. The cost of air travel has reduced dramatically over the
years. We all want to do it in comfort and as safely as possible.
Brilliant engineers have made the aircraft safe. Sadly the lunatics
have escaped the asylum. It is nothing about religion. The Nazis did
not care who they destroyed, nor Stalin. Or for that matter the
tyrants of history. The war in Iraq is a civil war fuelled by its
neighbour. The 21st century despots have to be beaten for us all to
live in a civilised world.

For the business traveller the current loss of the hand luggage
facility is serious. We all travel with the roller bags which not only
contain the inevitable laptop and hard copy working material, but
often our clothes and personal effects. The old check-in system is
being eliminated by the use of online services. Every traveller,
except for the shortest of short haul, will now need to drop off his
luggage and gain a receipt. More queues. We don?t trust the airports?
baggage facilities. We often need to make quick connections at the
other end, or we require to be out of the airport as speedily as
possible. No waiting at the luggage belt for us. If it is in business
class that we travel the amenities bag will help but for the vast
majority no such luxury is provided. For the hard working cabin crews
the effect is greater. Whilst we sometimes feel envious of the
five-star hotels they may stay in, the last thing they need is to wait
for their luggage too at the end of a transatlantic flight with a
return journey 24 hours away.

Praise must also be added here to the security services worldwide.
They are always in a ?no win? situation but it does seem that they
have done remarkably well. The government too has made some tough
decisions.

Sure things haven?t gone 100%. When do they ever in stories like this?
Airports are cracking at their seems, staff are being pushed to their
limits and domestic and international travellers are having to wait in
long queues in stuffy airports not always well informed. Our thanks to
everyone who has had to put up with so much this week but just carried
on. But surely it?s worth it? Unlike the majority of the British press
we will not moan and moan about these things. It is a small price to
pay for democracy.

The past week will hopefully be a learning experience for all. It will
be expected that sometime in the next couple of months the
stakeholders in the contingency plan arrangements will sit down
together and ask themselves what they can learn, if, unfortunately,
rather inevitably, there is another attempted attack such as this. And
some of the minutiae of the plans will change.

Good will come out of the problems that beset us. New technology will
for the most part eliminate body searches. Knowing that their hand
baggage is to be more thoroughly searched people will travel with
less. All this will speed up security.

Flying has got safer over the years as technology and engineering has
improved. We have to be vigilant to ensure that it continues that way.
In every generation there have been anarchists. They must not win.

Malcolm Ginsberg
___________________________________________________________________

AEROSPACE JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR award ceremony at the Royal Courts of
Justice, held during Farnborough Week, was a great improvement on
previous occasions although the presenter, Rob Brydon, a genial TV
personality who seemed to know his aviation, was difficult to hear.
And that?s not because he is Welsh. Those near to him were laughing.
Flight International, the UK aerospace publication did particularly
well with awards for its daily at Farnborough and reporters Justin
Wantage (best air transport), Gunter Endres (best financial), Gunter
Endres and North America based Guy Norris for the ?Decade of
Excellence? award. Michael Dornheim, Senior Engineering Editor ?
Aviation Week & Space and Technology, who passed away during 2006, was
named Journalist of the Year.
http://www.ajoya.com/winners.vc?year=2006

BANGKOK AIRPORT?S saga continues and travellers to and from Thailand
should be aware that things might change over the next few weeks. The
current position is that restricted domestic flights should start from
the new Suvarnabhumi airport on Thursday 28 September with the
existing Don Muang closing down two weeks later when international
services move. Charter, VIP, private and military flights will
continue for the time being at Don Muang.
http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com

BOEING has rolled out the latest version of the 737, the -900ER, a
heritage that in terms of fuselage cross section dates back to the
original 707 which first flew in 1957. With a new pair of exit doors
and a flat rear-pressure bulkhead maximum capacity has been raised to
215 in a single-class layout, not far short of the similar, and now
out of production, 757. The aircraft is capable of flying non-stop US
coast to coast. Jakarta-based Lion Air was the first customer with an
order for 30 aircraft last year, which was doubled in the June just
gone. In addition Continental Airlines, Sky Airlines, Futura
International Airways and Excel Airways also have aircraft on order.
http://www.boeing.com

