Top Travel Tip No.36

The former Vice President Al Gore has always had a real interest in nature, it's not a new found thing as some cynics have suggested. He once said. "Airplane travel is nature's way of making you look like your passport photo."

Insights into the Airline Business No.53

"A recession is when you have to tighten your belt; depression is when you have no belt to tighten. When you've lost your trousers - you're in the airline business." — Sir Adam Thomson – Chairman of British Caledonian Airways

Bang Goes That Holiday in Iran...

...with the news that yesterday the British Department for Transport has banned the Iranian airline, Mahan Air from operating flights to Britain because of concerns about its safety record. The move will hit the carrier's five weekly flights between Tehran and Manchester.

A department spokesman said. "There were a number of recent incidents which suggested a poor level of planning and safety." These included the discovery that some aircraft were operating without collision avoidance systems, he added. In 2006 a Mahan Air jet flying to Birmingham apparently descended at a dangerously low level and was forced to abort its landing; the airline no longer flies to Birmingham.

Flying - the Triumph of Positive Over Negative

There is not much to say about most airplane journeys. Anything remarkable must be disastrous, so you define a good flight by negatives: you didn't get hijacked, you didn't crash, you didn't throw up, you weren't late, you weren't nauseated by the food. So you're grateful. — Paul Theroux, 'The Old Patagonian Express'

Top Travel Tip No.17

Have you ever wondered why airline bag tags showing your destination are so sticky? It's not just because the airline wants it to stay firmly attached to your bag, although given the propensity for some airlines to lose bags you'd wonder. Currently British Airways have such a ‘bag log’ of undelivered baggage that they are sending it to Milan for sorting (why Milan - Ed), but I digress. Another reason why they are s sticky is because instead of having to travel with a lint brush all you need to do is to use the sticky label.