Airline Jet Travel - Leaving on a Jet Airplane?
As an avid aviation enthusiast and a frequent traveler who has logged thousands of hours of airline travel both as passenger & pilot, I hope to provide an airline travel lens that will provide information and tools that will make your experience more enjoyable!
Airline travel can be frustrating, nerve racking and enjoyable at the same time. The key to coping effectively is information, planning & knowledge about all parts of your trip. In this lens I will provide some basic information about the most widely used jet aircraft in the industry along with some information on travel planning & links to my favorite airlines and other sites that I feel can be very useful in your travels. I will also provide travel planning tools, tips, some cool pictures, products & videos that I hope you find helpful and amusing. Enjoy the lens and happy travels.
Airline travel can be frustrating, nerve racking and enjoyable at the same time. The key to coping effectively is information, planning & knowledge about all parts of your trip. In this lens I will provide some basic information about the most widely used jet aircraft in the industry along with some information on travel planning & links to my favorite airlines and other sites that I feel can be very useful in your travels. I will also provide travel planning tools, tips, some cool pictures, products & videos that I hope you find helpful and amusing. Enjoy the lens and happy travels.
Planning your Travels
Here are some important considerations to think about while planning your travels:1. Try to travel in the morning in the summer as to avoid those pesky afternoon thunderstorms that tend to build up and ruin your day!
2. Try to travel in the late morning/early afternoon in the winter, because most of the late evening/early morning winter weather mess is all cleaned up! (hopefully!)
3. Watch the weather! "Mother Nature" can be a mean old girl & it helps to get a little advice from those guys/girls over at the weather channel.
4. Limit those vacations to parts of Florida & the Caribbean during hurricane season. Duh!!
5. Try not to overpack! Good rule of thumb is to lay out what you would like to take, then cut that in half, pack it and go!!
6. Finally, one of the most important things to remember in the world of airline travel is that the flight crew (pilots) are highly trained individuals that will always strive to do what ever they can to ensure that your flight is a safe one! There are alot of variables that can effect a flight and they along with the cabin crew (flight attendants) will always have your safety & that of the aircraft their top priority!! Please remember that!! Also, although the crew has your comfort in mind they are in place primarily for your saftey!!
In the world of air travel, planning is key! have patience (or try too!) Also have fun, it helps tremendously if you have a sense of humor too!!!
Wherever your travels take you remember that Airline jet travel is extremely safe today and for the most part fairly efficient. Today's commercial transport category jet aircraft are among the safest forms of mass public transportation around & today's air traffic control system although archaic, is fairly well run and will only get better as technology evolves. I often say the toughest part of my travels is finding my car in the airport parking lot and keeping the drive home safe!
"Miracle on the Hudson" videos!
Usairways flight 1549
Here's some great videos illustrating why & how those flight crewmembers (pilots, & flight attendants) do such a great job!!! WOW! Quick thinking, excellent descision making, great training, skill, and a tad bit of luck helped them with this heroic outcome!
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The "classic" Airliner, Continental DC-3
Boeing 737
From Wikipedia
The Boeing 737 is an American short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. Developed from Boeing's 727 and 707, the 737 is now available in a number of versions, from the -200 to the most recent addition, the -900ER. Seating capacity ranges from 104 to 215 depending on model and seating class configuration.First envisioned in 1964, the 737 entered service in 1968, and 25 years after the announcement of its first sale, became the most ordered and produced commercial passenger jet. Continuously manufactured by Boeing since 1967 with over 7,000 ordered and over 5,000 delivered (as of 2007), there are over 1,250 of the type airborne at any given time. On average, a 737 departs or lands somewhere every five seconds.