BRITISH AIRWAYS has gone one step further than the vast majority of
airlines with a facility to actually get refunds for cancelled flights
online. Customers are told of flight problems using a ?disruption
notification tool?, which sends emails and text messages on cancelled
services and it includes their BA booking reference and requests that
they go online or contact the airline or travel agent. It comes at a
particularly good time with the Heathrow disruptions as some
passengers on flights cancelled more than 48 hours before departure
are automatically booked on to the nearest available service. Unlike
some similar offerings from competitors, with the BA scheme you can
actually get your money back! http://www.ba.com

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS is about to celebrate 60 years and has come up
with a special gift for employees. A 60th birthday is most auspicious
in Chinese culture, and to mark this landmark year each of 15,000
eligible staff members worldwide will receive a sum of HK$3,388
(£293). Called lai see ? or ?lucky money? it will be paid on 1
September. OAG?s Airline of the Year has invited the Hong Kong
Philharmonic to deliver a special concert at the airline?s
headquarters, Cathay Pacific City. Chairman Christopher Pratt said: ?I
can think of no better way of celebrating our diamond anniversary with
staff than by giving a traditional lai see that in itself represents a
lucky number in Chinese culture. I would like to add how much the
Board appreciates and supports the outstanding efforts of our staff,
not only in our historic 60th year of operation as an airline, but
over the years that went before.? Other airlines take note.
http://www.cathaypacific.com

DUBLIN is to have a significant expansion of Ryanair services from
December when the airline will base three new aircraft at the airport.
New destinations include Torp (Norway) daily, Madrid (Spain) daily
from February, Tampere (Finland) four times weekly, Vitoria (Spain)
also four times weekly from January as is Billund (Denmark). Bologna
(Italy) gets a four times weekly service from February whilst Grenoble
(France) is a December start at three times a week, likewise
Friedrichshafen (Germany), whilst with the same frequency Almeria and
Seville (Spain) starts in January and Pula (Croatia) in February.
Finally Rzeszow (Poland) gets a twice weekly service in January. This
brings to 63 the number of UK and European mainland Europe routes
served by Ryanair from Dublin. http://www.ryanair.com

GUILD OF TRAVEL MANAGEMENT COMPANIES (GTMC) members have booked more
than 3.45m flights in the first half of this year. They claim to
handle more than 80% of UK companies? overseas business travel. ?That
impressive figure is 10% up on the January-June period last year, and
represents an additional 315,000 airline bookings,? says GTMC chief
executive Philip Carlisle. In all, Guild members handled 6,466,195
transactions on behalf of their client companies ? 7.7% more than in
the first half of 2005 ? including more than 1.47m hotel bookings
(also up 7.7%) and more than 1.16m rail journeys (up 2.4%).
http://www.gtmc.org

HEATHROW EXPRESS customers are being offered free access to the new
Rejuve Club, located in the international departure lounge, T1, until
the end of September. Rejuve is a revitalising place for passengers?
well-being. Once inside it is an oasis of calm, the reverse of the
busy terminal. The 4,500 sq ft club includes an exercise area, eight
treatment rooms, innovation pod, barber?s area, power showers, secure
storage, juice bar, private club area and retail section. Customers
will need to present their Heathrow Express train ticket to take
advantage of the offer. http://www.rejuve.info

ISLE OF MAN to Leeds Bradford flight are 75 years old this year, the
route first flown in 1931, but dormant in recent times. Manx2.com is
today re-introducing a service that will be double daily making a day
trip in each direction a practical possibility. Last month the airline
introduced services from Blackpool and Belfast to the island.
Nineteen-seat LET 410 turboprop are used on all services. Chairman is
Noel Hayes, founder of what is now blueislands.com, based in Jersey.
http://www.manx2.com

