And Now For Something Completely Different.

30th Aug 2010

And now for something completely different. Usually in these columns we examine the impact of various events on tourism and aviation in Phuket.

But there is another world out there in aviation land in which luxurious flying airship hotels, solar powered aircraft, crazy hitch hikers on planes, crazed soccer fans attacking cabin crew during the World Cup and, yes, you will be relieved to hear this - peanuts, the mainstay of snack foods on commercial aircraft, are safe from officialdom after being under threat in the United States.

Fact and fiction? Nope. All the above are fact and have happened in 2010. So forget your volcanoes spewing ash and exposing the vulnerable underbelly of European aviation; forget biofuels and how they could save the industry in the long term; forget the explosion of budget carriers throughout Asia; forget the impending introduction of the Boeing B787 'Dreamliner.'

Firstly, peanuts, as these are an issue close to every passenger's hearts. They are quite controversial in the aviation world, with airlines over the years making various attempts to ban them, only to be thwarted by passengers who like to receive them before their first 'free' drink. In the US the Department of Transportation pulled back on its previous intention to ban peanuts on commercial flights because of allergic reactions to peanuts by some people.

It turned out that the DOT had not right to ban the peanuts anyway. The topic caused much debate in the US where the idea of BIG BROTHER government stomping the helpless packets of peanuts was objected to. Admittedly an estimated 1.8 million Americans suffer severe peanut allergies, but most of these people would be aware of this, so why ban the little brown goodies from hundreds of millions of other passengers?

Then there is the strange case of a stowaway's body found in the landing gear of an Airbus 320 after it landed at Riyadh's King Khaled International Airport in Saudi Arabia. The man apparently managed to get hold of a wheel of the jet in Beirut without the control tower noticing. Passengers reported seeing a man in a baseball cap and a backpack dashing toward the plane as it taxied. Cases of stowaways hitching rides on aircraft undercarriage are not uncommon - and some people have, miraculously, survived.

At the other extreme would be passengers on a luxurious airship designed as a flying hotel - the Aircruise - a kite shaped vertical airship designed to carry travelers in graceful style and splendor. The airship's designer says it is aimed at people wanting a "more serene transport experience looking for a reflective journey." Nick Talbot, the designer, also designed the world's first private spaceship, Virgin Galactic. The Aircruise would carry up to 100 passengers with an ultra modern cocktail bar and guest lounge, penthouse, four duplex apartments and smaller apartments. Good luck to them.

Then there is solar plane power. In Switzerland early July as an experimental solar powered aircraft took off in an historic flight. The single seater plane has a giant airliner sized wingspan (equivalent to that of an Airbus A340 at 63 metres) and relies on 12,000 solar cells and almost half a tonne of batteries. The aircraft flew up to 8500 metres before making a slow night time descent. The seven year project has an objective of flying around the world on solar energy by 2013 or 2014.

Finally, there is the case of good old fashioned air rage when a German football fan was given a suspended jail term for shoving airline cabin crew after his World Cup semi-final bound flight was denied landing in Durban, South Africa. The man was among hundreds of fans who missed the Germany-Spain semi final match because of landing problems at King Shaka International Airport in Durban. Apparently the man had pushed and shoved the crew, screamed, sworn and refused repeated commands to return to his seat.

Air rage is still quite common on commercial flights; usually accompanied by too much alcohol, but this is probably a first for the World Cup. The judge took pity on the man for missing the game saying "I'm not going to add to your burden."

There are thousands of tales about in flight mishaps, fights, misadventures and the like. Such as the queen of a small Pacific Island nation whose bulk got her stuck to the aircraft toilet to much Royal embarressment' but these and other stories can wait for another column.

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