UK grounds Mile High Flights

If you were planning to join or re-affirm your membership to the Mile High Club using UK’s Mile High Flights, then you are out of luck. UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), equivalent of  FAA, has refused to re-certify Mile High Flights, over fears distracted pilots could crash.  Mile High Flights is a Gloucestershire (UK) based air charter company that allowed passenger to have sex while in-flight on its Cessna C208 Caravan airplanes. The aircrafts are fitted with a queen size bed in the rear of the aircraft. The company was started in 2008 by Mike Crisp

Mike Crisp doesn’t plan to give up that easy as claims he has invested more than $15,000 in equipping the aircraft with fire-retardant sheets, upholstery and bedding.

Mike Crisp who founded the company in 2008, reported “I’m not giving up on what was a popular business idea because someone at the CAA doesn’t like the sound of what goes on in our plane.

“Joining the Mile High Club is something a lot of couples dream of and we were providing the chance to fulfill that particular fantasy. In our two years trading we had people from all walks of life wanting to join the club, from 21st birthday flights to 60th birthday ones.” (Source: avstop.com)

The company offers its passengers the option of two flight packages, “The Big One” at $854 (£640) for a 40 minute flight and the “VIP” for a 60 minute flight. In addition for a third person to travel along there is an additional passenger charge of $166.  

Mile High Flights reports on their website that the fight time “will provide you and your partner ample time to indulge in your ultimate fantasies and experience an adventure fit for Hollywood.” The site also states once you arrive that the airport (Staverton) you will be greeted by the pilot who will answers questions, assist with boarding and provide safety instructions before takeoff. Once on aboard, the passengers are provided with chilled champagne and strawberries, an aphrodisiac. When airborne the pilot will inform the passengers when it is safe to engage in sex.

What is Mile High Club?

The Mile High Club (or MHC) is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have sex while on board an aircraft in flight. There is no known formally constituted club so named. However, since “membership” of the “club” is really a matter of an individual asserting they have qualified, the qualifications for membership are open to some interpretation.

Or an alternate definition – the term “Mile High Club” refers to two or more people engaging in sexual activity (sexual intercourse) at an altitude of no less than 5,280 ft (a mile high above the earth) in an airplane.

Why would someone like to join this Club?

•  Bragging rights
•  Vibration of the plane for easier arousal
•  Fantasy of being a pilot or flight attendants
•  Plane/Metal Fetish
•  Taboo/Thrill

 

 

I would normally be OK with charter sex flights, but this time I agree with CAA. Cessna is a little too small for the sex act as the cockpit is right next to the make-shift bed. There is no way that a pilot will not get distracted with the sounds, visuals and movement! What do you think?

(from Mizozo.com)

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Britain opens secret UFO files to public

The story came out a week back and is still developing. Recently Britain’s National Archives revealed a document that enumerates unexplained UFO sightings from 1986 to 1992.

Details of the Document (from CTV)

The more than 4,500-page online document is the second batch of
testimonies chock-full of shimmering objects, mysterious crop circles
and creatures from another dimension collected by British military and
released this month. It includes first-hand accounts such as:

• Statements from police officers in West Yorkshire describing sightings of “bright lights in the night sky”
• Testimony collected from a U.S. Airforce Sabre jet pilot ordered to
  “shoot down a UFO” flying over eastern England during the height of the
  Cold War
• A letter from a person dubbed “alien-spotter extraordinaire” who reported regular alien visits since 1982

Another of the 19 files released by the British Ministry of Defence
to the National Archives details a near-miss with a possible UFO and
passenger jet carrying 57 people en route from Milan to London’s
Heathrow Airport on April 21, 1991.

Alitalia Pilot’s Story

On Alitalia flight in 1991 from Milan to Heathrow, Captain Achille Zaghetti and his co-pilot saw “a mysterious khaki-coloured, missile-shaped object streaking across the sky above the Kent countryside.” The object was a 10 feet long UFO.

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London’s Stansted get permission to expand!

London’s Stansted Airport, operated by BAA, received the permission from the UK government to increase its flight capacity by 10% to accommodate a further of 23,000 flights a year (extra 10 million passengers). Earlier the local authority had rejected the request due to noise and environmental issues.

From M2 –

The maximum number of passengers able to use the
airport would increase by 10m a year, from 35m to 25m, as a result of
the capacity increase and the number of possible flights would be
raised from 241,000 annually to 264,000, Reuters reported.

