They call it a “consumer guide to better airline travel,” and answer such questions as:
Which are the best seats in on United Airlines? (answer)
Which first class seats are good in American Airlines? (answer)
What is the seat legroom for British Airways 747-400? (answer)
» Get more air travel tips here.
» Check out their information on seat deals, […]
Edward Tufte probably doesn’t need to see this, but you do. This is a funny, insightful and cute doodles-as-analysis / unsophisticated stat site: indexed.blogspot.com (via Information Aesthetics).
Other favorites of mine:
Pop Stars vs. Possums
Contraception for the lazy
Biological clock warning signs
The beer cycle
From Derek Willis’ excellent journalism blog,
Ronnie Greene of the Miami Herald used federal data and records obtained through FOIA for a three-part series on cargo plane crashes, finding that “from Texas to Alaska to Colorado and beyond, cargo pilots are dying in large numbers.
Read the blog post here, and read the Miami Herald’s report here.
I’m not making fun of airline safety or anything, but I’m intensely curious why the U.S. Transportation Security Administration felt the need to single out “Toy Transformer Robots” on their list of what you can and can’t bring in your checked luggage and in your carry-on.
Also, and this is something I didn’t know: It’s okay to bring saline or eyedrops with you, as long as the container is four ounces or less. Mascara and toothpaste are still no-nos, that is, unless you feel like putting them in your pocket.
From last week’s New York Times (via TheLobby.com): Tips and strategy on what to do when you don’t make your flight.
From the BBC:
Aircraft hand baggage restrictions imposed after an alleged terrorist plot to attack airliners are likely to be eased next week, the BBC has learned.
Read the article here
This is a tip for the business and regular travellers out there who don’t want to buy toothpaste every time you fly somewhere: Put the stuff in your pockets. Yes, this won’t work if you don’t wear pants, if you have a metal container, and this won’t work if you get searched in the gate (which they hardly ever do anyway), but this will work most of the time.
Also, if you’re a smoker, go on and put your lighter in your pocket. Unless it’s a zippo it doesn’t have enough metal in it to trigger the metal detectors.
For those of you who don’t know, Flight Club helps you meet other people — business travellers, college travellers, or just ordinary travellers — on airplanes and on airports. It’s a quick way to make travel less boring, it’s free, and our community is growing faster than ever. You can sign up here, or find out more information about us here.
Via the excellent journalism blog, The Scoop (blog post link):
Paula Lavigne of the Dallas Morning News used federal data to show that “despite previous estimates from animal rights groups that thousands of animals were killed, injured or lost on commercial airlines each year, only 56 incidents were reported nationwide in the past year, the first that official statistics were kept.” Most of the incidents involved dogs, with cats, birds and a rat making up the rest. A 2003 article by the Humane Society estimated that up to 5,000 pets a year were lost, injured or killed during air travel.
The digital age continues: Wired passports started rolling out across the U.S. this month. This means passport data will be stored electronically, which the State Department says will speed up customs and bolster security.
Citizens who get new passports can expect to pay a lot more. New ones issued under this program will cost $97, which includes a $12 security surcharge added last year. Not all new passports will contain the technology until it’s fully rolled out — a process expected to take a year. Existing passports without the electronic chips will remain valid until their normal expiration date.