JET2.COM, part of the Dart Group plc, and a sister company of the long
established freight carrier Channel Express, is to serve Krakow twice
weekly from Leeds Bradford and Newcastle from 30 and 31 October
respectively. With the recent arrival of a pair of Boeing 757s the
airline now operates four of the narrow bodies and 22 Boeing 737.
Jet2.com has six UK bases, serving 24 European destinations from Leeds
Bradford; 18 from Manchester; seven from Belfast International; nine
from Newcastle; eight from Blackpool and four from Edinburgh.
http://www.Jet2.com

MAXJET AIRWAYS, the Stansted ? North Atlantic all business class
operation, has reached an agreement in principle for two more Boeing
767 to be delivered in early 2007 expanding its fleet to five of the
wide bodies. In addition, the company is having ongoing negotiations
for additional aircraft to be brought into service during 2007. In
July Maxjet experienced load factors of over 70% on its JFK ? STN
route and 60% on the new Washington operation. A third aircraft is due
in September which the airline plans to use as support for the
scheduled routes and for luxury charter services. Maxjet says it has a
strong customer base which includes corporations, government entities,
and professional sports teams. Eos, another business class operation
out of the Essex airport, is claiming the best on-time performance of
any airline on the London ? New York route. Analysis of the most
recent Civil Aviation Authority data shows that 71% of the airline's
flights arrived and departed on time to within 15 minutes of schedule.
http://www.maxjet.com http://www.eosairlines.com

MIDLAND MAINLINE train services to London St Pancras are set to become
the first rail passengers in the country to have access to a new
facility which allows them to purchase and print their train tickets
at home. The railway people have been quick to appreciate that similar
services are proving very popular in the airline industry. The system
is being developed in conjunction with online rail retailer,
TheTrainline. The trial is currently being carried out on a limited
number of Midland Mainline trains between Sheffield, Derby,
Nottingham, Leicester and St Pancras. All eTickets are priced at just
£6 one way, and will be available on selected off-peak trains
throughout the summer. The tickets can be booked up to 1800 the day
before travel, and can be printed out any time up to departure,
subject to availability. Midland Mainline is part of the National
Express Group. http://www.midlandmainline.com

MONARCH SCHEDULED is already out with its summer 2007 programme from
Gatwick. New is Ibiza with five flights per week whilst Alicante now
has 15 flights and Malaga is increased to 17. Other changes include
Granada, up to five whilst Lisbon stays at 10, Faro 9 and Lanzarote
just two weekly flights. Monarch points out that its fares include
complimentary daily newspapers and a hot towel service. There is no
luggage charge and seats can be booked at £5 per sector to avoid the
last minute free-for-all, and the airline also offers 48 extra-legroom
seats at a cost of £15 each. Regular travellers are rewarded with a
range of benefits through the airline's loyalty scheme, Vantage Club.
http://www.flymonarch.com

NO MOBILE: That is the sign that could replace the outdated ?no
smoking" ceiling message on aircraft coming off the production lines.
Whilst on-board satellite phones have been available for at least the
last decade they have never really caught on due to cost. All this is
about to change in Europe (in the US, a single country, on-board
phones are nothing new). Air France will be the first airline to try
out the satellite-based technology early next year, followed by bmi
and TAP. The technology, developed by Airbus and SITA joint venture
OnAir, will allow passengers to make in-flight mobile calls and send
text messages on short haul flights across Europe at a cost of around
$2.50 per minute. Security issues may however require a rethink.
http://www.onair.aero

ORIGIN PACIFIC, a New Zealand commuter airline, has stopped flying.
Founded in 1996 the airline operated BAE Jetstream services between
its headquarters at Nelson, at the top of the south island, and some
12 points on both the north and south islands.
http://www.originpacific.co.nz