Opposition on the Plan from BBC –

The National Trust opposes the expansion, claiming increased air traffic will have an adverse impact on nearby Hatfield Forest.

It has described the site as one of Europe’s last remaining
medieval royal hunting forests and believes an increase in flights and
noise will hit visitor numbers. 

Uttlesford District Council leader Jim Ketteridge said:
“Allowing BAA to increase the amount of air traffic marks a further
erosion of our quality of life, particularly for all those living near
Stansted Airport.”

Stop Stansted Expansion, the campaign group which has led
opposition to further development, said it was “considering the
implications” of the Government’s decision before commenting further.

And the Liberal Democrats have also criticised the move,
claiming there is a “gaping void” between the Government’s rhetoric on
the environment and its actions.

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Good News Everyone: Singapore Airlines recieves its 6th A380

Singapore Airlines announced that on Thursday September 18th 2008, it received its 6th Airbus A380 from Airbus. The airline is supposed to use the super jumbo jet for a second daily flight between Singapore and London.

It is good news for Airbus and Airbus Investors since the company seems to be sticking to its delivery target and schedule of 12 Airbus A380 by the end of the year (despite delay rumors).

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Kingfisher Airlines gets permission to fly to UK

Kingfisher Airlines (merged into Deccan Aviation) became the second major private Indian Airlines after Jet Airways to get the permission to fly to foreign destinations. The aviation ministry of India has approved the airlines for seven flights a week between Bangalore and London on a Airbus A330 from August 26th 2008.

Kingfisher Airlines is run by Vijay Mallya who seems to be the Sir Richard Branson of India.

From Wikipedia – “Kingfisher is one of six airlines in the world to have a five-star rating from Skytrax, along with Asiana Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways.“

From Press Trust of India –

“According to guidelines an Indian
carrier can fly abroad only after serving the domestic market for five
years and having a fleet of 20 aircraft.


Kingfisher Airlines was merged into Deccan Aviation with the
sanction of the Karnataka High Court. Following this, all the 43
aircraft on the Scheduled Operators Permit (SOP) of Kingfisher were
transferred and endorsed on the SOP of Deccan Aviation with the
approval of the DGCA.”

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Good News Everyone: American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia sign commerical agreement

American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia announced today that they have signed “a commercial agreement to cooperate over flights between North America and Europe to help overcome soaring fuel costs”. The tie is also supposed to benefit for the open skies agreement between Europe and US.

Also, as a part of the new agreement all the three airlines have filed for worldwide anti-trust immunity from US DOT (Department of Transportation) over the tie up. This would be American Airlines’ and British Airways’ third attempt at immunity request.

Virgin Atlantic’s Richard Branson is very annoyed. He has termed the possible approval as a “monster monopoly” and “third time unlucky for customers”.

Meanwhile British Airways and Iberia are also discussing (separately) their own merger plans.

I personally think that air passengers will benefit from the deal by being able to fly seamlessly on the Oneworld network while gaining/using/benefiting points/miles on all loyalty programs.

From AFP –

Oneworld said that it “warmly welcomed and strongly supports the application for anti-trust immunity.”

It
added in a statement: “Anti-trust immunity between oneworld’s
transatlantic partners would enable them to unlock even more of
oneworld’s potential, enabling us to operate under the same rules as
our alliance competitors” SkyTeam and Star.

merican Airlines, BA and Iberia said in a joint statement that their
new alliance would allow them to “expand customer choice by supporting
routes that would not be economically viable for the individual
airlines.”

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Merger Update: British Airways and Iberia Airlines in merger talks

+
Higher oil prices have driven airlines to different solutions like capacity reduction, merger related synergies, airfare increase, charging for the usual freebies, etc.

British Airways and Spain’s flag carrier Iberia (or Iberia, Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. ) are deep in merger talks with Iberia “have taken direct/indirect 10% stake in British rival”. The merger is backed by boards on both airlines and will create the third largest airline in Europe (after KLM-Air France and Lufthansa).

So, as usual, I set out to find how the combined entity would look. Please be aware that I do not account for possible merger related capacity reduction (or airplane retirement) and unforeseeable changes.

