Aviation with Style

  The economy passenger’s dream ticket – a free upgrade at the departure gate – now looks endangered. Online upgrade auctions that allow travellers with cheap tickets to make blind bids for unfilled business class seats are on the rise, as airlines across the world catch on to the innovative new way of making extra cash. Last week Austrian Airlines became the latest carrier to start taking bids-for-beds, following in the footsteps of Air New Zealand, El Al of Israel, Etihad of Abu Dhabi and Virgin Atlantic. In future, passengers buying cheap tickets for long-haul flights via Vienna are invited to bid for an upgrade to the business class cabin, which boasts 2 metre-long flat beds. If successful, they also get fast-track security, access to business lounges and improved catering. The technology behind the bidding services has been developed by American software developer, Plusgrade, which claims it is in talks with several other carriers about offering the facility.

Boeing stated it still expects to deliver more than 60 787s for 2012. 15-20% of the deliveries are expected in 2Q2013. Total commercial aircraft deliveries are still expected to be between 635 and 645 for the year. Boeing also provided the following highlights for its commerical aircraft programmes and its  Commercial Aviation Services unit for 1Q2013: Boeing 737: Programme build rate raised to 38 per month, marking a 20% production rise over the past two years; American Airlines finalised an orders for 100 737 MAXs, with options for another 60; Iceland Air finalises an order for 16 737 MAXs; Ryanair announced commitment for 175 737-800s; 737 MAX meets design-to-loads milestone, defining what forces the aircraft structure will experience in operation; Boeing delivers its 1000th airplane to China , going to China Eastern Airlines ; GE Capital Aviation Services ( GECAS ) takes delivery of its 350th 737, becoming the third customer to r

Some people practice their religious traditions on flights but a recent incident caught some passengers off guard. An Orthodox Jewish man was photographed completely covered in a plastic bag for the duration of the flight because his religion prevents him from flying over cemeteries. Passengers were a bit confused when they saw the man covered from head to toe in plastic. It is believed that the man is a Kohein, a religious descendant of the priests of ancient Israel, who are banned from flying over cemeteries, the Daily Mail reports. As a way to make a compromise with the restriction, many Kohen's wrap themselves in plastic. However, being that it's not a normal thing to see, a photo of the man, which shows passengers staring at him, has made its way on to the Internet and has gone viral. The man in the photo is wearing all black and has on a religious cap underneath the plastic covering. Not everyone agrees with wearing plastic as a compromise for the

With all the job pressures and uncertainty in the airline industry, it’s a wonder more pilots don’t run afoul of the law the way Klobjorn Jarle Kristiansen did last week. The 48-year-old American Eagle pilot showed up to work drunk, was suspended and faces both prosecution and the loss of his job. While a commercial plane has never crashed due to drunk flying, there are plenty of instances where pilots have misbehaved throughout history – some of them almost hilariously. Here, a look back at some very memorable misfeasance. 1. The JetBlue pilot who went nutter butters mid-flight “We’re not going to Vegas,” announced Clayton Osbon, before launching into a rambling sermon, telling his co-pilot that “things don’t matter,” and that “we need to take a leap of faith.” Problem: JetBlue Flight 191 was in fact headed for Vegas – with Osborn as the captain. The worried co-pilot called out into the cabin for help; passengers eventually were able to restrain the increasingly out-of-contro

FLIGHT attendant Sara Keagle is pulling back the hatch on the grossest behaviors of passengers aboard commercial flights. From leaving behind adult diapers, to letting breast milk leak down from over-head bins and using ped eggs to file down foot calluses - Keagle revealed that working at 30,000 feet isn't nearly as glamorous as it seems. Keagle, who has two decades of experience in the air, reached out to her vast network of fellow flight attendants to find the most disgusting stories of bad in-flight etiquette. Keagle writes the blog the Flying Pinto and revealed the nasty passenger behavior in the Huffington Post. One flight attendant recalled a flight in which a woman boarded the plane and the promptly pulled out both of her breasts and began pumping her breasts into a bottle. The woman proceeded to pump her breasts with both of them exposed during board, taxi, take off and the cruise - on a full flight. On another flight, passengers called over the attendant to

Evanston woman forced off her JetBlue flight after having words with flight attendant over carry-on bag Barbara Brotine bought her small Samsonite suitcase in December for flights like the one she took on JetBlue last Sunday. The bag is big enough to hold a laptop and a change of clothes and small enough to fit under an airplane seat, allowing her to skip checking luggage. The flight to New York, for treatment following a recent joint replacement, was a breeze, and the suitcase fit perfectly. But on her flight back to Chicago on Monday afternoon, the suitcase proved to be trouble. Hoping to avoid the jostling that often occurs during boarding, Brotine and her husband, Brent, waited until the flight was mostly full before walking down the gangway. By then, the plane's overhead bins were full, and JetBlue employees were checking some carry-ons. Brotine said there was a gate agent taking luggage as passengers boarded. The agent said nothing about her bag. But