QATAR AIRWAYS has become the first international airline in the world
to introduce live digital satellite TV beamed direct to every
passenger on their individual seatback TV systems at 35,000 feet. The
airline has introduced the system offering a multitude of European and
Middle East TV channels on five of its fleet of Airbus A330 long haul
aircraft. By the end of the year, 14 aircraft, including the airline?s
brand new Airbus A340-600 which enters service this month, will be
equipped with the new Rockwell Collins Tailwind 560 satellite
television system. Distributed through Showtime Arabia, via the
Rockwell Collins system, a further ten aircraft will be equipped with
the service during 2007. The service is initially being made available
on flights within and between the Middle East and Europe. Channels
include Al Jazeera, BBC World, EuroNews, CNN International, TV5,
EuroSport News, MBC and Disney Channel. The system?s multi-directional
antenna allows passengers to enjoy uninterrupted entertainment as
their flights pass from Middle Eastern into European airspace.
http://www.qatarairways.com

RAK AIRWAYS is the name of a new Gulf area airline, the UAE's fourth
national carrier, and based in Ras Al Khaimah. The airline is funded
by an initial capital of $231.5m through a private placement, with the
government retaining a controlling stake. It plans to be a niche
airline flying to GCC countries, Lebanon, India, Bangladesh,
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran and Egypt. Launch target date
is set for early 2007. Chief operating officer is Jack Romera, well
known in the UK industry and a Cranfield University MA who was much
involved with the start-up with what has now emerged as BMED
http://rakairways.com

SKYEUROPE, a budget airline based in Bratislava, is to introduce seat
selection on all it services. Introduced last week passengers are able
to book their seats when the reservation is made. Price for the new
service will be E5 per pre-assigned and will be charged if selected
together with the flight. Even passengers booking by phone can take
advantage of the process, the reservation staff trained to explain
where on the aircraft there is availability. SkyEurope Airlines was
founded in September 2001 and now offers a network of 73 routes to 37
destinations in 19 European countries, with its fleet of 16 Boeing 737
aircraft. It is now listed on the Vienna and Warsaw Stock Exchanges.
http://www.skyeurope.com

TORONTO CITY AIRPORT, the controversial downtown operation, could be
without regional airline Jazz when it re-opens for scheduled flights
later this year. The Air Canada subsidiary has delayed plans to
reinstate services after the Toronto Port Authority declined approval
of a facility lease. Air Canada's flights to Montreal from the
well-located island operation ended four years ago, and the Ottawa
service ceased this spring when Porter Airlines, a locally regional
start-up placed orders with Bombardier, who has a major plant close
by, for new aircraft. The problem with Toronto City is that it is an
island with the possibilities of a bridge still unresolved. See the
image on the ABTN website. http://www.flyporter.com

VIRGIN ATLANTIC is always innovative. First there were individual
movies, then masseurs and now meditation, but Richard Branson's
airline is still at it regarding ideas. It now plans to introduce the
world's first in-flight texting service, which will allow passengers
to have questions answered on any topic at 35,000 feet. They will be
able to text questions from their seat-back television screens to an
existing land-based text answer service which promises to answer any
question within minutes. On the way to New York you can ask for a
recommended bar or the best way to your final destination. Maybe the
latest cricket or football score. However, texting mates over the
North Atlantic is still not with us although Air France is running a
trial of technology that will enable passengers to use their mobile
phones whilst flying in early 2007. Each question costs one pound to
63336. http://www.virgin-atlantic.com

FORTHCOMING EVENTS THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO READERS:

We would like to remind readers that the Goodwood Revival Meeting on
1,2,3 September is ticket only and the organisers are keen for
spectators to turn out in ?traditional? gear. Its all part of the
?Revival? experience. For those interested in classic aircraft Air
Atlantique will be offering pleasure flights on the day from £55. You
can even fly down from Coventry Airport for £250, which may sound a
great deal but is in keeping with the Goodwood convention and
certainly saves what could be an arduous 160 mile road journey of at
least three hours in each direction. http://www.goodwood.co.uk
http://www.classicflight.com

___________________________________________________________________

ON TOUR: Seattle

Seattle, bordering Canada, and is as far north west as you can go
within mainland United States. It is a gateway airport from the UK and
for some reason only flown from London by British Airways. Nothing
wrong with that and BA offer an excellent service and very busy twice
daily operation but with United pulling out you would have thought
that one of the more aggressive American airlines might have got into
the act.

