Airbus A310 VIP for sale by German government

Screenshot from www.vebeg.com

The German air force special air mission wing federal ministery of defence (Flugbereitschaft) is auctioning of their Airbus A310 VIP version.The A310 was used by Germany's senior government officials such as Chancellor Angela Merkel. The plane of East Germany's Interflug was redesigned around 20 years ago by Lufthansa Technik into a VIP version. The current Chancellor at that time Helmut Kohl insisted that a shower is available on board. At this time this was not an easy task for the engineers but the request was fullfilled. The complete tender information including interior picture are found here. By the way bidding closure is May 24th. If you have the necessary  spare change to bid then click here.

Israel's pilots refuse to take english test

(Source: Haaretz.com) The country's pilots are refusing to take an English test - and may lose their international flight licenses as a result. The International Civilian Aviation Organization is demanding that pilots take an English test, due to the large number of accidents or near accidents caused by communication problems. Full story here

Below an example of severe language problems between JFK Tower and Air China:

Woman wears bikini for airport security screening

Body scanners in place and new pat down procedures by TSA have caused a lot of controversy in the U.S. lately. A woman leaving from LAX airport decided to leave no room for such by simply passing through security in her bikini. Watch for yourself.

Pan Am announces return to the sky!

Pan Am founded in the late 1920's and collapsed in December 1991 is planning to announce its revival on November 12th. The new Pan Am will be headquartered in the original Pan

American Airways Building in Brownsville Texas.

Press release

Pan Am Website

Car-Eating Rabbits Invade Denver Airport

AOL Travel News: In the category of weird but true, Denver International Airport may have a problem with pesky rabbits, who eat cars. Yes, cars. 
Traveler Dexter Meyer tells KUSA-TV he parked his brand new Turbo Diesel Volkswagen Jetta at the Pikes Peak Parking Lot at the airport as he headed off on a vacation. And it was eaten. Read full story on AOL

Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater costume for Halloween

Ricky's, a New York City based costume company, has come up with an "angry steward costume" relating to Steven Slater, a former Jet Blue Flight attendant. Steven made a spectacular escape from his job, grabing 2 beers and deploying  the emergency slide past August after a heated argument with a passenger upon arrival at New York's Kennedy Airport.
Get dressed up!

Courtesy Ricky's NYC

Severe challenges passing through airport security

Not much in the news today. Therefore have a laugh!

By Time Magazine

How airlines use Twitter to revamp customer service

In a world of ever present social media, airlines can't afford not to use such channels. The Toronto Star has an interesting article on how airlines use Twitter to interact with their customers. Read it here

SWISS Airlines "Heidi look a like" contest in San Francisco

The contest benefits the Academy of Friends and the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund. Each organization received a travel package for two to Switzerland, including round-trip SWISS Business tickets, and hotel designated for use in fundraising purposes. See Pictures here

SWISS launched a new Zurich-San Francisco service back June with a specialy painted Airbus A340 flower power motif. The flight currently operates 6 times weekly.

UFO shuts down chinese airport

This marks the eighth reported UFO sighting in China since June, according to The Daily Telegraph. But officials admitted military tests accounting for at least several of the cases. Read full story here

Virgin announces to launch space tourism in 18 months

AFP - Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson said Monday that Virgin Galactic is on track to offer commercial space travel within 18 months, and that space hotels are next on the drawing board.
Read full story here 

Book your next flight, into space! here