Manufacturer: Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Maiden flight: 9 April 1967
Introduction: 10 February 1968 with Lufthansa
Status: Active
Primary users:
Southwest Airlines
Continental Airlines
Ryanair
Air China
Produced: 1968 - Present
Number built: 5,439
Unit cost: 737-100 US$3.2 million
737 NG US$49.5-85 million
Variants:
Boeing 737 Classic
Boeing Business Jet
T-43
737 AEW&C
C-40 Clipper
P-8 Poseidon
Airbus A320
From Wikipedia
The Airbus A320 family of short- to medium-range commercial passenger airliners are manufactured by Airbus. Family members include the A318, A319, A320, and A321, as well as the ACJ business jet.First delivered in 1988, the A320 pioneered the use of digital fly-by-wire flight control systems in a commercial aircraft. With more than 3,000 aircraft of the A320 family built, it's one of the safest & the second best-selling jet airliner family of all time after the family's primary competition, the Boeing 737.
Manufacturer: Airbus
Maiden flight: February 22, 1987
Introduced: March 28, 1988
Status: Active service
Primary users:
US Airways
JetBlue Airways
United Airlines
Air France
Northwest Airlines
Number built: 3,337 as of December 2007
Unit cost 55-66 million
The many tails of JetBlue's modern fleet!
McDonnell Douglas MD-80
from Wikipedia
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and MD-90 are twin-engine, medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airplanes. The MD-80 aircraft was originally part of the DC-9 line when first delivered before being later renamed. The MD-80 series and MD-90 have seating capacity up to 172 passengers. They have a common cabin layout that seats 140 passengers on scheduled flights and 161 or 165 on low-cost or charter flights.The MD-80 series was derived from the DC-9 and it was introduced commercially in October 1980 by Swissair. The MD-80 series was followed in modified form by the MD-90 in 1989 and the MD-95/Boeing 717 in 1998.
Manufacturers McDonnell Douglas
Boeing
Designed by McDonnell Douglas
Maiden flight MD-80 series: 1979-10-25
MD-90: 1993-02-22
Introduction MD-80 series: 1980 with Swissair and Austrian Airlines
MD-90: 1995 with Delta Air Lines
Primary users:
American Airlines
Delta
Alitalia
SAS
Produced MD-80 series: 1979-1999
MD-90: 1993-2000
Number built MD-80 series: 1,191
MD-90: 117
Unit cost US$41.5-48.5 million
Developed from McDonnell Douglas DC-9
Variants Boeing 717
Boeing 757/767
From Wikipedia
The Boeing 757 is an American short to medium range narrow-body commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was launched by Eastern Air Lines and British Airways to replace the Boeing 727 and entered service in 1983. Production of the 757 ended on October 28, 2004 after 1,050 had been built. The final aircraft was delivered to Shanghai Airlines on November 28, 2005. As of July 2007, a total of 1,019 Boeing 757 aircraft remain in airline service.Manufacturer Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Maiden flight February 19, 1982
Introduction January 1, 1983 with Eastern Air Lines
Primary users Delta Air Lines
American Airlines
United Airlines
United Parcel Service
Produced 1982-2004
Number built 1,050
Unit cost 757-200 $65 million (2002)
757-300 $80 million (2002)
Variants Boeing C-32
The Boeing 767 is an American mid-size, wide-body twinjet airliner produced by Boeing's Commercial Airplanes division. The 767 can carry between 181 and 245 passengers in a standard three-class configuration and has a range of 5,200 to 6,590 nautical miles (9,400 to 12,200 km) depending on variant. It entered into service in 1982 and newer variants are currently in production.
Manufacturer Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Maiden flight September 26, 1981
Introduction September 8, 1982 with United Airlines
Status Active
Primary users Delta Air Lines
American Airlines
All Nippon Airways
Japan Airlines
Produced 1982-present
Number built 954
Unit cost 767-200ER: US$124.5-135.5 million[1][2]
767-300ER: $141-157.5 million
767-300F: $151-162 million
767-400ER: $154-169 million
Variants Boeing E-767
Boeing KC-767
E-10 MC2A
Airliner models on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Some great Aviation & Airline links
- JetBlue Airways
- My Favorite, and here's why!!