For those unfamiliar with the north west USA Seattle is 800 miles due
north of San Francisco, joined by Turnpike 5. Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport (SEA-TAC) lies 15 miles to the south of the city
and the journey into the city passes near to Renton, the home of the
737, and right by King County International Airport, the official name
for Boeing Field home of the Museum of Flight. Everett, and the 747
assembly plant is 25 miles to the north of the city. The population is
half million, about the same as Edinburgh.

The journey in from SEA-TAC can be very slow and will not be
alleviated until 2009 when a new light railway is expected to be
completed. Work is under way and it will form part of an alternative
route to Vancouver, just 140 scenic miles away across the Canadian
border, and just in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. A bus service
takes you direct to your hotel and of course there are taxis, and not
that much more expensive.

Seattle, sitting on the coast, and with Mount Rainer in the
background, has a reputation of being the Manchester of the US
weather-wise, but perhaps like the British city the status is
unmerited. Certainly all three times your correspondent has visited
the one time timber industry town the skies have been for the most
part blue and the water that surrounds the city glistening. To the
west lies saltwater Puget Sound; to the east, freshwater Lake
Washington; in the middle, Lake Union. Everywhere, the focus is water.

Seattle is the home of Microsoft and Starbucks Coffee. And Boeing as
mentioned. If you are into aviation Boeing is a must, but if you are
not (and maybe the family can split for the day) the city itself, and
indeed the whole of the State of Washington, has an enormous amount to
offer typified by the Space Needle, a lasting memorial to the World
Fair of 1962. When it was built it was said to be the tallest building
west of the Mississippi. The observation platform 500 ft up in the sky
is a good place to start your Seattle tour and get a fine perspective.
The Space Needle is linked to the downtown area by monorail and is
also part of the bus tour, always the best way to learn about any new
city. The Space Needle is now part of Seattle Center, a 74-acre urban
park and home to the Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project,
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Seattle Opera, Pacific
Northwest Ballet, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Seattle
Children?s Theatre, Seattle Children?s Museum and many other
attractions.

The Pike Place Market, located on the waterside in the heart of
downtown Seattle, is perhaps the most popular attraction for Seattle
visitors. Said to be the oldest continually operating farmers market
in the country (celebrating its centenary in 2007), it certainly has a
lively atmosphere and is a true gathering of the country community,
where craftspeople and artists display their goods. Fish, and salmon
in particular, dominate both in terms of shops and eating place. There
is free music and free tours. Just a few steps away is the commercial
heart of Seattle, a lively downtown district of department stores,
specialty shops, renovated historic theatres, hotels of every size,
multiplex cinemas, espresso stands, restaurant and shopping
experiences such as Westlake Center, City Centre and Pacific Place.

Also within walking distance is the Pioneer Square historic district
offering a wealth of art galleries, bookstores, antique shops, cool
restaurants, and buzzing nightclubs. Pioneer Square is Seattle's
oldest neighbourhood, adjacent to the new, massive sports stadiums for
the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks. The classic red brick
buildings give a warmth to the area not found in most sprawling US
suburbia. The term "skid row" originated in Pioneer Square -- when
timber would be slid down to a steam powered mill on the Seattle
waterfront.

A little further from the waterfront area is Seattle?s International
Chinatown, the name exactly describing the district. It is a cultural
hub for Asian Americans including large numbers of Japanese and
Filipino immigrants starting as long ago as the 1880s. Today it is a
vibrant district full of the noise and bustle of the Far East. There
are shops and stalls aplenty and the historic Northern Pacific Hotel,
the NP, plus the Wing Luke Asian Museum. The area is easy to get to
with public transport free in the central area of Seattle during the
daytime hours.

Boat tours and ferries across Elliot Bay and into Pugent Sound offer
an opportunity to view the city from another angle and to explore the
historic Blake Island and west Seattle. .

