Singapore’s Changi Airport goes in for grand effect with multiple gardens, giant flower displays and two indoor slides.
Now, as part of campaign for a game that awards cash prizes to shoppers, Changi has installed a giant compact mirror, a huge camera and a big bottle that sends out an occasional spray of perfume. This month scent is lavender.
I admit it.
The reason I said yes to Virgin America’s invitation to fly on the first (party) flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (Flight #777 at the bottom of the screen above) on Monday was because Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson would be on board and I wanted to see if the ‘sparkle’ was all hype.
I don’t think it is.
Richard Branson and the Vegas Showgirls. Photo by Harriet Baskas
Any guy would be in a good mood surrounded by Vegas showgirls, of course, and Branson was in there kissing the ladies and hamming it up. But when I was given a moment to ask him a quick question he was focused, serious and polite.
But back to the party.
During this flight Virgin America rolled out its new seat-to-seat delivery feature, which allows a passenger in one part of the plane to order a snack or a drink and have it delivered to someone else.
Richard Branson introduced the flirty feature with this video:
As part of the “get lucky” roll-out, the airline is having an on-line contest (prize: a trip to Las Vegas and a stay at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas) asking passengers to share the in-flight pick-up lines they might use with this feature.
Some people think the seat-to-seat delivery option is a great ice-breaking idea.
Others think it could create situations that are awkward and creepy.
The new feature is available – along with a seat-to-seat chat function – on Virgin America flights nationwide as part of the seat-back entertainment system. But it’s likely that few folks flying between Las Vegas and Los Angeles will get to try it out: the flight time for that route is just about one hour.
There were plenty of aviation-related pranks pulled earlier this week for April Fools’ Day, but by far the best one was this press release sent out by Seattle’s Museum of Flight announcing a three day exhibit featuring Wonder Woman’s invisible plane.
Wonder Woman’s invisible airplane makes a low pass over Edwards Air Force Base, California, circa 1946. Courtesy: The Museum of Flight
The description of the plane was intriguing:
“Developed using still-mysterious Amazon stealth technology decades before other aerospace companies envisioned such a future, the unique aircraft features a robot-controlled pilot, a locascope, and an electronic mist beam. Wonder Woman was able to control the plane telepathically and via devices in her tiara.”
I laughed it off as a great joke and a really well-written fake press release and tweeted the news with a “tee-hee” note attached.
But it turns out the museum really did have a temporary exhibit all about Wonder Woman’s invisible airplane, complete with a docent tour, exhibit panels, photos, a 360-degree cockpit tour and a webpage filled with additional information.
For those who missed it, here are some photos showing the plane on exhibit and the informational panels.
Thanks, Museum of Flight, for showing the plane and sharing these images.
A photo of the exhibit at Seattle’s Museum of Flight featuring Wonder Woman’s Invisible plane.
In addition to early arrivals from Virgin Atlantic (glass-bottomed planes) and WestJet (all-animals welcome; no carriers needed), these April Fools antics from airlines are making the rounds:
Delta Air Lines has a new double-decker arm rest available for those in the middle seat.
Virgin America has a new Main Canine Select class offering intriguing perks, such as in-flight fire-hydrants designed by Frank Gehry.
And JetBlue has announced three new – unusual – destinations.
Virgin Atlantic announced today, April 1st, that it will soon introduce a glass-bottomed plane, WestJet has announced that bears, billy goats, monkeys and any other pet will now be allowed onto airplanes. For the “Furry Family” plans, no pet carriers are needed.
And, for my first post for the Gadling travel site, I report on a new program being tested by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to give expedited security checkpoint privileges to passengers willing to sing, dance, juggle or tell jokes to others waiting in line.
The pilot program rolls out today in airports in Los Angeles and New York. “Cities where a lot of folks ham it up on the security lines anyway,” said TSA arts and entertainment director Lance Strongarm.
Some passengers will be able to volunteer to perform; others will be chosen at random by TSA officers to step out of line and into the spotlight. “Yes, there will actually be spotlights,” said Strongarm. “We want to do this right.”
Passengers waiting to be screened will be invited to vote, by clapping, whistling or booing, on whether the person performing goes to the front – or the back – of the line.
“It will be a cross between ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘Survivor’ – but at the airport,” said Strongarm. And because the TSA already has cameras filming all activity that takes place at checkpoint areas, “it will be easy to provide footage for the reality show we’re shopping around that will help generate needed funds for TSA operations,” he said.
One TSA officer gave thumbs up to the plan. “We really don’t want to touch your junk,” he said, “but we would appreciate hearing some nice funk or folk music while going through your things.”
Travelers polled at LAX Terminal 4 over the weekend gave mixed reactions to the new plan. “I love it and will go practice juggling small knives and souvenir bats as soon as I get home,” said one passenger, noting that those items will soon be allowed back on airplanes as carry-on items. “I’d say it sounds like an April Fool Day joke,” said another, “but we all know the TSA has absolutely no sense of humor.”
(My story TSA To Allow Entertaining Passengers to Cut the Line - originally appeared on Gadling.com on April 1st, 2013)
MT Thanks! RT @denairport: Why did @DENAirport name its terminal after Jeppesen? Answer on @usatodaytravel http://t.co/lJnGQwyjOy