10-October-2007
JetBlue named Best US Airline
by Condé Nast Traveler Readers for the 6th year running.
Best Domestic Airline:
Condé Nast Traveler
2007 Readers' Choice Awards
Top Low Cost Airline for Customer Satisfaction:
J.D. Power and Associates
Best North American Low Cost Airline:
Skytrax World Airline Awards
Top Low Cost Airline for Customer Satisfaction:
J.D. Power and Associates
World's Most Reliable A320 Fleet:
Airbus Operational Excellence Awards
#1 Airline Brand:
2007 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index® - Southwest Airlines
- More than 36 years ago, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher got together and decided to start a different kind of airline. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline. And you know what? They were right.
What began as a small Texas airline has grown to become one of the largest airlines in America. Today, Southwest Airlines flies almost 100 million passengers a year to 63 great cities all across the country, and we do it more than 3,300 times a day.
With over 500 aircraft, Southwest has one of the youngest fleets in the nation, with an average age of approximately nine years - Delta Airlines
- What can I say, A huge legacy carrier with an extensive route structure. With these guys you can go just about anywhere domestic or International!
- American Airlines
- Another big Legacy carrier with over 4,000 flights daily to almost any place you can think of, domestic and international.
- The Weather Channel
- This is a must! Get to know these folks on a first name basis; Jim, Mike, Stephanie, Alexandria, Mike, Jennifer, Kelly, Kristen, Paul etc!!!!
- FAA Flight delay information
- Another good site from our friends at the Federal Aviation Administration!
- Flight Aware flight tracking
- Very cool site!! Flightaware.com offers free flight tracker tools that will change what you think about live flight tracking and aviation information.
Funny airline YouTube video
Now this is a funny one!!!
Airline travel news blogs from Google
- Iberia Swings To 3Q Net Loss On Falling Demand For Air Travel
- MC) Friday reported it swung to a net loss in the third quarter, hit by weakening demand for air travel as recession grips Spain . ...
- Low-cost airlines grab 30% of travel market vs. traditional rivals
- Low-cost airlines now control about 30% of the USA's domestic air travel market, up from just under 10% in 1999, according to the Massachusetts Institute of ...
- Carry-ons could clog holiday travel
- By Jim Kavanagh, CNN (CNN) -- Air travel competition is heating up, and we're not talking about corporate profits and losses here. ...
- Low Cost Carriers Capture 30 Percent of Domestic Airline Travel
- Low cost carriers, like Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, successfully captured 30% of the US airline industry's domestic market, ...
Airline travel Flickr Photos
IMG_0669
Casey loves cheese
VIP
IMG_0670
IMG_0665
automatically generated by Flickr
Vintage airline items & memorabilia!
Some great airline collectibles on ebay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand bygreat Airline DVD's on Amazon
Airline - The Complete Season 1
Amazon Price: $16.49 (as of 11/14/2009) 
The Best of Airline, Vols. 1 & 2
Amazon Price: $11.11 (as of 11/14/2009)
Inside American Airlines: A Week In the Life
Amazon Price: (as of 11/14/2009)
Inside American Airlines
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 11/14/2009)
Cool Airline Stuff on CafePress
Reader Feedback
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- SaddleseatRider SaddleseatRider Feb 27, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
- Awesome Lens!!!! I am scared of planes because I am afraid of heights but great Job!!! Very informative and detailed. I give you a 2.... just kidding!! 5 *****
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- Feb 21, 2008 @ 12:45 am
- Really nice Lens you have made here 5 stars from me! Thanks for joining my group "Travelmania"
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- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Feb 20, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
- I love to watch planes take off and land. Your lens is well done... great videos!
by mike23
As a Music fan, a Sports fanatic, & an Auto and Aviation enthusiast, I have created these lenses which I hope you find informative and entertaining! A... (more)
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