Buffering Up

The appetite for binge-friendly streaming services like Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, over expensive cable or satellite TV packages, appears to be insatiable. “Streaming video has grown at such a rapid pace in North America that the leading service in 2015, Netflix, now has a greater share of traffic than all of streaming audio and video did five years ago,” says Dave Caputo, CEO of Sandvine, a broadband network solutions provider. Based on a recent Sandvine study, real-time entertainment streaming now accounts for more than 70 percent of evening Internet traffic in North America.

2023-02-20T20:02:18-08:00February 9th, 2016|
Read More

Party at 40,000 Feet – Emirates Style

“Mr. Slutsken, would you and your wife please join us in the lounge at the back of the cabin?” asked the Purser, our flight's senior cabin representative. She had a big smile on her face as she stood beside my business class seat in the Emirates A380 on our flight from Dubai (DXB) to Rome (FCO). I looked back at my wife; we both wanted to be right beside a window, so I was in seat 9K and Karen was in 11K on the remarkably quiet upper deck of the Airbus.

2023-02-20T20:02:19-08:00January 13th, 2016|
Read More

Canada’s Airports – Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport can be seen from the upper floors of the office towers and apartment buildings that crowd the centre of Canada’s largest city. Located less than three kilometres from downtown on Toronto Island, the airport is Canada’s ninth busiest. But it takes an even closer look to appreciate this small airport’s substantial impact. Nestled just a stone’s throw from downtown on Toronto Island, the airport has quickly risen to become Canada’s ninth busiest.

2023-02-20T20:02:19-08:00December 2nd, 2015|
Read More

Flight Fatigue

We’re a chronically sleep-deprived society, thanks to the demands of our jobs and personal life. We’re extending our waking hours, exchanging our sleep for other activities. We try to convince ourselves that “it’s ok, I don’t need to sleep as much.” But when we do this day-after-day, and night-after-night, we end up with a “sleep debt,” and we’re fatigued. “Fatigue is a state that results from sleep loss, continuous hours of wakefulness, disruptions of your body clock, and workload, that affects you both mentally and physically,” says Dr. Melissa Mallis, of M3 Alertness Management.

2023-02-20T20:02:45-08:00June 22nd, 2015|
Read More

Attendant Devices

It looks like Star Trek got it right, again. Long before we had tablet computers, the crew of the Enterprise “D” could be seen running to Captain Picard with devices that looked suspiciously like an iPad or Galaxy Tab. Now, in our timeline, on mere jet-powered aircraft, cabin crews are using this Star Trek-esque technology as a new way to connect with their passengers.

2023-02-20T20:02:47-08:00March 14th, 2015|
Read More

Rideshare in the Air? There’s an App for That!

A new startup company, JetSmarter, hopes to bring a disruptive process to the method of organizing a corporate aircraft charter that has traditionally used paper booking, middlemen and agents. Sergey Petrossov, JetSmarter’s 26-year-old founder and CEO, has created a mobile app that provides the availability and details of more than 3,000 corporate aircraft, tied to a client’s specific needs through the company’s unique software.

2023-02-20T20:02:48-08:00January 6th, 2015|
Read More

All Nippon Airways Helps Passengers Take Their Minds Off Takeoff

Although many airline passengers enjoy the experience of flying, there are those who simply don’t. For those passengers, even the thought of having to get on a plane can induce anxiety, stress and even crippling fear. There are seminars and personalized programs for anxious passengers, and just last week, All Nippon Airways (ANA) introduced a smartphone app that might just help.

2023-02-20T20:02:48-08:00December 14th, 2014|
Read More

Advanced Antennae

Gogo 2Ku Antenna. Photo: Gogo Gogo 2Ku Antenna. Photo: Gogo

Written for the Airline Passenger Experience Association
APEX Experience Magazine – December 2014/January 2015

The concept for our world-wide geostationary satellite system was first popularized by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke in 1945. Clarke, the legendary […]

2023-02-20T20:02:49-08:00December 1st, 2014|
Read More

The New Baggage Carts Are Here, The New Baggage Carts Are Here!!

Our friend in Vancouver, Chris, is usually running around YVR airport's terminals, ramp, and grounds. With his smartphone in hand, he tweets, blogs, posts, and helps to keep YVR's social media presence timely and responsive. A couple of weeks ago, Chris did stay still for a while, long enough to put together a nifty video announcing the arrival of YVR's 3,000 new baggage carts.

2023-02-20T20:03:05-08:00September 1st, 2014|
Read More

Inflight Review: Air Canada 777, High Density Economy

Here I go again…I’ve been traveling between Vancouver (YVR) and Toronto (YYZ) for decades. I’ve lived and worked in both cities, and family and business trips have taken me back and forth countless times. I’ve flown on pretty well everything, from a “milk-run” DC-9-30 hopping across the country, to business class in the upper deck of a 747-400. The two airports are roughly 2,100 miles (3,400 km) apart, and the direct flying time is usually around 4 hours eastbound, and 4 ½ hours westbound. That’s enough time to enjoy a good flight and service, but hopefully not so much as to turn a bad flight into an unbearable one.

2023-02-20T20:03:06-08:00August 11th, 2014|
Read More
Go to Top