Seattle of course is one of the great centres of aviation and to the
credit of Boeing who helped sponsor both the Museum of Flight and the
Future Flight exhibition at Everett.

The Museum of Flight is the west coast home for Concorde, a British
Airways example on display. But distinguished as it is it is only one
of more than 150 aircraft dating from the beginning of aviation which
the collection owns. There is a replica of the Leonardo da Vinci
Ornithopter plus the real and original Eisenhower Air Force One 707
and the prototypes of the 737 and 747. An Apollo Command Module, a
Lunar Roving Vehicle mock-up, an original Soviet Sputnik and other
space artifacts are part of the astro exhibition. You can sit in the
cockpit of a Mach 3 Blackbird spy plane and a F/A-18 Hornet fighter.
The Museum has a special interactive youth area in which visitors can
learn basic concepts of aerodynamics, flight instrumentation,
propulsion and aircraft construction through hands-on activities, as
well as sit in actual aircraft and experiment with hang glider and
hot-air balloon simulators, among other activities. New is the actual
Red Barn, the workshop where Bill Boeing built his first aircraft in
1909 part of a presentation of the first two decades of the Boeing
company.

At Paine Field, Everett (also called Snohomish County Airfield to
confuse even more) not far from the Future Flight exhibition, is the
Museum of Flight restoration facility with more than three dozen
aircraft being painstakingly returned to their original state. This is
also open to the public.

The Future of Flight centre itself opened at the end of 2005 and is an
amazing tribute to man?s aviation progress. At the end of your day you
can sit in the roof top cafeteria and watch aircraft that will be used
all over the world often making their maiden flight. It is now part of
a package with the Boeing factory tour (which ABTN has covered
previously). The factory itself, the world?s largest industrial
building, is being re-modelled for the 787 and continues as the home
of the 747, 767 and 777. Tours continue even as the 787 comes
together.

Whilst the Future of Aviation Centre is primarily designed for
children and young people, adults will find it just as interesting.
There is an aircraft design zone where you can plan your own
commercial jet. The XJ5 flight simulator, a multi-passenger machine
flying with the world?s best pilots at supersonic speeds. You can
learn about the on board unseen systems that make aircraft work
including flight controls, avionics, navigations and hydraulics.
Perhaps one of the most interesting of all is a 3D experience which
shows how a future aircraft will be manufactured.

Whilst you can look into what is to come with a video of the 787 and a
cabin mock up, the all glass splendidly laid out hall includes
descriptions of some great aircraft of the past including the Comet
and Vickers Viscount. Presently CFN have an engine and Rolls-Royce
have been quick to promise their own cutaway. Airbus too in the future
will be represented. You can sit in the Boeing Connexion Theater and
see how far commercial jet transport has come in the last 50 years.
http://www.futureofflight.org
http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/aboutus/tours
http://www.museumofflight.org http://www.seeseattle.org

INCIDENTALLY: In-Flight Service Australian Style

In Bed with Pam Ann and Friends is a late night comedy show at the
intimate Soho Theatre in Dean Street that is attracting full houses
and runs until 26 August. For airline cabin staff. Former airline
cabin staff. And those who have been intimidated by cabin staff!

Bawdy yes. Crude no. Aussie comedienne Caroline Reid (no Brit would
dare attempt this) distinguishes between the classy British Airways
cabin staff out of Terminal 4 (it seems that short haul and T1 are a
lesser breed ? according to Pam) and the flight attendants, of vague
heritage and disposition, flying for easyJet. It seems that they never
get off their aircraft and often don?t even know where they have been.
They just work at Luton and shuttle around the sky all day. It?s a one
women show with Pam Ann changing costume several times allowing for
some ancient film footage of airlines long gone to the great hangar in
the sky. How this ?lady? of unknown years has treated the last
worrying few days we don?t know. But one thing for sure. If you are
thinking of changing to some kind of executive jet, give this miss a
miss for your in-flight service. That is unless you want it Australian
style. http://www.sohotheatre.com

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