GeekSugar

United Airlines Charges For Bags, But Will Charge Your iPod

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:30:26 -0700

This makes me a little less bitter at United for charging $15 per checked bag: the airline is installing iPod and iPhone docks on its airplanes. Not only will you be able to charge your battery at your seat, you'll be able to scroll through your music and videos from the seat back's screen! Don't watch from that silly little screen, watch from behind somebody's head!

The first few flights to boast the Apple connectivity will be transatlantic, and will sadly be for first-and business-class passengers. That had better not last, or my forgiveness for the checked-bag fee will quickly depart.

Source

Airlines Passes Out DS Lites Instead of Peanuts - Kinda

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:06:06 -0800

At the risk of sounding like an exaggerator, I would like to announce the best airline news ever. Nintendo and Southwest Airlines have teamed up to give some of the airline's most-traveled flyers a surprise gift, and it's not peanuts, stale cookies or free booze. Fifty of Southwest's Rapid Rewards Members have been mailed a Nintendo DS(TM) Lite and a copy of Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. The gifts are being offered both as a thank you and to help these travelers pass the time during their next trip.

The Nintendo DS Lite is a portable video game player much like the Moto, which one of our favorite celebrity geeks Kristin Bell was recently spotted playing. Why did Southwest dish them out to their frequent fliers? read more

"We are helping our Members welcome the New Year with low fares, frequent flights and, of course, exercise ... exercise for their mind while they travel," said Blair McGrain, Director of Marketing Planning and Customer Loyalty. "We are thrilled to partner with Nintendo to give our Members some FUN in the New Year."

How did they do it? Members were selected by Southwest Airlines for their longtime loyalty and accumulated miles, the Rapid Rewards Members who received the Nintendo DS and copy of Brain Age have collectively flown more than 79.2 million miles, spent more than 132,854 hours in the air and represent more than 600 years of membership. Nintendo DS is the world's best-selling hand-held video game system, and has sold nearly 7 million in the United States alone.

Will Airlines Allow Integrated iPod Service?

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:35:58 -0800

Just when I thought I couldn't find a person on earth without the token white iPod headphones stuffed in their ears, iPods have taken to the skies too. Apple has announced it will team up with a handful of international airlines and integrate iPods into their in-flight entertainment systems. Macworld magazine reports that Continental, Delta, Emirates and United are among a fleet of airlines that will soon offer iPod seat connections to charge and power iPods during flights. The airlines will also allow fliers to watch the videos that are stored on their iPods on the mini airplane back-of-the-seat monitors. For more about this, read more

The news isn't all happy tunes though. Apparently Air France and KLM have disputed Apple's announcement and claim it's too early to confirm any details regarding an agreement.

As someone who has jumped on a plane or two only to realize my iPod battery was painfully low, I see this announcement as a really exciting thing. I do however, wonder if airlines will consider making the system compatible with other MP3 and video players.

Paper Airline Tickets On The Brink Of Extinction

GeekSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:00:31 -0700

Luddite travelers may need to start making geek friends because the paper airline ticket will be all but extinct by the end of May.

Replacing paper tickets, and the elaborate global system that processed them, with electronic ticketing will save airlines $3 billion annually on the roughly 400 million tickets sold outside of the United States alone, according to the New York Times.

Apparently, 96.86 percent of tickets sold in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands last month were electronic, so it does appear that most people are able and willing to travel the digital way. Do you use electronic or paper tickets when you travel?

Source

American Airlines Wants You To Log On In-Flight

GeekSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 03:00:58 -0700

While American car rental service Avis has been offering WiFi for their customers for some time, logging on in-flight isn't an amenity most American travelers have been able to savor - until now. Just days after Virgin America showed off its new, tech-infused planes, AirCell, a provider of aviation communications systems, announced it will join forces with American to test its new system for providing on-board Internet access.

According to Reuters, American will test the service on its 767-200 aircraft, which mainly flies transcontinental routes. Apparently Boeing has halted the use of its Connexion unit, which allowed airlines to provide high-speed Internet service to passengers, because it was too expensive and customers didn't want to pay for the usage. According to AirCell, its system will be less expensive - likely $100,000 per plane or $10 per flight.

Source

PC World Exposes The Top 25 Web Hoaxes and Pranks

GeekSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:02:19 -0700

Ever get the e-mail about that lost relative that's died and left you a fortune, only you have to share your banking number with someone in West Africa? What about the e-mail promising a cash payout from Bill Gates if you forward an e-mail to a bagillion of your friends? Online pranks and shams are all too familiar to those of us that live on the web, but that doesn't mean they aren't delightfully funny or painfully jarring. This month's PC World has put together a list of the The Top 25 Web Hoaxes and Pranks and I for one, took a little trip down memory lane. Highlights include:

The Accidental Tourist (2001) - Quite possibly the most famous hoax picture ever, this gruesome idea of a joke traveled around the Web and made a grand tour of e-mail inboxes everywhere soon after the tragedy of September 11. It depicts a tourist standing on the observation deck of one of the World Trade Center towers, unknowingly posing for a picture as an American Airlines plane approaches in the background.
Sick Kid Needs Your Help (1989) - This gem had its roots in reality. It all began in 1989, when nine-year-old cancer patient Craig Shergold thought of a way to achieve his dream of getting into the Guinness Book of World Records. Craig asked people to send greeting cards, and boy, did they. By 1991, 33 million greeting cards had been sent, far surpassing the prior record.
Bill Gates Money Giveaway (1997) - "Dear Internet Subscriber," the e-mail starts. "The Government of the United States is quietly pushing through legislation that will affect your use of the Internet." It goes on to reveal that "Bill 602P" will authorize the U.S. Postal Service to assess a charge of five cents for every e-mail sent.

For the complete list of web Tom Foolery, check out PC World.