If you’re afraid of flying, help is an app away. Virgin Atlantic Airways has tailored its Flying Without Fear course for the iPhone and iPod Touch devices.
The app is based on Virgin Atlantic’s course designed to help people to overcome their fear of flying. It gives its success rate as 98 percent.
Fears can range from anxiety at takeoff to a complete inability to board an aircraft, the airline said.
Features include an video introduction by Virgin Atlantic’s Sir Richard Branson, explains flight from start to finish, answers common questions and gives relaxation and fear therapy. It also has a “fear attack button” that gives breathing exercises and quick tips.
The app was developed in partnership between the airline and Mental Workout, a company that designs, develops, and markets mobile applications to help people resolve issues and increase mental performance.
European airline Ryanair, is introducing Similar Smokeless Cigarettes, which will have the look and feel of a real cigarette to passengers needing a nicotine hit.
The cigarettes will deliver a small amount of nicotine through inhalation and will be available to passengers over the age of 18, it said.
Smoking on commercial flights has been illegal since the 1990s. The cigarettes contain no toxins or chemicals and are harmless to the user and those around them, the airline said.
The airline introduced the product after a survey found that more than 24,000 Ryanair passengers said they’d like to smoke during flights.
Now, “non-smokers will no longer have to cope with moody smokers in need of nicotine,” Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said in a statement.
WICHITA — Last week, four of us from the Wichita Eagle took a girls’ trip from Wichita to Los Angeles using Allegiant Air’s new nonstop service.
It was great not changing planes along the way. But here’s a tip. If you’re going to check a bag, be sure to call and pay the $30 round-trip charge for it at least four hours before your flight departs. If you wait until you get to the counter — or call with fewer than four hours before departure — the fee spikes to $50.
Trust me on this one.
After spending a few days in Key West just a month ago, I read with interest that AirTran Airways is starting service to the United States’ “southernmost point” starting December 17.
AirTran will fly to Key West nonstop from Orlando using 737-700 jets. The flights will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
With AirTran serving Wichita with service to Atlanta, getting to Key West would take two stops along the way.
WICHITA: AirTran Airways has filed applications with the government to begin service to Nassau, Bahamas; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and the island of Aruba, the airline said today.
If approved, service would begin later this year.
AirTran serves Wichita with three daily flights to Atlanta, where flights to the three vacation spots would originate, the airline said.
The carrier filed applications with the U.S. Department of Transportation for the service.
Wichita’s subsidies to AirTran Airways for service in Wichita was featured in an article in the New York Times about cities that pay for air service to their communities. Read about it here.
Be prepared to give your date of birth and gender when making your next air travel arrangements.
The Transportation Security Administration made the change under its Secure Flight requirement as a way to help streamline the matching of names against a terrorist watch list and avoid misidentifications. That will especially help the travelers who’ve been misidentified in the past.
The airlines will be phasing in the changes over the next few months.
If the airline didn’t request the information when you reserved a flight, don’t worry. The TSA said it shouldn’t impact your travel.
If you’re flying over the Labor Day holiday, expect the airports to be a little less crowded. And because there are fewer domestic flights, the planes should be at or near capacity.
The number of people flying over the Labor Day holiday this year is expected to be lower than last year’s number.
The Air Transport Association of America, an airline industry trade group, forecasts that 16 million passengers will travel globally on U.S. airlines during the eight-day Labor Day holiday period, that spans Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Wednesday, Sept. 9.
That’s a 3.5 percent decline from the 17 million passengers who traveled on U.S. airlines a year ago.
Economic uncertainty is taking its toll, the ATA said. During October, In the past two years, all 67 airports defined by the Federal Aviation Administration as “large” or “medium” hubs show a reduction in the number of scheduled flights.
“Now is a great time to fly,” said ATA president and CEO James May. “Low fares are making travel to all corners of the world very affordable.”
Last week, I had a three-hour layover at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on my way to Key West. With three books in tow, I wasn’t going to be bored. But a new discovery in Terminal C changed those plans.
I stumbled upon XpresSpa, which opened in April at two locations inside the airport. At Gate C-36, I stopped in to look at their services. The staff asked how long before my flight left when I walked in. Services are tailored to meet your schedule.
I signed up for an express manicure — a quicker version of a full manicure. In the meantime, I leaned back in one of their amazing yellow massage loungers and relaxed. Soft music played in the background.
The spa also offer pedicures, massages, waxing, skin care and facials.
One woman who was getting a pedicure was flying home from South Korea, where she was stationed. She hadn’t seen her three children in 10 months. Another woman had been stranded overnight at the airport after her flight was cancelled due to bad weather and hotel rooms were booked. A man stopped in for a massage.
According to the brochure, XpresSpa operates at 28 gates in 16 airports.
Ahhhhhhh…..
AirTran Airways just completed installation of Wi-Fi aboard all their Boeing aircraft. The carrier, which operates three daily flights to Atlanta from Wichita, has produced a witty series of videos starring Peter Graves, who played Captain Oveur in the Airplane! movies.
The videos advise flyers not to use lavatories as conference rooms or take things from other passengers to post on ebay for in-flight auctions. Too funny.
