Posts in the category "Uncategorized":

(Very decadent) cupcakes show off the new Fiji Airways livery

Air Pacific’s makeover continues with the next step of its rebranding as Fiji Airways, the name the airline originally had back in 1951.

Fiji Airways had a reception at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday to welcome its newest airplane – an Airbus A330 named – Namuka-I-Lau –which is not only the name of one of Fiji’s 333 islands, but the island where Makereta Matemosi lives. She’s the Fijian artist commissioned to create the design for the airline’s new livery, which originates from traditional Fijian art form known as Masi.

Fijian artist Makereta Matemosi demonstrating how she makes her Masi designs.

At the event, Matemosi explained the different meanings behind the various motifs in her Masi design for the new Fiji Airways brandmark, which has as its centerpiece the Teteva.

The big circle has four crosses at its ‘corners,’ which are meant to signify interconnection and the way the airline connects people to the Fiji Islands. The inner circle reflects the spiritual values of the Fijian people, and the middle, which has sixteen petal shapes, is meant to reflect people working together.

Matemosi said the innermost part of the design – the diamond – represents love.

This new Airbus A330 airplane, one of three the airline is adding to its fleet, will begin flying from Los Angeles to Fiji on July 1, 2013.

Categories: Airplanes, liveries, Uncategorized
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“I’m on a boat. No, it’s a ship. And we will be at the dock soon.”

That’s what I kept telling myself during what I could not believe was an almost day-long bout of seasickness on a less than 48-hour cruise on the Celebrity Solstice from Seattle to …. nowhere.

The waters were calm. The scenery in the Strait of Juan de Fuca was lovely. And some people – not me – spotted Orca whales in the water.

I was a guest of Celebrity Cruises, so I toured the ship, watched a bit of a show and  made time for two (maybe it was three) scoops of guava gelato. I tried using the on-board wireless to get some work done, but because the service was complimentary for everyone on this short trip, the lines were were clogged up. (As were the bathrooms in my cabin section for a few hours.)

But I’m really glad I finally perked up and felt better.

Because the 2nd night on the ship I made my way to the top deck and watched an outdoor glassmaking show put on by a trio of entertaining and informative glass artists on loan from New York’s Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG).

They were not cruise-ship corny.

They were not selling anything.

They were not rushing through their show.

And each took a turn on the microphone enthusiastically answering questions from the audience while another created a truly lovely work of art.

It turns out that at least three of Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice class ships (Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, and Celebrity Eclipse) include a permanent hotshop where CMOG staff present live, narrated glassblowing demonstrations.

Great idea!

Categories: Uncategorized
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My office neighbor, Anna Williams, director of the public policy consulting firm, Perspectio, just got back from a business trip to Nigeria and was kind enough to snap some photos of the Abuja Airport- Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport – on her way.

“There honestly was not a lot to take photos of,” she said, “The were two of areas with these fake plants that were spaces with unclear purposes. Are you supposed to stand in the middle and take your photo?”

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On Thursday, May 2, from 10:30am until 12:30pm, San Diego International Airport will host a Cinco de Mayo performance by Ballet Folklórico performance and a cultural display by El Tapatio in the Terminal 2 West baggage claim area.

The dance troupe will present traditional folk dances of Mexico in a performance to commemorate the historic Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862, at Puebla, Mexico.

Categories: Uncategorized
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The folks at Air New Zealand have run the numbers, tallied the comments and somehow interpreted the pie charts and pictures from the in-flight focus group about jet-lag (and more) that I participated in on an ANZ flight from Los Angeles to London.

Here’s a handy infographic of our group’s advice on packing, dressing and preparing in-flight activities for a long flight, making the most of the in-flight time and merging seamlessly into the day once you touch down.

Categories: Health, Jet Lag, Travel tips, Uncategorized
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