For years, I’d heard about an airline that wasn’t going to be for passengers but rather for paw-sengers! Looks like they’re finally going to start up in July. PetAirways is a pet-only airline where the animals ride in the main cabin, not in the cargo. Humans aren’t allowed except for the pilots and pet attendants in the Beech 1900, which can normally hold up to 19 humans. Pet Airways will be flying night flights from secondary airports in or around the major cities of Chicago (Palwaukee Airport), Denver (Rocky Mountain Airport), New York (Teterboro Airport), Los Angeles (Hawthorne Airport) and Baltimore/Washington Int. Airport. The introductory fares are $149 each way and pet owners can drop their loved ones off two to 72 hours in advance. It’s a great idea but right now they’re offering just one flight a week. I tried to book a faux ticket online to see how this worked and discovered that you’re asked for your animal’s specifics: height, weight and type. Currently they’re only accepting dogs and cats (any size) but they have fields in their dropdown menu for birds, reptiles, pigs and “other” … I bet some people will argue that their better (or worse!) half fits that bill! There’s pet tracking, a blog with helpful tips, and they’re connected to every social network. However, your pets won’t be networking inside the cabin as they are placed in their private pet carriers, which are then secured using Pet Airways’ proprietary restraint system. If you try their service out, please let us know what you thought of it.
I was surfing my tweets on Twitter the other day and @hharteveldt had the honor of finding this week’s bonus website of the week. BedJump.com is about just what you might think it is … hotel guests jumping on the bed. Some of the pictures are crazy and I have no idea how these jumpers get so much height but some of them are impressive. What’s so funny is that the first thing Natalie usually does when we arrive at a new hotel is run across the room to dive on the bed in excitement. I always have to hold her back so I can get the photos of a clean room and tidy bed for my story before she messes it up. Too funny! I guess BedJump and Natalie are right when they say there is really something completely intoxicating about today’s hotel bed and jumping on it. As the tag line proclaims: “It’s naughty, it’s fun, it’s free.” Don’t forget to send them your digital photos of jumping on the bed!
As an aviation enthusiast, this is one of the coolest videos I’ve seen on YouTube. It’s from a camera mounted in the cockpit of a KLM Boeing 747 as it’s making its final approach on the island of St Maarten. The Caribbean scenery is beautiful and it’s so exciting to see this enormous bird in the sky get closer and closer until it reaches the runway for a smooth landing. Man, this gets me all jazzed up to get on a plane and go somewhere exotic! How about you?
Does it bum you out when you’re flying American Airlines (or another carrier) and your seatmate is making the long flight seem short because they brought the right adaptor to power up their computer? So the whole time, they’re either working or watching a DVD? You just want to peak over their shoulder or smack them every time they laugh at a funny scene, while you’re trying to force yourself to sleep. Yeah, me too. In case you didn’t know, most of American Airlines’ planes that have a DC power outlet require a cigarette lighter-style plug. After numerous failed attempts trying inferior products that either didn’t work or were too bulky, I finally found one that is the perfect match: Wagan Tech’s EL2382 Smart AC 120 USB. It’s small, light, comes with an AC and USB receptacles so I can charge or use my laptop, cell phone, iPod … whatever! There’s also a cooling fan and a handy little pouch to keep everything clean and organized. In case you’re a serious techie, here’s some information that means nothing to me and or probably the average traveler but might impress you more: The EL2382 has 300W peak surge power, no load current draw 0.15A, input voltage range 10V - 15V DC and an auto low battery shutdown. Retail price is $24.99.
