Articles in In Flight

Delta Air Lines Porsche Transfer in Minneapolis – Review

For those travelers making a tight connection on Delta Air Lines in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York, a pleasant surprise may be waiting for them upon their arrival.
Arriving at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on a flight out of New York’s LaGuardia  that had been delayed 75 minutes, I was trying to make a connecting flight that should have left before my first flight even landed.  Fortunately (at least …

Leonardo Express Airport Rail Link to Rome – Review

The Leonardo Express began operations in December 1989, offering half-hour non-stop service from Leonardo da Vinci Rome Airport, or Fiumicino, to Rome’s city center.
The one-class trains, run by Trenitalia, the major railway operator in Italy, are comfortable and offer a variety of seating with excellent views of the passing landscape.
The trains operate between Fiumicino and Roma Termini, the city’s main railway station.  Roma Termini offers easy connections to trains connecting …

A Matter of Taste: Noise, Tomato Juice, and the Science of In-Flight Meals

Think of your last airline meal. Would you be able to describe it, or was it so bland and unmemorable that you’d be hard pressed to identify it as being chicken or beef?
In-flight meals have long been fodder for standup comics. While asking “what’s the deal with airline food” may seem like a setup for a Jerry Seinfeld monologue, the question has warranted serious study by both scientists eager for …

The 2014 Guide to Lie-Flat Seats in First and Business Class

With apologies to George Orwell, some lie-flat seats are more equal than others.  Indeed, is one airline’s reverse herringbone lie-flat seat more comfortable than another’s backwards-facing lie-flat?
The move to fully lie-flat seats began in 1995 and 1996 when Air France and British Airways introduced seats that converted to fully-flat beds in their respective first-class cabins.  The beds were truly horizontal and parallel to the deck, in stark contrast to the …

Alitalia Magnifica Class Flight 609 New York-Rome – Review

It’s 1969 and Alitalia is launching jet service from New York to Rome.   Fashionably dressed passengers board the plane all looking like Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in the scene of La Dolce Vita where Ekberg’s character arrives at Ciampino Airport and is met by a horde of reporters.
So it isn’t 1969, but some 45 years later the glamour of flying is still alive at Alitalia and passengers are still …

First Quarter Earnings: Some Airline Mergers Are More Equal Than Others

The year’s first quarter was not very kind to airlines and travelers alike in terms of weather, but most major carriers nonetheless showed a profit.
American Airlines Group, formed late last year by the merger of American parent AMR and US Airways, and Southwest reported record earnings this week and Delta Air Lines reported excellent numbers as well.  JetBlue Airways’ profit narrowed sharply while United Airlines’ loss widened.  Indeed, American not …

Heathrow Express Airport Rail Link to London – Review

Heathrow Express began life in 1998 as the Heathrow FastTrain, when it started to offer service from London Paddington Station to a temporary station near Heathrow.  Recently, all trains were completely refurbished, receiving new seats, luggage storage areas, and electric outlets at each seat.
But one thing hasn’t changed: it still takes 15 minutes to get from Heathrow to London’s city center.
Tickets may be purchased on line although prices have increased …