The Joys Of Modern Air Travel...

As I write this, I am sitting in the Maple Leaf Lounge at the Ottawa airport awaiting my flight to Halifax which departs in about 90 minutes (I was in Ottawa fro Christmas). I've already been here for 60 minutes, taking heed of the Transport Canada and Air Canada warnings to arrive three hours before my flight due to the new travels rules in place as a result of the aborted terrorist bombing in Detroit.

I have absolutely no issues at all with the new regulations (except for the one saying nobody could get out of their seat in the last hour of a US bound flight - luckily cooler heads prevailed - that one could have gotten messy...). I just find it somewhat ironic that it was a failed attack and yet seems to have had the desired result of increased delays and inconveniences.

I must compliment the security staff here at the Ottawa airport - they were friendly, courteous and professional - I can only imagine how hard that must have been to do with all of the reported delays of the last few days - it's the front line folks who take the abuse. Today there were few delays getting through security even though I was randomly selected to be patted down, so here I am spending 2.5 hours waiting for my plane (old military habits die hard - I spent a lot of years at military air terminals two hours ahead of departure and that was for flying on Yukons and Hercs!!...). All I can say is if you travel regularly by air these days and you do not have lounge privileges, GET THEM!, it's the only way to travel these days.

So wherever you may be off to, safe travels and get to the airport early. I'm off to have a free cup of tea. Hmmm...

Maybe NOW You Will Pay Attention to the Pre-Flight Safety Demonstration...

OK admit it - you get settled into your seat on board yet another flight and bury your head into the newspaper, magazine, or book you brought on board with you while you completely ignore the flight attendants who are waving their arms about like hyper traffic cops doing the pre-flight safety demonstration.

Well that may be about to change. The folks at Air New Zealand have taken a whole new approach to the pre-flight demo - with smiles and body paint:



Too funny, but gets the point across - pay attention to the pre-flight demo - I know I will next time I fly, just in case...

And here is the blooper reel which might even be funnier:



Enjoy! Hmmm...

STLHE 2007 - The Trip Out

I spent most of yesterday in airports and airplanes, travelling from Halifax to Edmonton (through Toronto of course) - why does everything go through Toronto (insert appropriate or inappropriate Toronto joke here...)?

Air travel has basically been reduced to riding a bus with wings - it's convenient, relatively quick, someone else is doing the driving, and you spend most of the time reading, eating or sleeping (although you have to pay to eat now :-). Actually I spent most of the time on the Toronto-Edmonton leg of the trip watching a movie son a little 5"x7" screen - a whole new experience for those of us in the progressive lens set.

Left Halifax in the cool and rain, arrived in Toronto to 31C and humidity and landed in Edmonton to 10C and cloudy - gotta love a large country and its weather. I am now firmly ensconced in the Lister Centre - the University of Alberta's conference centre.

Nice and convenient to the STLHE Conference which takes place across the street about a 5 minute walk away. The U of A is a huge, sprawling campus - I'll be posting pictures up on my Flickr site later, now that I have Internet connectivity.

Let the conference begin!!