British Airways in BLUE and Iberia in RED –

• Headquartered – Waterside, Harmondsworth, UK and Madrid, Spain
• Destinations – 147 + 115 (+19 future) =252 (+19 future) – OVERLAP
• Frequent Flier Program – Executive Club, Premier + Iberia Plus = ?
• Alliance – Oneworld
• Hubs – London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Barajas Int’l Airport
  
• Fleet – Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321, A380-800*; Boeing 737, 757, 767, 747, 777, 787* + Airbus A319, A320, A321, A340; McDonnell Douglas MD-88
• Fleet Size – 235 (+62 orders) + 152 (+19 orders) =387 (+81 orders)
  
• Company Slogan – Upgrade to British Airways + With Iberia , you’re more = Upgrade with more???

Since, British Airways is a bigger airline, there might be a possible BA head over the combined airline. Willie Walsh as CEO???

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Qantas 747 lands with a hole in fuselage

A Qantas 747-400 (QF 30 from London to Melbourne) was cruising at 29,000 feet when there was a loud boom. The boom was because of a hole which grew with a time extending from cargo hold into the passenger cabin. The cabin lost pressure and the aircraft started losing altitude (quickly descended 10,000 feet). The plane made an emergency landing at Manila airport (Philippines) and all the 346 passengers landed safe (though some vomited after landing).

From Associated Press –

“”One hour into the flight there was a big bang, then the plane started
going down,” passenger Marina Scaffidi, 39, from Melbourne, told The
Associated Press by phone from Manila airport. “There was wind swirling
around the plane and some condensation.””

“”There was a terrific boom and bits of wood and debris just flew
forward into first (class) and the oxygen masks dropped down,” she told
Australia’s ABC Radio. “It was absolutely terrifying, but I have to say
everyone was very calm.””

“Bob Vandel, executive vice president of the independent, Virginia-based
Flight Safety Foundation, said the hole caused the plane to lose
pressure and oxygen, which required the pilot to start a quick, initial
descent to normalize oxygen levels, said Vandel.”

Video –
One of the passengers took a video inside the aircraft with landing. For video Click here

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Ryanair to cut costs – Operations at seven airports ended

Rising gas prices seems to be affecting every airline in the world. Ryanair, Irish airline based in Dublin, recently announced the following cost cutting initiatives –

• Temporarily closing airport operations – Operations temporarily ended at Seven Airports – Basel, Budapest, Krakow, Palma, Rzeszow, Salzburg and Valencia.
• Capacity Cuts at others – The airline is cutting down on 14% of its flights in/out of London’s Stansted Airport this winter from 1850 to 1590 a week. British Airport Authority (BAA), owner of the airport, is charging 15% higher for the year (there was a 100% increase last year). Stansted per passenger charges have gone from £5 to £12 over the last five years. Resulting from this cutback, Stansted will lose 90,000 passengers (worth £8m)
• Grounding Airplanes – Ryanair is grounding 20 of its airplanes this summer

From Telegraph –

Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “These winter schedule cutbacks, which are significantly greater
than those of last winter, show just how damaging the BAA airport
monopoly has become to consumers and the best interests of London, UK
tourism and the economy generally.”

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Heathrow Expansion: Anna Chancellor joins the protest

Anna Chancellor, the “Four Wedding and a Funeral” star is the latest celebrity to join the celebrity mothers protesting against airport expansion.

From here –
“The group will hold a candlelight vigil outside the House of Commons
in an effort to get the Government to take the lead in tackling global
warming. Children of the mothers, who include writer and
broadcaster Rosie Boycott, will deliver a letter to 10 Downing Street.
Another member of the group, which calls itself we CAN (Climate Action
Now), is novelist and film-maker Rebecca Frayn, daughter of playwright
Michael Frayn.”

I do agree to the environmental aspect of expansions and introductions of more flights, but I would like to point out the following –

• Celebrity actors and actresses who have already made millions (or billions) of dollars/pounds/euros. How come most of the stars who could be reckless or anything, be the role models for such kind of environmental friendly events?
• From wikipedia, “She has spent time living in several countries around the world and has a particular attraction to Zimbabwe” and “She now lives with an Algerian cabdriver several years her junior, Redha, who is now a sound technician“. I wonder if she walks to these places??? So, if she can fly and a lot of other people want to fly, so does it make sense to curb the airline industry which would make the tickets more expensive and only let her fly?

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